Look what you made me do, Ulta! ?
Remember how I mentioned there’s a new Ulta in my town? And how it’s barely a five-minute drive away from mi casa?
YES, I know. They ran a 20% off sale on everything last weekend, and this is what found its way into my basket…
Lots of sunscreen and skin care as you can see. Yup, I still love makeup, and I was tempted by quite a few things (like this palette and these cream shadows), but I resisted *this time* around because I’ve decided that it’s time to get serious about fighting the good fight against hyperpigmentation. If I’m going to go to the effort of doing retinol, Vitamin C, AHAs and BHAS, I’ve got to get the sun protection part of the equation right, so sun protection was my main goal on this trip.
Side note: having a product game plan before beauty shopping helps a ton. I’ve blacked out at Ulta and Sephora one too many times, leaving with a basket of things I didn’t even plan on getting, and I know I’m not alone in this either. Having a plan stopped me from being tempted by things I probably don’t need, so I wholeheartedly recommend this strategy next time you head to the mothership.
Back to the sunscreen! What I really wanted was a face sunscreen, specifically a tinted one because I’ve heard that tinted sunscreens can help medium and darker skin tones prevent hyper pigmentation.
The Cotz one is going back, unfortunately. I like how smooth and fresh my skin looked after applying it, and I liked the depth of the tint (I couldn’t see it at all on my skin), but it made my face itch. ?
The tinted Cerave, though, is a keeper! The tint is a little lighter than the Cotz one so I can see a slight cast at first, but it fades after it settles in.
I also like how lightweight and moisturizing it is. Only thing is…the tint rubs off on my mask and clothes, so I’m going to use the La Roche Posay Melt In Milk sunscreen on days when I wear white shirts or tees (which I do often).
OMG, this is SO GOOD. The name “Melt In Milk” really does it justice because it absorbs incredibly quickly and completely, leaving behind absolutely no cast whatsoever. Plus, it’s moisturizing but isn’t sticky or heavy. I also like the amount of SPF protection and that it doesn’t have a strong sunscreen-y scent.
Speaking of scents…don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind scented skincare at all. I just prefer that the stuff I wear on my face not smell like a margarita. But on beach days or fishing days or camping trips, I do love a summery, sunscreen-y scent, which is why I picked up a couple things from Sun Bum, including this SPF70 lotion.
It smells like a coconut and pineapple smoothie, and it doesn’t leave a cast. I also bought the spray version because I’m really trying hard to get better at reapplying, and I figure that having a spray might help me stay motivated, since it’s faster and easier to apply than the lotion.
In non-sunscreen news…I stocked up on the retinol cream I’ve been using from Neutrogena, and I grabbed an old-school fave of mine by Proactiv.
I wore this benzoyl peroxide cream back in my early 30s, back before I discovered Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion. I still love the Kate Somerville, but they just keep jacking up the price! Last time I went to Sephora it was $52 (it was $39 when I started using it back in 2013). I’m pretty cranky about the price increase, so I’ve been trying to find an alternative… When I re-stumbled on this cream at Ulta for $35, I was stoked. I hope it still works for me.
Other stuff I picked up: a bottle of Pattern leave-in conditioner and couple of Clinique liquid eyeliners in basic brown and black.
Have you done any beauty shopping lately at Ulta or anywhere else?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Aw Rosie! She’s like, “Did you bring anything home to make my fur coat even more beautiful?”
I’m so glad there isn’t an Ulta within a 30 minute drive of my house, it’s bad enough there are two Sephora’s within a 5 minute drive or 10-15 minute walk.
One good thing about the pandemic, it made me realize I can live without all this “stuff”. I haven’t “browsed” at Sephora in over a year.
I totally hear you. For makeup, I’ve been digging deep into my classics stash and I’ve realized that they are go-to’s for a reason!
Yup. As I’ve gotten older I’ve moved away from bright colors and gone for more classic neutrals. The only thing I keep buying is skincare and tons of sunscreen.
I’m tempted to try that Anthelios sunscreen, but the last time I tried one from them I had an itchy, burning reaction so I remain cautious.
Yay for being sun-safe! I’d run out of my face sunscreen and was using something from Coppertone with 24% zinc and I looked like that picture of Mark Zuckerberg surfing. I’m fair, so it faded pretty easily on me, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m currently using Vanicream Sport Sunscreen for every day.
How are you liking that retinol? I saw good reviews of it on YouTube.
Hi Chelsea,
I’ll have to check out Vanicream. I hear so many good things!
