Need a summer skin care refresh? Shop Ulta’s Big Summer Beauty Sale for up to 40% off your faves

What The Sale Actually Offers

NBC Select's picks run the summer routine: Pureology jumbo shampoo (sulfate- and paraben-free, jojoba and green tea extract, "over double" the standard bottle), a Shark 4-in-1 styler with brush, precision nozzle, and curler attachments plus heat regulation, a cleansing balm that melts to oil with safflower seed oil and linoleic acid, an Olaplex conditioner with panthenol and glycerin, a jumbo anti-frizz spray lasting three to four shampoos with 380°F heat protection, and Touchland sanitizer with aloe vera.

The math matters most on the multi-function pieces. The anti-frizz spray bundles humidity control, heat protection, and anti-frizz into one SKU at jumbo size — per-use cost collapses if you're currently paying for separate products in each category. Same logic on the Shark styler if you'd actually rotate the three attachments; otherwise, you're paying for format you won't deploy.

Skip the keyring sanitizer unless you already carry one. Sale price on an unused product is no discount at all.

Subscription Box As The Benchmark

LOOKFANTASTIC's July Beauty Box — a six-piece summer edit from Molton Brown, FOREO, and TIGI — lists at £15 for the one-month option, nominal retail value "over £60." A 12-month plan drops to £13/month with Premier Delivery included. Operational note: LOOKFANTASTIC is UK-based, so confirm shipping costs and delivery windows for US addresses before treating that £15 as the final figure.

The headline 75% nominal discount depends on whether you use the contents. Confirmed items include a face mask, body lotion, hairspray, setting mist, and a claw clip. One slot — an Avant skincare item — is variable per subscriber, meaning you don't lock in a specific product. That's discovery value, not guaranteed utility.

If your routine already covers setting spray and hairspray, the box overpays for pieces you'd recycle or toss. If you're missing body lotion, a hair tool, or face coverage on a tight budget, the £15 buys broad summer coverage at lower per-category cost than retail.

The Call

Buy the Pureology jumbo if you're mid-bottle on a different shampoo and the sulfate-free formulation matters to you. Buy the anti-frizz spray if you actively use heat tools and currently own separate humidity and heat-protectant products — replacing three SKUs with one is where the value compounds. Buy the Olaplex conditioner if breakage is an active concern; the glycerin and panthenol base targets that specifically.

Skip everything in the sale you weren't already planning to restock. Skip the LOOKFANTASTIC box if your priority is premium skincare — it's a discovery format, not a curation. Read recent customer reviews on the product page before subscribing; the overall rating is strong, but at least one recent July review reportedly questions whether the contents justify the price.

A 40% discount on a product you won't finish is zero return. Pay for the function, not the markdown.