Hello loves,
It has been awhile, but I’m back! A lot happened during this last year that kept me VERY busy. I got promoted twice, moved, and am in progress f getting my anxiety and depression back on track. That was honestly a major reason for my hiatus. I enjoy reviewing for you all and I love makeup… but my anxiety about feeling like I HAD to post or I was failing took a lot of the enjoyment out of it for me to be blunt.
Now I’m back on track and LOVING it again, and I hope that my renewed love will show through my reviews even though tone is hard to convey through writing!
NOW THAT THAT IS OUT OF THE WAY, let’s get to what you all are here for: Why Ulta is awesome and why I’m over Sephora.
There was no single incident that made me go,’Hmm I think I’m going to switch over’. It seemed to be a more gradual shift in my shopping habits. I used to be a die hard Sephora customer. I posted raves like this.
Part of the issue is the attitudes of the sales associates at each given store. While Sephora is nice enough, they always seem to have this elitist attitude and look at me like I don’t belong there. Ulta associates aren’t as knowledgeable in general about the product features and benefits, but I usually know what I want and they are more than willing to help me locate it.
I started to realize that if I could buy items at either store (my favorite brand is Urban Decay which is available at both stores), that I switched to Ulta for their rewards program. At Sephora, you save up points to get deluxe samples… I finally figured out that I either A) was never excited by the samples that were available B) Could have gotten those samples for free from stopping in the store in person and asking or C) had to spend $150 to get a tiny mini thing that usually gets me two uses.
At Ulta, they reward my obsession with money off… meaning more FULL SIZE, ACTUAL product to obsess over. They drive my addiction, but they also reward me for loyalty to them when I am planning on buying everything anyway. As a Platinum member, they are constantly sending me emails for 5x or 3x points, and at a minimum its 1.25 points per dollar that I spend. I also visit the Salon at Ult, and get points for this as well.
They also reward me for being a hoarder. I currently have hoarded enough points for $70 off… A few more points and I get $125 off a purchase! The more you save your points, the more cah value they end up having!
The other main thing that I realized is that it seems like Ulta has worked out partnerships with brands that benefit the consumer more. For instance, I almost ALWAYS get additional free samples when I order UD from Ulta, unlike Sephora where I just get what I paid for.
I will post an example in the next few days of one instance where I got a HUGE bag of free stuff from Ulta, and money off and how it kicked my Sephora free stuff haul in the ass.
Til next time,
A
Closet Beauty Junkie 