Everybody is entitled to his/her own opinion especially when it comes to their own appearance!
Basically what I did here went around asking tons of people that are obsessed with doing their hair and makeup and got to the bottom of which store is better for beating your face to perfection.
It will be very hard to not insert my opinion throughout this article, however, this one I left 100% up to the Instagram polls and survey takers.
1. Team ULTA! (Pros and Cons)
http://www.randalretail.com/case-studies/ulta-beauty/
So we may as well start on a positive note right! Considering Ulta is HUGE the people that voted team Ulta were basically convinced Ulta has the better selection due to the vast amount of products they sell in general.
Also, aside from the expensive higher end brands that they offer on the right side, Ulta also offers a less expensive alternative to their pricier products (And team Ulta seemed to appreciate that.)
Ulta does carry products that are not available in Sephora such as "Tarte Shape Tape." However where there are pros there must also be cons.
Now yes the selection is wider but only to a certain extent. Even though team Ulta some were concerned with the idea that "yes there is a wider selection but i mean the high end makeup of it all is a bit limited."
Another thing that was widely mentioned even though it 100% depends on which location and where you're at is the employees. Ulta employees have been said to be just a tad bit disrespectful to customers. Throwing products into the bags and just altogether unfriendly customer service. However this of course is just depending on what type of people your local Ulta hires TBH.
Another thing that I continued to hear was that you can typically find damaged packaging and have to dig through the shelves to find the right package. Due to a wider selection of everything in general Team Ulta was very quick to assert their loyalty to the huge makeup warehouse.
2. Team Sephora! (Pros and cons)
https://fashionista.com/2016/01/sephora-accelerate
Well where there is a Team Ulta there must be a Team Sephora!
Once again starting off on a positive note, "SO MANY NICER PRODUCTS!" According to the voters of Team Sephora they carry a much better selection for high end products. With nearly 300 brands of high end products Team Sephora is loyal to their domain due to the fact that "they can always rely on good products that never do them wrong."
Sephora also is desired by many due to all of their perks. They have a beauty box subscription, free samples, point programs which at some locations even gets you a complimentary facial. Sephoras customer service is deemed as much more friendly and hands-on according to members of Team Sephora.
They actually help you match your skin tone to colors and even will test out looks on you to see if you're happy with the products themselves. Once again where there are pros there are cons though. According to many Sephora is just "too pricy" drawing the Team Ulta squad away!
Some people feel that Sephora just does not have a wide enough selection for their needs that fit their budget.
Also, many of the voters on this argument felt Sephora was just too cramped and small (which then again can only be a con if you only have one of the smaller Sephoras. But hey you can't help where you live.) Once again as Ulta has the same thing there are certain brands exclusive to Sephora such as "Laura Mercier" and her setting powder. There is one thing for sure Team Sephora remains loyal to their neck of the woods for their reliable high end products that leave them feeling "boujee."
Aside from the issue that there are exclusive brands kept in certain stores such as the "Shape tape" or "Laura Mercier" these issues could honestly be solved by purchasing the products from the company itself online. In the wise words of Makeup Goddess Anna Hoang (ig. Anna.Hoang): "Sephora's like the Vans & Ulta is the Keds, they both offer comfort and support and I mean they're both freaking shoes but you're paying more for better quality and ultimately the name." So there you all have it, and if you were debating on which store you were wanting to try out as you enter the makeup world, hopefully, this helped out your decision a little more!!
