In my experience, the sales at Ulta Beauty can be pretty hit or miss. They tend to favor limited drops of deals, with big discounts on specific brands or categories of products that only last a day or two. As a result, there’s often a lot of stuff that’s not on sale. The big exception to that is Ulta’s Cyber Monday sale. Yes, it’ll only last a day — with all the deals expiring at 3 a.m. ET on Tuesday, November 28 — but with over 400 new deals, it’s as good as Ulta sales get.
I’ve found lots of things that we’ve written about on the Strategist, all discounted at least 25 percent, including one of our all-time favorite gel moisturizers, our pick for the best blow-dryer brush, and a rarely on-sale K-beauty serum. (If you want even more sales coverage, check out all our Cyber Monday beauty deals and our main Cyber Monday deals roundup, and sign up for our email newsletter, so you never miss another sales drop again.)
Skincare
We’ve been recommending this serum from K-beauty brand Peach & Lily since 2018, and the ultrahydrating formula is excellent for making dry, winter skin look impossibly dewy, plump, and less red all at once. (It’s also rarely on sale.)
Speaking of dry skin, here’s a generously sized tub of First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream, in a limited-edition grapefruit scent.
If you’re looking for a vitamin C serum that’ll hydrate, brighten, and smooth fine lines, this is it.
Sunday Riley’s cult-y lactic-acid treatment (that’s also a favorite with Strategist readers) is on sale for Cyber Monday. It’s a surprisingly gentle exfoliant, beloved for its ability to even out skin tone.
If you’re a regular reader of the Strategist’s beauty guides, you’ll recognize this gel moisturizer from Neutrogena. It’s been recommended for teens as well as those with redness and rosacea, cystic acne, or mature skin.
We’re also well-known fans of CosRX’s snail-mucin serum, which plumps and moisturizes, and this cream features the same hero ingredient.
Another longtime favorite is Tula’s hydrating cream, which our beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton first recommended in 2018. She describes the formula as “nourishing without at all being sticky or pore-clogging, and it penetrates deeply to make skin look brighter, and even more healthy.”
Our resident lip-balm expert Tembe Denton-Hurst loves a glossy lip balm — and not only is this one very glossy, it’s also got peptides for some extra plump.
Now, an endorsement for this lash serum from comedian Atsuko Okatsuka: “I was born so hairless — no eyebrows, no eyelashes. I considered getting extensions, but I just know sitting there for two hours would be difficult for me. I found this serum at Sephora, and it actually made my lashes longer and thicker over the course of six weeks.”
The same brand also makes an eyebrow serum, in case you also overplucked in the early aughts.
LED skin-care devices seem New Age, but there’s a fair bit of science backing up their efficacy, especially for anti-aging, skin calming, and acne. If you want to dip your toe into the pond, here’s the SolaWave, which is best for spot treatments.
Makeup
If you spent any time watching beauty tutorials on YouTube in 2016, you know this concealer — and all these years later, it’s still a great option for full coverage.
This tinted moisturizer has a semimatte finish, and it won’t settle into fine lines.
Haircare
This NatureLab shampoo is already a less-expensive dupe for Sachajuan’s Repair Shampoo — and now, it’s just $9.
With this Drybar shampoo, writer Dominique Pariso (who tested dozens of dry shampoos to put together our best-in-class guide) can easily get away with washing her hair once a week.
Hair Tools
Dominique named this tool from Drybar as our favorite blow-dryer brush. She said it gave her “fine hair shine and bounce without it feeling fried,” and at only 2.6 pounds, it’s not too heavy to manipulate.
This tool is basically three curling irons in one — including a waver for beachy waves, a one-inch barrel for defined waves, and a 1.25-inch barrel for curls.
And last but not least, here’s a $100 discount on the Dyson Airwrap.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
