• Aedes de Venustas

  9 Christopher Street, 212-206-8674, www.aedes.com

  With its plush red-velvet carpet and antique cabinets filled with pricey European products, this intimate shop is the height of old-world charm. Since it moved to its new location last year, J.Lo, Liv Tyler, and Gwen Stefani have all stopped by to stock up on their favorite products, like $50 Acqua di Parma lavender perfume and the Santa Maria Novella line, which originated in a 1640 Florentine convent: Their Iris whitening toothpaste costs $11. Extra bonus: The cute German couple who run the shop will gift-wrap ($6.50) with fresh flowers and ribbons—just the way Madonna likes it.

From the 2003 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine