ULTA 21 Days of Beauty Picks

If there is one thing I love more than beauty products, it's saving money when I'm shopping for beauty products. One of my favorite times to stock up throughout the year is during ULTA's 21 Days of Beauty Event. Held once in the spring and again in the fall, you can score unbelievable savings on cult classic products for three full weeks! Every day has a new special offer, usually at 50% off, from some of Ulta's most popular high-end brands. Over the years I've discovered so many top-shelf, Holy Grail products through shopping this event and saved a ton of cash doing so.

Even though my beauty collection is not really lacking in any areas at the moment, I always get excited to see what each new 21 Days of Beauty event is offering. And honestly, when it comes to Spring 2017, Ulta may have just set the bar at an all-time high. Yes, there are a few products I feel like I've seen every single time (I'm looking at you Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes), but there are also a ton of fresh, new finds that have me thinking "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY". Now, I know that shopping these kinds of sales can be a little overwhelming, what with everything being an incredible bargain. So I've rounded up some of my top picks to share with you all to hopefully help you narrow down your shopping list.

Holiday 2016: Cyber Monday Beauty Deals

Does anyone else remember when Cyber Monday was just about tech deals? Like, unless you needed a laptop or the newest gaming console, Black Friday was really where the sales were at. And if you wanted to shop Black Friday, you had best be prepared to stand in line for hours in the middle of the night, whilst freezing your butt off in the cold. Fast forward to 2016, where internet shopping reigns supreme, and Cyber Monday deals put Black Friday to shame. Granted, now people sit perched in front of their computers, impatiently refreshing websites so they can click "checkout" the moment a sale goes live.

But they can at least avoid the cold.

Now, we all know Mondays are enough of a struggle without trying to make sure you don't miss out an epic deal. So I've got your back! I'm compiling a list of the best beauty and fashion Cyber Monday deals I can find so they'll all be accessible in one easy place. I'm going to try and update this list as much as possible over the next 24 hours as I'm able to discover new offerings, so make sure you bookmark this page and check back later for new info!

Holiday 2016: Black Friday Beauty Deals at Ulta & Sephora

Friends, prepare your wallets. Black Friday is almost upon us.

As someone who can never pass up a good bargain, its hard to not go a little crazy with the beauty shopping at this time of year. There are just so many amazing little sets and great deals to be had, and it's tempting to buy...just about everything.

For the sake of my bank account, I'm trying to be extra choosy about what I put in my shopping cart this year. Black Friday is one of the worst times for impulse purchases, what with the pressure of the time crunch and fear of things selling out, so I'm making an effort to try and plan as much of my shopping ahead of time as possible. Fortunately I've got my hands on some sneak peeks of beauty deals that are going live this Thursday at Sephora and Ulta, which gives me a few days of deliberation before I have to hit that checkout button. Curious to see what this year's offerings look like? I'm more than happy to share!

All That Glitters: IT Cosmetics for Ulta Brush Set Review

I know what you're thinking.

"Really, Lauren? You're busting out the Christmas decorations already?" Trust me, I get it. It's a little crazy to start talking about the holidays when we haven't even gotten to Halloween yet, but before you give me the side-eye, I PROMISE you'll be happy to have the heads up on this one!

A few weeks ago when I was at Gen Beauty the awesome people over at IT Cosmetics gave me this new Ulta Exclusive brush set to check out before it launched online. Truth be told, I've been lusting after their brushes for years, and the only thing that's kept me from splurging on a set is sheer willpower. My rational brain knows I already own enough makeup brushes, but my beauty-brain is never satisfied. I want to try them all...ALL THE BRUSHES ARE BELONG TO ME (#nerdreference).

ANYWAY, this stunning set is finally available for purchase on the Ulta website, so I wanted to give you guys my thoughts in case you'd like to add it to your holiday shopping list (or wish list...you know I won't judge).

Summer Beauty Haul | Birthday Goodies, 4th of July Deals & More

When I was a little kid, I used to hate the fact that my birthday was a. in the summer and b. the day before the 4th of July. I never got to bring cupcakes into school or have my birthday announced over the loudspeaker, and every time I tried to throw a party to celebrate, all my friends would be away for the holiday weekend with their families. I basically decided that the universe had cursed me with the worst birthday ever.

