Ulta Cosmetics & Salon

I’ve been getting no-​chip manicures for quite awhile. I’ve had 3 recently from Shannon and she does a great job! The last one looked so good I was shocked when I saw my next appt in my calendar because I couldn’t believe it’d been 2 weeks. I also had one from Robby, the store manager, once when no one else was available and he did a really good job, too. I wouldn’t hesitate to book with him again.

If there was a way to give this ulta ZERO stars I would. Yesterday I went into ulta (Store 23) Lincoln Park location, Chicago, IL) with my mother to get a couple things. I usually go to ulta once every 2 weeks and this was the worst ulta experience I’ve ever received. People were abrasive and trying to push products into our hands that we didn’t want. And didn’t want to accept our opinion and had a «we’re better than you because we work here» type of attitude. The employees were laughing behind our back with each other, not even trying to hide their distaste with us. It was all very inappropriate and unprofessional. When we went to the counter to finally check out (after being in the store for an hour or 2), the cashier, who’s name was Tiyunna proceeded to be very rudentonus, rolling her eyes and making snarky comments. My mother asked if she could use her points and Tiyunna rolled her eyes. My mother also wanted to use a coupon and was looking for it in her phone when it died. She showed the associate that her phone died and prior told the associate which coupon she was trying to use. The associate didn’t sympathize and looked annoyed when my mother asked if she had an extra coupon. When she said no we said okay and I proceeded to look for the coupon on my phone since it was still usable. The associate right next to our cashier looked at us, looked crazy and said «Just do it». Our cashier looked extremely angry and told us very rudely «You need to remember to have your own coupon», even though that’s exactly what we were looking for on our phones when we got to the register. I really feel as if these employees were rude and unprofessional, the only employee that wasn’t rude was Michelle, who was able to help us in 15 minutes flat without attitude and taking our opinion into account. If it wasn’t for her I would never shop at this ulta again. I would appreciate it if you would let your employees know how to treat customers and retrain them on customer service because this is not the first time I’ve been to this store and have received horrible service.

Been here a ton of times for makeup and hair supplies. Love the fact that they offer the whole package for a woman’s dream day out. I recently got my nails done here and was a little nervous about the outcome due to the reviews of the gel manicures, but it turned out wonderful! I’ve also had my hair cut and styled here a handful of times. One time specifically I lucked up and booked with Shannon and I was amazed at what she did with my head! Its great to see a real art put to use. Will return and book with her for sure! Great addition to the location!

Disappointed. I came here to get my hair and make up done for my 2^nd wedding reception (I was the bride) and I was really upset at my hair do and my make up. The hairstylist did not know a thing about hair even though she claimed she did this for «27» years. Wake up! This is not the 80’s! She also had a bit of an attitude especially when she knew I washed my hair in the morning. No other hairstylist had a problem with that! My make up artist was OK but did not put enough make up on and when I saw my pics I looked like I had NO make up on and no eyelashes. Part of the art of hair and make up is to make it look good in the pics! Well, these 2 didn’t get it right. I guess they can’t do hair and make up in IL. My hair and make up were done nicely in Los Angeles. Ulta may be a great place to buy beauty products but I would never waste time to get your a hair updo or make up here at any cost. They just don’t have the specialty to do those. Never again!

UPDATE— The district manager was suppose to reach out to me within 48 hrs. Never heard back from them. Ladies stay away from this store. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect especially when spending their hard-​earned money.
Oh my ladies of color… Don’t go to this store.
The staff here is the worse and very selective as to whom they want to greet and help.
My first and last visit to this store was ⁷⁄₂₉. I was not the only person of color in this store but I noticed that staff ignored every WOC (there was at least five during my visit) while giving generous assistance to other women
During check-​out, was the worse. i was not greeted but rather asked curtly «did you get what you needed?» When I brought to attention the attitude, the cashier could care less. The GM said the company line and a gift card. I choose not to take the gift card because I felt this would keep the poor service going.
I’ve never had this sort of service at the downtown or Hyde Park locations. In fact they are EXCELLENT with customer service!!!
I was so turned off I considered returning my purchase.

I adore Rosie in the salon. She’s done my hair twice now and each time has been perfect. She does a great job of explaining what’s she’s doing and recommending the best products for your hair type.

Amber is a fantastic skin therapist! Very knowledgeable about skin products and gives a very nice relaxing thoroughly attending facial. To top everything off she is very sweet and friendly !! Highly recommended for everyone to go visit her!!!

So, I was on my lunch break the other day and decided to stop in Ulta. My skincare products as of lately had been drying me out, so I needed something new. It’s always a challenge to know which products to purchase. Luckily, I was greeted by Amber who was able to evaluate my current skin condition and guide me to the right product line. She is extremely knowledgeable. I learned so much from her because she really took the time to explain the different ingredients in the products and how they affect the skin. No one has ever done that for me before. Thank you Amber!

