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Which is better – Sephora or ULTA?
Question of the Week: Which is better? Sephora or Ulta?
Not too long ago I’d have said Sephora. But ULTA Beauty is really coming full force for the beauty world, particularly in this last year. They have new, very popular brands rolling in frequently, a better points/rewards system and recently even released their own credit card. The crowning achievement for ULTA Beauty, in my experience, is that their customer service FAR outweighs Sephora by leaps and bounds. Sephora used to have the best customer service. Matched only by Nordstrom (IMO). Recently I’ve been seeing so many complaints regarding their returns policy, treatment of customers, shipping mistakes…. it’s as if they just don’t care anymore. It’s disappointing, because Sephora used to be the Mecca.
I do still shop Sephora, but have tapered back. Drugstore makeup is riding high with better quality as of late and you can get both drugstore and high end at ULTA. Some serious high-end brands and indie darlings have recently signed on with ULTA. I really wish Colourpop would’ve chosen them over Sephora which makes you wonder how much Sephora had to pay to get them in. I’m excited to see what ULTA has in store for us in 2018!
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The Lipstick League – week of 02.12.18
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Beautygeeks – has Manigeek’s swatches and review of the Essie Spring 2018 collection ready for your perusal.
Blushing Noir – If you’re someone who loves a highlighting powder that feels creamy to the touch then the new MAC Hyper Real Glow Highlighter Palette shades are going to have you falling to your knees.
EauMG – It’s Rose Week on EauMG! It’s the annual celebration of rose-centric perfumes. I have reviewed 5 different perfumes that display different aspects of a rose.
My Beauty Bunny – is showing off swatches from the new Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat palette. Is it worth buying? See for yourself!
Painted Ladies – Remember when drugstore makeup was more miss than hit? I am so glad those days are over and have 10 favorite makeup and beauty must haves for you to check out.
Phyrra – Did you want the Blood Sugar palette but miss it because it sold out in a minute or you don’t want to buy from Jeffree Star? Check out my DIY Jeffree Star Blood Sugar Palette Dupes. You’ll love my version with burgundies, pinks and duochromes!
Prime Beauty – I upped my lash game with the new L’Oreal Voluminous X Fiber Mascara. See before and after pics!
Realizing Beauty – Maybelline New York has released 10 new shades of SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick. The new Un-Nudes Collection is all about an unconventional and unexpected take on nude lipstick. Check out all the shades, including a light lavender nude!
Slashed Beauty – Not sure wax strips are worth it, or think you have to go through a tub of stickiness for real results? Sounds like you might be using strips wrong! Check out these tips on how to use wax strips for the best results, and Miranda’s favorite all-in-one kit.
we heart this – Say goodbye to cotton balls and hello to The Mitty! (Ok, maybe not totally goodbye, but you’ll see a lot less of ’em!)
(Wondering what the Lipstick League is? Find out here.)
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Beautygeeks is Currently Craving: Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream. Long a fan of peptides as an aging-well ingredient, she’s intensely curious about this formula that features “plant-derived peptide growth factors” as cell-turnover boosters.
A few years ago, I consolidated all my department store beauty purchases and started going to Sephora as they carried the same brands (with some exceptions) and more. Ulta has stepped up it’s game with products – but I don’t like the way they do their sales. I don’t tend to buy drugstore products because of the lack of testers. So hit/miss. There’s not much advantage for me to go to Ulta since the focus of my buying is usually make up and skin care. Sephora also has a more elegant set-up (yep, gets me on the marketing), Ulta has big a drug-store feel to me.
You’re definitely right about the feel of ULTA. We have a newer location about 45 minutes away that’s gorgeous inside. It looks almost the same but cleaner I guess you could say lol I’ve had awesome CS experiences with ULTA and the opposite several times with Sephora. They’re losing me mostly because of that. I like the points system at ULTA better but CS is what really sells me.
With CS, I’ve had great and bad experiences at both, with Sephora coming out on top. I never have to look long for a product (Ulta seems to change store layout more often), but I have to hunt down someone and ask at Ulta; they’re often busy re-stocking shelves, whereas they are readily available to help at Sephora. I’ve had a couple of rude SAs at Sephora (one girl left me sitting at the mirror and never came back when I said didn’t like the consistency of foundation she chose). But overall, Sephora SAs seem to be willing to take more time with me trying new products and releases and most are really patient. Both stores are great with returns, no issue there. it may just be dependent on the local workforce.
You’re probably right about it being dependent on local employees. We have a few good ones at our Sephora but they’re not great with makeup application and it seems like the longer they’re employed there the more miserable they are. BUT the worst CS I’ve personally has is with Sephora online. So far ULTA has been stellar across the board for me.