Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty for Spring 2018 – What I Bought, What I Didn’t Buy

Everybody loves a bargain…

I’m not including links in this post because by the time I publish it, the sale will be over. If you want me to put links in anyway, tell me in the comments. All items can be found at ulta.com. This post is not sponsored. I bought all products mentioned with my own money.

High-end makeup and skincare for half price? Count me in!

Twice a year Ulta has their 21 Days of Beauty sale. Everyday for 21 days there’s two or three specific (high-end) products that are on sale, usually for half price. What makes this sale special is that the featured items usually NEVER go on sale at a discounted price any other time. And you don’t have to be part of Ulta’s rewards program to get the sale prices!

Since I have an aversion to paying more than $20 a pop for my makeup and skincare, the 21 Days of Beauty sale is a great time to buy high-end products I want to try, but I might not want to spend the money on otherwise. You have to have a battle plan for the sale, though, or you might spend too much money.

What’s your strategy?

This 21 Days of Beauty sale was a toughie. There were several items I wanted this time around, so I had to budget accordingly. The hardest part was going into Ulta and getting the just item I came for, not a bunch of other stuff I didn’t really need.

So, when I got the Ulta circular in the mail, I looked at the schedule for this sale and marked what I was interested in. A few things I knew I was going to get. Other items I marked were solidly in the “Maybe” category. Some things I knew would sell out quickly, others not so much.

So, what did you get?

Here’s what I got in the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Spring 2018 sale:

March 18: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara. Regular price: $23; Sale price: $10 (This is my favorite high-end mascara! I always buy this when it’s featured, whether I need more or not. Never hurts to have backups!)

March 19: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Anti-Aging Finishing Powder (and an IT Cosmetics brush to go with it that was not on sale). Regular price: $29; Sale price: $14.50 (I’m a sucker for products that claim they will hide my pores.) 

March 25: Benefit PORE-fessional Face Primer (Online Only). Regular price: $31; Sale price: $15.50.  (I’ve always just used the Nyx Pore Filler Primer, but I really wanted to try this.)

March 31: Mario Badescu, entire line 25% off. I bought the large bottle of Aloe, Cucumber, and Greet Tea facial spray. Regular price: $12; Sale price: $8   (I love facial mists! I hadn’t tried any thing from this line, so I figured now was the time.)

April 05: Urban Decay Anti-Aging Eyeshadow Primer Potion. Regular price: $24; Sale price: $12 (Of all the Primer Potions, this one is my favorite. It actually is anti-aging. I just hate how expensive it is!)

April 07: M.A.C. Prep+Prime Fix+ Hydrating & Setting Spray. Regular price: $26; Sale price: $13 (I have been wanting to try this, but didn’t want to spend $26 on it if I ended up not liking it.)

Total spent on sale items over 3 weeks: $73.00. Total had these items NOT been on sale: $145.00. That is literally a savings of 50%!

Now, the actual total I spent during this sale was a little higher because I picked up a few other items while I was there. (I have no idea how that Tattoo Junkie Angel Dust Glitter Lip Paint sampler jumped into my bag…)

There were also some items that were on sale everyday of the 21 Days of Beauty sale, called Hot Buys. I may have picked up a couple of those as well. (Pür Miracle Mist [4 oz] for $10 instead of $18 at regular price. Leaders Labotica Transforming Liquid Foil Mask [Hot Buy – Online Only] Regular price of $32, on sale for $19.20.)

What did you pass on?

There were only a couple of featured items that I had marked as “Maybe,” but I decided not to buy them.

March 21: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water. Regular price: $32; Sale price: $16. I like this primer water, but not enough to pay full price for it. I still have some of this left from the last 21 Days of Beauty sale. That tells me that I don’t use it enough to warrant buying it again. If this is something you love, keep an eye out for the next 21 Days of Beauty sale as this is often a featured item and it sells out fast.

April 02: Butter London Glazen Eye Gloss and Lip Glaze. Regular price: $19-$24; Sale price: $9.50-$12. These looked very interesting in the store, but the reviews weren’t great. I was mainly interested in the Eye Gloss in the shade Oil Slick, but almost all the reviews said that the eye glosses dried out very quickly after opening. I decided to pass on these.

That’s my round up of the 21 Days of Beauty Spring 2018 sale at Ulta! What items did you get? What items do you wish Ulta would feature in their semi-annual sale? What is the best beauty bargain you ever found? Tell me in the comments below!