Ulta Beauty Summer Essentials

Review by Lisa VanWilliams

Here are a few Ulta Beauty Summer Essentials any girl could use to brighten her day. When I walk into Ulta, my needs go out the window and I am like a child in a candy store. I want everything, my eyes wander as fast as they can, I want to look at all the details, and then I my dream snaps back into reality as I'm usually with kids in tow and quick decisions need to be made. The store can be overwhelming with the massive amounts of products and choices. We are going to focus on a few brands they have available so it's not so mind-blowing.

Ulta sent me some of the hot brands they carry to check out. Here's a closer look at Butter London Nails, Whim Nails, Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly eye shadow collection, Fiona Styles Mascara & Eye Veil, and it Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores.

The new Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette has GREAT reviews. It goes for $36 and it's a creamy and decadent eye shadow collection that has nine matte and shimmer shades. It also comes with a 3 step "How-To" glamour guide if you need help creating looks. It smells fab and the colors are incredible. I prefer the lighter shades (Banana is my fav base) but the darker colors are wonderful for creating more dramatic looks. Plus, the case is adorable. This is my favorite so far.

Butter London has a full line of high fashion cosmetics created for the catwalk. I checked out the nail polish in Yummy Mummy. This is a cool beige shimmering nail color, that's a great neutral for all Summer long. The line is 8-free and they go for $15 a bottle and they have tons of popping color options.

Fiona Stiles offers a full line of cosmetics and she is also a top celebrity makeup artist. Take a closer look at the Radiant Aqua Eye Veil that goes for $22. The Veil has pretty good reviews and it's a pretty innovative product. The shadow is a crease-resistant cream eye shadow. It's a little messy to apply but wipes off easily. I tried the Galaxy Way which is a dark smoldering and shimmering color, great for creating dramatic looks. It can be layered or worn alone. It comes in six shades. I also looked at the Limitless Lengths Lash Sculpting Mascara for $16 which was designed to create extreme length, and separation, and definition. The packaging is great, the wand is easy to use. Two coats and I am good to go. If you go one more brush than necessary, it will clump, so go easy when applying to avoid Tammy Faye look.

It Cosmetics makes Bye Bye Pores and over 1,000 people gave it a 4.2 out of 5 rating. They are saying YES to this finishing powder that won't make you look older. It costs $24 and it's a Poreless Finish HD Micro-Powder that will give skin a truly airbrushed look. Cheers to blurring out the imperfections! It you don't want a cakey piled on look, this has great texture and appearance, and it's not heavy.

Lastly, we checked out Whim. Nails. Whim is the Ultra brand of nail polish. They offer 58 colors with a base and top coat system, and they go for $10 a bottle. Party Perfect is a bright festive pink color and Tea Party Proper is a lilac purple.

All of these items can be purchased and found at Ulta. To order, or find a location near you, please go to: http://www.ulta.com/