Indulge! Getting beautiful in Boston (with a cruelty-free twist)

Sabon is extremely hard-to-miss; in warm weather, their lovely employees are outside handing out delicious-smelling soap samples, which are impossible to resist and – with no hard tactics from the employees – drag you into the store. I never thought I would find a better soap than Mistral’s hard-to-find products, but I have, in Sabon.

Apologies for stating the obvious, but come on – who doesn’t love Sephora? I’ve been known to play in here for hours without buying anything (but have no fear, I do make the occasional expensive purchase!) By far the best part is being able to buy Clinique, Sugar, and Cargo cosmetics in one shot…where else can you do that offline?

This location and the one in Wellesley are outrageously popular because of their wide selection of hard-to-find items. Cruelty-free Laura Mercier is their primary moneymaker (and boy do they push it on you), but they also carry Bliss, Diptyque and others.

Lush is amazing. Not only is it cruelty-free, it’s so natural it’s edible! If you’ve never been to a Lush store, you’re in for a treat – everything is laid out like the produce section of a supermarket, and much of the products are prepared in-store. My favorite is the Angels on Bare Skin line (the mask is incredible and made with mushrooms!)

If all-natural, organic beauty is your cup of tea, then Cambridge Naturals is your…sugar cube? Something like that. This is where you’ll find those hard-to-find brands, plus the usual Burt’s Bees/Kiss My Face crowd.

I admit it…although this is a full-service salon, I go for the manicures. At $15, they’re no steal, but holy crap my manicurist is good! So what if she sits there and tells me how beautiful my hands are? So what if she’s a total liar? My ugly fingernails always “walk” out looking gorgeous, so I’m not going to complain.

Hair Design Center is pretty bare bones, but that doesn’t stop it from being my favorite salon in Boston. Sara, my favorite stylist is someone who genuinely loves and cares about hair – which sometimes can seem pretty rare in the industry.

If it weren’t frowned upon, I would probably just hang out in Salon Red’s lobby all day. There are many cool things about this salon – they offer beverages (how simple but rare), they’ve got diversity (have you ever SEEN Newbury Street?), and the space is simply comfortable.

Okay, so maybe it’s a little lame to be hawking Victoria’s Secret, but I’ve become so addicted to their “slice of heaven” scent that I can’t keep myself away. Their products are cruelty-free as well, so don’t feel bad about it.

Telling you to go to Kiehl’s may also be stating the obvious, so I’ll keep it short and to the point: 1. They always give amazing free samples, 2. The service at this location is superb, and 3. Duh.

Beauty Rules is so zen. There’s a no cell phone policy (don’t you wish every salon had that?), they make their own products, and now offer cuts, coloring, and mani/pedis. Beauty really does rule!

Ahh, Bumble & Bumble products. If that weren’t enough of a good reason to go to Luna, the sweet stylists certainly are.