One of one of the largest and oldest beauty retailers in the United States is Ulta Beauty. Having been in the industry for over 25 years, it is no surprise that a company with such longevity has adapted to new technologies and joined the online store bandwagon. They carry a wide assortment of beauty products and is one of the most well known destinations for cosmetics, fragrance, skin, hair care products, and the like. So if you are looking for a more convenient way to shop for cosmetics, this is one of the best website that you can visit today. They have a great range of cosmetics from numerous brands, free shipping, a very handy mobile app, and more. Keep reading below now to see what else Ulta Beauty has on offer!
Pros
- Incredibly Wide Product Selection Range: – Ulta Beauty is one of the largest beauty retailers in the United States, so it is no wonder that their product selection is incredibly vast and varied. And that is no exaggeration. They have more than 20,000 products from over 500 well-established, as well as upcoming, beauty brands across all categories. Their catalog includes foundations, powders, concealers, primers, blush ons, eye palettes, mascaras, eye liners, eye shadows, lip glosses, lipsticks, lip liners, brush sets, makeup brushes, mirrors, sharpeners, and a whole lot more.
- Easy to Use Online Store: – Ulta Beauty has thousands upon thousands of products on offer, which can be incredibly daunting to browse if their online store’s product catalog were poorly designed and unintuitive. Thankfully, it is anything but. Their cosmetics products are all neatly organized by their respective categories and can be quickly sorted out using numerous filters.
- Free Shipping on $50 Orders: – Another great thing about this particular online cosmetics store is the fact that they offer free shipping on orders that amount to $50. While this may not sound impressive on paper, keep in mind that some people may only need to buy one or two cosmetics products at a time, so having free shipping on certain orders can certainly save them a lot of money in the long run.
- Handy Mobile App: – While their online store already provides a convenient shopping experience, Ulta Beauty has taken it upon themselves to offer you even more value by way of their handy mobile app. Their mobile app, available for both iOS and Android users, allows you to access your account, browse and shop while on the go. This is perfect for those who are constantly on the go, are currently preoccupied with other things, or even if you do not have access to a personal computer at the moment.
Cons
- No Order Changes or Cancellations: – It is an inescapable fact that people sometimes tend to make mistakes when ordering something, whether online or offline. Sometimes you just happen to click on the wrong item, thinking it was what you needed, or sometimes you find something better right after placing your order. Whatever the case, asking for order changes or cancellations often come in handy during times such as these, which is why it is really unfortunate that Ulta Beauty does not allow any of that. If you are shopping here, it is best that you double check and be sure that you really want that particular item because once you click the “Submit” button, there is no turning back. That being said, they do allow you to return the item if you are completely not satisfied with it, but it would save both parties a lot of time if they allowed for instant order changes and cancellations.
A Charitable Company
One of the greatest things that Ulta Beauty is doing, interestingly, is not related to their cosmetics products. The company is a proud partner of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and raised more than $10 million since 2009 in order to aid in advancing breast cancer research. The funds they raise help in researching causes, treatments and possible prevention of breast cancer. This is certainly a noble gesture, and one you certainly wouldn’t expect from an online cosmetics store.
Ease of Use & Features
An online store is only as good as its offerings, as well as ease of use and accessibility of the website itself. Thankfully, Ulta Beauty has both in spades. To begin with, despite having an insanely large product catalog, browsing through it is a breeze.
All of their cosmetics products are neatly organized into their respective categories, such as Face, Eyes, Lips, Brushes & Tools, Removers, and the like. Furthermore, you can also refine the search results using the numerous filtering and sorting options on hand. You can choose from filters such as Form, Finish, Ingredients, Special Offer, Benefit, Brand, Colors, Price, and more. You can also set it so the search results are organized by Best Sellers, Price (Ascending), Price (Descending), New Arrivals, and Top Rated..
Clicking on a product brings up a quick overview of that particular item. The overview includes a brief description of the product, the price, a star rating, a link and a total count of user reviews for said product, and a dropdown menu that lets you choose how many you want to purchase.
With regards to the products they carry, you won’t have to look anywhere else because they have more than 20,000 in their repertoire. They have everything from foundations, to powders, to bronzers and highlighters, to primers, to treatments and balms, and even accessories like bags and cases. The brands they carry, meanwhile, are a good mix of both well-known and emerging beauty brands. These include Lancome, bareMinerals, Urban Decay, Skyn, Living Proof, and even their own brand, Ulta.
Prices, on the other hand, vary widely so it is best that you check out their website yourself. That said, the prices seem pretty on par with a lot of online cosmetics stores and are certainly affordable. They also have free shipping for any purchase worth $50, which can definitely lead to more savings down the road, especially if you are the type to buy only one or two cosmetics products at a time.
Finally, Ulta Beauty has a mobile app that you can download if you are using an iOS or Android device. This lets you browse and shop directly on your mobile device, as well as get access to exclusive offers. In addition, you can also use the app in lieu of your Ultamate Rewards card so you won’t have to carry your card around with you all the time.
Customer Support
Ulta Beauty’s customer support can be contacted via phone, 7 days a week, from 7am-11pm CST. You can also send them a direct email or write them a physical one. They also have a pretty informative FAQ section that should help you get up to speed regarding topics like Account Issues, Card Issues, Mailings, Points Issues, and more.