I’m a Sephora junkie, everybody knows this. They have, without question, the vastest selection of brands and products in the makeup/skincare/fragrance galaxy. Their customer service is superior and they run a tight ship. If I order something from them online I have it in my hands within two days (although as luck would have it their warehouse is in Baltimore and I am in D.C.).

But this holiday season I’ve branched out. While scheming up what to give to a friend for Christmas, I got the idea to try out a different makeup provider (it’s like an Internet provider but prettier – okay, that was lame). Sephora is fabulous, but there’s a pricetag on fabulousness. Their deals and promotions are okay, but I’ve never really seen anything from their store on sale.

Enter: Ulta, Sephora’s only slightly less distinguished American relative (Sephora’s a French company, you know). Their inventory spans an array of brands from those you would find in a drugstore to the same ones you would find in a nice department store’s beauty counter. While Ulta does carry items from Dior, Givenchy, and Yves Saint Laurent, they only sell those brands’ fragrances – no makeup. So, Ulta doesn’t quite match up to Sephora’s selection of high-end makeup, but it still has a lot going for it.

Ulta has its own line of products which are very reasonably priced. Deluxe eyeshadow pots cost $6.50 apiece and their lipsticks are $8. They carry a number of professional makeup brushes at competitive prices, too.

Ulta also offers amazing specials on its products. I purchased two eyeshadow brushes, an eyeshadow primer and two eyeshadow pots for a total of $30. Also, shipping is free on orders totaling $25 or more (at Sephora it’s $50). They also are running a promotion where if you buy a fragrance costing $30+ you get a free set of pajamas valued at $50. That’s pretty awesome!

I received my order yesterday and was surprised at how large the eyeshadow pots are. The pigments are vibrant and appear very concentrated; I will have to get some for myself to see how they wear. The brushes look nice with acrylic handles and smooth, tightly packed hairs.

So, the moral of this is, check out Ulta (and other beauty stores) and see what they have to offer. Stores are around and can be found by location on their Web site. And by boasting brands such as Benefit, Smashbox and Urban Decay lead one to believe that being a little bit unfaithful to their cosmetics store of choice may not be such a bad thing. You never know what bargains, new brands or products you might find!