I love going in this store! I stop in, at least once a week, just to see the sales and check out new items. When I go in for specific items, I'm always assisted and I feel like the staff is knowledgeable, reassuring, and honest. They have helped me with shipping orders and the rare returns. If you are like me and aren't really up to date on newer brands, go in and ask questions! I've never had an employee be anything but courteous and informative! read more

Alex is absolutely amazing! He did the most amazing makeup application and his center skills are 10/10. such a kind person who is super passionate about Ulta and their products. read more

I dropped in to the Ulta store in Des Moines, IA for an eyebrow pencil. Devin showed such intelligence, professionalism and personality! He taught me more about application than anyone before, and made me want to go back and ask for him personally...and I don't even live in Iowa! This guy is talented and knows his stuff. Kudos, Devin, and thank you! read more

Showed up 5 minutes before closing. Doors were already locked so I went to Target to purchase my hair tool.

The thing I like about this Ulta is that I always get really good help, every single time. I can go in looking like crap or pulled together and I get treated well. This isn't always the case in a place like a department store, where for some odd reason the makeup counter girls tend to think they're "better-than." The staff here will take the time to look around the store with you, get input from other staff members and let you try things out in order to find something you're happy with. I came in today looking for stuff to calm my skin's redness, and also for a new foundation that matches my "winter skin" color. Heather was kind enough to go through like five different rounds of options and we finally found a good one. Big tip: even though Ulta has good lighting, take the mirror with you to the window when trying out foundation! I had two colors that looked perfect at the counter, and both were stark and not my color at all once we got the natural daylight to help out. I like that the staff don't blow smoke. They tell you what they really like, what they're not crazy about, and they give you options at different price points. Today I left with a bag of items I am 100% happy with, and a free sample of Smashbox mascara. No buyer's remorse when you get to try it first and you know it works! read more

Ulta Beauty - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Every time I go to an Ulta store, it just reinforces my belief that it's best to shop online with this business. I buy makeup regularly (to be honest, excessively) from places like Sephora to CVS and really enjoy it! But every time I physically go to an Ulta store I always have an oddly rude encounter with an employee or something goes wrong while I'm checking out. I really want to shop in a physical store, it's just... there's always something. The great thing about Ulta are the deals, the quality of products, the amazing points program, and their great birthday coupon. Plus you can swatch things. But it's not worth the hassle to go in person. TL;DR Makeup and deals are amazing; order online. read more

Excellent service! Providing curb side pick-up during the Covid 19 shut down is so appreciated. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jasmine Galvin who hand picked my order and had it ready for me to pick up in an instant. She is knowledgeable and VERY professional. In a word....awesome! Thank you for the super great service! read more

I can't buy anything in here, but it looks nice and is well organized and it's a short cut into the mall! Actually I could buy stuff here, just not for me.. But I was asked if I needed any help, they probably looked at me and my child and were like this guy is lost.. They do have lots of gift boxes so if you are looking for a present that someone is bound to find at least 1 thing they like.. I would go with that... Although gift boxes often look cheap to me.. I don't know.. this place is well organized like I said. read more

Ulta Beauty - For my Robert Smith faze - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I have been going to ULTA to get my hair done ever since I had to switch from Salon W (very nice place too but too expensive) in 2012. First of all, I really love this store - always very clean and nicely decorated, staff is attentive and helpful. The reason why I keep coming back is my stylist, Keeva. She is awesome ! She really knows what I like and offers good suggestions for new colors, styles and products. She has a great attitude and is super fun to talk to during a haircut. The hair washing sinks are always very clean, as is the rest of the salon area. Good hair products are always used on my hair and it's very easy to make and reschedule appointments. Keeva has a good clientele so if you can get in with her, I highly recommend it. I also like the fact that you can buy the hair products right then and there, the Ultamate rewards loyalty program is great, and this location is the most chill for Black Friday deals. I have yet to try their brow bar. There's usually nice sales going on too. I love Ulta ! read more

I've been to both Ulta stores in the Des Moines area and have had the exact same experience at each. The store is nicely set up and clean, however the customer service at both was definitely lacking. At both checkout experiences I was asked for my phone number. I politely said no thank you, to which both got huffy and one kept pushing me to give any phone number. I declined again. After the transaction, I said "thanks" and was met with absolute silence. No "thanks for shopping" or "have a nice day," not even a smile. Thank goodness Target started carrying my chapstick again and I don't have to set foot into one of these stores again. read more

