

This post is in partnership with Ulta Beauty.
"Sales, sales, sales, sales, sales I do adore." Ulta Beauty has us sangin' with the drop of their 21 Days of Beauty sale! What does this mean? Let me fill you in. One of the biggest beauty sales of the year is currently underway, so mark your calendars and get your girlfriends because it's time to ball on a budget!
Let's be real, most of us either have or need a budget for our beauty needs. It can cost some major coins finding the right cleansers, the right beauty service, or the right brow pencils that will keep our eyebrows on fleek. Ulta Beauty has the game on lock. Each week, the beauty retailer will offer 50% or more off of various products for one day only.
Yes, that's right, this is the perfect opportunity for you to try all of those new products you've had your eyes on. Now you get to throw it in the bag for half the price! Products range from makeup to skincare and more.
The sale runs from March 15 to April 4 — that's almost a full month of deals. Keep in mind that the Ulta Beauty deals vary from week-to-week and there are new deals every day on-sale for a 24-hour window. We'll be releasing a new article for each week, so make sure you check back with us so you don't miss a sale!
Now get ready, mark your calendar and literally shop until you drop!
Let's get into the week 1 (March 15 - March 21) deals:
What’s On Sale For Sunday, March 15
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
Anastasia Beverly Hills is the GOAT when it comes to getting the perfect brow. You can get up to 50% off of their ultra sleek and precise brow pencils. Trust me, your brows will thank you later.
Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum
Mario Badescu skincare products have been a game-changer since he hit us with the facial spray; now you can get his Vitamin C Serum at Ulta Beauty. Vitamin C Serum is your key to more supple, youthful-looking skin.
Mario Badescu Super Peptide Serum
Another Mario Badescu find that's coming in clutch during the 21 Days Of Beauty sale is his Super Peptide Serum. This rejuvenating serum works wonders by hydrating the skin while diminishing visible signs of aging.
What’s On Sale For Monday, March 16
Lancôme La Base Pro Oil Free Primer
It can be tough finding a good primer that helps your makeup stay on longer. Get 50% off of Lancôme La Base Pro Oil Free Primer for a seamless and vibrant beat.
Kopari Deodorant
If you're looking for vegan, aluminum-free deodorant, Kopari Beauty CBD Deodorant may be for you. It glides on clear with a long-lasting wear and is free of baking soda and not tested on animals.
What’s On Sale For Tuesday, March 17
BareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder
This is for ladies who like a soft natural makeup look. The BareMinerals Mineral Veil Translucent Finishing Powder also has SPF 25, so you can complete your look and protect your skin at the same time.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is an Elemis bestseller and is now available at a discounted price as an Ulta Beauty exclusive. Known for its gel-cream texture and anti-aging moisturizing properties, this beauty find is the Fountain of Youth in a jar. And we are living for it!
What’s On Sale For Wednesday, March 18
Estee Lauder DayWear 24H-Moisture Crème Broad Spectrum SPF 15
If aging or moisture is a concern for you, you might want to pick up some of Estée Lauder's moisture creme. The 24-hour moisturizer contains SPF 15 and helps prevent signs of premature aging. Whether aging is a concern for you or not, it's always a good idea to get a headstart before it becomes a major concern.
Juice Beauty Stem Cell Booster Serum
The Juice Beauty Stem Cell Booster Serum is formulated with an organic base of botanical juices, a blend of fruit stem cells and Vitamin C to reduce wrinkles, moisturize and provide essential fatty acid and powerful antioxidant action to the skin.
What’s On Sale For Thursday, March 19
Select Lashes
Who doesn't need a good pair of lashes (or two)? Ulta Beauty will also offer 50% off of select faux mink lashes, so grab yourself a couple for every occasion — work, date night, or your next girls' night out!
Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizing Cream
The silky smooth moisturizing cream is the go-to for visibly smooth and deeply hydrated skin that glows. It counteracts dullness, dryness and the appearance of fine lines. This non-comedogenic beauty style is also dermatologist-tested and free of parabens and mineral oils.
