Even as someone who owns tons of beauty products (hundreds?! thousands?!) I still buy certain necessities on a weekly or monthly basis. Especially, if I’m traveling or visiting my family back home in Minnesota. Ulta is usually my destination of choice because A) it has more selection than drugstores (and I like that it carries prestige lines, as well), and B) it’s typically easier to find an Ulta than it is a Sephora or Nordstrom. (Not to mention, I don’t love having to go into a mall, and usually, I don’t have to if I’m going to an Ulta.)
Inspired by a recent trip where I picked up a whole lot of random, but necessary items, I decided to make a list of must-have staples I pick up most frequently from Ulta. From hangover help to the best aluminum-free deodorant I’ve ever tried, I have you covered. Keep scrolling!
It doesn’t matter how many beauty products I own, I will never make it out of a checkout line at Ulta without throwing a few last-minute necessities into my cart. In preparation for the holiday season (aka—more drinking than usual) this three-pack of sugar-free Liquid I.V. packets felt like a must. (I swear gulping down 16 ounces of the stuff the morning after a night out has taken me from physically shaking to feeling almost completely normal.) The White Peach flavor is also so, so good.
You can just never have too many Beautyblenders, especially when it’s your vehicle of choice when applying makeup. I’m lazy when it comes to washing my collection, therefore I have a toxic trait of just throwing more and more new ones into my basket every time I’m somewhere that sells them.
I’m a sh*t packer. And again, I’m lazy, so I prefer to just pick up or borrow haircare products whenever I’m traveling. That said, now that I have red hair and am a bit more high-maintenance when it comes to the color-preserving formulas I’m using, I usually end up running to Ulta or the drugstore to pick-up a couple of fresh travel-sized products. I’m really loving Pureology right now, and its Hydrate line, in particular, has been great for adding lots of shine and hydration to my strands. This handy set also comes with the brand’s Color Fanatic Multi-Tasking Leave-In Conditioner and the Style + Protect Lock It Down Hair Spray. All great things to have on hand when you’re traveling and styling your hair on the go!
Now that I’m a redhead (which has more contrast with my super-fair skin than my platinum blonde hair did), I actually don’t mind not having a tan. That said, do I still feel better with a little bit of a tan? You betcha. This express mousse from Bali Body is one of my favorites. Not only does it dry down almost instantly so you don’t feel all sticky and tacky, it also offers even, natural-looking color, and can be washed off as soon as one hour post-application.
I have learned the hard way (multiple times—you’d think I’d learn!) that it’s virtually impossible to try to travel with face oils and hair oils without it ending in some kind of ill-fated disaster. I can typically go without, except for the fact that my skin has been flaring recently, and this clarifying oil from Sunday Riley truly saves it. So, without any hesitation, I picked up this handy mini size.
I love fragrance, and I have a compulsion to try a new rollerball or travel-spray every single time I’m in the vicinity of a perfume section. Burberry Her (think berries, violet, jasmine, amber, and musk) is a can’t-go-wrong classic.
I have this problem where I’m consistently losing my sharpeners, and then consistently cursing myself as I try to line my lips or eyes with a ultra-dull pencil. Therefore, I can never have enough.
I try to *mostly* avoid wipes, but when I’m tired or have had a few drinks or just feel completely unmotivated to do my entire skincare routine (I know, I know, a cardinal beauty editor sin), I cry uncle and grab my pack of ride-or-die Neutrogena wipes. I’ve been using these to remove makeup since high school, and if it ain’t broke…
One of my most-used and yet most-lost beauty staples: cuticle oils. (This is probably because I bring it—and apply it—everywhere I go, just like most people are with their lip balm.)
The only lip balm I use. If you haven’t tried it, you’re seriously missing out. As someone who’s from (and often visits) Minnesota, it’s truly the only formula that can transform and soothe dry, chapped lips.
Sheet masks just hit different when you’re traveling. I prioritize ones that hydrate, plump, and brighten my skin, and these never miss.
The best mouthwash to ever exist. I always have to have it!
Truly has quickly become one of my all-time favorite bodycare brands. I’ve struggled to find an aluminum-free deodorant that really works for me for years, and this is one of the few that *finally* passed the test. Plus, I love that it smoothes, brightens, diminishes discoloration, and keeps odor at bay.
The limit does not exist when it comes to my penchant for re-stocking on razors. Billie, by far, makes the best.
