SWEATER // JEANS // POLISH // PERFUME

The first time I stepped into a beauty store it was Ulta Beauty.  My big sister (who I wanted to be just like) ran out of shampoo and lip gloss and we needed to make an emergency stop on the way home from school.

That was the day I got my first lesson in beauty.  She taught me how to blow dry my hair and apply blush.  All babes know from experience, a good hair day and a little blush can go a long way.

Last month I celebrated my 26th birthday.  I reevaluated a few things: my career goals, working on more philanthropies, and keeping with the philosophy that you only live once.  I’m booking more trips and feeling more independent. I’m coming up with lists of things I want to accomplish, getting rid of clutter at home and deciding that quality is better than quantity in many aspects of life. (Beauty being one of them.)

Today Ulta beauty is celebrating their 25th birthday and in honor of growing up, I’ve come up with a list of my favorite products I’ve picked up along the way.  While roaming their aisles last week, I found a new favorite dry shampoo, (obsessed) decided to return to the perfume I wore in high school and try out an SPF moisturizer.

Enter my new and improved beauty cabinet:

1. Favorite dry shampoos: Batiste smells amazing, covers roots and adds body.  How did I just now find out about this? I also use Oscar Blandi.

2. Favorite travel blush: Benefit minis also make great gifts.

3. Favorite nail polish:  I swapped my usual black nails for an old favorite: classic essie ballet slippers for hands and California raspberry for toes.

4. Favorite perfumes (photographed on this book): Chloe, Philosophy and Estee Lauder

5. Favorite Tanner: Xen Tan

6. Favorite skincare: Mario Badescu

7. Favorite mascara: Bad gal lash

*This post was sponsored by Ulta Beauty.  Images by Meredith Braden.