Clinique Acne Clinical Clearing Gel
The daily acne treatment is formulated to create clear skin by clearing existing blemishes and preventing new ones. It's also allergy tested and free of fragrance, oil, and parabens.
What’s On Sale For Friday, March 20
Becca Ultimate Love Lipstick & Lip Definers
Becca Ultimate Love Lipsticks & Lip Definers offer a moisturizing, long-lasting (8 hours to be exact), satin lip color. It contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and smooth the appearance of your lips. Choose from their wide variety of colors ranging from red and pink to neutral tones.
Exuviance Performance Peel AP25
The creators of the original Glycolic Acid Peel introduce a performance peel that improves fine lines and wrinkles, creates a more even skin tone, helps refine pores, and smooths skin texture. This is originally a $79 purchase that will drop to less than $40 on March 20.
Benefit Badgal BANG! Mascara
Bring out your inner bad gal with Benefit's Badgal BANG! Mascara. It will give you natural voluminous lashes without smudging or weighing down your lashes. It's also water-resistant and has a 36-hour wear guarantee.
What’s On Sale For Saturday, March 21
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
Tarte's Shape Tape Concealer is America's #1 Concealer Brand according to the NPD Group, Inc* and now it's exclusively available at Ulta Beauty. Even better, it's 100% vegan with a full-coverage formula that helps brighten, smooth and give the skin a more lifted and brightened look.
Tula Day & Night Cream
The creamy whipped moisturizer is full of naturally-derived probiotics and superfoods that give an even, glowing, and youthful-looking complexion. The 2-in-1 product is light enough to wear under makeup during the day and hydrating enough for your nighttime routine.
*Source: The NPD Group, Inc./U.S. Prestige Beauty Total Measured Market, Makeup Sales. Jan 2018-Dec 2018
Featured image by Shutterstock
Freelance writer, content creator, and traveler. She enjoys the beauty of simplicity, a peaceful life, and a big curly fro. Connect with Krissy on social media @iamkrissylewis or check out her blog at www.krissylewis.com.
Claudia Jordan, Demetria McKinney & Jill Marie Jones On 'Games Women Play' & Dating Over 40
What do you get when you mix unfiltered truths, high-stakes romance, and a few well-timed one-liners? You get Games Women Play—the sizzling new stage play by Je’Caryous Johnson that’s part relationship rollercoaster, part grown-woman group chat.
With a powerhouse cast that includes Claudia Jordan, Demetria McKinney, Jill Marie Jones, Carl Payne, Chico Bean, and Brian J. White, the play dives headfirst into the messy, hilarious, and heart-wrenching games people play for love, power, and peace of mind. And the women leading this story? They’re bringing their whole selves to the stage—and leaving nothing behind.
From Script to Spotlight
The road to Games Women Play started over 20 years ago—literally.
“This script was written 20 years ago,” Jill Marie Jones said with a smile. “It was originally called Men, Money & Gold Diggers, and I was in the film version. So when Je’Caryous called me to bring it to the stage, I was like, ‘Let’s go.’” Now reimagined for 2025, the play is updated with sharp dialogue and modern relationship dynamics that feel all too real.
Demetria McKinney, no stranger to Je’Caryous Johnson’s productions, jumped at the opportunity to join the cast once again. “This is my third time working with him,” she shared. “It was an opportunity to stretch. I’d never been directed by Carl Payne before, and the chance to work with talent I admire—Jill, Claudia, Chico—it was a no-brainer.”
Claudia Jordan joked that she originally saw the role as just another check. “I didn’t take it that seriously at first,” she admitted. “But this is my first full-on tour—and now I’ve got a whole new respect for how hard people work in theater. This ain’t easy.”
Modern Love, Stage Left
The play doesn’t hold back when it comes to the messier parts of love. One jaw-dropping moment comes when a live podcast proposal flips into a prenup bombshell—leaving the audience (and the characters) gasping.
