9 Editors Walk Into Ulta With $75—34 Everyday Beauty Staples They Buy Instantly

Despite the piles of press packages and "need-to-test" beauty products strewn across my apartment (it's an organized type of chaos, I swear), nothing beats a planned or not-so-planned jaunt into my closest Ulta. Sometimes, I'm on a mission to stock up on all of the day-to-day essentials that might not be sexy, per se, but that I burn through exceedingly fast. Other times, I'm just craving some retail therapy by way of beauty, and there's just something about walking through the aisles of a beauty palace like Ulta or Sephora on a whim, sans agenda, that does wonderful things to deficient dopamine levels.

Today, however, we're focusing on the former prerogative—aka the daily staples my fellow beauty editors and I have on standby and apply on repeat. Are they the most exciting offerings you'd find strolling through Ulta? Maybe, maybe not, but we'd sure hate to do life without them. Oh, and to make a little game out of it, I gave each editor a $75 budget and our Ulta Beauty promo codes (because anything higher in one sitting lights my financial anxiety on fire). Keep scrolling to see what nine highly discerning beauty editors would shop at Ulta with $75 or less. 

Erin Jahns, Beauty Director

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Katie Berohn, Beauty Editor

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(Image credit: @ktberohn)

Shawna Hudson, Associate Beauty Editor

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(Image credit: @shawnasimonee)

Kaitlyn McLintock, Associate Beauty Editor

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(Image credit: @kaitlyn_mclintock)

Maya Thomas, Assistant Beauty Editor

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(Image credit: @itsmayalala)

Emma Hughes, Associate Social Media Editor

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(Image credit: @emm.hugh)

Caitie Schlisserman, Senior Beauty Director, Branded Content

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(Image credit: @c__bellamy)

Aniyah Morinia, Associate Editor, Branded Content

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(Image credit: @aniyahmorinia)

Emma Walsh, Associate Beauty Editor, Branded Content

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(Image credit: @emma.walsh)

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Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content forBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie andBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.