To preface, I'm not a manager or anybody important. All my experiences are from my location and through the management, I came under. All stores are different and have different priorities!
The summer before my sophomore year of college, I decided to apply at Ulta Beauty and boy was I in for a wild ride for those two months. When I first applied, I was nervous even though I had retail experience. This was Ulta Beauty, my favorite store. The possibility of me working there made my brain explode. Then the day came, I was hired.
Now initially, the first two days were literally just me watching training videos but after that, life became a lot more colorful. Of course, wearing the all black in the summertime wasn't fun but that didn't matter. My first official day as a beauty advisor was filled with a little bit of havoc. We were short-staffed and it was my first time on Ulta's cashier system. Even though it was me and my manager, we still made it work. The environment was completely different from my last job due to the limited amount of employees. Although, all women we didn't live up to the stereotype of being catty. Everyone was cool with each other and we all enjoyed a good pizza order every now and then.
Working at Ulta not only further solidify my love for makeup but it re-installed my hope in people. Some of the women were regulars and I quickly became acquainted with them. Many of our customers knew all the other beauty advisors by name and by July they knew my name too. Ulta, unlike other retail stores, focused strictly on makeup and skincare but they way they approached it was... better. When I walk into Sephora (no shade) I feel like if I don't have on a full face I won't be served. Or someone passive-aggressively tells me my makeup is awful. Unlike Sephora, Ulta focuses more on the working woman, the mom, the flight attendant who lost her favorite red lipstick and has to be on her plane in two hours and she needs to hurry!
While I'm only speaking from my experience at my location, I appreciated how the company constantly made sure every store was OK and everybody was happy. But I know why y'all really clicked because you want to know about that makeup tea.
OK, ladies here's the tea with Ulta Beauty! I'm about to debunk some myths real quick.
Fact: You Don't Have to Wear a Full Face All the Time
While it is highly suggested, you don't have to wear a full face every single day to work. Ulta Beauty does focus on makeup but the store also focuses on skincare so if you have glowing, gorgeous skin and you want to flaunt it, you definitely can!
Myth: Everybody Who Works at Ulta is a Makeup Artist
Nope! Not the case, unlike Sephora, where you have to be trained in applying makeup on other people, Ulta does not require everyone to do so, in fact, you have the option. If you get promoted from a Beauty Advisor to a Prestige Beauty Advisor (which focuses on the higher end brands) you may be asked to learn how to apply makeup on clients.
Myth: Ulta and Sephora are Basically the Same
Another nope! While we do sell some of the same products, Ulta and Sephora are not one-in-the-same. In fact, we have two completely different target consumers. For Sephora, they focus more on the artist hence why they are more prestigious brands and products that are a bit more intimidating. While Ulta focuses on all people. We have products for men, women, and we focus on skincare, hair care, and makeup.
Myth: You Have to Know Everything About Makeup
You don't have to know everything when coming onto the team! In fact, during my time at my location, I picked up many tricks and tips about makeup and skincare that I didn't know about from YouTube. I learned more about skincare and the color theory and how undertones really do matter. You'd be surprised how much science actually plays into this stuff.
OK, that was really it! That wasn't really as telling as I thought this was going to be but I do have to go back there for Christmas so I can't tell y'all everything! But if you're considering applying at Ulta Beauty, you should! The people are friendly, the discount is lovely, and getting to look at the palettes first is always fun.
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