What to buy at Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty Event

It’s Ulta Beauty Event time again, this time makeup take center stage during their 21 day event. Similar to their skincare sale, I love to pick up tried and true favourites for deep discounts when I can and also splurge on some finds I want to try at a more affordable price.

Find my picks below for what’s worth it to purchase during their 21 Days of Beauty Event.

Extra tip: Link your Target Circle to your Ulta Rewards and get twice the rewards during the event.

Week One

March 13:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

I love the Ulta puts a universally loved product like Brow Wiz in every one of their make up sales. What else can I say about this product that you don’t already know?

Tula Protect & Glow

I’m so excited that Protect & Glow hit the sale this time around - I’m literally down to my last drops of this. One of my 2021 faves, this formula leaves a beautiful pearl glow on your skin, a perfect sun protected base layer under all kinds of makeup. If you’re fair like I am, this gives you the dewy, juicy face look like Super Goop’s Glow Screen does, but without the too dark tan layer.

March 14:

Smashbox Mattifying Primer

Katie Jane Hughes used Smashbox’s Mattifying Primer in her instagram story recently, as a substitute for setting powder for one of her daily looks. She applied this in her t-zone areas and and then followed with the rest of her base makeup, and the primer negated any need for powder to set her look. I am so curious to try the same, especially as the temps rise, and when I saw this on sale, knew I wanted to pick it up.

March 15:

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

I’m using the toner right now, and love how evenly the spray disperses product. Its so fast and easy for my (always rushed) morning routine. Can’t wait to try the essence to see if it does the same.

Week Two

March 20:

Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Cream

I have one of these already and it applies like a dream. Now that we’re mostly maskless again, lip creams and glosses might find their way back to rotation. These really do give you a plumping effect, and the consistency of the formula is a dream.

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

When I’m looking for more coverage than normal, or need to tone down the tan of my Super Goop Glow Screen, I pull out my shape tape concealer. This stuff lasted all day under a mask during a humid Toronto summer, when you need that little bit of extra coverage, without the weight of a foundation, this stuff is golden.

March 21:

Nabla Eyeshadow Palettes

Another Katie Jane Hughes recommendation, I’ve always been curious about Nabla's eyeshadow formulas, especially since KJH and I have similar skin tones. At this price it might be time to pick up one or two and have a little eyeshadow fun.

March 24:

Estee Lauder Radiant Skin Repair + Renew Set

My one rule for any Ulta event is to always, ALWAYS, stock up on one of my OGs, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. This set looks to include an almost full size version, and for wont find ANR for much lower than the $25 here.

Week 3

April 1:

Benefit Gimme Brow+ Tinted Volumizing Brow Gel

I love this stuff for no makeup days, days with hats, and days that require constant sunglasses. It adds a great tint to my otherwise non-noticeable brows, and when you brush is backwards, then forwards, it coats each hair with the perfect amount of product. Love this stuff.

Benefit The POREfessional Super Setter Pore Minimizing Spray

I always stock up on makeup setters heading into the summer months. I’ve been trying a mini size of this for the past couple months, and can tell its going to be a workhorse for me as the temperatures rise. Up there with Urban Decay’s 24 Hour setting spray, this stuff locks in base makeup really well, and keeps my face from looking super oily for most of the day.

Shopping For: Sherpa Shoes

Four inches of snow is currently on the ground where I live.

Four inches of water-based fluff, that when mixed with the softness of sherpa fabric - on a shoe - would guarantee a disastrous result.

Sherpa shoes might be highly impractical, but aren’t we sometimes willing to risk a fashion disaster for a little bit of fun?

Behold the power this teddy-bear fabric that wraps you warmth. No longer relegated just to coats - sherpa shoes have been popping up at retailers everywhere, continuing the cozy-craze launched by the pandemic. These shoes are brimming with texture and warmth, create visual interest, all while wrapping your feet in a cozy hug.

Sneakers

Rag & Bone’s retro kicks are what started my descent into sherpa shoes. Even without the sherpa fabric, their classic lines, speckled sole, and muted 70s colourway fit perfectly into my neutral wardrobe. But the addition of sherpa is a chef’s kiss of texture that put these over the top.

Rag & Bone Retro Runner Sneakers

AQUA x Scout the City Teddy High Tops

Converse Chuck 70 Sherpa

Slides & Mules

Lets be honest, I should probably just rename this the Birk’s section. If Rag & Bone’s beige sneakers started my descent into the cozy craze, Birkenstock’s teddy versions all but assured my crash landing to sherpa-land. These just look SO WARM. When I finally spotted them in person at my local Nordstrom, it was instant love. It’s hard to justify a winter sandal, especially in climate, so for now I’ll just keep drooling every time I set my eyes on them.