Anywho, the Neturogena retinol cream is THE STUFF. This is my second jar of it, and I’ve definitely seen improvement in the tone of my skin. It’s just taking forever, it seems, because it’s on the gentler side, but I don’t mind because in the past I’ve never been able to stick with retinol because of the drying side effects. This one seems to be in a very moisturizing base, which I love. It also layers well with other rich moisturizers and I like that too. Typically I’ll put on a layer of it at night, wait a few minutes for it to dry, and then I’ll top it with The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid serum and whatever thick face moisturizer I’m using at the moment (right now I’m all about Avene). Long story short, it’s great. This version I bought is the one with fragrance because it was the only one on the shelf, however I prefer the unscented version.
Nice! My derm was talking about starting me on retinol or differing after we get the rosacea under control with the Metronidazole she prescribed, and I’ve heard such good things about that Neutrogena cream.
The Vanicream isn’t the most cosmetically elegant product (but definitely not the worst) but it doesn’t break me out or irritate my skin, so it’s a winner.
Ulta is too “far” away from me (Kailua oh so faaarrrrr) and they do charge for shipping because Hawaii so I haven’t purchased anything from them though I’ve been tempted!
Too bad about the Cotz. I use the sensitive skin one and I love it, it’s wonderfully emollient underneath makeup and does not leave a white cast. That said, I do not have sensitive skin — my husband, OTOH gets pins and needles from the Cerave moisturizing cleanser!! — so I don’t get bothered by many products. You don’t want to put a brand name on your face that means vomit in German anyways (“Kotz”) lol….
LOL, local people crack me up! When my in-laws lived in Kaneohe nobody would ever want to drive out there because it was “too far,” and I’m like, “It takes an hour to go *anywhere* in the Bay! How is Kaneohe far?” If we ever moved out there (I dunno, we’ve been talking about it… El hub is trying to wear me down slowly), I’d actually want to live on that side, specifically in Kailua.
I might still try other versions of CoTz. They have a sunscreen mousse that looks very good!
It’s true that I’ve become soft. I used to commute between Princeton, NJ and Philadelphia, PA daily and it was no big deal but God forbid I have to drive to Kaneohe for something. lol Anyhoo it would be great to be “far away” neighbors. We prefer windward side as well. If we had to live in the suburbs (we’re Towners for life though) we’d choose Hawaii Kai. Back OT I’m looking forward to this Target Ulta strategic partnership I’ve been hearing about.
Oh, gosh! I’d love to live in Kailua! One of Dear Husband’s bosses used to own a house on Mokulua Dr. and he let us use it one year at Christmas and New Years. I cried getting on the airplane coming back because I didn’t want to leave. Lol. I still remember spending Christmas Day at Lanikai Beach. Sigh. Hawaii is just so beautiful.
Nice haul. Thanks for sharing. Totally relate about having a game plan before going shopping. I usually think I can remember what I want to get, then get distracted and completely forget what I originally wanted to buy. Have you ever tried any dark spot corrector products? I am hoping to visit the “mothership” soon. I’m tempted to try the Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Corrector but in the past, I tried the Aveeno one and it didn’t seem to work. And the Clinique one is on the pricey side. Love Rosie in the photo!
Hi Marcia,
I’ve tried a number of dark spot correctors! I had a lot of luck using them in conjunction with other antioxidants (Vitamin C, specifically) and exfoliators (AHAs and BHAs). The thing is I’ve noticed with my skin, though, is that the pigmentation comes back if I’m not good about wearing sunscreen. Anywho, I’ve tried that Clinique one (I think in my 30s) and it worked pretty well. I’ve also had great luck with Sunday Riley Good Genes, too. Both pricey but both worked well for me. I’m trying now to combat hyperpigmentation with the Neutrogena retinol cream because I would also like the anti-aging benefits.
Rosie is hanging out in my office right now and she says hello!
I love that La Roche Posay sunscreen. My husband and I are runners, and it’s the one sunscreen I found that we don’t sweat off when we run during the summer. They have a kids version that I always stock up on when my niece and nephew come to visit. Are you going to review more products from the Pattern brand? My hair is wavy when it’s shoulder length, but curly if it’s only chin length, and I’ve been really interested in hearing more about that brand.
How do you like the Pattern leave-in conditioner?????
I have done a lot of beauty shopping lately, but still online as restrictions aren´t likely to lift here in Germany soon. Incidentally quite a bit of sunscreen too.
Hi Karen! I have hyperpigmentation issues too esp after pregnancy. Ugh. Recently Ive picked up a tip from someone to use Banana Boat Ultra Sport 50 spray to set my makeup. I love the glow and the extra protection esp when Im outdoors hiking or just playing in the park with the toddler. I can reapply throughout the day and most of all it doesn’t sting/irritate my very sensitive eyes. My toddler uses the baby version on top of her La Roche-Posay Anthelios Kids.
Happy Friday!
Thank you for the recommendation, Cha! I’m definitely going to pick it up.