Yesterday my Ulta order came in and I was so excited to dive right into it and try everything. I needed to refresh some of my everyday makeup after going through and tossing products I used frequently, many of which contained talc.* So I hopped on Ulta and looked for some clean/ talc free essentials and I was very pleased with what I bought.
Halo Glow Highlight Beauty Wand
Elf Cosmetics
Shade: Champagne Campaign
I loved this highlighter! The Elf “Halo Glow” wands are new dupes for the Charlotte Tilbury beauty wands, and are only a fraction of the price. The Elf ones dropped on April 7th and I heard nothing but good things, so I decided to try them. It was the best decision. The highlighter gives me a glowy look without making my face look greasy. The amount of shine was buildable and was easy to blend out. I will definitely be trying out different shades in the future.
Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand
Elf Cosmetics
Shade: Light/Medium
I have been needing a better contour for a long time, and this spree was the perfect excuse to get one. This is another dupe to the Charlotte Tilbury wands, but Elf has many more color options for theirs compared to the designers. Mine was definitely a much warmer color then I was expecting, but it doesn’t look bad. The Elf contour wand is very pigmented, and you definitely do not need to use as much as you think you do. Once figuring out how much I need, I really liked the way it looked on me.
Too Cheeky: Lip and Cheek Color Stick
Ulta Beauty Collection
Shade: Close Up
This is my new favorite product ever! I love the color, texture, and feel of this blush. I wanted to buy this instead of the Elf Halo Glow blush because I wanted a slightly shimmery blush, but not overly shiny, and this is just that. It is a buildable, creamy blush and it gives me a beautiful natural glow. I absolutely love this product, and it’s my new go to blush.
Extreme Shine Volume Lip Gloss
Essence
Shades: 01-Crystal Clear, 03-Dusty Rose, and 104-Nude Mood
I’m going to be honest, I only bought these lip glosses because I wanted to get free shipping, and these were buy 2 get 1 free. I’ve also been in a lip gloss wearing mood lately, so I figured why not get them. I loved that they were a clean and natural product, and I actually really like them. I’ve only tried the clear gloss so far, but I like the way it looks and feels. It’s not sticky either like many other glosses. My only complaint is that the Dusty Rose and Nude Mood look fairly different online than in person. The Nude Mood has a much more purply/white tint than it looks like online, and the Dusty Rose is a bit darker, which honestly, I don’t mind.
I do definitely love and recommend the clear gloss, but if you’re looking for a specific color, do not get it online.
Truly- Perfume
Unicorn Fruit
I was not expecting to get this perfume at all. It’s not something I ordered, and I wasn’t supposed to get a free gift or anything, so I genuinely do not know why I got this. I am so happy I did though. I have this exact scent in a body scrub and I love it. I put it on this morning, and I can still vaguely smell it 10 hours later. Most perfumes never last more than 6-8 hours, so the fact it’s lasted for 10 hours is pretty amazing.
It has a warm vanilla scent with some floral undertones. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and seductive. It is one of the few perfumes that does not create, or make my migraines worse. Probably my favorite part of my package, even though I didn’t order it. I highly recommend this scent.
*Talc is a mineral often used in baby powder and powdery makeups because it can absorb moisture, soften products, and make makeup more opaque. There are many problems with talc but the biggest being it increases one’s risk for cancer. Both talc and asbestos (cancer causing mineral) are mined in the same areas allowing talc products to contain asbestos. There are very few regulations when it comes to this.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, but I have done extensive research on it.