I just wanted to interrupt our regularly scheduled Lululemon content to share some things with you that I’m enjoying during this unprecedented shared experience. The following are a few things that are bringing me comfort and a small amount of pleasure during these uncertain times. Also: One wish list item for mother’s day. (Hopefully he reads this.)
David’s Tea
This may be the first time I talk about David’s Tea on this blog, but it is unlikely to be the last. TBH, I thought I had included it in a holiday wish list, but I can’t find that post… Regardless, after Teaopia closed down, David’s Tea became my tea provider of choice. I love my tea- I enjoy at least 3 cups a day. My favorite is Earl Grey of any kind, and I loved this one called Princess Earl Grey that Teaopia used to have, but they are gone now, and so is it. It literally had rose buds in it. Not rose petals- buds. It was majestic.
Since clearing out my tea collection of old stock, the stale, and stuff I had to admit that… well, it just wasn’t my cup of tea- lookin’ at you Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait, (How does this have 4.8 stars!?)- I had very little selection left and decided to freshen up my collection. I also started putting dates on my tea, so I know when they entered my possession. I try to use loose leaf teas up within 2 years. That way the flavor stays fresh, and the tea doesn’t go stale.
Left to Right: Strawberry Rhubarb Parfait, Earl Grey Rooibos, Cream of Earl Grey
So, I ordered a full caf, black, Organic Cream of Earl Grey Tea, and its caffeine-free cousin, Organic Earl Grey Rooibos. If you have never tried rooibos, I highly recommend it. It isn’t technically tea, it’s actually derived from a bush, but it has an inoffensive taste and tends to just pick up the flavors of what it’s paired with- kind of like the Tofu of the Tea world. I guess, if I had to describe it, it has a woodsy-sweet taste to it, but any flavors added to it really stand out. I’m actually enjoying a cup of it right now 🙂
If you’re unfamiliar, David’s Tea does have a points program, which is OK, I usually earn a couple of free 2-oz bags of tea each year. But it’s not amazing. I only order 2-4 times a year, so it is really more for people who actually go in-store and buy a tea every day. But that’s okay though, I’m not going to complain about free stuff. I only wish we had one in my area so I could actually go in and buy teas made in-store.
Speaking of free stuff. They almost always are giving away free tea-tins. They are always high quality and really cute. I ordered two 4-oz orders of each tea, and got two free tins. I chose the same ones. They’re so cute. The final, and essential thing, I ordered is their pack of 200 loose-leaf tea filters. They come in a 100% recycled paper box and they’re biodegradable too.
Victoria’s Secret
Long have I been an enjoyer of a decent modal pajama, and now, more than ever are they keeping me comfortable around the house. I bought two sets of these 3 weeks ago, and have been enjoying them since they arrived. They are so, so, so sososososososo soft! Comfy factor of ten.
Macy’s has been having some really decent sales. I picked up these shoes for about $25, and I got the ABH Carli Bybel palette for half off too. Since the “Safer at Home” order started, I’ve been trying to take better care of myself and I’ve been putting on makeup every day. I feel better when I look better- and that’s the truth. I remember wanting this palette when it first came out, but I didn’t pick it up, because ABH was having so many releases at the time that I really couldn’t get them all. So, this one got left behind. It’s now on sale at Sephora too! I also ended up picking up Michale Kors Sexy Blossom Eau de Parfum spray, because it was on sale- and I couldn’t find it at either Ulta or Sephora. If you do, let me know!
Hobby Lobby
Speaking of trying to keep myself pretty- I have been uber focussed on trying to learn how to do my nails at home. I used to go to the salon and get them done every couple of weeks as an outing with my mother-in-law, and now, well, all the salons are closed and I really miss having pretty nails. So, I’ve been consuming all sorts of YouTube videos about how to do nails. I really like Long Hair Pretty Nails, and have been learning a lot from The Nail Hub. So, in preparation for doing my nails, I am trying to be careful and not get everything all at once- especially since everyone recommends so many different tools, BUT this seems to get very high praise, and I’ve always wondered how I could apply crystals to my nails in a precise and simple way, so I ordered this Krystal Katana from Hobby Lobby. The reviews are mixed, only 3 out of 5 stars, but the nail community on YouTube seems to have reached a consensus regarding this tool’s effectiveness. Also: Hobby Lobby always seems to have some sort of coupon going on too. So, keep an eye out if you want to get this. I got mine for 40% off. Anyways, one of these days, I’m gonna do my own gel manicure… or acrylic… or dipping powder… I haven’t decided yet. But whatever they are- they’re gonna have super cute nail art on them.
