Ulta Beauty — Local services in Holmdel Township

I really wish I could leave zero stars. My experience here was awful. I can’t speak to their haircuts or color but please do not come here for a “formal updo.” I had to redo my hair myself and went to my event feeling awful. It took THREE different stylists to even attempt the style and I still left looking and feeling like garbage. All I wanted was a very simple half updo, nothing fancy, no braids or anything, just curled and front pieces pulled to the back. The person I originally booked with was definitely a junior stylist who did not seem confident in what he was doing. He couldn’t pin the hair correctly at all (at this point I hadn’t even said anything, he just knew he couldn’t do it). He had to call over another stylist, who pinned my hair back in less than 5 minutes and asked me if my hair felt secure. They’re the professionals, so I feel like it’s their job to make sure it is secure, but I assessed it for all of 20 seconds and said it felt ok. When she walked away and I really took a good look at it, I noticed there really wasn’t any volume at the top and my hair was bumpy on the sides with flyaway pieces. I knew my hair was not going to stay looking like this for very long. I asked the original stylist if he could pin back some of those bumpy and flyaway pieces and that wound up undoing what the other stylist had done (because again, she spent about five minutes doing it and didn’t put care into it at all). She came back over and when I said it didn’t look right, she was pretty rude to me and said “well you said it looked secure so I don’t know what you’re asking for.” She said there’s no way to pin the hair back, give it volume and make it look smooth (um what?) It’s such an uncomfortable experience as a client to have to advocate for yourself when stylists are not competent in what they’re doing and you can tell. But I asked them to try and fix it again. Then a third stylist had to come over. She was a trainee of the second stylist but they said she was better at updos. And the senior stylist just kept hovering and studying what the other stylist was doing because she had no idea how to do this (and she was even making jokes about it, as if this was at all funny to me at this point!!) The third stylist really tried her best and teased my hair to the gods and gave me kind of a giant and sloppy looking beehive in the back and at this point, between the three of them, they must have used an entire bottle of hairspray in my hair. It’s not at all what I wanted. At that point I felt awful and just burst into tears. The final stylist takes me to ring out and says to me, “well you know not all stylists are specialists in everything.” Um ok… but I am not a walk-in client, I booked in advance for this specifically. So if your stylists can’t do a formal look, don’t accept the booking?? Don’t let a junior stylist book for a service they can’t provide! You’re setting us both up to fail! After she said that, I asked to speak to a manager because I felt like they were blaming me when it was blatantly obvious to everyone involved that no one knew what they were doing and this was not a good client experience (seriously, it was incredibly awkward for everyone involved). The manager apologized and said I could leave without paying. I left in tears and I had to go home and shower and completely redo my hair with almost no time left to do it. I shampooed my hair at least seven or eight times and still couldn’t get all the hairspray out. I went to my event with sticky hair feeling rushed and stressed. These Ulta stylists are not well trained and will not take accountability for it. They will make you look and feel terrible and act like it’s your fault. Please go somewhere else with your time and money. Ulta, do better and stop booking clients for services you are unable to perform and then blaming your clients for it. How embarrassing for you as...

Awful experience! I am not one to leave reviews, but these girls really need to up their game! Went there to have my make up and hair done for a black tie wedding; and time was of the essence.

First when I got to the salon for my appointment, I was told that I arrived 20 minutes earlier than my actual appointed time; and that I would have to wait until someone could take care of me. Really? “Someone”? When I made the appointment over the phone, I was told who was going to do my hair, as well as who was going to do my make up. And now now I had to wait for some one?

Ok, time passed. My hair is finally getting done... the hair dresser just keeps complaining about how much hair I have. Then once she has the back of my hair done, she tells me she doesn’t know what to do with the front! She is a hair dresser for goodness sake! If you don’t know what to do or how to style a hairdo, then you shouldn’t be there! After almost two hours (it was supposed be 30-45 minutes) I ended up finishing styling the front of my own hair. To top it off, I was charged $100.00 for a hairstyle I was initially told was $65.00; and finished doing!

To make matters worse, this make up artist they have there: Liz, seemed upset. First of all Liz, you need to learn to leave your personal/emotional self and your professional self compartmentalized. Being rude and sarcastic is something someone who is in a field like your (a make up artist) cannot afford. Grow up! Be professional and learn how to behave yourself!

Many people may have had great experiences here, but I for one did not. I wouldn’t recommend this particular ULTA salon, in Holmdel, to anyone. I am never going back...

This review is only for the last time i was there which was monday dec 2022...ive been hoing to the holmdel store for over 20 years..most of the associates are wonderful and the manager Noel is tops..wgen i went there it was to exchange a face powder..they gave me the wrong one..i waited on tge ling line and when i got to the register the girl saud she would go grt the right one...she couldnt find it so i went to help her..along came im guessing a manager who helped me and then i followed her back to the register only to have her tell me i had to go back to the end of the long line again...i explained i had already been on the line and waited...she didnt care..she said ..well i have all these customers so u have to get back at the end....they now have lost what they call a Diamond cystomer...big deal

Again 6 months ago I was using the new Ulta card..she couldnt get it to go through...I put all the information in 2 more times..wouldn't go..I asked are you sure it didn't go..she said yes..I immediately called and cancelled the card explaining what happened..next I get a bill from the bank that handles Ulta..told them the story..went back to Ulta who saw I didnt buy anything that day when they checked..this went on for over a month. They did nothing to help by letting the bank know I didn't purchase anything.. I had to get a lawyer who stopped it...ive had it with them..I now go to Sephora or on...