Love this store! As a Diamond member I really cannot say enough about the amazing deals that I can always find at Ulta. This is an inclusive store, that actually shows this through action and not just words. It makes me feel great going to their store, always feel welcome and greeted with a smile and helpful hand in locating any product that can help me feel my best. I do not just shop at Ulta, I also use their salon and am more than pleased with how they take card if my hair needs. They do not just do as you wish, they are upfront in explaining how a certain treatment will impact your hair. So if I decide to take the plunge I am forewarned as to what may occur afterwards. I appreciate that after all they are the experts, not me. Ulta differs from Sephora in that they give so many opportunities to sample products before buying a full size. This has helped me significantly find products that will fulfill my expectations and more. So kudos to Ulta at Merle Hay Mall. Keep up the great service! As I also belong to several beauty groups, I share my finds with the other 27k women in my groups. read more

I've never in my 41 years been approached by anyone in any beauty store or upscale department store to have my color matched. EXCELLENT. I didn't t know I could test product right there in the store with disposable cotton, sponges and applicators. Then have access to makeup remover wipes. After rolling through here with a friend of mine and both being consulted, my makeup and face has never looked so good! The only drawback I have is when we were looking for an inexpensive alternative we were told that brands like Cover Girl, Maybeline, NXY, were poor alternatives. It made me question why they would even be on their shelves if they didn't recommend them or stand behind such products. It did make me change my mind on the peach concealer, but I bought it at Sally's for a fraction of the cost. Although the Tarte in Tan was the best recommendation ever from Ulta. Overall my experience was wonderful here and I plan on spending a small fortune on beauty supplies here! read more

Really annoyed because the university location told me that this location (Merle hay) had the biggest mac selection and there was literally nothing. I asked an employee if there was any Mac products and she said no but there's like tester stuff by the register and then said that the university location is the one with the Mac products????? Ended up getting something similar to what I wanted that was 50% off so I guess that's nice. I'd rather have honesty then get lied to and wasting my time. read more

I love this place more & more! For me, it's a one stop shop: Hair products? Check. Huge nail polish selection? Check. Fragrance? Check. Drugstore to high end cosmetics? Check. Hair styling tools? Check. Always use the coupons! I haven't been to Sephora in over a year, because I'm totally hooked on Ulta now. Super Secret Insider Tip--shop during off peak times. When it's super busy, I want to pull my hair out, since the aisles are kinda narrow. read more

I had a lady wax my eyebrows at Ulta. It was a walk in appointment and they had someone help me right away. I asked for her to clean up the extra hairs around my eyebrows. She drew some lines and a stencil on my eyebrows so it looked like she knew what she was doing. She handed me the mirror afterwards and my eyebrows were gone. She was happy with her work and acted like there was nothing wrong. read more

Ulta Beauty - This was what was left of my eyebrows after the lady in Ulta waxed them. - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Usually when someone that you don't like come into your work, you get over it and exhibit some kind of respect to uphold your expected customer service duties. This was not the case with one of the workers there. I was ignored for about 20 minutes while I'm seeing that the worker clearly sees that I'm there. Disappointing. read more

Nice store. BUT, I purchased a dermatologica (already expensive) eye treatment today. Had I done as I usually do, I would have pd $25 less on Amazon. read more

I was looking for a new place to get my hair done and I'm so happy I chose to go to ulta! Keeva was the sweetest stylist and she did an amazing job. The store and salon area where very clean and all of the other workers were very nice. I would really recommend going here for your future haircuts! read more

Horrible customer service. My wife went in there to try a new makeup line. The employee told us to wait right there and would be back in a few minutes. We watched her stand around and chat it up with her friend for a half hour until we finally left. read more

The only reason I come here is because of my fiance. She sometimes goes "Oh we need to stop by here to get my makeup". I've been here multiple times I could review it. They are a well-run business and keep everything clean. The shelves are very organized and we are able to find products easily. The staff is friendly and willing to help. read more

