I got a fix!

Welp, remember that ULTA gift card insanity? I STILL have the dang thing because it wouldn't work online, and I don't have an ULTA here. Today i got an email saying that from now until Sunday, (8/2) ULTA is giving away a Deluxe Sample Bag - (in addition to their usual 3 free samples with any purchase) - when you spend $25.

I lurve samples.
i lurve beauty products.
i lurve free stuff.

So i went browsing to see if anything jumped out at me...
And then i saw it - Bare Minerals Hydrating Mineral Veil! HUH?? How did i miss this? You know how using too much mineral veil can make your face feel tight and dry? Well this is meant to solve that problem! And since my skin is naturally on the dryer side, this sounds perfect. I ordered the kit which includes an antibacterial-treated Hydrate & Brighten Brush.

The only thing holding up the purchase was the gift card issue. I have refused to buy anything from ULTA until i could use the rewards i EARNED. So, like so many times before, i plugged in the numbers and VOILA! IT WORKED! YAY! I don't have to boycott anymore!!!! And i've got awesome goodies on the way!

BTW - If you decide to place an order to get the rad gift bag, be sure to try using the $3.50 off $10.00 coupon. The code is 22959. (Some products are excluded from this promotion, like Bare Minerals, dang it.) And if you spend $50 or more, you'll qualify for free shipping. :)

ULTA Makes it Right?

(This is an update to the great ULTA Fiasco of 2008.)


Guess what arrived in my mail box:

Guess what hasn't worked the 3 times I've tried to use it online:

Guess what ULTA said after i sat on hold for 7 minutes:


Turns out there is a problem with their website and using gift cards. (ya think?) They don't know when it started, they don't know what the problem is, they don't know when it will be fixed. "Thanks for calling..."

I swear ULTA is like a bad boyfriend that treats me like crap, but i can't break up with. I'm getting there though.

The ULTA Fiasco

Okay, I didn't want to write about this until it was resolved, in order to have a full report on their customer service skills. I finally heard back from them, so I thought I'd explain my earlier post about being furious with them.

What Happened:
In an earlier entry, I wrote about how that when I purchased my Bare Minerals Starter Kit, i decided to buy from ULTA.com because they have a club where you earn points on your purchases. (Sephora has a club too, more on that later.) Since I don't have an ULTA store near me, I had to purchase online, and at that time I signed up for the club, printed my card, and earned points on my first purchase. When I was out of town a few weeks ago and made 3 visits to 2 ULTA stores, I used my printed card to claim points on all my purchases. It wasn't until my 2nd visit to the 2nd store that I and the cashier realized no points had been registering. (Bear in mind that each visit didn't include only ONE purchase. lol. There were MANY purchases.) So the cashier asked a manager who inspected my card and announced that it was "expired". I was confused since points expire once per year but cards do not. Regardless, she said my card was no good, set me up with a new one, and gave me a customer service number to call.

Doing the Math:
When i got home from my trip, I gathered all of my receipts and noticed that the points were at ZERO even for my original online purchase of $68. I totaled everything, did MATH *hurl* to figure out what my points should be, and discovered it should have been in the THOUSANDS.

The Worst Part:
ULTA Club points expire ONCE PER YEAR. And guess when that happens? JUNE. So if everything had worked out correctly, I would have been able to REDEEM my points in-store while i was on my trip. But because of this whole mess, I was going to be out of luck and have to start over from scratch. I was ticked. Call me petty, but this made me pretty flipping mad, and like i said, ULTA got my business over Sephora, over Bare Minerals direct, BECAUSE of this little club. I am a sucker for getting free whatevers by carrying a little card around.

Customer Service Experience:
I called the number I had gotten from the manager and spoke with a woman who CUT ME OFF while i was trying to explain what had happened. I HATE HATE that. Especially since I had 10 minutes of sitting on hold to get my facts straight so I could explain it as simply as possible.
Anyway, she cut me off to ask for my card numberS since i now had two. I had to keep repeating parts of the story out of order because she wouldn't just let me explain what had happened. Finally *I THINK* we were both on the same page and she told me to throw away the new card, it was pointless to worry about the few measly points i had collected on it that day. She then did some searching and found out that even though my register receipts said zero points, i had in fact been earning points on all my purchases with the online card. So now i have two cards with two different amounts of points, and the whole year of earning had expired anyway. GET THIS- then she tells me to throw away the online card - it's no good to have anyway. HUH? So i should have no card? At this point i think FINE, SINCE I'LL NEVER SHOP HERE AGAIN! She keeps contradicting herself a bunch until my head is spinning and i finally get ticked and tell her i want credit for all of my points because that was money i spent and it doesn't matter that their system is all screwy.

Here's where it gets interesting:
She goes on to explain that the online card is good anywhere, but the first 3 digits indicate which STATE i got it in (and it came up as ohio or something...). The in-store card i got is only good for California. So i can use the California card online, but only in California stores. I can use the online card anywhere but wont be sure of my points until i double check them later. "so throw away this one... no that one... well maybe keep them both..."