Demetria broke it down with honesty. “People don’t ask the real questions when they date. Like, ‘Do you want kids? How do you feel about money?’ These convos aren’t happening, and then everyone’s confused. That moment in the play—it’s real. That happens all the time.”
Jill chimed in, noting how the play speaks to emotional disconnect. “We’re giving each other different tokens of love. Men might offer security and money. Women, we’re giving our hearts. But there’s a disconnect—and that’s where things fall apart.”
And then Claudia, of course, took it all the way there. “These men don’t even want to sign our prenups now!” she laughed. “They want to live the soft life, too. Wearing units, gloss, getting their brows done. We can’t have nothing! Y’all want to be like us? Then get a damn period and go through menopause.”
Dating Over 40: “You Better Come Correct”
When the conversation turned to real-life relationships, all three women lit up. Their experiences dating in their 40s and 50s have given them both clarity—and zero tolerance for games.
“I feel sexier than I’ve ever felt,” said Jill, who proudly turned 50 in January. “I say what I want. I mean what I say. I’m inside my woman, and I’m not apologizing for it.”
Demetria added that dating now comes with deeper self-awareness. “Anybody in my life is there because I want them there. I’ve worked hard to need nobody. But I’m open to love—as long as you keep doing what got me there in the first place.”
For Claudia, the bar is high—and the peace is priceless. “I’ve worked hard for my peace,” she said. “I’m not dating for food. I’m dating because I want to spend time with you. And honestly, if being with you isn’t better than being alone with my candles and fountains and cats? Then no thanks.”
Channeling Strength & Icon Status
Each actress brings something different to the play—but all of them deliver.
“I actually wish I could be messier on stage,” Claudia joked. “But I think about my grandmother—she was born in 1929, couldn’t even vote or buy a house without a man, and didn’t give a damn. She was fearless. That’s where my strength comes from.”
For Jill, the comparisons to her iconic Girlfriends character Toni Childs aren’t far off—but this role gave her a chance to dig deeper. “If you really understood Toni, you’d see how layered she was. And Paisley is the same—misunderstood, but strong. There’s more to her than people see at first glance.”
Demetria, who juggles singing and acting seamlessly, shared that live theater pushes her in a new way. “Every moment on stage counts. You can’t redo anything. It’s a different kind of love and discipline. You have to give the performance away—live, in the moment—and trust that it lands.”
Laughter, Lessons & Black Girl Gems
The show has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments—and the cast isn’t shy about who steals scenes.
“Chico Bean gets a lot of gasps and laughs,” Claudia said. “And Naomi Booker? Every scene she’s in—she’s hilarious.”
But the play isn’t just about humor. It leaves space for reflection—especially for Black women.
“I hope we get back to the foundation of love and communication,” said Demetria. “A lot of us are in protector mode. But that’s turned into survival mode. We’ve lost softness. We’ve lost connection.”
Claudia agreed. “We’re doing it all—but it’s not because we want to be strong all the time. It’s because we have to be. And I just want women to know: You can have peace, you can be soft. But stop bringing your old pain into new love. Don’t let past heartbreak build walls so high that the right person can’t climb over.”
Final Act: Pack the House
If there’s one thing this cast agrees on, it’s that this play isn’t just entertainment—it’s necessary.
“Atlanta is the Black entertainment hub,” Claudia said. “We need y’all to show up for this play. Support the arts. Support each other. Because when we pack the house, we make space for more stories like this.”
Games Women Play is more than a play—it’s a mirror. You’ll see yourself, your friends, your exes, and maybe even your next chapter. So get ready to laugh, reflect, and maybe even heal—because the games are on.
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Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams has always marched to the beat of her own brutally honest drum — and that’s exactly what makes her so magnetic to watch. Whether she’s making us laugh until we cry on The Ms. Pat Show or now laying down the law on her courtroom series Ms. Pat Settles It, the comedian-turned-judge proves time and again that there’s nobody quite like her. Unfiltered, hilarious, and real to the core, she’s made a name for herself by turning her life’s journey — including the pain — into purpose.
