Ulta Beauty is one of the top beauty chains in the US not only because of its wide variety of drugstore and high-end makeup, hair, cosmetics, and fragrance products, but also because of its often unbeatable deals. Whether you avidly follow the beauty industry like I do, or you’re a rare frequenter of beauty stores and just want to know some helpful tips for the next time you need to run your beauty errands, here are some tips and tricks for shopping at Ulta that’ll help you save money on all of your purchases!
Sign Up for Ulta’s Rewards Program
Any shopping trips are going to add up eventually, especially when you’re shopping for high-end products. Ulta’s free “Ultamate Rewards” program has helped me score massive deals on some of their more pricey products, giving shoppers $3 off for every 100 points they receive. The rates of earning points differ depending on your member status or your coupons, but this page explains how it all works.
(Note: all points expire at the end of the year, so make sure you’re keeping track of how many you have so you can get the most out of them!)
Ulta also allows its customers to use their points on discounted products! Last month I bought the Urban Decay Naked palette, originally priced at $54, for $16 instead, using a combination of their in-store discount and the points I had on my card. Additionally, sometimes they’ll send out emails to everyone on their mailing list and give customers coupons for 2 or 3 times the amount of regular points that day when they shop at Ulta. Which leads me into my next tip…
Be on Ulta’s Mailing List
Out of all the mailing lists I’m on, Ulta’s one of the only ones that I would consider to actually be worth it. Not only will they notify you about sales and promotions, but they’ll also regularly send you some really great coupons and deals that are either member-exclusive or time-sensitive. Ranging from $3.50 off of your purchase to 20% (and sometimes higher) discounts, using their coupons is an easy way to save big bucks.
Ulta also sends out emails once or twice a week which notify customers of time-sensitive gifts with purchase- freebies you can get with along with your purchases that night. These deals are called Beauty Breaks, and they usually occur on Wednesdays from 11 AM – 5 PM EST. Check your inbox or Ulta’s website mid-day to catch those deals!
Gifts With Purchase
This has to be one of my favorite deals, and it’s constantly available for any Ulta customers. Ulta has a whole page on their website advertising gifts that customers will receive as long as they meet a certain standard with their purchase. Sometimes you have to buy something from a certain brand to get a gift, and sometimes you’ll get one as long as you spend a certain amount of money.
Ulta’s free gifts often include makeup palettes, high-end sample packs, makeup bags full of products, and styling tools, although pretty much anything is up for grabs with them. So if there’s a certain product you’re looking to buy, wait for a couple days to see what kind of free gifts they might offer that week before making your purchase.
Buy More Save More & Manufacturers Coupons
Ulta has a whole page full of BOGO-type deals concerning your favorite high-end and drugstore brands. If you’re looking to buy more than one item from certain brands, this page is a must for you to check out.
Another more standard type of deal Ulta has is accepting manufacturers coupons for drugstore products. Customers can stack these with Ulta coupons, too, which can result in some pretty sweet price-cuts on your purchases. Just remember that while Ulta coupons can be used online and in-person, manufacturers coupons can only be used in-stores.
21 Days of Beauty
Are you really an Ulta fanatic if you don’t love the 21 Days of Beauty? A biannual beauty event, the 21 Days of Beauty Sale provides a different deal each day for its customers. This past September, all products included in the program were sold for 50% off, which is a total steal if you’re a high-end beauty shopper.
You can usually catch this sale at the beginning of every March and September, so even though it’s finished for 2018, keep your eye out over the next couple of months for Ulta’s handy 21 Days of Beauty Calendar and next year’s deals.
Celebrate Your Birthday
Rewards customers get twice the amount of points when they shop during their birthday month, plus a free gift if they’re a Platinum or Diamond rewards member. Ulta will also send you a coupon for a free gift that you can redeem anytime within 30 days of receiving it. Shout out to Ulta for always having our backs with the freebies.
All of these tips have helped me save hundreds of dollars at Ulta over the past two years alone; and let’s be real, the instant gratification of gifts with purchase is hard to resist. Keep these tips in mind next time you shop at Ulta to score yourself some amazing deals on all of your favorite products!