Sephora Beauty Insider versus Ulta Rewards

I recently got into a discussion with a friend of mine about reward programs at department stores before segueing into a debate about Sephora and Ulta. As many of you know, both of these stores offer their own rewards programs. I shop frequently at both and am a rewards member at both. I recently attained VIB status at Sephora and Platinum at Ulta. Since I shop both rather equally, I began wondering which program would be in my better interests as a makeup collector. Both programs operate basically the same. For every dollar you spend, you earn one point. Ulta Platinum members earn 1.25 points for every dollar spent. Also, both programs have various promotions where you can earn double or triple points on certain products. In my obsessive race to attain VIB Rouge status at Sephora, I sometimes find myself trying to decide whether or not to buy a higher end brand at Sephora instead of Ulta. Remember, Ulta sells both drugstore brands (such as Maybelline, Cover Girl, and NYX) as well as the high end brands like Urban Decay, Smashbox, Too Faced, etc. The high end brands I am hooked on at the moment can be found at both stores. I tend to stick with Sephora for the higher end loot while I used Ulta solely for the drugstore ones and the luxury brands Sephora doesn't carry such as Lorac. However, does it really matter? Are my attempts to reach the VIB Rouge level really worth it in the end? Will my Platinum status at Ulta really make that much of a difference in my shopping experience? I decided to take a closer look at both programs as a way of informing myself as well as others about the ins and outs of Sephora and Ulta rewards.

There are three different levels to the Sephora rewards program: Beauty Insider, VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider), and VIB Rouge. With each level, you earn more "perks" and freebies. There's hardly any difference between the Beauty Insider and VIB memberships. The biggest differences are the VIB concierge customer service line (which I used for the first time today and it was pretty cool) as well as advance access to sales and new product lines. The level everyone wants to attain is VIB Rouge. Not everyone would really care much for the perks, but I'm excited for the day I get my Rouge card in the mail. The pros of the Sephora program really depend on which level you are at.

Pros

• Free gift for your birthday which usually involves some sort of deluxe sample of one of their top brands.
• Free shipping on all online orders no matter how much you spend. (VIB Rouge only)
• Unlimited access to the Beauty Studio = free makeovers!! This is the perk I'm most excited about as I frequent makeup counters to learn different tips and tricks and to discover new products. Normally, you'd have to spend $50 on a Sephora gift card to get a Custom Makeover at the Beauty Studio, but with this perk, it's all gratis. (VIB Rouge only)
• Informed and helpful sales assistants not to mention gorgeous displays in-store. I'm well aware of all the bad reviews of various Sephora stores. People have had some seriously terrible experiences, but I've yet to have a bad experience. Their customer service has always been top notch at the stand-alone Sehoras I've visited. 
• Easy to navigate website with detailed product descriptions and an active user community of product reviewers. 

Cons

• The sales events, promotions, and gifts are either extremely vague or not worth it. Having advance access to sales or new products is all well and good, but it's only a difference of a couple of days in some cases. The gifts are usually just deluxe samples of products with almost zero variety in color options. I have dark skin, so it REALLY sucks for me when I get a deluxe sample of a foundation from an awesome brand and it's nowhere near my skin tone. 
•  The rewards for redeeming your points are a big joke. Again, the products are usually only deluxe sizes. There is also a lack of variety of products in general. For months, two of the items offered for point redemption were Sephora-branded plastic iPhone 4 cases. Not exactly my idea of an awesome "reward."
• Sephora doesn't have too many sales on high end/luxury brands. This is possibly at the behest of the companies Sephora deals with, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.
• The sheer amount of money you have to spend to attain VIB Rouge status is eye-watering. You have to spend $1000 in a calendar year to achieve that level and then continue to spend that much EVERY year to maintain your status. Now, for the serious beauty shoppers, that doesn't seem like much, but to regular gals like myself who love to collect without having to resort to selling a kidney on the black market? That's a lot of cash to part with for makeup, hair products, and skincare each year. 

Verdict: If you are a serious beauty fiend and shop at Sephora in store or online frequently, then VIB Rouge status would be worth it just for the free shipping and the unlimited access to the Beauty Studio. However, if you're not someone who buys high end brands, shops rarely at Sephora, or you live too far from a Sephora store, then trying to claw your way to the top of their Beauty Insider program will do nothing for you.

