Ulta Makeup review

This past weekend I got to go out of my small town and do a little makeup shopping before going to Daytona with my dad for the 4th of July. Lately I have been on the hunt for a new foundation, I have tried it seems like almost every foundation. I guess you could say I am kind of foundation ADD, I try something for a while but something else will grab my attention, Or the previous foundation mite have not been so great for my skin type. Foundations and anything to do with my skin is one of the things I like to invest a bit more money in compared to eye shadows or mascaras. In the next few weeks I am going to be doing a full foundation review on the foundations I have tried. Foundation isn't the only thing that I bought at Ulta it was the main reason I went, but let’s be honest you can’t just buy one thing at a makeup store! Now that I am done with this rambling intro let’s get this review started. First on my list was of course foundation, I don’t know about you guys but I definitely like to do my research before I purchase a product. I heard a lot of good things about the Tarte Amazonian clay full coverage foundation. I am really very impressed with how nice this foundation applies and looks on my skin! Like I said earlier I have tried loads and loads of foundations.  The one previous to the Tarte foundation was the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24h foundation. I actually did consider re-purchasing this but it is pricey. And I just didn’t want to spend that kind of money every time I bought new foundation. It is a very lovely foundation and worked well with my oily skin, had a medium buildable coverage but I wanted to find a foundation with a smaller price tag. When it comes to high end products I love Lancôme and it will always be on favorites list but it was time to try something new. I had a few foundations in mind that I wanted to try but the Tarte foundation had a lot of pros that outweighed the others. It’s hard to describe the texture of the foundation, it’s a very light almost creamy feeling compared to a liquid texture. The Tarte brand is known for being animal cruelty free and vegan friendly which I personally love! I have been wearing it now for about 2 weeks, so far I am extremely impressed with how my skin has been feeling and looking after I take my makeup off. I have noticed my skin’s complexion is clearer and smoother so that is a plus! The foundation says it last up to 12 hours, oil free and has SPF 15 sunscreen in it, I will say it definitely lives up to what the brand says! My skin feels light weight it last all day and helps keeps my oily skin looking shine free. By no means am I a makeup expert this is just my opinion on all the products I bought, that work for my skin type. This is not a guarantee to work with your own skin type, but If you are someone with oily or combination/oily skin who has suffered from acne and scaring like myself. These products could be a really good option for you to consider. I do know by the reviews for the Tarte foundation it is something all skin types can use and have found improvements in their own skin, so if you have dry skin or a combination skin type this foundation may work for you as well. Now onto the next product that was on my list was a long lasting foundation primer, the primer that I chose is the other most expensive product on my list other than the foundation. I have heard and read so many amazing reviews on the Smashbox photo finish foundation primer but was a bit unsure about buying it because of the price. The primer I used before the SmashBox primer was the L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional No.1 Magic Perfecting Base. It was a nice primer but it really didn't keep my makeup on longer and the texture was a bit heavy for my liking. It might work differently for others but it really didn't help my skin type. The Smashbox primer is something I have wanted to try for a while now, after all the amazing things I have heard about their products. The primer is oil free so when applying it doesn't feel greasy and its very light weight, but it goes a very long way. The reviews said that it last up to 3 months or longer so it’s something I might consider re purchasing. But it’s only the third primer I have ever used, so I’m not sure if it is something I would spend the money on again because it is so high end. At the moment I really love it, and how my makeup is lasting all day and feeling so light weight. I have to say that if you are looking into the Smashbox primer it’s definitely an investment.  Smahsbox also offers a variety of different primers for different skin needs. If you do have oily skin the light which is the one I am using would be a great kind, but they do have a range of different primers that would fit your own personal skin needs. So the last few items I picked up at Ulta were just a few smaller things. Because honestly I don’t like spending loads of money every time I buy makeup. A good tip is look into travel sized products if you want to try something without paying full price, until you know you really love the item. The first travel sized Item I bought was the Urban Decay all nighter makeup setting spray. I have not been using the Urban Decay brand for that long, but living in the hot south your makeup no matter how hard you seem to try it melts right off of your face. Especially if you have some kind of outdoor event like weddings, parties, ect. I have had a lot of recommendations to try out the Urban Decay setting spray. I had never tried this setting spray before and at the front of Ulta they have a lot of travel sized products so I decided to try it out first, before I considered getting the full size. I don’t use a setting spray everyday because I work at Curves Gym for women and I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis. But with this South Georgia heat I definitely want my makeup to stay in place while going out. The setting spray is 1.0 fl oz and cost half the price of the full size which I am considering purchasing in the future because this really does go a long way.  My makeup lasted all day when I was in Daytona in the middle of the day! Talk about miracle in the summer heat! My next small find was the Benefit Posie tint and the High beam; I got the mini trial size in these because they came together in a little set. The Posie tint is a lip and blush stain and the High beam is a highlighter. The Posie tint is a light pink shade which gives my cheeks just a light pink kiss it’s nice for a day look. The High Beam is a light pink undertone highlight which I loved right under my brow bone. Both highlighter and cheek stain are 0.13 fl. Oz so the mini size was very inexpensive. The last thing I bought was a blending sponge; they are so multipurpose and great to have in your collection. A lot of people wonder if the higher priced ones are better and I have to say my personal experience name brand isn't always better. I just purchased the Ulta brand for my blending sponge and it was a whole lot cheaper than some of the other high end brands. I know going into Ulta it’s like a makeup paradise and you want to go crazy and buy everything (trust me I know!) but just remember these few tips. If you aren't sure about a product get the travel size or mini sets it lets you try the product without spending full price. Most all of the brands have trial sets or travel size so you can try a little bit of everything instead of spending everything. That way you can decide what you like. Look at reviews before you buy! I can’t say that enough, I have my favorite brands just like everyone else but that doesn't mean a certain product is right for you.  Read reviews from people who have similar skin types or interest like you, it really helps out a lot before you decide to buy. Just because it’s high end doesn't mean it’s worth the price so read those reviews ladies! The last thing is if there is a product you like to spend a bit more on because you like the quality of it just remember to budget out what works best for you.  Remember a little goes a long way!