Is ULTA the Ulitmate?

Monday, August 11, 2008

Last Tuesday I had to leave the house to let the cleaners come and do their thing, which is fine so I headed to the Watchung Square Mall about 8 miles away. They have an ULTA store there and that was my first stop.

Ulta has a wide range of products, from CoverGirl, Maybelline, Physician's Formula, to Too Faced and other high-end brands. They also have their own line, which I haven't tried.

The store itself isn't bad, but can seem a little down at its heels in areas such as the back clearance area. They also provide full salon services, but I've never seen anyone there although I don't go there a lot.

I made quick work of the store starting in the makeup section and decided that I didn't really need anything so I bypassed there and moved onto the brushes and hair care products. My stylist who cut my hair short suggested a large, round brush to use when I blow out my hair, but ultimately couldn't decide on one. Checked out the upscale hair products, but don't need any at the moment. I just purchased some Vive products for color and smoothness.

In the end, I decided on a container of Method hand soap in Sea Minerals, which is very nice and smooth and its scent isn't overwhelming and three samples from the Be Fine face products line: the Daily Moisturizer that feels really fresh and different from anything else I've worn; Night Cream, which I've used and is nice; and the Warming Clay Mask. The clay mask is really good. I'm not much of a clay mask user since I tried one before and it was too harsh on my skin. My skin feels incredibly smooth and silky after using it.

When compared to Sephora and Bath & Body Works, Ulta seems nice, but a little frayed at the edges like it doesn't quite know what to do with itself. Does it want to be upscale like Sephora or not. It tends to get leftovers and items that companies may not make any longer so that might give it that discount feel even though they're trying to make it a bit more upscale. The salon also doesn't help.

It's a good place to go when you want to try something different, but don't want to spend a lot of money.

Have fun shopping!

Makeupista!