I’ve waited over a year to write this review. I really love this store. I used to just shop here for cosmetics but now I come here for salon services as well.
I used to go to the Aveda Institute to get my hair cut/​colored because I only work part-​time and don’t have a lot of money to spend on my hair. I was always very satisfied with the service I received at Aveda but, let’s face it, it is a school and the stylists are students. I never received a bad cut or color but after a while it began to wear on me how, I would get used to a stylist and then … poof! … she’d graduate and then I’d have to get used to someone else all over again.
One day last summer (2014) I saw an ad on Facebook for «Frizz Free Fridays» at Ulta where you could get a free blowout. I made my appointment with Robbie for the following Friday. He is adorable and I enjoyed chatting with him as he did my hair. I explained how I was an Aveda customer and he reminded me that as an Ulta Rewards member (which I already was) I could earn points on services and that with my budget I could still afford hair services at Ulta. He hooked me up with Rosie and I have been ecstatic ever since! (BTW, Rosie has been promoted to Designer 2 recently … yaaay, Rosie!) I love the way she colors, cuts, and styles my hair. She’s really good at de-​bulking my very thick hair.
On around my 4^th or 5^th appointment with Rosie I noticed that Ulta was offering a special on a 3-​pack of facials so I signed up. I had my first two appointments with Nina. I left there satisfied with how my face looked and felt but I didn’t really connect with her on the same leverl as I did with Robbie and Rosie. Then she up and disappeared before I could get my last facial in the series. Ulta scrambled to find a new skin therapist to replace her and they found a true gem by the name of Amber.
All I can say is … AMBER ROCKS! I have been seeing her regularly for my skin therapy and she has blown Nina out of the water! First of all, she really gives you a scientific lesson on skin therapy as well as products for anti-​aging, acne, etc. Plus, she told me I was entitled to freebies that Nina never gave me as part of the DERMALOGICA® Power Resurfacing Peel series that I purchased. Now I’m seeing her for a series of Dermaradiance Microdermabrasion sessions. I love the way my face feels when I leave her treatment room. It’s never red and it’s super smooth.
The store employees are also very nice and helpful. If I’m looking for something on the shelf and it seems to be sold out they are more than happy to check in the stock room for me.
Oh, and did I mention that I’m racking up mega-​points on my Ulta Rewards membership??? I let the points pile up and use them to buy all the high-​end Dermalogica products I need to maintain my skin as well as other cosmetics, hair– and nail-​care items that I use regularly.

Ridiculous prices. Their rent must be very high.
We felt out of place and didn’t feel welcome. Rude customer service. Some of my friends have bad things to say about this business. I’ll encourage them to tell you their thoughts on this place.
We won’t be going back

Excellent service beginning to end. Robby Byrd, the salon manager, transformed my 9yr old niece’s long, thick, curly, knotted hair into a flattering, layered shoulder length style that she loves! Kid’s hair is tough… I don’t want to pay salon prices but I tried Supercuts once and it was horrific. Ulta did such a fantastic job I’ll be giving them a try myself. Who knew? Thank you Robby!

A lot cheaper than sephora that’s for certain! But the customer service quality sephora is much better, must be a different comp structure.
They have a hodge podge of things here from low end drugstore makeup and high end items and hair styling tools.

Robby is the best! I’m so glad I found him and followed him over to this Ulta. The staff — not in the salon — are not nearly as friendly or helpful as the Ulta on Halsted but I am pretty sure I will follow Robby any where! I’m never sure if I’m clear explaining what I want and I worry the entire time I’m waiting for my hair to process but so far every time he gets EXACTLY what I was thinking! Color, cut, style. He is truly talented and I’m proud to be a client!

I go to this Ulta a lot. I have mixed feelings.
There’s a girl who works in the upper scale area who is really nice and helpful. She has a round-​ish face with blonde hair. She’s fresh and young-​looking and always pleasant.
There’s another lady in that area who is very thin with blond-​ish hair. She was rude to my mother and I. My mom is an esthetician and I am a cosmetologist and have been doing hair and makeup for 6+ years. I have also worked cosmetic retail. Having said this, my mother and I are right at home shopping for product. If we need help, we will ask. But this lady wouldn’t leave us alone! She kept recommending It Cosmetics, so maybe she was a rep for them? Then, another customer complimented my mom’s skin and asked what she used. My mom recommended a few things. This lady did not like that at ALL. She looked down her nose at us and straight up glared at my mom. Her distaste was obvious. Then all of the sudden she was overly nice, like she realized how she acted was uncool.
Another time, I witnessed a manager help an older woman who had difficulty walking out to her car. It was really kind and then she was very helpful to me as well!
Overall, I like it. I like the coupons and discounts and most of the employees are great!