Wish List Item
As promised: My wish list item is a super expensive perfume called “LYS 41” by Le Labo. I can’t find it in the original larger size, but I found a mini pack of 3. It’s $165. I don’t generally spend that kind of coin on perfume, but I would be super stoked to get it as a gift.
Anyways, I hope this article finds you well. Thanks for reading my random list of cute things I’m using to keep myself comfy and distracted during these most interesting of times – to put it mildly. Thanks, as always for stopping by.
Tell me what you’re doing/ using to keep yourself busy in the comments- Or come find me on Twitter~ Twitter.com/LululemonExpert I would love to hear from you!
In my last post about Ulta, I expressed some doubt that I would make it to the Diamond Rewards level. However, I did fall in love with some things this year, and I got a new flat iron, pushing my total above the required amount.
So, here’s the skinny:
There are a few perks to becoming Diamond: Free Shipping Over $25, Free Inductee Gift including a $25 Gift Card, Earn 1.5x the points
Let’s dive deeper into these perks.
Free Inductee Gift including a $25 Gift Card
Here is what I got after becoming Diamond:
It includes two sample sizes: A Pur: Fully Charged mascara, a “Porefessional” primer by Benefit and a $25 Beauty Services Reward Card. The samples are pretty self-explanatory. The $25 gift card is only applicable to Beauty Services. Prior to receiving it, I thought it was a $25 gift card for anything, but once I received it, I realized that it’s applicable only to beauty services- aka the Ulta Salon. This will probably not get used up for a while, as it is very rare that I use the salon at Ulta.
Free Shipping Over $25
For Members and Platinum Members of the Ultamate Rewards program, free shipping is earned after adding $50 worth of items to your cart. For Diamond members, this is cut in half to $25. Actually, I also received free shipping for purchases under $25 during Ulta’s 21 days of beauty promotion, when products that were a part of the sale earned me free shipping with purchase. I thought that was a nice bonus.
Earn 1.5x the points
This is actually pretty cool. My main post about the Ulta Ultamate Rewards Program is about getting the best deals at Ulta and prominently features the points program. If you’re platinum, you earn 1.25 points per dollar spent. Diamond members earn 1.5 points per dollar spent. Earning points 25% faster than Platinum will definitely mean that the points are easier to come by and make getting to 2000 way easier too! (For more info on why you should wait to spend your points until you get to 2000, please read my other post.)
A little math on getting to 2000: In order to get to 2000 points as a “platinum” member, you would in theory need to spend $1600, whereas a Diamond member would only need to spend $1333. I say “in theory” because Ulta is always having 2, 3, and 5 times the points offers on specific items or specific days or during your birthday month, etc… So, it is unlikely that anyone would actually need to spend so much, but you can definitely see the difference that extra 25% makes in your ability to earn!
Whether or not this program is worth it to you is subjective. I prefer it to Sephora’s program, but only because Ulta offers cash to spend as a reward and not product samples, although, I had heard that Spehora has been experimenting with other rewards in the mix.
What do you think about the Diamond Rewards program? Are you in?
I know you all love my post about how to save money at Ulta by leveraging their rewards program, and they have come out with a brand new rewards category. [drum roll] DIAMOND 💎
So, basically, I love Ulta- BUT I think their Diamond program is reaching a little bit. By comparison, Sephora’s Rouge requires “only” $1000 spent per year to become a member and provides the major benefit of free shipping. (However, the same benefit can be purchased for $10/year from Sephora.) By contrast, Ulta’s Diamond rewards program membership does not offer free shipping and requires a $1200 spend. It only changes the minimum order requirement from $50 to earn free shipping to $25 to earn free shipping. Honestly, my orders are never lower than that anyways, but it still seems like if Sephora can do for $1000, Ulta can do it for $1200.