How they fixed it:
At the end of it all, she tells me she's going to talk to her manager (who conveniently isn't available) and see if she can go ahead and send me a $15 gift card for all of the points on my "online card", and I'll just lose out on the 2 purchases i made on the new "California card". She'll call me the next day to let me know. FOUR DAYS LATER, she calls to tell me the gift card is in the mail. So I'm happy they somewhat resolved it. I'm disappointed that my other purchases didn't count, and that i even used a new card because i was told my other one was no good, because their system is jacked up and didn't recognize that i WAS earning points. I'm also disappointed that they weren't HAPPY to resolve it and I had to get testy on the phone to even get anywhere.

I still don't know which card to keep and which to throw away.

The conclusion:
Overall, they did try to resolve it somehow and I'm grateful for that, even if I'm less than impressed with HOW it all went down. I still love make-up and ULTA is one of my dealers, so I'll make purchases there because ultimately i just want my "fix". The club was a bonus and I'll not be counting on that mattering from this point on.

Sephora:
In the midst of all this, I contacted Sephora to find out about their club. I emailed their customer service thru the website and got a response the NEXT DAY. It turns out that for Sephora, you don't even need a card so there is no confusion on which cards work where. (Although you MAY have a card if you'd just like to have one.) You are in their system by name or phone number and your points are always credited to you the same whether you purchase online or in-store. When you reach a certain number of points, you can redeem them for DELUXE SIZED SAMPLES with your purchases. It certainly isn't store credit like ULTA, but it's still a fun freebie and who doensn't like those? :)

Tell Me:
Do you have any exceptional (good or bad) experiences with either of these stores and their customer service? If so tell me about them! I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, I try to not be just a complainer, and tell people when I've had a really GREAT experience as well as contacting businesses with the bad stuff. I also like to give people a chance to make it right and in this case i guess they KIND OF did that. I'll still shop with ULTA and I'll anticipate great future experiences.

But I'm definitely excited to give Sephora a whirl and will report back about how well I'm courted by them. ;)

Really REALLY Upset with ULTA right now!

On the phone with customer service - FUMING MAD! Oh how my love has turned so quickly to fury!

My New Eyeshadows

These are the 8 new shadows I got from ULTA. They are all beautiful and I've already worn several of them. (They are laid out below in the same order as they are swatched on my hand):

It's a little hard to see here, but Luna has a hint of Radiant in it, and both have a gold shimmer. So those 2 together with the Gold Leaf made a very pretty combo yesterday.
The only one i really wanted and didn't get after 3 trips to 2 ULTA stores, was the "Flirty", but i did find a very similar shade by Urban Decay and am super happy with it. Flirty is even sold out online, so you can imagine how pretty it is! Everyone has snatched them all up!

That one place I keep talking about...

Okay i swear if I type or say ULTA one more time I'll go nuts - so I imagine you are equally sick of hearing it. I'll try to wrap this up here and now. :)


I got to go to the store and was in heaven. I spent HOURS in there. I ended up buying a lot of goodies, as well as getting my wax and playing with A LOT of makeup. The girls there were super friendly, letting me snap pictures, and helping me hunt high and low for a particular eyeshadow color that i wanted.


If you are fortunate enough to have one of these stores near you, please tell me you visit it often. It's a girly wonderland and I just hope and pray one comes to my area soon.

Now the bad news. The first morning we were here, i woke up feeling a bit feverish and had a very sore throat. I eventually felt well enough to go on my shopping trip. I had HOPED to go back today to see the Benefit Brow Bar event, and take the Bare Mineral class on how to master the new Masterpiece collection. But last night i was a wreck with fever and chills, and when i got up this morning, i felt like someone had beaten me with a baseball bat. So i'm not going anywhere today. I've been chilaxin in the hotel room, and am about ready for a nap. At least i got to have fun playing yesterday, and i wasn't extremely over the moon about the Masterpiece kit when i saw it in person.

So here's some funny little videos of me and my Ulta Adventure. I took them with my little Kodak, so i sound really weird in them - especially when i say "S" sounds. Just ignore that. :) (as of the time i'm typing this, one is still uploading to youtube - so you may have to check back to see the goodies i bought...)

Belly Up to the (Brow) Bar

I had an appointment last week to get my brows totally made over, but I had to cancel because my car was being stupid and had to go to the dealer for a checkup. Yesterday when i visited ULTA, i was THRILLED to see the Benefit Brow Bar in the front of the store.



Without an appointment, I had a seat, and Stephanie (AKA Eyebrow Genius) gave my brows a new 'do!




What do you think?


If you have an ULTA with a Brow Bar near you, visit them today (June 24th) for a little "Brow Bar Grand Opening" celebration and complimentary Brow Arch!

Going Shopping

Well, I joined my husband on his trip out of town for work. While he sits in boring classes all day, I'm strategically planning my shopping trips. Today after I meet him for lunch, I'm off to one of THREE Ulta stores in this area. *SIGH* Why are there 3 of them here, and I can't have ONE where I live?