Twenty years later, my opinions have done a total 180.

I love my birthday. There are always amazing deals happening right at the time where I might have some newly acquired gift cards to spend, I never have to work the morning, AND I get fireworks. I mean, seriously. Thank you mom and dad for bringing me into the world on what I have determined is essentially the perfect weekend.

As you can tell from the title of this post, I've done a little damage recently in the shopping department. How could I resist picking myself up a few birthday goodies at a time where so many sweet deals are to be had? I suppose I could have had more restraint...but really, since when are birthdays about denying yourself? I always love sharing what I'll be testing and reviewing next with you guys, so I've rounded up all my new loot and filmed a little haul video.

Birthday Freebies

One of the things I look forward to every July is the slew of e-mails that show up in my inbox, filled with awesome coupons and promises of freebies. Why July? Because it's my birthday! As much as celebrating with a big party and cake can make me feel loved and appreciated, I honestly look equally forward to my yearly ritual of parading around the mall, collecting my free little treats. Maybe I'm just an introvert, but the gift of me-time is perhaps my favorite thing to give myself (you know, along with some chocolate and a bath bomb). To keep you guys in-the-know, I thought I'd round up a list of my favorite birthday freebies, both beauty and non-beauty, so you too can get in on all the goodness.

Spring Ulta Haul | 21 Days of Beauty and More

I don't know about you, but it's basically impossible for me to resist a good sale. Whether it's on eggs at the grocery store, or makeup at Ulta, I'm usually all about getting the best price I can. Ulta recently just wrapped up their 21 Days of Beauty promotion, which I ended up taking way more advantage of than I anticipated. For those of you who might be unfamiliar, 21 Days of Beauty is a thing Ulta does a few times a year. Every day for 21 Days they have different beauty steals that are each available for 24 hours only. These products are usually up to 50% off their usual price, making them incredibly enticing to snag. On top of that, anyone with Platinum status had access to additional steals and free shipping on most orders during that three week period. I personally also ended up getting multiple 5x points opportunities throughout the promotion, sweetening the deal even futher.

TLDR: I bought a whole bunch of new stuff and it cost me a lot less money than it should have (yay!).

Tarte Double-Duty Beauty 101 Discovery Kit

All right, friends. I've got a major value alert coming your way. About a month ago I decided to pick up the new Tarte Double Duty Beauty 101 Discovery Kit ($36) and put it to the test. The Double Duty Beauty Collection just launched for Spring and is exclusive to Ulta stores. Designed with the busy girl-on-the-go in mind, every product is aimed towards slimming down your beauty routine and making some space in that cosmetics bag. You can shop the entire collection here, which contains some super cute palettes and innovative new foundation formulas in addition to the products in this set. With four full-sized products valued at almost $100, the Beauty 101 Discovery Kit is a steal for only $36. I also thought it'd be a great way to get a feel for the new collection and see if it was worth checking out.

Black Friday Preview

Black Friday is almost upon us, and while some may love the total insanity of shopping in stores, others of us may prefer to score a deal without ever having to leave our beds. As the week goes on more and more stores are releasing previews of the sales they're hosting, but for now I wanted to share a couple of exciting ones that have already begun!

Mini Ulta Haul

Who loves sale shopping? Lauren loves sale shopping. Is it true? Mhmmm. I do I do I do-ooo.

I don't get over to Ulta all that often because it's a little out of the way for me in my day-to-day wanderings, but last weekend I found myself in the area and couldn't resist poking around. If you've never been to an Ulta, it's basically like a beauty wonderland (complete with its own salon and a Benefit Brow Bar). Drugstore makeup, prestige makeup, hair styling tools, bath, body, skincare...you name it, you'll find it. Aside from the awesome selection, Ulta also always has coupons, special offers, and sweet gifts with purchase available to give you the most bang for your buck.

As I was shopping around I noticed that there were a TON of amazing sets for purchase, and it took a whole lot of will power not to buy any. It was also the very start of the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale, which means every day for three weeks a different product will be on crazy discount for you to purchase. I'm thinking I might just have to do a "What's Hot at Ulta" shopping guide kind of post just to share with you guys all the amazing stuff that's available right now.

In the meantime, let me show you what I DID actually buy. I'm quite proud of myself for keeping my haul down to these four little goodies, and for only spending $17! That means I basically got everything here at a 50% discount (woop woop!). Let's take a closer look.