Question: I am currently Platinum. Is it worth it to become Diamond? Let’s do some math. Wait! Don’t leave! I will do it- 🙂
So, if you earn points 25% faster (On BASE points only, this multiplier does not affect 2x or 5x the points values), you now “only” have to spent $1333 to earn the 2000 points (assuming you activate no other points offers), whereas with Platinum, you must spend $1600 to earn the $2000 points, which in my last post, we established is the ideal increment in which to spend. The relative value- of the extra points you get for not having to spend $267 to earn them is $20.86. In addition to the $25 gift card you receive for being a Diamond rewards member, the total benefit of being a Diamond rewards member is $45.86 + a lower free-shipping threshold, which anyone spending $1200/year at Ulta is unlikely to use anyways amiright?. So, if spending $1200/ year at Ulta is something you generally do, by all means, continue to do so. But in my opinion, I would prefer to remain Platinum and get all the perks associated with the Platinum membership, rather than attempting to become a Diamond member. If I spent $1200 on makeup per year, I’d probably go for the Rouge membership at Sephora. Free shipping (although non-rouge members can purchase it for $10/year), early access to sales and new product launches, and exclusive events seem more worth it to me than what Ulta is offering.
I, however, barely made it to Platinum this year, so I will not be going for Sephora’s Rouge program. But if you’re trying to choose between the two- I think Sephora wins the round for “best top tier,” but Ulta still wins for best mid-tier. In my opinion, Ulta’s rewards for being platinum are better than Sephora’s rewards for being VIB.
Thank you for reading!
What do you think of the new Diamond tier in the program? Let me know in the comments!
Hello everyone! I just want to document my experience with SkinMedica’s Vitalize peels. This is my first peel ever, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I wanted to share my experience anyways. Don’t forget to shop around- I’ve heard of these costing over $150/ application! I paid less than half that! Of course, it does depend on where you live, but don’t forget to ask about specials!
About a week after my initial consultation in which I expressed my concerns about my skin including clogged pores and age prevention, I got my first ever peel. The first thing the dermatologist did was clean my skin, then she used an alcohol swab on my face. Warning: it’s super stinky. I was nearly choking on it, so I turned on the tiny fan they gave me. It helped a lot.
Then came the “fun” part. The application of two layers of the peel solution plus one layer of sunscreen and one layer of Retinol. The two layers of the peel hurt a little, but honestly I have Salicylic acid solutions that I use that hurt more. Barely a “1” on my pain scale out of “10.”
The sunscreen and the Retinol don’t hurt at all, thus the “pain” part of the procedure is over. I left the office and drove home.
Later that day I noticed a bit of peeling on my nose and my skin still felt very tight. I had hidden indoors all day and applied plenty of moisturizer. I used this Acure sample I received in my BirchBox. It worked well to keep my skin hydrated. Just FYI, if you get one of these peels you’ll have a yellow hue for the day from the Retinol.
I washed my face in the evening, as per the nice lady’s instructions. It’s worth noting that my skin felt tight and a little sunburned but not too bad.
The following day, I just kept reapplying my sunscreen throughout the day, using Shiseido’s 50 SPF Broad Spectrum Sunscreen. I tried my very best to keep out of the sun and even used a parasol! I felt like a princess 🙂 That day, I noticed a little peeling on my nose.
The next day, I still only had very little peeling on my nose and on my chin. I kept my sunscreen game strong.
Over the next few days I looked pretty bad, with plenty of peeling that even the most vigorous moisturizer application couldn’t hide. So, I hid instead- venturing out only twice the entire weekend.
By Monday, however, the bulk of the peeling was over. I can’t tell if anything has changed yet, but I will keep you posted.
Since it is recommended that you receive multiple (between 3 and 6) sessions before expecting results, I decided to go ahead and get a few more peels done to reap the full benefits.
Peel Number Two:
About 5 weeks after my first peel, I went for my second. This one felt pretty much the same, a little burning but really quite tolerable. My skin also did not feel tight or sunburned this time. The peeling wasn’t as bad this time, and I was able to hide it a lot more easily than the first time. I haven’t seen any drastic changes yet, but I think my pores are getting tighter, as I’ve seen fewer clogged pores lately. In addition, and more importantly, I noticed that my acne scars are gone. They were mild scars, but they’re completely gone. I’m a fan of that. I had two. One was near my jawline and one was on my forehead. Yay!
Peel Number 3:
About 4 weeks after the second, I received my third. It actually hurt more this time, but I suspect that it was due to the batteries in the mini fan they gave me being low. Always ask for the fan. It makes it much more bearable. This one also did not make my skin tight or feel sunburned afterwards at all. But again, I did experience peeling, at about the same rate as the second peel.
