Ulta vs. Sephora: Which Beauty Store Saves You More?

About Ulta

Ulta Beauty is a retailer that carries thousands of products in the cosmetics, skin, hair, and fragrance categories — with many brands that are actually worth the money — and some locations are even salons, making it a true one-stop shop for all things beauty. With over 1,200 locations across the U.S., Ulta Beauty has become a household name for beauty enthusiasts.

About Sephora

Sephora is a major beauty-retail concept founded in France by Dominique Mandonnaud in 1970. Sephora's unique, open-sell environment features an ever-increasing amount of classic and emerging brands across a broad range of product categories including skincare, makeup, fragrance, body and hair care, in addition to Sephora's own private label.

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Products & Price Range

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty carries popular brands such as MAC, Urban Decay, Clinque, Maybelline, NYX, Olay and L'Oreal, as well as their private-label products. In addition to makeup and skincare, Ulta Beauty also offers a range of haircare products from brands like Redken, Matrix, and Joico.

One of the reasons Ulta Beauty is popular among consumers is because of its diverse price range, which accommodates a variety of budgets. The price range at Ulta Beauty varies, with many drugstore brands being affordable and high-end brands being more expensive.

Our favorite Ulta Beauty products:

| e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter

Achieve glowing perfection with e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter. This innovative, multi-purpose, liquid glow booster and skincare-makeup hybrid is infused with skin-loving ingredients that work to enhance the overall look of skin while rendering a soft-focus, effortless radiance.

| NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Lightweight Liquid Lipstick

NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream is a unique matte liquid lipstick with a creamy mousse texture delivering comfortable, long lasting lip color.

| CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser was designed to cleanse and refresh the skin without over-stripping it or leaving it feeling tight and dry. Featuring hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin and 3 essential ceramides that work together to lock in skins moisture and help restore your skin's protective barrier. MVE Delivery Technology encapsulates ceramides to ensure efficient delivery within the skin's barrier and slow release over time. Supporting your protective skin barrier, long after you've finish applying. This non-comedogenic face wash is an effective yet non-irritating way to start off any skincare regimen.

| First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Banish dry skin with First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream. This hydration wonder leaves skin feeling smooth, hydrated and comfortable after just a single use. Formulated with Colloidal Oatmeal, Shea Butter, Ceramide 3 and the FAB Antioxidant Booster, it provides immediate relief and visible improvement for parched skin and it is clinically proven to increase hydration by 169% immediately upon application.

Sephora

Sephora definitely has a more trendy and upscale vibe as opposed to Ulta. They're constantly featuring new and trending brands; showcasing the hottest ones.

Some of the most popular brands carried by Sephora include Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, Huda Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Drunk Elephant, and Too Faced. It also carries exclusive brands such as Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez.

In addition to these brands, Sephora also offers its private label, Sephora Collection, which includes a range of affordable and high-quality beauty products.

Sephora is known for carrying luxury and high-end brands, which can range in price from moderately priced to very expensive. Some luxury brands available at Sephora include Chanel, Dior, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent.However, the store also offers a range of more affordable options, with products from brands such as The Ordinary and The INKEY List.

Our favorite Sephora products:

| NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Everyone from Kourtney Kardashian to the industry's top makeup artists love this lightweight concealer that corrects, contours, highlights, and perfects up to 16 hours. Ideal for all skin types.

| Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Palette

Each palette contains four harmonious eye colors: Prime, Enhance, Smoke, and Pop. The collection ranges from bronze and golden to deep reds and purples, and can be built for looks from day to night.

| SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

An iconic essence with 90 percent PITERA, a bio-ingredient derived from yeast fermentation that contains over 50 micro-nutrients to condition skin's natural functions, visibly smooths, reduces the appearance of pores, evens skin tone, and enhances radiance.

| SUNDAY RILEY Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment

Formulated with lactic acid, it exfoliates the dull surface of the skin for clarity, radiance, and younger-looking skin. The formula is enhanced with licorice and lemongrass extracts to visibly brighten the appearance of age spots and discolorations. It also contains prickly pear extract that soothes the appearance of surface redness, while supporting a calmer, more even-toned complexion.

Price Range

One of the biggest differences between the two retailers is their price range. While Sephora is known for carrying high-end and luxury brands, their prices are generally higher than Ulta Beauty. Ulta Beauty offers a diverse range of products at different price points, from drugstore products to high-end brands, making it a more affordable option for many consumers.

Rewards Programs

Ulta's Reward Program

Ulta has made shopping with them even more enjoyable by offering an extremely straight-forward reward system. 

Sign up for their Ultamate Rewards, and every time you shop, you earn points. If you opt into their email, you'll get even more discounts and bonus points. Instead of free gifts, your points give you discounts on future purchases and beauty services. There are no fees for joining or maintaining your membership. 

