Beauty Haul {Part 2}: Ulta

Left to right:
Essie 'Watermelon' Nail Polish - $8.00
Essie 'Turquoise & Caicos' Nail Polish - $8.00
Essie 'Big Spender' Nail Polish - $8.00

Lately, I've developed a slight obsession for nail polish. And by slight I mean somewhat irrational. When I received the latest Ulta newsletter in my mailbox with a coupon for $3.50 off a $10 purchase I immediately knew that a couple of bottles of Essie nail polish were in my future. So, coupon in hand I went to Ulta during the afternoon of the 4th (the only holiday weekend shopping I did which is pretty amazing). What I did not know at the time was that there is currently a promo for buy 2 get 1 free bottles of Essie. I pretty much reacted like a kid in a candy store. In the end, I was able to combine my coupon with the b2g1 promo and walked away with these 3 shades which are perfect for summer. The price came to $12.50 + tax ($1.09) for the 3 bottles. Shazam!

Flash forward a couple of days and I happened to come across that same $3.50 off a $10 purchase coupon on the main page of the Ulta website. Of course I had to print a copy and immediately run to the store after work today to pick up 3 more bottles.

Left to right:
Essie 'Au Natural' Nail Polish - $8.00
Essie 'Mambo' Nail Polish - $8.00
Essie 'Island Hopping' Nail Polish - $8.00

As much as I hate to admit it (because I'm loving the summer weather we've had lately), I thought it might be a good idea to select a few colors that will transition well from summer into fall. I absolutely love a neutral polish any time of the year and the gray undertones in this purple shade will be a perfect compliment for the cool weather we'll start seeing in another couple of months.

Here are some tips for shopping at Ulta:

• Order online for 3 free samples. And, much like Sephora, shipping is free with a $50 minimum purchase. I have actually never placed an online order with Ulta. It is a very new store in my neck of the woods and I had only visited an Ulta store once before while traveling. I am also a very loyal Sephora shopper but I've realized that the product selection is quite different at both stores so I see the possibility of some online orders in my future.
• View the current ad online and check for printable/online coupons before you shop. I'm noticing that the sales and specials are significantly better at Ulta than they are at Sephora. Be careful of printable coupons from outside discount/coupon websites (ex. Retail Me Not, Coupon Cabin, etc). I recently had a store associate tell me that there is a company putting fake Ulta coupons on these types of websites and these coupons will not be accepted for purchases.
• Join the free 'Ultamate Rewards' program to earn points on your purchases. You'll also receive coupons and up to 15 special bonus offers per year.
• Join 'The Club at Ulta' and earn free products for different levels of spending (ex. $50, $100, $150, etc). This is also a free loyalty program and the one I have a membership card for. To be honest, I'm really not sure why there's 2 very similar yet separate rewards programs but it must work for them so who am I to question it?
  

All in all, I've noticed that many cosmetic and beauty retailers have the same type of free sample offers, free shipping over $50, loyalty programs, etc. One thing that I think sets Ulta aside from the competition is the fact that there's also a full blown (no pun intended) salon in the stores. Fun fact - if you visit an Ulta salon on your birthday you can get your eyebrows waxed for free!

This concludes my 2-part beauty haul post for (early) July. Happy shopping, everyone! : )