This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Kelly Xiong. Find her on Instagram at @k.3lly. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
If you live in the U.S., you are probably fairly familiar with Ulta and Sephora. These two stores are typically where you would go if you want to buy anything makeup, skincare or hair-related. The recent trend of “girl math” when justifying bigger purchases has definitely made shopping at Ulta and Sephora easier — easier to spend all your money that is. But which store will give you more bang for your buck? If you’re going to make a big purchase or a spontaneous one, you should do so at the store that will give you the bigger ROI. As someone who has an account with both Ulta and Sephora for years and was an avid buyer, I have a lot of opinions on these two beloved stores. Is Ulta better than Sephora? Or is Sephora better than Ulta? I’m here to give my two cents on this debate.
Sephora was my go-to store for years. From seventh grade to my sophomore year of college, I almost exclusively shopped there for all my makeup and skincare needs. I was a VIB Rouge member for around four years. I loved getting early access to new drops and 20% off discounts during their seasonal sale events. However, I do not love their reward system. 500 points for $10 off is not the best deal in my opinion, especially when you only earn one point per dollar spent. This means you have to spend around $500 before getting that $10 off.
Sephora offers many great brands that Ulta does not have, but recently Ulta has kind of been catching up. They added brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Fenty Beauty and Olehenriksen. The exclusivity of some of the brands being only offered at Sephora is slightly diminishing. However, brands like Rare Beauty, Tatcha, Sol de Janeiro, Makeup by Mario and Patrick Ta will always have me, and I’m sure many others, coming back for more.
Sephora also has a great sample selection. Many of their beauty offers require a minimum of $25 to $30 purchase, which isn’t horrible. They have minis of many new drops and popular items that you can get your hands on to try out before buying the big version. Some of the minis and samples require that you use points to buy them. They range from 100 points all the way up to 10,000 points. The 100 to 500 points range is usually where all the minis, samples and sample kits are. Once you go above that, you start getting more extravagant things like hair kits, spa experiences and meet and greets. In this sector, Sephora has Ulta beat by a mile.
In regards to points and the point system, all Sephora members, no matter their tier, gets the same amount of points for per dollar spent. In Ulta, the higher tier you are, the more points you’ll get for every dollar spent. This makes racking up points and rewards much easier. Even though Sephora does have point multiplier events, a way for you to gain more points by spending, it is only occasional. Whereas with Ulta, you have endless opportunities to use them. Every few months or so Ulta will have a new offer, a way to get more points by spending. There are also multiple offers available at once so you can really rack up points if you want.
In recent years, I have been shifting more and more towards Ulta. I have started preferring to go there over Sephora. Though they don’t always have everything I want or need, I do really love their reward system. This is the one big reason why I made my switch. I’m currently a Diamond member, which means that I get 1.5x points for every dollar spent. One thing that I think Ulta has Sephora beat in is their rewards system. Ulta’s reward system translates into direct monetary value. Right now I have 373 points, which translates to $11. This means if I buy something, I can use those points to get $11 off my total order. This, in my opinion, is a lot more useful than redeeming small sample packets.
Whether you prefer Sephora or Ulta is ultimately a personal preference. Both are great stores for makeup, skincare and hair care. I will still browse both apps for new releases or just anything when I’m bored. I prefer Ulta because for me the points and rewards system can make shopping there more affordable. However, when it comes to products, brands and new releases, Sephora’s selection always excites me. They’re known as the “fancier” store for a reason. Yes, their products and selections tend to be more expensive, but something about the in-store shopping experience just feels fancier. If you’re looking for more affordable options though, Ulta is definitely the place to go. Their product line ranges from ELF, Maybelline and CeraVe to Chanel, Dior and Hourglass — but there are less of the expensive stuff and more of the cheaper, more affordable products.
Let us know which store you prefer. Is Ulta better than Sephora? Or do you think Sepora is better than Ulta? Maybe you love both equally. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below:
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