10 Top Hair & Beauty Picks To Buy At Ulta

I love shopping at Ulta. It’s one of my favorite stores. I love walking down the makeup aisles to see what’s new in high-end and drugstore beauty. I also love that just a few steps away I can also shop for hair care products.

Ulta is the beauty store where I can find something that fits my budget. I’ve tried many different products either purchasing them (and maybe returning them when they didn’t work) or just trying them out in the store to determine what works and doesn’t work for my oily skin.

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To help you out on your next Ulta shopping trip I thought I’d put together a roundup post of my top 10 picks from Ulta. Some of these are products that I’ve tried and some are ones I haven’t.

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1. Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser

I have acne-prone skin that I’ve been able to get under control outside of a few stray pimples or bumps every now and then. So I prefer to use products on my face that are formulated for acne-prone skin and help to keep my pores clean.

If you’re looking for the same thing, from all of the reviews I’ve read this is a cleanser you should try. This cleanser has salicylic acid which helps to exfoliate dead skin cells keeping your pores clear. It also claims to help soothe your skin if irritated from breakouts.

2. Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra Cleansing Mud Mask

This is a facial mask that my acne-prone and oily skin likes. If I find that I'm starting to see a pimple surface I apply this and it helps to either slow down or stop the pimple growth. The smell is great and I don't have any types of irritation or dryness after I use it.

3. Estee Lauder DayWear Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant 24H-Moisture Crème Broad Spectrum SPF 15

I’ve always wanted to try and Estee Lauder moisturizer buy they are so expensive. Well on the Alaskan cruise I went on, they had a high-end beauty shop and there was a sample jar of this moisturizer. I applied some to my arm and it felt so good. It went on smoothly, sunk into my skin, and didn’t feel greasy. 

4. Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer

For those of us who have large pores and need help controlling facial oil, the Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer can help. It claims to instantly blur flaw, reduce the appearance of pores, and control oil for up to 8 hours.

5. Urban Decay Cosmetics All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

If you find that halfway through the day your makeup starts to fade or melting than you may want to try this setting spray. It claims to help your makeup look “just-applied for up to 16 hours - without melting, fading or settling into fine lines” It’s supposed to be good for all skin types.

6. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Claims for this primer from Smashbox include blurring flaws and smoothing skin so makeup looks better and lasts longer.

This was the first primer that I ever used and I did like it because it helped to minimize the look of my pores by filling them in. I also liked that it was very lightweight so it didn’t irritate my oily skin or feel like I had anything extra on my face. Plus, it’s oil-free.

The key reason I stopped using it though was it wasn’t helping with oil control. And since I wasn’t wearing a mattifying foundation or powder at that time nothing was stopping the oil from breaking through.

7. Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil-free Foundation

This has become one of my everyday foundations. It’s a reasonable price, has a shade that works for me and it helps instead of irritates any pimples or breakouts that I get. The Neutrogena SkinClearing Oil-Free Makeup claims to be “the first and only liquid foundation formulated with MicroClear technology to not only treat blemishes but to also help prevent emerging breakouts.

While this isn’t a matte foundation it doesn’t add any shine or oil to my face and combined with my mattifying primer and a little setting powder it takes several hours before any oil starts to break through my makeup.

8. Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless

This foundation doesn’t just claim to fit your skin tone but also “to fit the unique texture issues of normal to oily skin for the ultimate natural skin fit.” It’s supposed to minimize pores by blurring them, absorb oil and give you a matte looking finish.

At first, I wasn’t a big fan of this foundation. It felt way too drying but then I realized it was the combination of the foundation and my mattifying primer. So now with this foundation, I wear an oil-free primer but not one that’s mattifying I let the Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation take care of that.

I recently had this foundation on for over 12 hours while I traveled and only had to blot once. To go out to dinner that night I did remove and reapply the makeup but I was pleased with how long it lasted and was still presentable when it makes no claims for that.

9. SheaMoisture Green Coconut & Activated Charcoal Cleansing Bar Soap

I’ve never felt as clean as I do after using this soap. And the clean feeling lasts all day long. Additionally, this soap lathers like no one's business and it doesn’t dry me out. I used this soap during my Alaskan cruise and while it wasn’t extremely cold, the air was cold and dry. This soap didn’t dry out my skin so I wasn’t itching nor did I need to apply an extreme amount of lotion to my body.

10. SheaMoisture Sugarcane Extract & Meadowfoam Seed Silicone Free Leave-In

If you’re looking for a light cream detangler, a heat protectant without silicone, or both this is is it. The SheaMoisture Sugarcane Extract & Meadowfoam Seed Silicone Free Leave-In has become one of my staple products because it makes detangling my hair a breeze. It has a lot of slip even though it doesn't have any silicones. I typically use it after I wash my hair to work out any tangles that came from shampooing. Plus, it doubles as a heat protecant which is helpful because I typically dry my hair with a blow dryer.

What do you like to buy from Ulta?