Here's a breakdown of the rewards at every level:

• Member: 1 point for every $1 you spend, free birthday gift, double points during your birthday month

• Platinum: 1.25 points for every $1 you spend, free birthday gift, double points during your birthday month, $10 birthday coupon, points never expire

• Diamond: 1.5 points for every $1 you spend, free birthday gift, double points during your birthday month, $10 birthday coupon, points never expire, everyday free shipping on orders of $25 or more, annual $25 beauty service reward card

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Sephora's Reward Program

Sephora's reward program is called the Insider Program, which offers all members one point per $1 spent (500 points can be redeemed for $10), free standard shipping, a free birthday gift, seasonal discounts, point multiplier events, end-of-year discounts and subscription delivery options. 

Here's a rundown of the rewards you get, at every membership tier:

• Insider: 1 point for every $1 you spend, 2 free birthday gifts, 10% off during seasonal savings events

• VIB: 1 point for every $1 you spend, 2 free birthday gifts, 15% off during seasonal savings events, exclusive gifts with a monthly purchase

• VIB Rouge: 1 point for every $1 you spend, 2 free birthday gifts, 20% off during seasonal savings events, exclusive gifts with a monthly purchase, free standard shipping, access to exclusive events, first-in-line for new product launches

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Sale Events and Deals

Ulta Beauty

Ulta continually releases coupons and offers "buy more to save more" deals to customers. Its many sale items allow people to shop for discounted beauty products in the store and online. There are also significant sale events like the 21 Days of Beauty, Love Your Skin Event, and many more where you can get up to 50% off on top brands' products. These deals refresh every 24 hours but sell out quite quickly. You can sign up for their promotional emails to receive notifications about big upcoming sales.

Sephora

On the other hand,  Sephora runs weekly sales on trial and mini-sized products. When you shop online, you can choose two different samples when checking out. This beauty store also hosts an annual spring sale where its members can save big on luxury brands. Depending on your level on their reward program, there's usually an exclusive promo code to take 10 – 20% off your cart.

Return Policy

Ulta Beauty

Don't love what you bought? As long as it's been less than 60 days and you have all the original components, you'll receive a full refund or exchange. If you've lost your receipt, Ulta Beauty can locate purchases made using your Ultamate Rewards member ID. Otherwise, you'll receive an in-store credit.

Sephora

In most cases,  allows customers to return new or gently used products for a full refund if returned within 30 days of purchase. Returns that are made from 31-60 days after purchase are eligible for online credit or store credit. In order to complete the return, you must have a proof of purchase. You can also return by mail using a pre-paid shipping label.

Shipping Policy

Ulta Shipping Methods, Costs and Delivery Times:

If you want to avoid shipping costs and live close to an Ulta store location, use Ulta's in-store pickup service. All you have to do is choose "Buy Online & Pick Up in Store" as your purchase option. When your order's ready, you'll get an email from Ulta — just head over to the chosen store with that email confirmation and an ID, and you're good to go. 

Sephora Shipping Methods, Costs and Delivery Times:

Sephora.com offers FREE STANDARD 3 DAY SHIPPING on all U.S. merchandise orders $50 and over (excluding taxes). Select items considered hazardous materials are restricted and must be shipped with Ground Service. Orders $50 and over always ship for free—no promotion code needed. For shipments totaling less than $50, there is a delivery charge of $5.95 for Standard 3 Day shipping. If you shop online at Sephora often, it may be worth it for you to enroll in its flash shipping program. It costs just $15 a year and gives you free shipping for the entire year, no minimums required.

Beauty Service

Though both Ulta and Sephora offer in-store salon services, each retailer's exact services differ significantly. Which retailer you choose will ultimately depend on what you're looking to get done.

Ulta offers a more comprehensive selection of in-store salon services. So, if you want to get a wax, haircut, and makeup application done all in one go, it may be a better bet over Sephora. Some Ulta locations have even begun to offer piercing services. Sephora's selection of services, on the other hand, excludes haircare and focuses on waxing, facials, and makeup applications. Both offer makeup application lessons, though Sephora's lesson lasts over double the time offered by Ulta (75 minutes compared to 30). If you're interested in perfecting your skin and getting a comprehensive makeup lesson, you may want to pick Sephora's salon.

Which is Right for You?

Truthfully, it's up to you. You can't go wrong shopping at Sephora or Ulta.The companies stack up nearly eye-to-eye on important things like loyalty perks, convenient places to shop and flexible return policies. If you’re looking for luxury brands and sophisticated employees, you should check out Sephora. However, if you would prefer a beauty store with all the beauty services you need and affordable drugstore products, then Ulta is at the top of the list.

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