Ulta: Codes, Deals, Sales, and Discussion

[JolieFleurs]

Uh yea, no way in heck is that worth $33.50!

Maybe $3.50, depending on the size of the wipes.

Glad you're taking it back. 

This is also why I am not a fan of Ulta. I don't think I've ever gotten all three samples I ordered online, and my points seldom credited, either. 

 

[Jay.Aitch.Gee]

What is that, 8 foils and the mini-pack of remover wipes? worth $33?!? LAME.

This is why I'm thinking that Ulta has reeled in their GWPs this year. For comparison's sake, here's last January's (2014) Love Your Skin goodie bag (which was available online):

This is just an observation. I'm not complaining about free stuff here!

Well, maybe I am complaining just a little bit....but I also spend ridiculous amounts of $$ on makeup each year, so I'm not really known to have the best sense of proportion...

 

[tweakabell]

I got that bag last year, it was nice (the contents the actual bag sucked). Your sample set looks like 2 skin sample packs (the kind you get with an online order) thrown together.

 

[Rebecca Vehrenkamp]

Has anyone had a problem ordering on Ulta? I have been trying all day to pay with a CC or even paypal and nothing goes through. I want to use the special bonus points that is today only and emailing them takes forever so that's out. If anyone has a trick to get it to work let me know!

 

[LuckyMoon]

Of course it's 5x the points today.  I made an order yesterday. 

(At least I got 5x the points on the Becca item I ordered.)

 

[tallison]

I didn't do the 5x points yesterday since I had already ordered the 400 extra points on an $80 purchase. I think it came out about the same. Trying to make only one beauty purchase a month this year...hahahaha, we'll see how that goes. I got my package from Ulta today (faster than usual) and of course no samples. Thanks Ulta. Awesome. I'd call or something because this is literally the 4th time I think, but meh I can't be bothered. Stop offering samples AND putting it on my packing sheet!! Ridiculous.

Everything else is good. The new real techniques brush I got is way nicer than the old ones, but we shall see if I like as much as the IT brushes or Sephora ones.

 

[eastofthesun]

Meh, birthday gift sucks, but it's basically 'something I'll never use' versus 'something I'll never use' for last year's, so. *shrug*

Sephora's b'day gift this year is awesome.

Good lord, it sucks so much! I'm sorry if anyone likes it, but YEUCK!!! I mean, at least last year we got a full size mascara- by a 'prestige' brand. This time it's like... a zillion times worse. At least I don't have to go there and try to find something to buy so I can get my birthday present. I'll definitely be skipping this this year. I have too much awesome eyeshadow to try to make that work.

That being said, if the April-December gifts are awesome I'm going to be so sad!

 

[Laura Etchison]

Good lord, it sucks so much! I'm sorry if anyone likes it, but YEUCK!!! I mean, at least last year we got a full size mascara- by a 'prestige' brand. This time it's like... a zillion times worse. At least I don't have to go there and try to find something to buy so I can get my birthday present. I'll definitely be skipping this this year. I have too much awesome eyeshadow to try to make that work.

That being said, if the April-December gifts are awesome I'm going to be so sad!

ultabday2015.jpg

We need universal suckage for the year, lol, ya know, since I'm a Feb bday.  Equal opportunity suckage.  (Oh wait, I should be happy for the Mar-Dec folks if they get a good one.)

I didn't like that CK mascara, but it did one thing -- it introduced me to the brand.  I fell in love with their blue-green nail polish from the summer.

I have yet to be impressed with an Ulta eye product.   /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Kelli]

I like the Ulta single shadows and their Plush Drama Mascara is a favorite of mine, so I am open to the gift and will grab it sometime this month, but haven't had much luck with their multi-shadow sets (but the only ones I have tried are the quads that come with the massive GWP, and they are HORRIBLE!) Definitely a lame birthday gift, particularly when compared to Sephora's really amazing choices this year (never tried any Nars and love lip products and I recently tried my first PTR product and looovvveee it, so both appeal to me).

 

[Brandy Roberts]

Just got an email for 5x points for being platinum. Seems to only be for today.

Was that for any brand?  I didn't get that promo at all!  I went back through all my emails (I save them in my Ulta folder!) and I didn't get that same offer.  Boo-hoo.  But congrats to you that's awesome!  What did you get??  Share share hahaha!

 

[Brandy Roberts]

Ulta responded to my 'your $33.50 sample bag is not worth $33.50' by saying if I want then to give me a $10 gift card, to respond to their email and they will process it.  Interesting.  They want me to ask for it after I already complained.  I said I appreciate the offer, but not going to ask for a gift card for an item that was free to me to begin with (plus, I'm going to return it) but they also said they would forward my comments to the department in charge of putting those promos together and I thanked them for that and reiterated that the bag was horrible and misleading.

Then I followed up by telling them about my two packages I received (this was all yesterday).

One was perfect and had 4 samples!  Two sample bags with two items each in them.

One was missing my Kenra shampoo, but I did get the free shampoo pump!  And the GWP (which is awesome and was in both of my orders...score!) but the bag was cut (like the box cutter went through it) and it nicked the garnier exfoliator stuff so that leaked all over.  None of the other products were ruined and the coupon cards were readable so I just wrote down the codes (two $5 off $10 Ulta brand purchase with one expiring 1/31/15 and one expiring 1/31/16).  And the sample bag was again MIA.

