Navigate with Style

Charting the style of daily life...with the mouth of a sailor.

shopping

store to adore: ulta...

beauty, fragrance, guide, hair, shoppingNavigate with StyleComment
Many women purchase their personal care products from a variety of sources including but not limited to drugstores, department stores, the internet, salons/spas and TV channels.  So it's no wonder a store like Ulta is so popular.  Unlike other retail outlets Ulta offers a huge selection of beauty brands from high end to low, from prestige to masstige.  You can find a multitude of options in any category under one roof.



The selection of hair accessories and tools is greater than in any one store NWS has shopped.  The sheer number of flat irons (GHD, Ultra Chi, Helen of Troy to name a few) to choose from is even a little daunting!  For clips, headbands, elastics and the like no one rivals Ulta's selection from Elle, Karina and Goody.  If you mess around with faux hair (we don't) the in store selection of the Ken Paves/Jessica Simpson collab is abundant.  There are brushes and combs galore - Marilyn brand are our absolute faves. 



Skincare ranges from lovely bath and body care to self tanning options and an insanely long list of cleansers, moisturizers and special care options for the face.  Ulta packs a punch in the self tanning department with what must be every product L'Oreal & Neutrogena have ever manufactured in the category as well as Tan Towel, Fake Bake, ModelCo, Jergen's and Australian Gold.

Skincare brands include Bliss (creators of many skin care solutions), Ahava, Cetaphil, Korres, Organix, Burt's Bees and Yes to Carrots/Cucumbers/Tomatoes.
As for cosmetics Ulta carries not only all the drugstore brands but many higher end lines such as Tarte, Sue Devitt and Stila and well as many mineral based brands.  One of the greatest surprises to be found is Dermablend - a brand that sets to tone (pun, not intended...really) for heavy duty concealing.  If you have varicose veins or birthmarks or scars Dermablend can cover them!


 

As for cosmetic tools you can find everything from cotton swabs and pads to sponges to brushes by EcoTools and Japonesque.



The nail department offers OPI, Essie, Nail Tek, Butter London, Revlon, China Glaze as well as a gigantic selection of Sally Hansen.




Fragrance options abound!  Most department and specialty store brands are handsomely represented in addition to smaller lines such as Demeter (a HUGE fave of NWS for interesting, single note fragrances) as well as candles and home diffusers.


Ulta also houses a salon in addition to this massive retail space so the hair care brands are abundant and range from Redken, Phyto, Fekkai and Ojon to TRESemme, L'Oreal and Garnier.  Cuts start at $45 and color at $40 and waxing services start at $20.  See the complete menu of services here.

The overall shopping experience in Ulta comes down to the selection and range of price options.  The stores are not immaculately clean (typically) and due to the large amount of inventory the shelves are not always perfectly stocked.

Shop Ulta's impressive selection online or locate a store nearest you!

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Note about using testers: No matter where you shop for cosmetics and beauty products the testers will be filthy.  They may not appear to be disgusting but TRUST that they are.  Use the materials the stores provide to safely use testers such as cotton swabs and rounds, tissues and without fail - alcohol (for anything cream based).  Do not double dip your applicator but be aware that the person before you probably did.

style via pantone...

accessories, fashion, guide, shoes, shoppingNavigate with StyleComment
Every season Pantone, the global color authority, puts out a handy guide to the New York Fashion Week color palette as chosen by top designers.  This report is a perfect jumping off point for your personal clothing and accessory choices.

Click here for the Pantone color fashion report Fall 2010 for the current season.  But click here to find out what colors you'll be seeing once Spring 2011 rolls around!

Watch the Fashion & Home video by Pantone: fast, easy, now

The Pantone website can be a bit confusing, especially to lay people however there are some great resources and nuggets of info available...check out the super cute Pantone mug collections:
Pantone Mug Set of 10
Pantone Tea Mugs - Set of Four

surf the net...

fashion, guide, shoppingNavigate with StyleComment
Below are just a few of our fav resources for locating the best "ish" and getting the finest deals on this here interweb:

* retailmenot.com is the go to site for online coupons and free shipping and discount codes galore!  The interface is clear cut unlike similar coupon sites.  Check here before you check out!
* ebates.com is a super quick and easy way to earn cash back on many of your online purchases.  Sign up for an account then search their database for the online store you wish to shop.  Connect to the desired vendor from their site to earn anywhere from 1% to upwards of 10% cash back!  They pay out once per quarter to your PayPal account or via check.
* PayPal.com is a no brainer if you are a web shopper - it's safe and convenient and if you're an ebay.com shopper it's virtually a must!
* jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com lists all current promo codes in one place for the devoted J.Crew customer.
* drugstore.com has a huge selection of personal care products as well as cleaning supplies, toys and games AND is sister site to beauty.com which means you can shop both massive sites but check out once.  Drugstore.com also offers cash back on qualifying purchases so if you link to it from your ebates.com account you really save!
* Amazon.com has almost everything under the sun, including digital music albums that typically undercut prices on iTunes.
* ShopStyle.com is a powerful search engine for fashion and designers!  "All the stores you love.  All in one place."  The iPhone app is pretty kick ass too!

Happy Shopping...