Shopping at Ulta With My Tween Gave Me the Greatest Skin of My Life
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“Can we go to Ulta orSephora?” asks my 11-year-old daughter, Aria, anytime we’re running errands near either store, which is often, since both have outposts across the street from each other not far from where we live. Aria has an encyclopedic knowledge of beauty brands, including which are worth their price tag and whose dupes are the better deal, and she loves to peruse and compare products. But still, my answer was usually “no” because the moment I walked in, my head began to hurt — the combination of industrial lighting, blaring music, and intense fragrance was an assault on my senses. “We can order what you want online,” I would insist.
But about a year ago, a former colleague from my days in magazines called me up and asked if Aria and a couple of her friends would like to participate in a focus group on how tweens shop for beauty products. In preparation for the discussion, I would have to take them to Sephora and Ulta, trail them from a distance, and then interview them on video about the products they purchased. I said “yes” because I was curious about why certain brands were so appealing to my daughter and her friends. Plus, I suspected the experience would be pure joy for them, and I was the right. They were ecstatic to show me all of their favorite finds as they kept a tally of how much they could purchase with the $50 gift cards they each received for participating. Since then, we’ve been back to these stores many times voluntarily, and instead of trailing in the distance, I have joined the group. Aria and her friends have introduced me to several tween-adored products that work shockingly well on my ownnearing-50 skin. When she gets my buy-in, she knows it means I’ll pick up the tab when we check out, so she’s motivated to select products that suit us both. Here are some of our (mostly mutual) favorites.
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These veganbalmsare addictive; I always keep a tube within reach — in the car, in my bag, or at my desk — when I want to add a quick hint of color to my lips. (There’s no weird artificial aftertaste, either.) I’m partial to Vanilla Beige and the limited-edition Hot Cocoa, and Aria likes Vanilla and Pink Sugar, but since the colors are subtle enough for her to wear, too, we often swap shades. I appreciate the brand’s eco-friendly bent as well: If yousend backfive empty tubes for recycling, you earn a $25 gift card toward a future purchase.
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Monday Haircare Moisture Shampoo
My hair-cleansing routine previously consisted of whatever expensiveshampoomy stylist used at the salon and talked me into buying. But I noticed that Aria’s hair looked and felt noticeably silkier and shinier once she started washing with Monday, so when I ran out of the expensive stuff I’d been using (Milk_shake shampoo), I started pilfering from Aria’s bottle. We both have straight strands that are prone to split ends, and the shampoo’s combination of hyaluronic acid, coconut oil, and shea butter worked just as well on my hair as on hers. It’s also paraben- and sulfate-free, so it didn’t dull my color.
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Glow Recipe’s entire product line screams luxury to tweens — I think it’s the combination of pale-pink glass bottles and the fruit-forward scents. (It’s vegan too.) I was surprised by how dewy and bright a single spritz left my skin. I asked Andrea Blair, a master esthetician, makeup artist, and owner of Canvas Skin Studio in Cheshire, Connecticut, for an explanation. “For adult women, the watermelon, hyaluronic acid, and rice-germ oil will hydrate and smooth,” she told me. “Their tweens will just be happy with how glowy their skin looks and feels.”
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Every woman should have thisblush stickin her bag — a gentle grazing adds just the right amount of color. It also gives aging skin a natural rosiness that’s harder to achieve with powder blush. For Aria, it’s all about the texture and how it glides on easily.
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It’s hard for tweens (and me) to walk past a display of these colorfulscrubswithout stopping to smell each one. I actually use it as my shaving cream — between therazorand the exfoliant in the scrub, I’m left with baby-soft legs. Aria has also given them out as party favors, and they were a huge hit.
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Aria and her friends loveTonyMolysheet masks, which are cooling and hydrating and can be left on for 20 to 30 minutes. But recently, we leveled up with this overnight mask that I saw on Instagram — and that Aria already knew about, of course. Unlike sheet masks, the Medicube mask comes in a tube. I spread a thick layer on my face and let it dry completely before bedtime. I don’t know which is more satisfying: peeling the mask off in one smooth strip the next morning or how clean my skin feels once I do.
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When I was a teen, a scentedhand sanitizerfrom Bath & Body Works was always in my bag. Now I use whatever industrial-strength bottle I still have stockpiled from the pandemic lockdown days, which often leaves my hands dry and cracked. Aria and her friends are obsessed with these sleek sanitizers, and for good reason. They come in upwards of 20 refreshing scents — we love Wild Watermelon, Blue Sandalwood, and Aloe You — and can clip onto a backpack. I keep one in my purse.
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Bubble takes the prize for preteen-pleasing packaging (lots of bright colors and compact, tubular shapes) and the clay mask — which comes in an actual bubble-shaped jar — is a prime example. “The kaolin in this mask is great for getting rid of potential breakouts without drying the skin out,” Blair explains. Since acne is no longer an issue for me, using this one is more about bonding with my daughter. We like to apply the clay onto our faces as a slow bedtime ritual on those rare nights when we aren’t home late after a game or sports practice.
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Editor’s note: The Sephora Collection masks are currently out of stock, but you cansign up for restock notificationson the product page.
When a full face mask is too much of a commitment, I’ve found that under-eye masks are a quick way to make my worsening dark circles look a little less ominous. We both like theSephora Collection Bright Booster Eye Masks, which contain vitamin C and papaya. While Aria is decades away from under-eye bags, she enjoys the sensory element of this product. Each mask has a slightly slimy yet oddly satisfying texture, and the anti-aging ingredients are benign for her young skin. We’ve both also tried and enjoyed theMighty Patch for Tired Eyes from Heroand theGrace & Stella Under-Eye Mask.
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I discovered that this Brazilian brand isthefragrance of Generation Alpha after I heard Aria and her friends squealing over its latest scents. Just last month, the company introduced Cheeky Biquíni, Refresco Paraíso, and Limonada Gelada — all genuinely pleasant to sniff. Sol de Janiero fragrances spritz on easily and smell like summer. Cheirosa 62 is probably my favorite, but Cheirosa 48 also has a nice and light floral aroma.
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My daughter was on the hunt forLaneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask, which comes in palatable seasonal scents like strawberry shortcake and peach iced tea, when I found this sleeping mask right next to it. While I do enjoy the lip treatment, this thick pink overnight cream is even better. It makes my face feel cool and tingly. I like to imagine the collagen peptidesseepinginto my pores as I apply it.
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