Before I relate my perspectives of these two beauty outlets, let me first go into a bit more depth on the effect of makeup on cosmetic addicts like myself.
This may not be the same experience others have but I bet I'm close. When I simply look at makeup, a warm, fuzzy feeling of well-being envelops me. Doesn't matter what specific item it might be...lipstick, blush, powder...doesn't matter. Looking at it, dipping my fingers into it or putting it on---it's like being wrapped in the softest, loftiest angora/cashmere blankie (that smells faintly of baby powder...or Chanel #5) from head to toe, while eating the most delicious ice cream sundae on the planet and listening to Jordan Smith singing 'Hallelujah'. All at the same time. That euphoria comes from the rush of endorphins and dopamine released from the brain when triggered by a particular stimulant. For people like me, that trigger is makeup. It's like being a 5 year old waking up on Christmas morning and racing to see what Santa left under the tree, each and every time I enter a cosmetic department anywhere. That's what it's like to be a makeup junkie.
So imagine the first time I stepped into a Sephora in Chicago around 10 or 12 years ago. The lights! The displays! Brands I'd only seen or read about in magazines! Tons of testers to stick my fingers in! SO MUCH MAKEUP! Pretty sure I was in that store at least 2 hours. When I finally left, clutching my little striped bag of a few carefully selected goodies, I was exhausted and my head was spinning. The rush lasted the entire 2 and 1/2 hour trip back to my then home in northern Indiana. I saw nothing during the drive back; I was still mentally cruising the aisles of Sephora.
Several years later, my husband and I stopped at the University Park Mall in South Bend on our way back from Chicago. (I was seeing an opthalmic specialist there on a regular basis.) As we strolled along, suddenly down the way, I spotted the distinctive black and white storefront with S E P H O R A emblazoned above the doors. I stopped dead in my tracks. Whaat? A Sephora in South Bend? Indiana?? Really? Be still my heart!
No more would I have to drive 100+ miles for my big wahoo makeup thrill of the year.
I can't remember which came first at the U.P. Mall, Ulta or Sephora. But I can tell you that my first visit to Ulta was nothing like my first visit to Sephora. It simply paled in comparison, though it was still a darn good rush. Ulta just did not have the same éclat as Sephora. I'm not convinced it ever can. That would be like Kohl's or Penney's attaining the same panache as a Nordstrom's or a Neiman Marcus.
Don't get me wrong, Ulta is a wonderful store and they generally keep getting better. I haven't always had the best experiences at Ulta though. My personal opinion is that the customer service could use a vitamin boost, but having been in customer service for nearly 20 years, I would think that.
The most memorable negative Ulta experience was a makeover given to me by an enthusiastic older lady. It was a mixed blessing. Younger sales people often don't give us baby boomers a second glance, but women our own age are more aware that we, of a 'certain age', are inclined to spend more money when properly cultivated. When she was encouraging me to let her make me up, I looked at her face and thought, "OK, her own makeup job is not bad. It's makeup; you can wash it off if you don't like it."
Which is exactly what I did as soon as I got in the car. It was awful. You should have seen the look on my husband's face! I looked like a cartoon of an alcoholic Miami Beach matron with horrible turquoise eyeliner, ghastly caked-on foundation, orange bronzer and Bozo blush. And let us not forget the Eugene Levy eyebrows...those were the first to go. I really don't know how I so politely thanked her, bought some of the stuff she was hawking and left. But I'm not one to make a stink in public. Thank goodness I keep wet naps in my purse, but I never thought I'd have to use them to scrub clown makeup off my face before I could be seen any further in public. She meant well...I think.
However, Sephora is not perfect either. Their pitiful Beauty Insider, VIB and VIB Rouge program leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Once a year, Sephora does their big program sale where, depending on your rewards status, you get up to 20% off. However, I never spend enough in a given year to qualify for that. Ulta really does much better (also just my opinion) with their rewards program. You actually get money off throughout the year, with the points accumulated from your previous purchases, which comes in really handy. You don't have to spend as much to attain the highest level on the program either. In addition, Ulta has their 21 Days of Beauty events and offer very good deals on the featured products, if you happen to be in the market for them. With Sephora, you only get a chintzy 'deluxe' sample when you accumulate 100 points. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to spend $100 to get that 100 points, I would like something a bit better than some puny sample. They should give those away with each purchase, regardless of how much money you spend. Because there is nothing cheap at Sephora. Nothing. But the élan of the place! Surely that's worth it, right? Mmm.
Another thing I appreciate about Ulta is that they carry drugstore brands. Though you can generally get the same things at Walmart much cheaper, usually Ulta has the entire line of a given brand, instead of just the top sellers. As well, you can find a few lower end brands there that you can't find elsewhere, such a Makeup Revolution or JCat Beauty. Also they stock all the hair, bath and body products a person could possibly want. You can find some of that at Sephora, but it's all very high end stuff, except for the house label lines. Other than that, nothing for the more budget-minded shopper.
About a year ago, I talked an acquaintance of mine into visiting the local Ulta with me. (There is no Sephora here for 100 miles.) She had never heard of Ulta let alone been in one. About four feet inside the door, she froze, she was so overwhelmed. I don't think we were in there even a half hour. It was just too much for her. She couldn't take it all in. I snagged a bottle of the liquid Becca highlighter (like I need to look even more shiny) and she picked out a L'Oreal eyeliner pencil. We were about to head to the checkout when she commented that she really liked this pencil, but that it sure didn't have much product in it and she ran out of it way too quickly. She said she wished she could roll it up to get more use out of it, that it was kinda spendy for what you got. I looked at it closer. "You can sharpen these," said I. "Have you got a sharpener?" "But it's plastic," she protested. "Yes, but you can sharpen it," I explained. Baffled, she put the pencil back and went out empty-handed and dubious. But she texted me later and was flabbergasted that sharpening the pencil actually worked. She said she wouldn't need any more eye pencils for a good while because she had several that she had laid aside in a drawer when the tips were worn down. She had just been replacing them with new ones. Thank goodness she hadn't thrown them out.
So I try to remember things like that when I get on these makeup rambles. Not everyone knows (or cares) what the makeup junkie knows about every single solitary cosmetic on the planet...
...My name is Leslie, I am 63 years old and I am a makeup junkie.
Till next time,
"Whether I'm wearing lots of makeup or no makeup, I'm always the same person inside." ~ Lady Gaga
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