Conclusion & Final Results
These peels were pretty effective at eliminating my acne scars, particularly the fresh one on my forehead! BUT I probably wouldn’t recommend them to anyone seeking wrinkle relief. They’ve done nothing for my fine lines. Next time, I will try the more aggressive form of this peel, the Rejuvenize Peel!
When you reach 2,000 points, spend your points 2,000 at at time, this is when they have the greatest per point monetary value. Also: You can redeem -maximum- up to 4,000 points at once in a purchase online.
Wait for 3x and 5x the points offers to make purchases.
Once a year, Ulta has a 10x the points Platinum Member Appreciation Day- it’s at the end of August each year.
Wait until Wednesdays for the best “Gift With Purchase” offers.
Hello everyone!
**UPDATE January 21, 2018: I recently published my thoughts and a little math regarding Ulta’s NEW Diamond rewards tier!
Let me just start by saying: I LOVE makeup! However, I am all about getting the best deals on the things I love. For example, just check out this post I wrote about getting the best deals on Lululemon!
I WISH Lululemon had a rewards program, but since 2014, nothing has materialized. I hope to update this post with a retraction, but I digress…
UPDATE: Editing this post to add a photo of the HeyLululemon.com link, since HeyLululemon is being closed down on the 16th of May 2016.
This post is going to be about how to get the most out of the Ultamate rewards program, how to save money at Ulta and how to get the most out of the money that you do spend. I love their rewards program, as well as the extra savings I’m able to get- and because of this, I almost never shop at Sephora anymore!
If you play your cards right, you can accumulate tons of points at Ulta, and the more points you get- the more money you can save!
UPDATE: FEB 25/ 2016
This post is over 3,000 words long! And although I think the information is valuable throughout, I also think that 3,000 words is too long for one post! So, here are the main points, summarized, for busy people who don’t have time to read this entire post.
When you reach 2,000 points, spend your points 2,000 at at time, this is when they have the greatest per point monetary value.
Wait for 3x and 5x the points offers to make purchases.
Once a year, Ulta has a 10x the points Platinum Member Appreciation Day- it’s at the end of August each year.
Wait until Wednesdays for the best “Gift With Purchase” offers.
If you want to know the whys behind the points listed above in bold- please read on below!
Steps to getting the most out of Ulta and the Ultamate Rewards Program
First:
Creat an account on Ulta.com and sign up for the rewards program! Simple enough!
Subscribe to emails:
Second:
When you sign up, be sure that the box is checked for “Yes! Please send me emails with current offers,new products and over $250 per year in saving coupons!” This way you can be sure that you’re receiving all your offers. I would also say that it’s likely that these offers are worth way more than just $250 a year, depending on how much you spend.
Take Full Advantage of the Offers You Receive!
Third:
Since you’ve signed up to be an Ultamate rewards member, and you’re now receiving email offers, you’ll want to be sure that you’re leveraging those offers for all they’re worth! There are a few different types of offers to consider, and I will discuss them below. I also created this excel sheet to show how often I received offers from Ulta from February 19, 2015 until Platinum Appreciation Day, August 24th, 2015.
From the same data, I also created this Pivot table, which shows us that the most common day to receive offers is Wednesday, and that the most common requirement was either a $40 or $50 Ulta purchase in order to receive the perk.
These are extra gifts usually requiring any $50 purchase on Ulta.com between the hours of 10:00am and 2:00pm on the day that you receive the email. One great thing about these is that they can be combined with other offers including 5x the points offers and other GWP offers. Ulta also offers so-called “Extended Beauty Breaks,” that can last up to 12 hours, however, the most common are the ones that are four hours in length.
2.) Earn Extra Points with 2x, 3x, and 5x the Points Offers
In addition to all the other coupons, gift with purchase offers, and other perks, Ulta will often offer double, triple or even quintuple the points on certain items! This is the best way to build up your points balance quickly! Remember, points are as good as money at Ulta so it’s worth doing your best to activate offers and combine them with GWPs to maximize what you get for every dollar spent at Ulta.
Just as an aside, a lot of the time, when I’m offered 3x the points for Platinum members, non-platinum members get a 2x the points offer as well, but since I’m a Platinum member, I’m sure I’m not always seeing every time that regular Ultamate rewards members are receiving double the points offers.
3.) Free Gifts With Purchase
Ulta’s brands are constantly giving away free GWPs. You just have to know where to find them to see them. On Ulta’s website, if you click “sale” on the left hand side of the screen, you have the option of seeing three different types of offers.
