Cos and Effect

El Paseo boutique sets the beauty bar high

David Lee El Paseo, Shopping

Cos Bar manager Shamina Plott (left) and staff member Erica Levish.
David A. Lee

Four years ago, an ice cream shop next to the Ralph Lauren store in The Shops on El Paseo morphed into retail deliciousness in the form of beauty specialty store Cos Bar. The eleventh location of the 12-store chain founded in 1976 by Aspen, Colorado-based Lily Garfield, Cos Bar serves up the highest-quality cosmetics, fragrances, and skin care products — all of which will have you licking your lips with delight.

A friendly, stylish, and knowledgeable staff helps buyers navigate merchandise that includes beautifully designed and highly researched product lines. Cos Bar presents recognizable brand names, such as Yves St. Laurent, Bobbi Brown, Nars, Sisley, and La Prairie, alongside an impressive collection of goods not available elsewhere in the Inland Empire. More than a dozen luxury product lines are exclusive to this distinctive store, including Clé De Peau Beauté, which offers a full line of cosmetics and skin care; Barcelona-based Natura Bissé, with exclusive facial treatment formulations; and Omorovicza, a line of body and skin care products built on the mud and healing waters of the famed spa in Budapest, Hungary. 

Exquisite fragrances line the shelves at Cos Bar, including rare specialties from Atelier Cologne and British-born Clive Christian’s highly desirable scents. Available for both men and women, Christian’s perfumes and colognes are renowned for their lingering and complex aromas. Customers looking for the near-impossible-to-find Creed scent, Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare, as well as three other Creed exclusives, will be thrilled with the beauty boutique’s generous selection.

A good neighbor, Cos Bar offers its time, staff expertise, and resources when it comes to charity events. Behind A Miracle (which supports breast cancer research and treatment), Coachella Valley’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Fashion Week El Paseo are some of the many organizations the company supports. And for folks searching for a different kind of place to throw a party, Cos Bar makes a great venue. Invite your friends for a fun gathering where guests can, as manager Shamina Plott puts it, “play with makeup” and experience the many specialty beauty products that the store has to offer.

With prices ranging from $3 to more than $1,000, this emporium of delectable delights is a must-visit for the discerning El Paseo shopper.  

Cos Bar at The Shops on El Paseo (73080 El Paseo), Palm Desert. 760-341-6699; www.cosbar.com

Cos Bar Palm Desert

Cos Bar’s enticing interior.

Photo by David A. Lee