By Mara Budd-

As many makeup lovers know, there are two main attractions to choose the best cosmetic products from which are Ulta and Sephora. These places have many products and sell several different makeup brands with a wide price range. Not only do these stores sell makeup, they also sell hair products, perfumes, and skin care materials. I took a quick trip to each of these stores and came up with an opinion on which one I would rather shop at.

I have been to both stores but I tend to shop at Ulta more often than Sephora. To leave out any bias, I had some standards I set for each store and brought a friend along with me that does not normally shop at these places. First, we went to Ulta Beauty in Fairlawn, OH. One of the standards we looked out for was the prices. Zoe and I both agreed that Ulta had more affordable prices because they carry many drugstore brands. The prices of their products generally ranged from 3 to 10 dollars. We briefly talked with an employee there and she said their company carries about 500 brands of products ranging from makeup, hair, and nail care. Another standard that we looked out for was the hair-care products, not only are these brands for makeup, but for cosmetics. Ulta carries an enormous amount of hair care products. They sell many different types of shampoo and even over fifty brands of just hair dryers alone.

“People that are looking for hair care products should definitely come to Ulta. There’s no chance they won’t find what they’re looking for,” said Farson (10).This store really appealed to us and we had higher standards for Sephora after that. Next, we went to Sephora located just down the road from Ulta in Summit Mall located in Fairlawn, OH. While in Sephora, the first thing we paid close attention to the prices of their products that they sold. When we asked an employee about their brands and prices they said that they sell more luxury products which means higher prices and carry up to 300 brands.

“I think that Ulta beats out Sephora with their prices, especially because a lot of teens shop at these places and they don’t have a ton of money to spend on makeup and cosmetics.” Says Casey O’Connor (10). Also, Sephora did not carry close to the amount of hair products that Ulta did and had little options to choose from.

After visiting both stores, Ulta won the competition. The prices, location, and products beat Sephora’s. But, what would rather?