Before we headed here for the week, we took the boys to San Francisco for the day. It was a nice day but HOT! We went to Pier 39 where i discovered a BARE ESCENTUALS STORE!!!!! But after spending the entire day sweating and sweltering, I felt really gross and was too embarrassed to play make-up with the sales girl. I did take a good look at all the goodies, and will get to see more at Ulta today.

I forgot my cord for the camera, so i can't upload eye makeup pics today - but i will when i get home because today i did a purple and turquoise eye with purple liner and it turned out so cute!

Stay tuned to see my Ulta haul! :)

ULTA Sale

So, being that I am a busy RockSTARRMom to 3 little boys, there isn’t a lot of time or opportunity to do things that I want to do, without planning it around school taxi duty, naptimes, or feedings. This is why I get such a pathetic thrill out of picking up a new eyeshadow or two (or twenty) from my local PHARMACY. If you’re like me and can’t get out when you’d like, or don’t have some of the fun beauty supply stores near you, there is the wonderful world of ONLINE SHOPPING! I frequent ULTA.com more than Sephora simply because that was where I bought my Bare Minerals, and when I did, I joined a “club” and even got a special “membership card” and those kinds of things suck me right in.
The nearest ULTA is about 8 towns north, and saving a dollar on my favorite hairspray just doesn’t justify the $25,435,434.00 in gas I would spend to get there. So when my ULTA sale ad came in the mail my heart just sank. There is a coupon for BOGO NYX cosmetics, Loreal H.I.P, and Make-up brush sets! PLUS - Hot Tools ROUND brushes on sale, AND! A new BareMinerals set came out called “Masterpiece Collection” and when you purchase it, you can schedule to take a class in-store, to become a Master of the Masterpiece set. Then I realized that all of these specials are for June… and I’m supposed to be doing something in June… OH THAT’S RIGHT! I’m going out of town with my husband! And I’ll be near an ULTA STORE! And you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be buying all of my travel souvenirs THERE! I’m so excited that I could just burst! So watch for some new eyes appearing soon… I’ll be such a MASTER after my class, I’ll have tons of secrets to impart!

Bare Escentuals/Bare Minerals Mineral Make-up Review

So i ordered the Bare Escentuals starter kit from Ulta.com because I don't have an ULTA or a Sephora store near me. Each store sells a slightly different starter kit, but both include the basics and brushes, as well as a DVD to show you how to apply it properly. (ULTA currently has a free shipping special on the BE starter kit, just use the code KITSSHIPFREE at checkout.)

The kit i purchased included the Flawless Application Face Brush, the Handi Buki Brush, and the Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush. The brushes are soft and do a good job, but mine shed A LOT, and it really irritates me. When i'm in the middle of "swirling and tapping" i get loose hairs in the jar lids.

It also included two jars in two different shades of BareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation so that you can get your color just right. It included All Over Face Color in the usual "Warmth" and a bonus jar of All Over Face Color in "Glee". I started out using Warmth but now use Glee all the time. I love it. It has more of a pink-ish hue instead of a gold/brown one. The trick for this is to use VERY LITTLE, seriously, like ONE mineral in the lid. Swirl, tap and buff onto the cheeks in usual blush fashion, then i do the "W" motion over my forehead, cheek, & chin, with the residual, just so i have a slight color all over.

And lastly, it includes a jar of Mineral Veil. I've heard people complain that the Mineral Veil feels too much like powder, or makes their face look too matte when they use it. I found that it finishes my face just right, but the trick is to use very little. The mineral veil is much finer than the other minerals, and it taps out into the lid in larger amounts. You only need a teeny bit to work with.

Overall, the minerals feel very creamy to the touch - not like a powder at all. And they feel good on my skin. I wasn't a big foundation wearer in the first place, and this make-up provides a light, sheer coverage, that just balances out the color on my face and helps with my shiny t-zone. If you are used to putting on really thick and heavy foundation, this won't seem like enough to you. (But i think it IS. I think people wear too much foundation and it looks too obvious.)

Separate from the kit, i also purchased a Multi-Tasking Mineral in "Well Rested". It is supposed to be an eyeshadow base for your lids, but also works beneath the foundation as a concealer. I bought it to cover the very dark circles under my tired mommy eyes, but i have rarely used it, because i found that using the foundation with the Maximum Concealer Face Brush usually does the trick. On an especially tired day i'll use it under my eyes and on the inner corners of my lids where my eyes get really dark.

The biggest pro about this make-up, and the reason i originally bought it, is that is is very easy and FAST! The first few times you do it may take a little time, because it is something new and you have to learn and practice to get it right, but i can get my face done in less than 5 minutes, and spend extra time doing something fun with my eyes. I give Bare Escentauls a thumbs up for all the busy RockSTARRMom's everywhere. *Rating ~ 5 STARRS*