The first is “Buy More, Save More,” which is usually filled with their drugstore brands as well as hair care. Every so often they’ll have something that’s rarely on sale listed, so I do like to check it out. One of my favorite hair masks is called “Therapy Session Hair Mask” by Eva NYC. It’s almost always on sale, but a few times a year they’ll have it on BOGO, and that’s when I stock up!
The second is where you’ll find all the brands that are currently offering GWPs. There are currently 40 different ones to choose from, and it’s really fun when I’m able to combine a “Beauty Break” with a free GWP by being careful about which brands I choose.
The last is their “Sale” section. Personally, I don’t find this section to be particularly helpful since, at any one time Ulta is having a “sale” on hundreds of items, and it’s difficult to find any good deals when you’re not able put things in order by “percentage off.” PS: I love doing that on 6pm.com’s website.
I also keep in mind that some of those “sale” items are almost always on sale, and so they’re not really that great a deal. A lot of retailers do this, because by listing something as “on sale,” and having a ‘regular price’ that’s higher than you expect consumers to pay, you can create perceived value and increase sales. Unfortunately, this practice is common among consumer goods- especially clothing. In the linked article, this line says it best: “So many discounts are priced into the cost of goods these days that it is possible to mark an item down severely and still make money.” This phenomenon is nothing I want to write extensively about right now, but definitely something I keep in mind when making purchases.
4.) Extra Deals
There were also other sales and offers that I didn’t discuss because they were, in my opinion, not the best sales, or not a “surprise,” like the “Beauty Breaks” are. Of note, I did not include any of the ’21-days of Beauty’ deals that change every day when they are being offered. This is mainly because you can just look at the ad that Ulta puts out to see when those deals are offered. Another thing I did not include were periodic invitations to enter contests- I think I only received one or two, and I didn’t feel that they were relevant to this blog post.
Become a Platinum member
Fourth:
Become a Platinum member. In order to achieve “Platinum” status, you must spend $450 in a given calendar year. If you love makeup, like I do, you’re probably already there or you’re spending money at Sephora and DermStore and Urban Decay and other online makeup shops in addition to shopping at Ulta. Since I’ve discovered how good the benefits of shopping at Ulta are, I’ve essentially stopped shopping elsewhere for makeup and skincare. If you check Ulta first for your beauty needs, I’m sure you’ll be Platinum in no time.
There are several reasons to want to become a Platinum member:
1.) Earn more points per dollar spent.
One of the perks of being a Platinum Ultamate Rewards member is that instead of earning only point per dollar spent, you earn 1 *base* point per dollar, plus 0.25 *bonus points*. This distinction between base and bonus points becomes important when calculating the number of points one earns when 2x, 3x, and 5x the points offers are fielded. Namely, the offers apply only to base points and not to bonus points. So, for example, if you activate a 3x the points offer, and spend $100, you’ll earn 325 points (100 base times 3, plus your 25 bonus points for being Platinum), not 375 points (which is what it would be if all points earned were multiplied by three and not just base points). I hope this provides some clarity.
2.) Points don’t expire.
This is essential to saving up your points and then ultimately earning the most number possible. Platinum member’s points don’t expire.
3.) You get a 2x the points offer and an EXTRA birthday gift during your birthday month! Make sure you let them know your birthday!
4.) You get extra offers. These are called “Platinum Perks,” and you will get plenty of them once you’re Platinum. These will help you maximize your point-earning potential!
Get The Most Bang For Your Buck At Ulta
Fifth:
You’ll want to start getting the most value for the money that you spend at Ulta. Here is a list of some of the ways I get the most value for my makeup dollars, and how I save money by shopping at Ulta.
Save MORE with coupons!
Ulta constantly has a $3.50 coupon, that you can almost always use on your purchase, unless you’re only buying things that literally have a little warning under them that explicitly tells you that coupons don’t apply. Personally, I appreciate that Ulta lists that certain items are not eligible for coupon discounts, because it is transparent and honest. Instead of clicking “check out” and finding out that my item is not eligible for coupon discounts, Ulta tells you up-front. I have experienced this before at other vendors, both in-store and online and I’m sure you have also been disappointed by the lack of transparency in pricing before as well.
Ulta will also often email “20% off of one item” coupons. This is great if there’s a single, but more pricey item that you would like.