Birthday Haulin'

When it comes to birthday presents, I'm one of the easiest people on the planet to please. If it smells nice, tastes good, or looks pretty I'm probably going to love it. And when in doubt, the gift of shopping never fails to put a smile on my face. It also so happens that by being born on a holiday weekend, there are almost always amazing sales that I can take advantage of during my self-gifting birthday binge. While I did do some serious damage at the mall earlier this month, this haul is truly a collection of all the beauty shopping I've done both since and before my birthday. After all, if I'm going to write up a haul post, I might as well show you everything new I've been trying and loving as per late. If you caught my wish list post from a few weeks back you'll probably recognize quite a few familiar things in the picture above. I really don't waste any time when it comes to making good on said types of lists, apparently. So, without more rambling from my end, let's dive right in.

Disappointing Products

All right, it's time for some real talk. I've tried A LOT of beauty products in my lifetime. I wish I could say that I loved them all, but alas, not everything out there is a winner. To some extent I know whether or not a product is a fail can be based on personal taste, skin type, and other factors that vary from one person to the next. So if one of these products is something you love, I promise I don't intend to offend! In fact, I'd love to hear about your experience and why that particular product worked so well for you. In the meantime, here's a collection of duds I've accumulated lately that I personally would not recommend.

ULTA & CVS Haul

When you write a beauty blog, there is ALWAYS something out there you can't wait to get your hands on. Whether it's that cult favorite eyeshadow everyone's been raving about for years, or a brand new product launch, you've just got to find out for yourself how it measures up. Of course, us bloggers do have budgets, so we're always on the lookout for coupons, discounts, and other ways to get the most bang for our buck. Between a 20% off coupon at ULTA, an in-store sale on Rimmel, CVS Extrabucks and manufacturer's coupons, I was able to get this stash of beauty goodies for less than half the price. Here's a closer look at what I bought for testing and reviewing!

Holiday Shopping Preview

It's finally that time of year.

The leaves are changing. Boots and scarves are being pulled out of the recesses of many closets. Halloween stores are sprouting up all over, and every restaurant and coffee house is boasting pumpkin flavored delights.

But most of all?

The Holiday Gift Sets are starting to arrive.

ULTA Grand Opening Haul & September 2013 Favorites

I can't believe October is already here! I feel like it was just June a few days ago, and yet it's already time to start busting out the Halloween decorations.

I had some free time to myself on Sunday for the first time in ages, so I decided to film a video for you all! This time around I wanted to share my thoughts on my latest ULTA haul as well as my favorite finds from September. My most exciting beauty discovery from this past month was Mario Badescu skincare, which tote some really awesome natural and high quality products at reasonable prices. You can purchase their products online from the Mario Badescu website or in stores at select ULTA locations. Hautelook is also offering some Mario Badescu products at a special discount until Friday morning, so I definitely recommend checking that out as well!

ULTA 21 Days of Beauty September 2013

Good morning my fellow beauty enthusiasts! Just a quick one today.

If you aren't receiving ULTA's mailers or e-mails, I wanted to make sure you all were aware that they are doing their 21 Day of Beauty this month! They offer this promotion maybe once per season, and there are always some really awesome steals. Each day for three weeks ULTA has a different product offered at a crazy discount. You can check out the calendar of events here. 

It's kind of tempting to go bananas and buy everything while the prices are so awesome, but as an exercise in self control, here are the few that I am most excited about:

Beauty Haul August 2013

If there is one thing that I pride myself on, it's shopping on a budget. I hate paying full price for something, and when I'm going to, there better be an awesome bonus or perk that I will get for doing so.

I have been trying to keep my general spending in check over the past few months, but I was able to splurge a little in August because I received a rewards card from signing up with AT&T U-verse. I spent some of that money on practical things, like groceries, but then decided to treat myself as well.

Benefit's Pretty Committee Available at Ulta!

I always think it's funny how you can stumble across something unexpectedly.

I've been trying to really get the pinterest account that I made specifically for this blog going. It takes a while to find quality pins!  I was looking up Butter London nailpolish on the Ulta website and lo and behold, I saw something amazing.

Ulta is carrying The Pretty Committee set by Benefit.