Had a cut & colour here to take advantage of their 25% off for first time customers & the fact you can get points on your Ulta card.
The good:
— it’s cheaper than most salons
The bad:
— I was there 2.5 hours & wasn’t even offered a glass of water. Parched!!!
— go in knowing what you want, I was up for some discussion with a trained proffessional but my stylist just did everything exactly like I said.
— the salon is a bit grubby. Towels smell bad.
— the 25% off is for one service. On my receipt the colour was split across 3 lines, but I only got 25% off one line. So it’s not really 25% off any one service, more like half a service.
— despite wearing a gown & towel my stylist managed to get DYE ON MY TOP! I didn’t notice until my husband pointed it out, a huge dollop on my shoulder. Completely ruined a really nice top. I wear my scruffy old t-​shirts to dye my own hair at home, never have I had to wear them to a hair salon!!!
Avoid.

Robby gives great hair!
I just got my hair cut by Robby, the store manager. I actually followed him from his former Ulta Salon, because he is simply amazing. He has brought my hair from long and mousy at the ends to long and think from root to tip. As a natural dishwater blonde, who loves masquerading as a brunette, my hair tends to turn reddish as it fades– to the point where I thought I was actually a natural redhead. Robby found a way to keep me a lush brown without the icky reddish after tone (Nothing against redheads, I just don’t like the look on me).
His prices are extremely reasonable and the salon frequently offers sales. Please go see Robby– your hair will thank you!

The only thing I can say I don’t like about this location is that the staff is very very very very very (etc…) annoying. They follow you and ask too many questions even after you tell them you are fine making choices by your self. It’s nice to have someone around when you need them, but when you know exactly what you are looking for you don’t really need someone else to make suggestions for you.
Other than that the store is clean and pretty well stocked. It’s in a nice location and I like coming here. Just wish the people didn’t push themselves on you so much!

This is a review for the salon. I get all of my beauty products from Ulta so I decided to try the salon. I called for an appointment for a no-​chip manicure and they took me in right away. From beginning to end this appointment was disastrous. I will never return to an Ulta Salon.
The manicurist was pleasant. This is not a review about her, but rather her technique and quality of the salon.
First, a towel was laid on the table to begin the manicure. There was black hair all over the towel. It looked old and dirty. I kept my mouth shut because I did not want to start off on a bad note.
The table was missing wheels and was wobbling. I could not event rest my hands on the table without it moving. She apologized however, ULTA, get a new table! It was so uncomfortable and awkward the entire time because it kept shifting and moving.
The manicurist then started the process. She pushed my cuticles back but never trimmer them. I went for a manicure because my cuticles needed assistance. What she did, I could have done on my own. I then asked for my nails to be filed. Which she did, but there were 3 nails that I had to point out were very crooked when she was done. They were fixed when I brought it to her attention.
After the cleaning process I was asked to go wash my hands. I was taken to a sink in the back next to the employee’s coffee pot which had old, burnt coffee spilt all over the counter and a bag full of an employees lunch sitting on the counter as well. It was disgusting.
When the painting started, I had to ask for another coat because the first 2 looked so spotty and uneven. To everything I asked, the manicurist obliged. However, I should have never had to ask for so many things. She missed spots in the side of my nails and started painting so far away from the cuticles it looks like I have a weeks worth of out growth the same day.
At this point, I was so frustrated I just wanted to get out. When she finished painting, she never massaged my hands. Ok, so I asked for lotion because my hands were dry. She said they didn’t have any lotion so instead she dabbed cuticle oil all over my hands and told me to rub it in. I was blown away. Now I have oil all over my hands which is going to get all over my clothes, jacket and purse.
Horrible service, quality and unsanitary. I’m sorry to say I will Never return to an Ulta Salon. Very disappointed Ulta, I expected more and I wanted to like you!

I have been to many other Ulta locations for walk in hair cuts. Obviously the quality of the hair cut varies with each stylist but I had never before had a disastrous result… until I went to this location and had a cut by a stylist named Missy. I came in with a FULL head of hair, and asked to have everything shortened up, with the sides shorter than the top and and the middle MILDLY longer. After futzing around with sheers on the side for 20 minutes, she asked if she should just use clippers, to which I said yes, and to start at a #3 guard. She then completely shaved the sides of my head to my own dismay, and then spent TWO HOURS trying to blend in everything else.
Check out the pic I’ve posted to see how horrifying the result was. I had to consult my aunt in the suburbs to try and fix it. Maybe I’ll just be making that suburb trip all the time now…

I like Ulta.
I like that I can walk in here and no one bothers me.
I can try on everything… sometimes I look like Tammy Faye Baker before I get out of here, but I like it.
I like that they have a variety of products, upscale and drug store. What can I say, I like to mix and match.
Usually they have great coupons if you sign up for the emails. Perf.
:)