There are so many posts online on how to save money using eBates. It’s not a scam, it’s just an intermediary website that helps direct traffic and purchases to a lot of already very popular online retailers. You literally just get money back from shopping at places you already shop. Shop at Home operates very similarly, and also offers cashback for shopping online, however, I find eBates more convenient since it deposits directly into your PayPal account. I included Shop at Home because, as of this writing, it was offering 4% cash back on Ulta.com, while eBates was offering 3%. However, eBates does sometimes offer double cash back on websites on a regular basis. And I have seen cash back offers from eBates for Ulta purchases of up to 8%.
I am writing this post about Ulta for the same reason I wrote the review of MyFitnessPal Premium: There isn’t a very good post online about how to make the most of your Ulta points. There are a few that explain them, but none that go into detail about how to best accumulate and take advantage of all the offers that Ulta sends online- or how to combine them!
So, in the interest of comprehensive inclusion of all the ways to save on your Ulta purchase, I have included eBates and Shop At Home, which offers a similar discount on Ulta’s website. I also checked every website on this list, and both eBates and Shop at Home offered the highest percentage discounts on Ulta, from what I could tell.
Just FYI: I do use eBates, and the above is a referral link, but I do not use Shop at Home because I don’t like that they send a physical check. I prefer eBates because it deposits the money directly into my PayPal account and doesn’t use such archaic implements.
GET MORE by Combining Offers
Combine Gifts With Purchase To Get More
In addition to the emailed offers documented above, I also received notices when other gift with purchase (GWP) offers were available, but to be honest, I rarely spend the $35 to $50 required to get these smaller GWPs, I usually wait for something more substantive to come around.
For example, Benefit often has a GWP available, usually a little makeup bag or a small sample of a product, but rather than make a purchase that day, if I’m in the market for a Benefit product, I tend to wait until an extra GWP is offered like the “Strivectin 3-piece gift with any $40 Ulta purchase,” that way I get both GWPs from one purchase.
Explaining the Points
As I mentioned above, a major reason why I’m writing this post is to let you know how I accumulate tons of points at Ulta. The following is this writer’s best attempt.
How Earning & Redeeming Works
I found this great graph online showing how the rewards increase as you earn more points. The redemption trend is not linear and affects how much money you get and this graph shows why you should just save your points rather than spending them. I also found this Reddit pretty useful.
How I Accumulate Tons of Points
Accumulate 2,000 Points
First:
If you can, get to the top level of Ulta’s reward program. It says “$125” after 2,000 points are earned, but you can continue to earn after that. Once you reach the 2000 point level, I recommend spending your points 2000 points at a time. This is the time at which your points will have the greatest per point monetary value. Once you reach the 2000 level, although you can continue earning points, the monetary value of each point begins to decline. As you can see in the table, the value per point comes up from zero, decline at 2000, and go up again until you hit 4000.
Worth Noting: I currently have 4950 points, and I can redeem up to $286 with them, but when I attempt to check out online, Ulta only allows me to redeem $250 (4,000 points) at a time.
Leverage 2x, 3x, and 5x the Points Offers
Second:
As I mentioned above, keep an eye out for special offers in your inbox! A lot of times Ulta will offer 2x, 3x or 5x the points on certain brands, or just any $50 purchase. Use these opportunities to make planned purchases. I won’t even shop at Ulta unless I’m getting a kickback- and neither should you!
One other thing should be mentioned here: Once a year, Ulta has a 10x the points offer active for one day. Let’s say you make a $100 purchase, you’ll earn 100 points, right? But if you’re Platinum you’ll get 125. In addition, you’ll get 900 more points, because the calculation is always based on the “Base Points” and doesn’t include the bonus points you receive for being Platinum. However, 1025 points is still a tidy sum. And, earning $0.0625 per point, you’ve literally earned $64 on that purchase in points. That’s incredible. In 2013, the 10x the points offer took place on August 26th, 2014 was August 25 and in 2015 it took place on August 24th. I hope that 2016 will also see a Platinum member appreciation day with 10x the points! In the case that there is one, it will be either the 22nd or the 29th of August, if this “Monday, late August” trend holds true.
Caveat: Last year the products that were eligible for 10x the points were somewhat, but not egregiously, limited.
Example of how quickly points add up after you get to 2,000- while leveraging other Ulta offers.
So, for instance, recently, I got to the 2,000 level. That entitles me to $125 off my next purchase. However, since Platinum member points don’t expire, I can earn even more points! Fast forward, having only spent about $60, I’m now at the 2300 point level, and am entitled to $134 off my next order. This is an example of how you can leverage a combination of the bonus points offers, and base-level bonus points.