Have to watch super close to make sure all your discounts/coupons get applied. I make sure to get the biggest bang for my buck and usually have at least 2 forms of a discount. Stuff is pretty well stocked and there's always someone willing to help locate something. I haven't had any questions about products but have overheard the staff talking to other customers and they seem pretty thorough and informative. My favorite out of the 2 Ulta's in town. read more

Ulta offers all the products I need. O love their 20% off, buy 1 get 1, Buy 2 get 1, and liter sales. It's too bad customer service is lacking. It's rare that anyone is available to help. If I do find someone, they act like I'm bothering them. I'd give them 5 stars if customer service was better. read more

I went into Ulta Beauty today with my young son. I was excited to try a new foundation because mine just ran out. I was going to buy a bare Minerals foundation kit but need someone to match my shade. I waited and walk around the store 15 min without a single store associate speaking to me. My son and I weren't even great went we enter the store. I will be going to Sephora they have better customer service. read more

I was disappointed with the customer service, an associate name Grace checked me out charged one of my stuff twice and didn't give me the discount of buy 1, get 1 free for the stuff I'm qualified for. read more

I got a blowout done by Caroline today and it was amazing! I have only had blowouts previously done at Dry Bars when I was traveling but decided to give it a shot and I could not have been more pleased. She was very nice and very thorough! My hair looks and feels amazing! read more

I came to this Ulta as an out-of-towner and was very impressed. This store is much nicer than the Ulta I usually go to. It's well-stocked and well organized and CLEAN. There were several clearance sections :) and even those were very well arranged- nothing was messy. My usual Ulta has filthy make up samples and everything isn't as nice looking on the shelves. So glad I could shop in this store, it was a nice surprise! read more

I am completely appalled at the "customer service" I received at the West Des Moines, Iowa store today. I went in to make a quick exchange for a faulty product. The mascara was $23, I had used it FOUR times and the wand broke. Because it was given to me and I didn't have a receipt, they said they would exchange it for me for $0.15. FIFTEEN CENTS. I thought they were kidding me!! I asked to speak to a manager and they weren't willing to help either. They said I could reach out to the customer service number at 866-983-8582 so I called them. Surprise! They also couldn't help! I asked to speak to a manager and she (Ilsa) said that none were available, which is absolutely unacceptable. How is a manager not available? I made the request again, she put me on hold again, and came back to say that none would take my call. After I struggled for another five minutes trying to get my problem resolved, the representative hung up on me. Another funny thing, a survey came up at the end of the call asking if I was satisfied with my service. I selected #4 for "no", and it responded with "Sorry, the survey is not available at this time." Wow. This experience has very much hardened me against Ulta and I will gladly share this terrible experience as much as I possibly can. read more

I'm normally an Ulta fan, but after yesterday's experience...I think I may switch to Sephora. I visited this location yesterday while on a day trip with my best friends. Normally, I would go to the Cedar Rapids location and I've only ever had pleasant experiences at that location. This location is another story...they were severely understaffed, they barely had anybody around to answer questions. It took me 20 minutes to track down an employee to answer my question and so I could inquire about the free skin mapping that is advertised as being offered and that all you have to do is ask an associate about it, so I did just that. The associate was pleasant and said she would go check and see if the person that does the mapping was available. So I waited for another 20 min while she was on the phone trying to track him/her down.Then the associate informed me that the mapper was "booked solid" and that they were by appointment only. The sign didn't say anything about an appointment and just said to ask an associate, which one was nearly impossible to find and then left me for 20 minutes for no explanation as to why it was taking so long or an apology about the advertising and a person not being available. I was fully prepared to drop hundreds of dollars on skin care solutions if my skin was mapped and the mapper had a suggestion for my skin type and problem. (acne) I've tried almost everything for my acne and saw the advertisement for skin mapping as a glimmer of hope,something I have not yet tried and a person who had the knowledge to do so was advertised as being available..However, I was never given the chance to get proper skin care advice, and by how terribly I was treated by being left in limbo and then never appropriately given an explanation or apology, I put back the hair and body products along with the makeup I was going to buy. That's correct, I went to Ulta with the full intention of dropping hundreds of dollars and I walked out with nothing all because of an understaffed and inappropriately handled situation. Maybe I really should just switch to shopping at Sephora. read more