Ulta

So I am not in the beauty industry and don’t normally wear a lot of makeup (I’m dressed and ready in about 10 minutes usually), but I do go here for their hair care products mainly. I like that they can look up my account by phone number, as well as any coupons under my account. I did recently find myself frustrated that they will never match their OWN online prices. However, I can going to Best Buy to buy a TV, show them the same item from another retailer online, and they will match it.
I have not (and personally would not) tried their salon services. I am very picky and concerned about who cuts and colors my hair, so I wouldn’t dare try it here. But maybe that’s not a fair judgement for me to make. I also would not try their nail services — even though I’ve gotten offers for a ‘free manicure.’ This decision is based on my having read other people’s reviews (at various Ulta locations) and learning this is basically just a polish. Personally, I see no value in a manicure that doesn’t include your cuticles. I thought this sounded wrong, so I called only to have them confirm a mani was basically just polish. Now, I have not tried their brow services (I hardly have enough brows to tweeze, let alone wax), but probably wouldn’t be as hesitant to try those kinds of services here.
I use Bare Minerals makeup (powder) and have ventured into other BM products over the years. They have ‘specialists’ who work what I would call the BM station. So, this will sound really judgmental (apologies), but if I go to someone for my makeup or hair, I am going to judge them based on how their hair/​makeup looks. I thought the makeup on the BM lady was cakey and didn’t look good at all. Though, she was friendly and offered to help me find my ‘match’ of a new type of foundation.
Sadly, this was a miss. She put some foundation on part of my face and sold me my ‘perfect match.’ When I looked in the mirror, it was orange. Definitely not a match! So I had weird makeup on my face (no biggie, I just washed it off) and had purchased the wrong color. Thankfully, to their credit, Ulta is GREAT about returns — opened or not. Just keep your receipts. I also love shopping their clearance section.
I will continue to visit Ulta for most of my beauty needs, and love the store, but just thought the expertise of the employees was «A-​OK» to use Unilocal’s terms.

When I moved into the area, I had NO IDEA where to go for hair and brow maintenance. ULTA has solved both issues for me. I called the hair salon and they booked me an appointment within the hour; I got a cut, wash, and style for a great price.
The brow bar is like nothing else. The girl there did me, my mom, and my grandmother. We all looked great. She was super nice and really helpful.
My only complaint is that is sometimes takes a while to get service out on the floor, but it seems like a staffing problem; the employees aren’t being lazy, they’re usually just busy.

My most recent visit to this location occurred two weeks ago. The Lancome representative was quick to dismiss my makeup concerns and made me feel inferior. She was NOT helpful, and went on to explain how experienced *she* is with makeup and Lancome. I understand she is to be very knowledgeable on one specific brand, but she seemed uninterested in even assisting me with that line. After making a purchase (of body lotion from the other side of the store) I made my way to my car, and noticed her leaving. I’m guessing she wasn’t trying to assist me as a customer, because her shift was ending. Not a good reason to treat customers this way.
The check-​out employee was great, and I won’t let one bad apple sour my outlook in this Ulta location.

Store — Mooresville, NC
Few things that should be basic at an Ulta Store when you go to check out —
1. Ask a customer for rewards card
2. Ask for any coupons
3. Ask if they found everything alright
4. CHECK if the customer qualifies for free gifts
5. Suggest the customer to add an item or apply/​not apply a coupon to avail a gift if desired
6. Give the receipt of purchase back to the customer or put it in the bag
When the employee fails to do any of these and the customer has to remind you and when the customer does, you make a face and frown about it… You know right then this is not the place a customer should shop and/​or this is not the place the employee should work because clearly the employee does not seem to happy to be doing the JOB she is intended to perform.
All the above 6 happened to me in the same visit… I am pissed…
I’ve had better customer service in the past at the same store. Need better employees.

I went in specifically to buy 2 bottles of new perfume. Their sample bottles were either empty or old. They had no available perfumes of the samples that were out. After that disappointment, I thought I’d get an extra bottle of my faithful makeup remover. No such luck. They’ve removed the brand. Guess its back to Sephora.

It’s a good place to get cosmetics if you’re not sure what you want or need; however, this review focuses on the salon. I’m leaving it because I noticed that there aren’t enough reviews of local hair salons to help make a decision. It’s hard to find a good local salon. I’m hoping more people in Mooresville will make the effort to leave reviews of hair salons– it will make it easier for all of us. As for Ulta, I’ve had different experiences here. One senior stylist did a great job on a cut (I think she was the director), another senior stylist did an OK job, and I’ve had some bad cuts as well, when I left feeling like I didn’t get what I paid for. I had great highlights a few times there (senior stylist), and both times I really stressed how much I liked that they didn’t turn out brassy, but nobody bothered to write down what they used on my card. When I went back for the third time to get highlights, the less experienced girl just used whatever they had, it turned out brassy. I knew I was in trouble when she said «we’ll just use a toner.» For some reason, that never helps (I think because my hair is so naturally dark, and they need to use a blue-​based bleach and/​or leave it on longer to process). After the fact, she apologized, only charged me $ 60 for the (bad) haircut, and asked me to come back so she could try again (I didn’t). Really, it’s not my job to worry about what they should or shouldn’t use to get a desired result, it’s theirs– but I’ve been in self-​protection mode lately, trying to figure out what went wrong so it won’t happen again. This salon can also get a bit gossipy and is less professional than some others, and I never felt pampered there, but I don’t care as much about the pampering as I do about getting a good cut and color. If you choose to give this place a try, I would recommend paying more and going with a senior stylist (the director). But really, there are many stylists who work there, so I guess it depends on what you want and the stylist who does it. There well may be some great stylists there whom I’ve never tried so your mileage may vary. I decided to try some other salons in the area instead of relying on my luck with Ulta. I found another salon today that worked out well, I just left a review about my experience there, so feel free to check that one out. BTW, even though the price is in line with other salons, I rarely felt like I got what I paid for here, which is why I’m rating it as «pricy.» I wish you luck in finding a good stylist, and I hope you’ll consider leaving a review regardless of your experience!

ULTA is nice for all those things girls use to keep things pretty… and to keep their men from running out the door at the first sight of us as motha nay’cha intended us to look! While their make-​up and perfume selection isn’t as expansive as Sephora (that’s mecca to those devoted to daily face painting) you do get a wider representation of price points, a salon and beauty appliances. A great stop for stuff you know Target doesn’t stock or a 15minute mini facial.

This place is a diva’s dream!
I shop here on occasion to try out perfumes, buy philosophy brand bath wash & scope out the new benefit cosmetics.
Ulta also does makeovers & has a full service salon. (I’ve not used either service)
I do plan on going this week & trying out the benefit brow bar & get my eyebrows waxed. :)
There are so many brands for haircare, skincare, perfume /​cologne, & makeup, all at reasonable prices.