I love trying new beauty products but it can get expensive! Finding ways to save at Ulta has become a bit of an obsession for me. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I am in my 30’s now and I need some help in the beauty department :).
I love trying new products and looks to see what works with my skin tone but I also want to save money on makeup . I don’t like spending a ton on beauty products because sometimes they just don’t do what they promise.
I have found some simple ways to save at Ulta for my fellow beauty lovers.
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I will say that I do try to shop for beauty products at the drugstores to save the most money. I always pair coupons with the sales but I have found that lately, my drugstore never has what I want in stock.
They are always out of the shade I need or the brand I want. When that happens I then head over to Ulta because I know they will have it in stock.
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How Do I Save at Ulta?
Coupons
I love that Ulta accepts manufacturer coupons! You can use the ones you find in the newspaper or print online. You can pair manufacturer coupons with an Ulta store coupon to save even more!
There is usually a sales ad in the Sunday paper for Ulta that has a $3.50 off $15 purchase coupon. If you can’t find it in your paper, you can always print one out from their website. They usually have it somewhere on the front page.
Check the Sales Ad
This may be a given, but always check the sales ad for the latest deals. They have a lot of buy one get one 50% off deals or buy one get one free deals.
Take advantage of the sales and pair these with any manufacturer coupons and store coupons.
Free Gifts
You can check out their site and see all of the gifts with purchase you may be able to get. They have some cute freebies like makeup, tote bags, scarves, and more.
The freebies range from drugstore brands to high end brands. Always check this before you go to the store to see if your purchase will have a free gift.
My last purchase did but the sales associate didn’t give it to me and there weren’t any signs up. I had to ask for it and they did have some to give away. I think it was a new promotion and she wasn’t aware of it yet. Make sure you don’t get jipped!
How to Save at Ulta
Sign Up for Emails
Make sure you sign up for their emails to get the latest deals and promotions. Sometimes they will send out email only coupons!
Rewards Program
Sign up for the Ultamate Rewards program. As soon as I did, I got a welcome offer for a free hair product with any in store purchase ($12 value).
You earn points for every dollar you spend and you can redeem those points for money saving offers. You will also get a free gift on your birthday and earn twice the points during your birthday month.
Ebates
If you are planning on doing some shopping online, make sure you go through Ebates to get some of that cash back! The percentage will change depending on what kind of special Ebates has but you will normally get 3% of your total purchase back.
If you are a new member to Ebates, you will also get a $10 cash bonus just for signing up!
Save Even More
Save at the Salon
If you want to try out the Ulta Salon, make sure you check out this page. New salon customers will get 15% off of their first hair or skin service.
This is a nice savings on a salon visit!
21 Days of Beauty Sale
Ulta has a 21 Days of Beauty sale that happens twice a year. Usually once in the spring and then again in the fall. Each day of the sale, they have new products that are 50% off or more.
Check out the sale every day online to see if your favorite products can be scored at a deep discount.
Return Policy
Ulta has a great return policy. I hate wasting money on cosmetics that don’t work for me. You can read the full return policy but they will accept returns on any product for any reason as long as it is returned within 60 days of the purchase.
Now you don’t have to worry about trying new products. You can always return them if they don’t work out.
Clearance
Whenever you are in the store, make sure you check out their clearance section. You can find some great bargains on a wide variety of products.
Pair these with any coupons to really score. They usually have a great selection after the holidays so make sure you check them out!
These are some of my favorite ways to save money at Ulta. I don’t splurge on a lot of things but I think we need to treat ourselves to some luxury every once in a while.
What are some ways you save at Ulta or just on beauty products in general?