There are only two levels for the Ulta program: the regular level and the Platinum level. With the Platinum level, your points you earn never expire and you earn them 25% faster (1.25 points for every dollar spent.) Unlike Sephora, you don't have to spend as much to achieve the top level in Ulta rewards nor are you forced to spend your points on minor deluxe sized products. Problem is, unless you're a Platinum member, your points will expire, so you'll lose any benefit from saving up all those points. Since you only have to spend $400 a year to gain Platinum, it isn't difficult to reach that status.

Pros

• Points can be redeemed for actual CASH! For every 100 points, you can redeem them for $3.00 cash towards a purchase. Instead of redeeming points for sample or deluxe sized products you can actually use your points for cash towards that Naked 3 palette you've been coveting. How awesome is that?!
• Coupons, coupons, coupons! Every girl loves a deal. I especially love it when that deal comes in the form of 20% off one item or your entire purchase. Ulta loves sending these out to their customers. I used to get the sales mailers every week and they'd have a coupon on the last page. 
• Their birthday gift is much better than Sephora's. Under the regular program, you get a full-sized gift as well as the opportunity to earn double points throughout the entire month of your birthday. If you're a Platinum member, you get two gifts as well as the double points promotion. 
• Ulta frequently has sales on their drugstore brands. I always happen to be in Ulta when NYX is buy one get one 50% off. They also have tons of offers for their hair care products, which is great for me, because Ulta carries my favorite hair care line. Don't worry, they haven't forgotten about high end makeup brands. They occasionally run promotions on the more designer lines. An example is let's say you spend X amount on a certain brand like Tarte then you will receive a deluxe or full-sized product from their brand. Again, this must have to do with a deal with the manufacturer. I wish Sephora did this more often. 

Cons

• Remember those coupons I mentioned that Ulta is so fond of spamming you with? Yeah, forget about using those towards the purchase of your favorite Benefit blush. All designer brands and other select product lines are excluded when it comes to the coupons. The consolation prize is you can redeem your points for the luxury brands.
• Lack of free samples or chances to earn them with your points. Apparently, you can get free samples of products at Ulta. However, allow me to go on record to say that I've never once received a sample of ANYTHING when I shopped in-store at Ulta. Every time I've gone to Sephora, the employees there practically make it freaking rain on me with freebies. If Ulta does indeed have them, then they're hoarding them for some odd reason. I also hate that I can't even EARN the samples by using extra reward points. How am I supposed to try new products if I can't sample them? You lose marks on this one, Ulta. 
• The website is a hot mess. I swear I'm not an idiot, but it's much harder to navigate the Ulta website than it is Sephora's. It just isn't very user-friendly nor is their any attempt to engage the Rewards members in any way other than reading reviews. I like online community aspect of the Sephora site very much. 
• Speaking of hot messes, have you stepped inside an Ulta store? They are NOT the place to go to learn about new products or have your face done up. Nearly every Ulta I've encountered is staffed with people who don't know squat about what they're selling. Assuming you're able to find an employee that's actually willing to help you, that is. I'm hardly ever greeted when I walk into an Ulta nor do employees make any attempt to assist me. It's really quite shocking when you're standing right next to an employee at a display and she's too busy texting or talking to another sales assistant to be bothered with helping you. I'd relegate my shopping to the aforementioned website, but, like I said, the site isn't the best. (As a side note: stay far away from the Benefit Brow Bar at the Ulta off Commonwealth Center Parkway in Midlothian, Virginia unless you enjoy walking around with only half an eyebrow on one side and a super-thick one on the other side. Don't say I didn't warn you!)

Verdict: The program has it's upsides with the points-for-cash redemption and their birthday promotion, but the company as a whole fails with customer experience. Trust me when I say that has huge impact on whether I decide to shop here as a Rewards member. The employees' lack of product knowledge makes it difficult for your normal customer to try new things or learn anything from the so-called "makeup artist" Ulta deigns to employ. Go here only if you know what you want and don't require any sort of tutorials or basic hand-holding.

Personally, it seems to be a draw. I can see the benefit of both stores' programs, but once I get to VIB Rouge, I may reserve visiting Sephora for the big ticket items, brands exclusive to them, or when I have gift cards. Ulta's points system is far more attractive in the long run just from the savings you get from redeeming your points for cash. I just wish they carried more high end brands and had better customer service. Oh well, we can't get everything we want. :-)