See by Chloe Gema Loafers

Birkenstock Arizona Big Buckle Shearling

Birkestock Boston Teddy Clogs

Loafers & Flats

Of the three styles I’m shopping for, sherpa loafers and flats are the trickiest to pull off fashion-wise. The placement of the sherpa fabric makes all the difference. That’s what makes these sherpa Mary Janes so special. An of-the-moment shape paired with an of-the-moment fabric make these textured, minimal classics irresistible.

TWVP Curly Fur Mary Jane Flats

Raye Sven Loafer

Age of Innocence Zuri Flat

New Music Discovery: Public Library Commute

It’s amazing the kind of recollection our brains have when it comes to music. Like smell, a familiar song can take you back to a specific place, time or even feeling, all after just a couple bars played.

My latest song recollection isn’t as poetic as that previous paragraph sounded, but led to me to putting a name to a new-to-me-artist, which is one of my intentions for this year.

A little backstory: I’m a big fan of Mojave’s weekly vlogs – she’s a NYC fashion worker who documents her adventures around the city and in her kitchen. Our aesthetic tastes are similar, and her minimalist downtown vibe is just so chic.

Her vlog also features an assortment of indie pop musicians – one of them being Public Library Commute.

This is the song that originally caught my ear:

Conrad Hsiang is the man behind the Public Library Commute moniker. His music is dreamy, floaty and uplifting, it’s the perfect indie-pop playlist for a warm summer afternoon. It’s fitting that his song “Summertime” is his most popular on Spotify, but it’s his EP 1000 Summers that landed him on some of Spotify’s biggest playlists.

Given the temps outside right now, Public Library Commute’s music is the perfect listen to transport you somewhere warm.

Listen Here:

Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/public-library-commute/1399000945

2022 Intentions

Manifest Mural at Columbus Idea Foundry, Columbus, OH

It’s a full week into 2022, and I’m still not sure I’m ready to put pen to paper and outline New Year’s resolutions and goals. I am going to allow myself more grace in really thinking and outlining what I want them to be, and why I have them. But an email this week from Together Digital, a women in tech group I belong to, got me thinking about yearly intentions. You see…

A resolution is unforgiving, focuses on the negative (what you can’t do), and strives for perfection.

Whereas an intention is more forgiving, focuses on the positive (what you can do) and strives for better.

I love that intentions are about forgiveness and let you tip-toe into the accountability of goals. To be honest, I’m not ready for that full accountability yet. I’m still adjusting to this omicron-induced whiplash that seemingly came out of nowhere and that’s OKAY.

It’s also important to me to make note of some positive things I started doing in 2021. Things that I’d love to continue into 2022, in addition to the new things that I want to learn and do this year. This intention list isn’t finite – it’s a draft I hope to add to as the year progresses.

CONTINUE:

• Physical movement: I’m really proud that I closed my Apple Watch exercise ring almost every day in 2021. Those 30+ minutes a day of physical movement filled my cup physically and even more mentally, and I really want to continue this commitment to exercise in 2022.

• Making More Music Playlists: comfort tunes have been getting me through pandemic, but I have been actively trying to discover new (to-me) artists and their music more often. I want to continue this musical discovery this year, and who knows? Maybe I’ll share some new tunes in this space.

LEARN:

• TikTok: I know learning TikTok sounds ridiculous (and really old), but creating for TikTok is something I want to experiment with. A good chunk of this intention is for my day job, but I love that TikTok still has the “anything goes” ethos, so it feels a bit safer to experiment there than any of the other social networks.

• Winged Eyeliner: I adore Katie Jane Hughes and her Instagram tutorials. I share a lot of similar facial feature with her, most notably our hooded eyes. Katie does these AMAZING winged eyeliner looks on her hooded eyes, always creating tutorials on how to do them. I really, really want to learn how to do this technique this year, I just need to DO IT.

• Beachy hair: during holiday break, I didn’t blow-dry my hair once. (Yes, that’s how often I left the house). I braided my hair into two French braids every time I washed it, letting it air dry for at least 36 hours. I LOVED the result the braids created – effortless, beachy waves that lasted for almost three full days. I would love to be able to recreate this look in a shorter amount of time so that I can mix up my style from my normal long and straight into something a little more undone.

DO:

• Visit somewhere I’ve never been: in year’s past, I’ve always said I wanted to get out of the country. But given the uncertainty of travel restrictions this year, I really just want to be inspired by going somewhere I’ve never been.