Shannon says
Hey lady, don’t we all love Ulta?! As a former Ulta employee, please don’t think a sales associate would purposely jip you. Sometimes there are a dozen or more gifts with purchase going on at any one time and these often change from week to week. It can be difficult to keep track of them all. A friendly reminder will do in case the associate forgets. If they’re out of the gift with purchase for your item, they’ll generally try to make up for it with other items. 🙂 Happy shopping!
hewella1 says
Thanks for the tip. I don’t think my sales associate did it on purpose, she seemed to have a lot going on! Just remember to check the site so you know what you are supposed to be getting, as I know working in retail can get pretty hectic :).
Michelle says
Also a lot of times the gifts that are online are only for online. I get a ton of people coming in to buy something for the gift only to find out its online only. I’m glad that they had the gift for you a lot of the popular ones run out fast.
MRS. K. says
Attitude gets you no where! Especially when representing a company. I did not read the comment about making sure you get your shopping bonus as a negative remark, it was just a helpful hint to new shoppers. I do not shop in store where the employees are rude. I DO NOT have to save money in stores, I just think it’s fun to see how much money I can save. That money then goes to charity throughout the year, but especially during the holidays.
Sissy says
I am a loyal customer when it comes to
Ulta. I have been shopping with them since they opened near me about 3yrs ago. If you sign up for the store card, points accumulate into savings and they also send a coupon for $3.50 every month. This is in addition to the rewards points, can be used. The coupon is issued on back of the monthly sales booklet. Inside details all the freebies, so this in addition to the signs posted, are FYI & helps not to miss out. They’re crazy busy, but always helpful & kind. Due to the volume they serve I think they are great at what they do & on rare occasions when I’ve asked for the freebie, have been thanked for the reminder. If the offer is out, substitute are happily made.
Kristie says
My biggest issue with Ulta is that the coupon isnt valid on the items I want. I have $190 worth of items in my shopping cart online and all 9 items are excluded from coupons (Lorac items, IT brushes, smashbox primer (free gift on this one though), laura geller setting powder.
Stephanie says
I’m an Ulta employee and all this is mostly true! Clearance items are excluded from $3.50 coupons (clearly stated on the bottom of the coupon) and prestige items, or high end cosmetics are also excluded from $3.50 coupons by request from our vendors. You can, however, redeem your Ultamate Rewards points towards ANY product (excluding salon services). But the coupons do work with sale priced items (BOGO free/BOGO 50% off) as long as your total before tax is $10 (: Also, as an employee we often do need to be reminded by guests that a certain brand has a GWP. We sell so many brands it’s often hard to remember what brands have what gifts (and the gifts are while supplies last so please don’t be angry with an associate if they are out of a certain GWP. We usually try to accommodate and give another gift or sample if any are available). (:
Dawn says
I have been a customer of Ultas for years. I never return products, mainly bc I’m to busy and too lazy to do so. A couple of years ago, however, I purchased a Bare Minerals Foundation. I normally use the original veraion but decided to go for the matte. I didn’t like the way it looked on me so I went in to exchange it for the exact same foundation in the original.Same price. They charged me $8.00 more! For the exact exchange. The associate was baffled and got the manager. She said it is what it is and to contact customer service if I don’t like the policy. was dumbfounded. It took over a year before I would walk into an Ulta store again. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Never had that happen in any other retail store. Ever.
T L Carter says
That was a bad manager. If it were an exact same priced item most managers would’ve price corrected your return.
Deedee says
I had a great time at Ultra.My niece wanted to get her hair straight. She has really curly hair.The hairdresser did a great job. Help us pick out the products to help with her hair. SO THANKS MRS O’NEIL FOR A GREAT JOB. WE WILL BE BACK. DEEDEELACY
mandy cat says
I shopped at an Ulta store in Denver for years, spending a lot but also saving a lot. Combining my rewards points with coupons netted me some great deals. The employees were cheerful and competent.
That was then and there, this is now and another city. The employees here are certainly cheerful, no doubt because they get paid to do very little while customers do all the work of finding what they need. No matter how many coupons I arrived with, none of them were usable. Oh, and all my points vanished when I relocated.
So goodbye, Ulta. I won’t be bothering you with my custom any more.