Beauty and Chocolate

After a ho-hum day at work, I decided to head to Soho to go to Vosges for some chocolate. But before chocolate, I had a beauty stop to make. Since I got to Soho just before 7pm, I rushed to check out Space NK. I never seem to be in Soho when the store is open — and closing at 7pm is just so unpractical for ladies (like me) who most decidedly don’t lunch. I had heard many wonderful things about the Space NK store — especially that it stocked natural and/or paraben-free brands that other stores don’t carry. So I had been wanting to check it out for a while.

Overall, I was left a bit cold by the store — it’s beautiful, yes — and it stocks brands like Ren, Dr. Hauschka, and Jurlique. While it is useful to have all of those in one beautiful store, I don’t think that’s the draw of the store. Nor was I especially enthralled by their Space NK brand bath and body products — the scents all were very floral. I think for me the biggest draw of the store is that has many of brands that are not usually sold together under one roof — for example, Sephora carries Ren, but not Dr. Hauschka, and so forth.

And the setting is really gorgeous — it’s spare and airy and just a lovely place to shop. That said, unless you don’t shop at a variety of stores, I can’t say Space NK is a must-visit stop in Soho — well, unless you have a design aesthetic. Then it is must-see.

Regardless of who you are though, Vosges is a must-visit stop in Soho. Vosges approaches chocolate shopping in a boutique way. It’s the same concept as, say, a Lindt store – BUT – it’s so much more. There’s a tall marble bar/table to your left when you come in, inviting you to linger with a cold hot chocolate (they carry three flavors of hot chocolate, and they can be served hot or cold). The flavors are diverse and lovely. The Naga truffle (which also comes in chocolate bar form) is my hands-down favorite — curry and coconut in rich milk chocolate. My husband really likes the applewood bacon Mo chocolate bar (which occasionally comes in truffle form) though he would chide me if I did not mention that the bacon chocolate bar is much better cold as opposed to at room temperature. The macha green tea bar is lovely too. The boutiquey feel is underscored by the fact flavors are actually collections and also by the attentive service. Shopping there is truly an experience. And I encourage you to try it – or online if you are not in New York.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go put the three bars I purchased in the fridge so that I am not tempted to dig into them until the weekend.

Note: I wrote this post over a year before I switched to a gluten-free near-vegan and no-refined sugar diet, but based on the Vosges website, it seems that they have gluten-free and allergy-friendly options.