The $60 I spent was on items during a 5x the points event, which means that I earned enough points to get a discount of over $9. In addition, I received an eBates discount of 4%, or about $2.50, bringing my savings to about $11.50. That’s almost 20%! You can save almost 20% at Ulta and receive other perks every single time just by following the advice given here.
Other ways to earn & save
Use the Ulta Salon for hair services. I recently decided to start searching for a new hairdresser, and the next cut I get will be from Ulta. You can accumulate points there too and they also offer Ulta Salon coupons- especially for new clients. Buyer beware: Not all stylists at the Ulta Salon are equally talented. Be sure to ask which level of stylist they are if you’re concerned about quality. Last time I went there, I just got a (glorious!) deep conditioning treatment, so I wasn’t concerned about skill. However, next time I go it will be for a haircut, so I will definitely inquire.
Remember that Ulta also sells fragrance, skincare and hair tools. Don’t forget to think of Ulta for gifts too! These large, often planned, purchases can add up to a lot of points and savings if you remember to buy when there’s a 5x the points offer or a 20% off coupon!
Disclosure:
I mentioned this above, but the deal at Ulta where we both get $10 is a referral link. I just want to make sure that people know that. Ulta didn’t pay me for this post, and my opinions are my own. Secondly, as I also mentioned above, the eBates link is also a referral link, but again, they don’t know who I am and did not pay me to mention them. Maybe one day they will! Again, these are just my positive experiences that I am happy to share. Also: Anyone can get their own referral links once they sign up for these services.
Just one more thing…
Finally, if you made it to the end of this post, I thank you. Please let me know by commenting below. Did I miss anything? Did I make any mistakes? Please correct me! I’m always very appreciative of your feedback! Lastly, if this has helped you, why not share it with your friends?! 😉 Everyone loves a good deal!
As many of you may be aware, since last August I’ve been a Beauty Influencer with The Body Shop, which basically means that they send me free stuff in exchange for my thoughts and reviews on the items they send to me.
This month they sent me Soap on a Rope. It came in some fairly provocative packaging.
And it looks like this:
(Full disclosure: I had already used the soap once when this photo was taken.)
It is hemp-based soap, which explains the shape of it and the smell. It smells exactly like their Hemp Hand Protector, which I tend to recommend to men looking for a masculine hand moisturizer that is very effective.
I would say that this soap is very moisturizing but I don’t love the smell and the marketing is a little risqué in my opinion. However, I am not going to consider the marketing in my review and I would give the product a 3 star rating over all. I love that it is moisturizing but the smell isn’t amazing or feminine at all, so this product is not for me. I love pretty, sweet or perfumed scents in the shower as opposed to this scent. So, while I would rank this high on efficacy and moisture provision, I would rank it rather low on scent. I will switch back to the Cranberry scented Shower gel I was sent by The Body Shop last year and leave this masculine scented soap for my husband to use, since he likes it. He says that it is quote, ‘very lather-y’ and that the smell was not as strong as he expected.
Hey y’all! I have a review for y’all today! As you may know from previous posts here, here, here, here, here and here, periodically (monthly-ish), The Body Shop sends me pretties to review. This month they sent me the Smoky Poppy Body Lotion and a Lip & Cheek Velvet Stick. These are both brand new products, and while the lotion is in stock online ($12), I believe the lip & cheek stick ($16) will launch on the 16th along with their Pucker Up contest. I’ve been using the lip & cheek stick for 2 days, as well as the body lotion. So far I really like both. The body lotion is something I would use on a regular basis, and while I absolutely love their luxurious body butters for overnight moisture, they’re sometimes not practical during the day because I like to take my time applying them for the sheer experience of it. I find it relaxing. This is something I could definitely see myself applying during the day. It’s quick & easy to apply. It’s slightly thicker than their “Body Milk” (which I have in Coconut) and it is thinner than the Body Butters. This stuff smells great. I don’t know who works in the scent department at The Body Shop, but those people are geniuses! They are always on the ball! This stuff smells like an exotic perfume and the scent lasts on the skin for a long time. Here’s what the packaging looks like, plus I put some on my hand and sheered some of it out so you can see what it looks like. I found that it absorbs well and my skin felt moisturized, but not greasy after using it.
