Ulta Beauty — Local services in Vancouver

So I don't know how score my review because my experience deserves both 1star and 5 stars. I'm giving it 5 stars though because Shirley deserves 5 stars, the salon chick barely deserves 1. Here's a quick summary in case you don't want to read my whole long rant... Shirley from the Clinique counter was worth every penny, the ulta make up lesson that brought me to the store to begin with was a complete waste of my time and money!

I have extremely uneven skin tone on my face due to scarring because I have Lupus. I sometimes struggle with foundation and decided to suck it up and pay for a makeup lesson at the Ulta Salon so I could learn how to better apply foundation for a more even look. And it was a complete waste of my time and money. The lady applied foundation to one side of my face, didn't explain what she was doing while she did it, didn't give me a mirror (or even have one at her station that I could see myself in) and then she asked me to apply makeup to the other side of my face, copying the technique she had used. Except she didn't explain her technique and I couldn't see what she was doing while she was doing it. She finally handed me a mirror after it was all done, about 15 mins into what was supposed to be a 30 min appointment, and the results were worse than what I had been doing at home. Then she tried to sell me all of the products she had used. After I left the salon area I walked around the store for a few mins before another employee, Shirley (working the Clinique counter) asked if I needed help. I explained everything that had just happened and how unhappy I was with the result. She offered me a face wipe so I could remove all of the makeup that I had just paid to have put on and then she was took the time to find a foundation that actually matched my skin tone. Shirley was friendly, knowledgeable about the products she used on me and patiently explained every step of what she was doing as applied products to my face. In hindsight I wish I had skipped the salon completely and just talked to Shirley to begin with. She never tried to upsell me or convince me to buy anything. I ended up spending over $200 that day buying every product she had used, new brushes and some skincare items, all of which I am extremely happy with. That amount also included the $30 I wasted on a lesson that wasn't actually lesson btw. Shirley from the Clinique counter was worth every penny, the ulta make up lesson was waste of money! If you want your makeup done for an event or night out, it might be worth it but paying for a makeup lesson was a...

I recently had a hellacious flight experience which led to all of my makeup being lost in my luggage. I came into Ulta today to buy some powder foundation and concealer.

I am a very pale woman, and have been matched incorrectly many times in my life! I struggle with matching myself and as such, asked for assistance and a second pair of eyes to help me figure it out.

Maribella (I hope I spelled it right!) greeted me with such a sweet smile and reassuring approach! I usually know to trust someone when their own makeup looks beautiful, and hers did! She had me sit at a chair as she tried a few different shades and products on me, utilizing clean applicators for each product.

She allowed me the opportunity to look in the mirror and analyze the way each product looked on my face, and was able to for the first time in my life!!! Match me to a foundation color correctly. It was a perfect match! Not only that, but she suggested a wonderful concealer which perfectly met my needs. Her taste must be fantastic because I applied it after leaving the store and was blown away at how flawless my skin looked.

Not only did she go out of her way to make sure I was taken care of and confident in my selections, but she was so kind and even funny during our interactions! She has this approachable vibe and is incredibly easy to talk to, which isn’t something I usually encounter in the makeup store. Usually I’m a little scared of the ladies working in such stores because their makeup is so fierce that I get intimidated. But Maribella made me feel right at home and safe with her expertise and positive attitude!

She ended up being the one to cash me out at the register as well, and was quick, efficient, and courteous.

Makeup is such a personal thing, and it sometimes is scary to confide in someone else and get their help to pick the perfect products. So glad I happened across Maribella today! She really...

TL;DR Received ULTA packages that weren't ours. Invested the time and gas to return them to ULTA store. Manager gave an unexpected one time discount for our efforts. Superb customer service. ULTA takes care of its employees. Better details below. Recently my wife and I had received two packages from ULTA addressed to our address, but to a different person who did not live with us. The packages were dropped off at our door, so we could not tell the carrier to take them back. I called the carrier to see if they will come and take the packages and send them to sender, and they refused citing that they delivered to address they were given (which was true). I called ULTA and explained that somebody had ordered these packages to the incorrect address, and that they weren't ours, we didn't pay for them, and therefore we would like to return them. In return, ULTA had informed me that we could ask the post office to return to sender, or we could drop the unopened packages off at an ULTA store. My wife was not happy with this answer, since this wasn't our issue or mistake, why did we have to invest our time and gas to deliver the packages to someone else. Without the guarantee that an ULTA employee could swipe the packages for themselves, we had decided returning the packages to an ULTA store manager would be the most "right" thing to do. The manager, Anastasia W, and staff, clearly appreciated our efforts to return their products. We really weren't expecting any immediate payout, but when my wife made a return of a product and bought a new product, Anastasia was kind enough to provide a small discount for our efforts. It was very unexpected and made my wife's evening. Aside from this, we really appreciated the superb customer service experience. My wife is a loyal ULTA customer, but after this, she is...