I recently posted about the products I had in my collection that were part of the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale. You can read those review and see those swatches here. This post, however, is to share my tips and tricks with you along with what I’ve got on my wish list and why. I’ve also included a list of products I’m NOT recommending at the end. Keep reading for more.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve found for maximizing the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale and ensuring you don’t miss out on the products you really want.

Get organized. This sounds kind of silly and obvious. But if you’re only looking at the ad, you’re are missing out on about half of the deals that are only available online. I recommend using your calendar or making a list of what you want to purchase and when. This will keep you from forgetting about that item you really wanted. And also help you see exactly how much you are purchasing (and maybe slow your roll). LOL

Visit Ulta to swatch colors. I love Ulta, but I find that their website is really crap for showing colors accurately. I always plan a visit into the store either before or early on in the sale to swatch any of the products I’m interested in. As we’ll get into in a minute, purchasing online is really the way to go. But this step helps me ensure I’ll like the colors and I know what to put in my cart each day.

Leverage the Free Shipping. If you’re Platinum, Daily Deals ship for free even if it’s just a $8 item. But with the other sale items, you still have to hit that $50 minimum shipping. So make sure you add the super cheap $3 hand wash on a day you’re getting free shipping. I also sometimes use that Free Shipping to pick up online only drugstore makeup that I’ve been checking out.

Don’t forget about eBates. If you aren’t already signed up for eBates, now is the time to do it. On average you’re going to earn 3-4% cash back at Ulta during this sale and that will add up. It’s not a scam. And you really do get checks back from them. It’s and extra step, but man is it worth it.

Put items in your cart early. Some of the items will be super popular. I always look at my list in the evening and anything I want to purchase the next day goes right into the cart. That way all I have to do is activate my ebates and check out the next morning. I have never missed out on getting an item doing it this way.

My Wish List

The Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale is definitely my favorite sale of the year. So I thought some of you might be curious about the products that are in my wish list to pick up. I’m listing these in order of when they go on sale.

Buxom Plumpline Lip Liner (Saturday, 9/4)

I wrote about how much I loved these here. I own two of these already, but am planning to pick up the mauve shade, Dolly Danger.

Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick (Saturday, 9/4)

I went into the store and swatched all the shades. While most of the shades have a strong metallic finish, Over the Taupe was a very pretty satin. I don’t own anything like this and I thought it might be a very good work travel shade.

Skinn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels (Wednesday, 9/6)

I really have been looking for some targeted under-eye masks for when my skin is very dry and tired looking. This product has great reviews, so I’m hoping this is my answer. The question is how many do I purchase.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette (Friday, 9/8)

I’ve swatched these over and over in store and I’m always impressed. I love little palettes like this for travel because it takes care of all the cheek products in a small compact. Plus, they come in six different shades so you are bound to find one that fits your skin tone.

Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder (Saturday, 9/9)

I’m buying a back up. I still have a decent amount of this powder left in the one I currently own and love. But I’m never going to see this product 50% off and powder lasts a long time. So this is getting tucked in to my closet for future use.

Dose of Colors Matte Liquid Lipstick (Saturday, 9/16)

I know a lot beauty bloggers who say this is their favorite liquid lipstick formula and I’ve never tried it. So for only $9, I’ll be trying a shade (or two).

Mac Lipsticks (Wednesday, 9/20)

There are only two shades on sale – Russian Red and Velvet Teddy. But these are cult-classic Mac lipstick colors that I shockingly don’t own. The beauty blogged in me says this is a travesty that must be corrected.

Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses (Saturday, 9/23)

Sale Price: $12.00

Link to Product

On the last day of the sale comes the product I am most excited to get. I already own two of these that I love. I’ve posted swatches here if you want to see them in action. There are two more shades that I intend to get – Moonshine and Icing. I highly suggest you go swatch these in a store if you can. I think you’ll be amazed at how cool this product is.

Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor (Anytime)

I love this formula so much. It’s also a very under-rated product that should get so much more hype than it does. I’ve been eyeing a nice peachy warm shade, Weekend.

Pur Eye Polish Pure Pigment (Anytime)

Sale Price $15.00

Link to Product

I’ve seen these talked about but I’ve never tried them. $26 just always seemed too much money for me. But for $15, I will definitely be giving them a try.

What to Skip

There are couple of products that seem like great deals that I wanted to caution you against. If you’ve swatched these and love them, then by all means pick them up. But I have some thoughts having played around with two of the products in store.

NARS Narrsisist Cheek Palette

This was part of my initial wish list until I went into the store. (That tip really saved me this year). This is a pass for me because the peach blush has HUGE chunks of glitter. Completely unwearable in my opinion. The lightest shade in the top left corner looked like a highlighter online, but is actually more like a thick setting powder. I’d never use that. And the pale pink blush seemed too light even for my super fair skin.

Lancome Auda(City) Eyshadow Palette

It’s pretty, for sure. But I have yet to see one review from anyone who liked it. Lots of bloggers have commented about lack of pigmentation and several shades that are close to unusable. While I don’t own it myself, you can read a really solid review from Temptalia on it. It’s sad, because these are colors that totally call to me.

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