Smoky Poppy Body Lotion packaging
Smoky Poppy Body Lotion sample
The second product they sent me is a makeup product, which being obsessed as I currently am with makeup, I’m arguably more excited about this product than the last. I’ve been using this Lip & Cheek stain mostly on my lips. I tried it on my cheeks and I found the colour a little overwhelming for my skin tone. It smells pretty, and in that regard is quite pleasant, and it glides on just nicely. I like the color- it’s rather bold, but I know I can pull it off! It looks black on the stick, but it comes off as a dark red-purple on the lips. It’s worth mentioning that this is a push-up stick and no sharpening is required. The thing I liked best about this lip (and cheek) stick is the long lasting wear of it. I can be bad about reapplying my lip products and this stuff lasts through meals and coffees. The one thing I didn’t love is that although it is slightly moist, I don’t feel that it is ‘moisturizing’ which is something I tend to need in the winter. However, what I’ve been doing is throwing it over a clear lip balm and that works great.
packaging
from the top
from the side
I am really happy with both of these products and think that The Body Shop’s creativity with both of these is really shining through this time.
Have you tried any of these? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
I’m on vacation for the first part of January, but I thought I would share my nails with y’all because it’s a polish from Covergirl’s brand new Spring line. This is Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail gloss in Petal Power. I bought it partly for the color, partly because it’s new and partly because I’m a sucker for Katy Perry who is featured in the ad I saw.
I really love the color. There is a slight glitter in the formula that you really need to look directly at the nail to see but it’s quite nice. The polish itself goes on well, and seems to dry VERY fast, except you still need to be careful not to smudge it, which I did twice :-/ In other words, I wouldn’t worry about it coming off or sticking on anything, but it might smudge together on itself even though it may seem dry. It’s not too bad though. I really love this color and so far I don’t have any chips, although I do have some tip wear. It’s been two days now, so I’ll update when I remove it to talk about longevity. I also want to mention that it was quite opaque after just one coat, although, due to habit, I applied two. Overall, I would definitely recommend this polish given the formula and the color.
Update:
As far as longevity goes, the polish lasted pretty well for 3-4 days, with only minimal tip wear. However, it got very chippy after that and was awful looking by day 7, but I don’t really expect my manicures to last past 3-4 days, so I was really satisfied with how long this polish lasted.
I’m no nail polish expert, but this time of year is a great time to make use of my reddest reds and stickeriest stickers. I had some time to do my nails, and I tried out these three designs for the month of December.
Hello everyone! I am so excited to be reviewing some of my favorite products that The Body Shop makes today. It’s no secret that I love The Body Shop’s Body Butters. I have been buying them for years. My first one was Satsuma, and it’s still one of my favorite scents. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that about once a month The Body Shop sends me some products to review. I think this will be the last product they’ll send me this year- so I’ll post links to all my previous reviews.
As you can see, the first review I did was of the Argan Oil Body Butter. I was so ecstatic about it. I absolutely love the scent. On top of that I already thought The Body Shop’s Body Butters are amazing. So that one was an easy 5 stars. As for this one, it’s much the same. All the things I typically love about Body Butters are present in this one. It’s very long-lasting, soft, creamy, actually pretty to look at too! It smells like sweetened cranberry. There’s a certain tartness to it, but it’s not overwhelming. I really like the scent, but it’s not my favorite. The body butters really are just amazing on their own. Receiving this as a gift, whether from The Body Shop or someone else, would make me very happy. And I am. 🙂
I can’t tell you how excited I was when I received the UPS package and felt how heavy it was. I thought to myself “Gosh that’s heavy! I wonder what they put in there!” So, I’m so happy to tell you that not only did they send me a full-size Body Butter, they also sent me a full size Shower Gel in the same scent! I tried it today. It has the exact same scent, so if you buy one, you won’t be surprised if you choose to get the other as well. It lathers great, works well, and is comparable to their other shower gels, performance wise. I think that the shower gels and the Body Butters are just some of the best products that The Body Shop makes. Pair them with the Tea Tree Oil products for skin care and you basically have my favorite products in your collection.
If you’re interested, the Shower Gel retails for $8, and the Body Butter retails for $20, but there’s a sale going on right now, plus the Frosted Cranberry line is limited edition, so pick these up while you can! I’m very interested in trying the Frosted Cranberry Body Scrub, what would you like to try? What do you think about the Body Butters? Love ’em or hate ’em I’d love to hear from you!
