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

I’ve always wanted to try Estee Lauder moisturizer but 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.

3. Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer

This is one of the few drugstore-level products on this list but it's also one of my favorite products on this list. I use the Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer to wash my oily skin day and night. At night it cuts through and removes the layers of dirt, oil, and makeup that have accumulated on my face throughout the day no matter how thin or thick the layers. 

It's also good in the morning time to give my skin a refresh and set the stage for the makeup I'm going to apply. After using it my skin feels nice and refreshed but not dried out and tight like other facial cleansers can make even oily skin feel.

4. Smashbox Photo Finish Control Mattifying Primer

For those of us with oily skin and who like to have a more matte look using this Smashbox mattifying primer can help with that. It claims to deliver "a matte look while defending skin and perfecting makeup infused with a Silkscreen Complex, Witch Hazel, Salicylic Acid, + Zinc."

It's really lightweight and feels silky going on the skin. When I've used this my makeup went on well. I like that it helps to blur imperfections on the skin while also minimizing the look of my pores which helps make my makeup look as flawless as possible.

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 melt then 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.

Related read: Why The Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray Is My Go-to Setting Spray

6. Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation

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 comes in 40 shades. I wear the shade Deep Golden. This Maybelline foundation is supposed to minimize pores by blurring them, absorbing oil, and giving 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.

7. TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave In Conditioner

This is my go-to leave-in conditioner for moisturizing my relaxed hair. I use the TGIN Green Tea Super Moist Leave In Conditioner to moisturize my hair when it's wet and when it's dry. I like that it's it’s protein-free and lightweight so my hair doesn't feel weighed down or greasy. You can read more about why I like it and how I use it in My Favorite Light & Protein-free Leave-in Conditioner For Relaxed Hair.

8. Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

I've never used this hair conditioner but I've seen other relaxed-haired ladies swear by it. I think the main reason is it's one of the few hair masks out there that claims to balance protein and moisture. Having that protein moisture balance is one of the keys to having healthy relaxed hair.

This Briogeo hair mask claims to strengthen damaged hair and help to prevent future damage. So it's good for dry and damaged hair. It also includes B-vitamins that help "improve the texture of the hair and add body and sheen. Also restores nourishment to hair damaged by heat or chemical treatments."

Related read: Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo Review 

9. Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo

This is my favorite salon-level shampoo. A former hair stylist of mine used it on my hair and I liked the results. The great thing about this shampoo is I get great results using it at home as well. 

This is a moisturizing shampoo that is good for extra thirsty thick/coarse hair because it saturates with intensive moisture and seals it in. Because of how moisturizing it is my hair relaxed hair never feels stripped of moisture even though it feels really clean. After using this Joico shampoo my hair always feels smooth, hydrated, and soft after using it. 

10. Shark FlexStyle or Shark SpeedStyle

I was so excited to purchase the Shark FlexsStyle and give this popular hair styling tool a try for myself. What I found is that while I like how well and quickly it dries my relaxed hair it doesn't work for my hair type as a hair styling tool. That's why I feel like the SpeedStyle is the better buy.

Both dryers are created to dry the hair quickly lessening the amount of potential heat damage. With the FlexStyle I can dry my hair in about 30 minutes. With past "regular" blow dryers it could take me 40+ minutes. I also feel like I get the smoothest blowouts I ever have at home. I share more about my experience in the post Using The Shark FlexStyle On Relaxed Hair.

What do you like to buy from Ulta? Shop using this post the links below