• Organize my jewelry: I’m lucky to have accumulated that jewelry that I have, but most of its sits unworn, because it’s tucked into dust bags where I can’t see it. I have every intention of organizing it very soon, there are currently 4 MUJI acrylic containers in my house waiting to be filled to showcase it.

• Hand care: between all the hand-washing, hand sanitizer and cold weather, my hands are wrecked (and look old!) They need the same amount of TLC that I give my skin, and I’m putting this intention here to remind myself to do so.

• Take a new headshot: confession: I’m officially one of those people who’s LinkedIn headshot is a little too dated. I need to shoot a new headshot picture this year to spruce up my professional profiles, even if said headshot is just a really fancy iphone pic taken by someone else.

• Visit art galleries: I love a good solo trip to an art museum, but when it comes to visiting art galleries I get too chicken to check them out. I want to go beyond Instagram stalking this year and physically visit galleries, in Columbus and elsewhere, to appreciate more art than just the classics to gain inspiration.

• Share more: I keep things pretty close to vest a lot of the time, happy to exist in my head or open up to a trusted circle of people. This year I’d like to dip my toe into sharing a bit more, on the internet and in person, giving people more than the small one-sided view that I am most comfortable sharing.

What to buy at Ulta's 2022 Love Your Skin Event

It’s the most wonderful time, of the year…

Yes, I get the irony of using that phrase on January 2nd. But if you’re a skincare lover like me, it is a wonderful time because Ulta’s Love Your Skin event is BACK.

I LOVE this sale. More than all of their others. It’s so approachable, introducing me to some amazing products at half-price that I’ve grown to LOVE.

So if you’re looking to ramp up your skincare routine or just stocks up on some of your faves, here are my picks for what’s worth buying at this year’s event.

Ulta’s Love Your Skin event runs from January 2 – 22. Don’t forget to check their app for extra deals if you’re a platinum or diamond member.

January 2: NuFace Trinity Facial Toning Device

Ulta is kicking off this sale (and 2022!) with a bang – with NuFace! This price is great for the full size version – I own the mini and love it. I use it a couple times a week and have noticed quite and improvement in my skin. It only adds 10 minutes to your night routine – so worth it for the results.

January 3: Skyn Iceland Firming Eye Gels

These eye gels are so convenient for travel, they’re not super goopy and won’t make a mess in you bag. What I love most about them is they DON’T BUDGE after you put them on, you don’t have to worry about them slipping and sliding around your face. At this price they’re a steal – no wonder Patrick Ta uses them on all his clients!

January 4: Live Tinted Eye Masks & Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm

I’ve been hearing for years how beloved Banila balm is in k-beauty circles, so I thrilled to see it for the first time during this year’s event. Definitely picking this up for sure. I’m also a sucker for cutely shaped eye masks, so definitely picking up these Live Tinted eye masks for the first time as well.

January 7: COSRX Treatment Toner

Another *want to try* product for me, this Treatment Toner has been in my “save for later” shopping bag for years. My current Indie Lee toner is almost out, which is perfect timing to pick this one up.

January 9: Sunday Riley Power Couple Mini Kit

Good Genes is one of my holy grail products. It’s desert island for me. If you’ve never tried Good Genes and always wanted to, this mini size is a steal to test out this cult lactic acid treatment. Just remember: don’t use it daily when trying it out :)

January 14: Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover

This stuff is legendary, it’s the best for removing heavy eye makeup, hands down. As events and nights out hopefully start to pickup here soon, this eye makeup remover is great to have on hand for stubborn waterproof mascaras and glitter eyeshadows. Just add some to a cotton pad, hold it in place over your eye, and let the product work its magic and remove everything.

January 15: Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkly Smoothing Eye Cream

If you only buy one thing from this sale, BUY THIS. This eye cream is another holy grail product of mine, especially when using it at night. (This entire line from Shiseido is fantastic.) Your eyes wake up brighter, smoother, and refreshed - regardless of how many hours of shut-eye you got the night before.

January 16: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

This stuff is so legendary, famous beauty editor Alex Steinherr refers to it by ANR only. It’s the perfect nighttime serum to follow your retinols or acids - add a layer of hydration of this serum before your heavy creams and moisturizers and wait for the amazing results. In winter, I’ll even use this when my skin needs a little extra TLC, its perfect on those skin rehab days when it gets super cold. And you guessed right, of course it's a holy grail/desert island list too.

January 20: Elemis Cleansing Balm

This cleansing balm has been part of this event for a couple years, and each time I’ve been meaning to pick it up to try. Normally I can’t justify spending $60 for a face cleanser, but at $32, it might be time to finally add this one to my cart.