So I asked for my shampoo and made a joke about how I must not be on the Sample 2015 program hahaha.  And I left it at that.

No response yet but this is Ulta, and my email yesterday, so I've got a week before I start to wonder if they are going to get me my shampoo.

In other news, I got my Ouidad clarifying shampoo from Ulta and I am super excited, but I also got another one from the same brand from Sephora, it is the Curl Recovery Ultra Nourishing Cleansing Oil Sulfate-Free shampoo. I tried that one this morning, and I **** you not I had three people tell me they LOVED my hair today.  totally out of the blue and from people I don't even work with on a regular basis (but see them every day). I didn't do anything different but use that shampoo and I too noticed how different my hair looked today.    Very bouncy, and shiny and super manageable! I am IN LOVE LOVE LOVE with OUIDAD!!  HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

 

[Brandy Roberts]

Has anyone had a problem ordering on Ulta? I have been trying all day to pay with a CC or even paypal and nothing goes through. I want to use the special bonus points that is today only and emailing them takes forever so that's out. If anyone has a trick to get it to work let me know!

I haven't tried in a few days, and I'm afraid if I do, I'll get yet another surprise shipment.

The last one being from L'Occitane.  A couple of days after Christmas and out of the blue.  I paid full price, paid shipping, no promo code or even free samples.  And I didn't need the product.  If I go check I'll bet there isn't even an ebates or mrrebates shopping trip that day either.  Hmpfff...

 

[meganbernadette]

Totally got sucked in to the beauty break today. Free 3 piece Too Faced beauty break with $50 purchase... philosophy foundations on sale for $25.... ended up spending about $65 and getting the too faced beauty break, philosophy GWP, neutrogena GWP, and skincare 23 piece GWP. Did I enable you too? LOL

 

[Brandy Roberts]

Totally got sucked in to the beauty break today. Free 3 piece Too Faced beauty break with $50 purchase... philosophy foundations on sale for $25.... ended up spending about $65 and getting the too faced beauty break, philosophy GWP, neutrogena GWP, and skincare 23 piece GWP. Did I enable you too? LOL

I'm showing the 23 piece GWP is OOS 

 

[Kelli]

I was wondering if you guys knew: Is the 2x bday month points automatic or do you need to activate? I don't have it to activate in my account, so just wondering if it will just magically give them to me when I shop.

 

[Brandy Roberts]

I lied - not intentionally though!  I was able to add the sample bag once I was in my order details.  My order was $117 and I received 396 points.  Picked up two different philosophy foundations (powder and miracle worker liquid) as I am still searching for my HG foundation (though I do love bare minerals powder and use that mostly as my go-to) but want alternatives and sometimes I look too cakey with it.  So I got the Philosophy GWP and also the bonus points. Oh and a small microexfoliating something facewash.  I remember I had that before actually and I did like how gentle it was and needed the $15 for the skin care GWP. LOL!

I also picked up some retinol night cream from Ulta (on sale for $14) and should have rec'd $5 off a $10 Ulta item purchase, but didn't.  Called CS and they said to call them back after shipping and if I didn't get the credit they will give me the credit then.  That made no sense to me but I have a reference number so as soon as I get shipping of course I will have to call them.

I got the Ouidad curl co-wash and the Ouidad sample with purchase too.

And...I'm already platinum through 2016.  Oops.

 

[valeried44]

I'm showing the 23 piece GWP is OOS 

Hmmmm.  I just checked out and it was still in stock.  Though I was a little confused at first because it doesn't have you "add to bag" like most GWPs, but it did show up when I added $65 in qualifying purchases.  

Nevermind, looks like you have it figured out!   /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Brandy Roberts]

Ladies I am very angry.  VERY ANGRY.  I just calculated the value of my skin care bag...$10.22!! And I rounded up!

Special thanks to @ for sending me the calculator since my brain couldn't do much on its own today LOL.

I'm about to go postal on their FB page.  Offering me $10 when they should have offered me $23 is insult on top of injury.  I mean it is free, I get that, but are they trying to tell me their ziploc pouch costs $23?  And, not that I was trying but I did get two of the pouches because there were two Algenist items I was low on.  Further insulting is I could have used my Sephora promo's for those AND got the genius GWP'S which are valued over $30!!  Oh I'm gonna witch like there's no tomorrow!!

 

[Brandy Roberts]

FB message posted and email sent to CS that yes, they can send me two egift cards for $23.28 each. LOL!  I mean let's face it, they aren't going to send me jack **** but I feel better calling them out on it.  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Brandy Roberts]

I was wondering if you guys knew: Is the 2x bday month points automatic or do you need to activate? I don't have it to activate in my account, so just wondering if it will just magically give them to me when I shop.

every purchase in store or online during your birthday month should automatically give you double points.  If you are platinum, you will get 1.25 points per every dollar spent and 1 point for every dollar spent as the extra.  So a $10 purchase will give you 22.50 (23) points.  If you redeem points on a purchase in your birthday month (or any other bonus point time) then you will only get points for the actual dollars spent.  So if you redeemed 100 points on your purchase of $10, you will get a total of 15.75 (16) points. (ETA: Assuming that is in your birthday month and you are platinum)

You don't earn points on dollars that are paid for with redeemed points.  At least that is how I understand the rule.  That is why I never redeem points on any promotion that includes bonus points, or during my birthday month.  Hope this helps!