I Asked Ashley Graham to Fill My Ulta Shopping Cart—Her Recs Did Not Disappoint

Ashley Graham with glowing skin in a white dress

(Image credit: @ashleygraham)

I meet Ashley Graham in the middle of NYC's ferocious heat wave. It's 8 a.m., the temperature has already reached the high 80s, and it's only expected to climb. Despite wanting to melt into a puddle of sweat the moment I step out of my apartment, I do appreciate how Graham, in a sense, has brought the heat. She is one of the warmest people I've ever met, with a magnetic energy I can feel as soon as I walk into the Ulta store on NYC's 34th Street, where the model and entrepreneur is hosting a meet-and-greet to celebrate her newest collaboration with St.Tropez.

And her skin—my God, her skin—is glowing like a literal sun goddess's. When she walks in wearing a white crochet Simkhai dress, I stand as if I'm watching a bride make an ethereal entrance. (She later changed into a mini from an under-the-radar label brides love, so I'm actually not far off.) After discussing her love for faux freckles and McDonald's coffee (“It’s my favorite in the whole world,” she shares), I have to ask what beauty products she would personally send me home with. We're sitting here in Ulta, after all, so I'd be remiss not to go shopping with the supermodel. Her eyes light up, and I can tell her recs are going to be good. Spoiler: She doesn't disappoint.

Ashley Graham's Ulta Beauty Must-Haves

Jamie Schneider
Senior Beauty Editor

Jamie Schneider is Who What Wear’s senior beauty editor based in New York City. She has a penchant for trend forecasting, covering everything from innovative skincare launches to celebrity profiles, and her work has appeared in mindbodygreen, Coveteur, and more. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English before moving to NYC, and she's been there ever since. When she’s not writing or testing the latest beauty finds, Jamie loves exploring vintage boutiques, reading mystery books (bonus points for an unexpected twist), and she’s always down for a park picnic in Brooklyn.