I have been going to Ulta for over 15 years. This is my hometown location where I have been getting…read moremy hair, facials, and eyebrows done since I was about 16 years old. I am now 32. My mother and I are loyal patrons, loyalty card holders, and repeat salon clients. I skip Aveda, and Sephora, as I have always preferred Ulta for their prices and quality of services. At this location, Donna did my hair for over 10 years, and since her departure from the store, I have entrusted my problematic locks to the talented Gina for about 2 years. I used to even wait until I would be in town from Miami to get my haircuts!
Yesterday evening I was in the store shopping and saw that the brow bar was empty so I requested a wax service and was told they had immediate availability. I can honestly tell you that the associate's skill level was questionable (at best) from the beginning, although she was completely polite and professional. She put the wax on far too delicately for it to cover correctly. She also didn't use enough wax, and spent too long pressing it in. (by the time she actually pulled the strip off my face the wax was likely completely cool) I didn't say anything because I figured everyone has their approach and I am a brow bar loyalist (I trust that they are properly trained). She was well into applying concealer (incorrectly) when I myself reached for the hand mirror, since she had not offered to show me my brows at all, post-waxing. I was mortified. Not a single hair that I walked into the store with that evening was missing. It looked only like someone had made my brows red, not that I had had a wax. I showed her the many, many hairs that she missed and she reapplied wax and tried again. Again, too little wax, pressing too light and for too long, and the hairs remained. I pointed it out to her, and she said she would get her manager. That took an easy 15 minutes so I just sat there with the exact same eyebrow growth I had when I walked in. Frankly I didn't know what else to say to the associate. She clearly didn't know what she was doing, and I didn't want to risk any skin over this by allowing her to apply a THIRD attempt. It was awkward, as these encounters can be, but she really was sweet and I think she expected the manager to handle things appropriately.
The manager, Lynn, came over and told me that the hairs were too short for the wax to "catch". I've never heard such a dismissive load of BS in my life. I have had my eyebrows waxed maybe 100 times in my life. At this Ulta location, several in south Florida, and plenty of private salons and spas. The hairs were not "too short." That is an outrageous thing to claim. A good wax job should get ALL hairs; long, medium, short, baby, and fuzz. I have gone in to that EXACT location with LESS brow growth and come out with clean, hairless brows. She kept repeating that I could just have the associate "pluck them." EXCUSE ME? Um...I can pluck my own eyebrows at home, and believe me, do a better job with tweezers than this associate. I came for a WAX. I was being charged for a WAX. The associate mentioned to me twice that she was new, and apologized, and frankly I don't hold her ultimately responsible. She does need better training, but the decision to charge me all but 20% of my service was left to the unprofessional manager who just lost a lifetime Ulta customer over a pitiful $15.
I spent over $130 on products yesterday, and a fortune over the years. I even brought my bridal party to this location on my wedding day for our hair services. BOTH cashiers at checkout 100% agreed with me that my brows absolutely were not waxed correctly and they both extended their condolences. They had no choice but to charge me what the manager instructed. I was ultimately charged $15 for my $21 service and not only are my brows WORSE than they were before walking into Ulta, (since now I'll have to wait a few days to get them waxed correctly) but I am completely turned off from this brand. Every gal knows you can walk into any corner nail salon and get a decent brow wax for about $8. I chose to pay the Ulta premium because it has always been my experience that their brow bar associates are suedo-experts in the trade and the Ulta brand takes care of its clients. I have requested to be reimbursed by corporate, but this taste in my mouth will be difficult to overcome. The economic temperature in America right now is not such that business owners and managers should take the liberty to make clients feel so devalued. I live in Channelside and drove across town to get to my favorite little beauty store in Citrus Park. When someone is making that kind of effort, and spending this kind of money, you only have to disappoint them once. Hope that fifteen bucks was worth it, Lynn.