Now in her second season of Ms. Pat Settles It, airing on BET and BET+, she’s not only delivering verdicts — she’s dishing out life lessons in between the laughs. The show feels less like your typical courtroom drama and more like your outspoken auntie running a court session at the family cookout, complete with celebrity jurors, petty disputes, and a whole lot of real talk. xoNecole sat down with Ms. Pat to talk about her wildest cases, balancing motherhood and fame, and why sleeping in separate bedrooms might just be the key to joy.
CASE CLOSED, BUT MAKE IT CHAOS
If you’ve ever tuned in to Ms. Pat Settles It, you already know the episode titles alone deserve awards. But when we asked Ms. Pat which case stood out most, she didn’t even have to think twice. “There was this one woman — Shay — who got out of federal prison and was working for her old bunkmate. But the bunkmate didn’t want to pay her!” she says, chuckling. “That girl came in the courtroom like a firecracker.”
It’s moments like those that remind viewers Ms. Pat isn’t just bringing the laughs — she’s giving people a platform, even if it’s a little messy. And if her court ever gets turned into a real-life franchise, we need Shay on the promo posters immediately.
WHEN THE CELEBS SHOW OUT
It’s already hard enough to get a word in with Ms. Pat running the show, but throw in a celebrity jury featuring Tamar Braxton, Ray J, TS Madison, and Karlous Miller? Whew. “I don’t even try to control them,” she laughs. “Thank God we have something called editing.” According to her, behind the scenes, things get wild — but that chaos is part of the magic. “People only see the cut-down version. What you don’t see is all of us losing it in real time.”
Still, Ms. Pat makes it work. The courtroom becomes a stage, but also a safe space for guests and jurors to show up as their full, unfiltered selves. “It was a wild season,” she explains. Let’s be honest — if your jury looks like a BET Awards afterparty, you might as well let it rock.
IF FAMILY COURT WAS REALLY A THING
Ms. Pat might wear the robe on screen, but at home, she’s still managing her own wild bunch. When asked what kind of case her kids would bring into her courtroom, she burst into laughter. “Oh, they’d be suing my oldest son for eating their food,” she says. “You know how you have that one roommate that eats up everybody’s food? I can see my oldest son getting sued for that..”
And let’s face it, we’ve all either been that sibling or have one. Ms. Pat says moments like that — the everyday family squabbles and real-life irritations — are what make her courtroom show so relatable.
THE VERDICT SHE WISHES SHE COULD REWRITE
Ms. Pat is known for keeping it real, even when the conversation turns serious. When asked if there was one “verdict” in her real life she’d change, she pauses for a second before answering. “I wish I had graduated high school,” she admits. “All my kids went to prom and I took all of their high school diplomas.”
“I wish I had graduated high school,” she admits. “All my kids went to prom and I took all of their high school diplomas.”
It’s a rite of passage in most Black households — your diploma doesn’t really belong to you, it lives at your mama or grandma’s house like a family heirloom.
HOW SHE STAYS GROUNDED
Between filming TV shows, headlining comedy tours, and running a household, Ms. Pat makes it very clear: she will find time to rest. “People swear I don’t sleep, but I do — I just knock out early and wake up early,” she shares. “And sometimes, I’ll just sit in my car.” She’s also a big fan of solo naps and mini getaways when things get overwhelming.
But one of her favorite forms of self-care? Separate bedrooms. “Me and my husband don’t sleep in the same room. That way, when I don’t feel like being bothered, I go to my space,” she laughs. She’s also found a new love for facials. “They’re addicting! I don’t need a lot — just sleep, a facial, and a little quiet.” Honestly? That’s a self-care routine we can get behind.
FROM PAIN TO PURPOSE
Ms. Pat’s story is one that’s deeply rooted in resilience — and she’s always been transparent about how her journey shaped her. Her advice to other Black women trying to turn their pain into purpose? Speak up. “You have to tell your story,” she says. “Because once you tell your story, you realize you’re not the only person that’s been through that situation.”
She adds that sharing your truth can be one of the most powerful things you do. “When you give a voice to pain so many other people who have that pain gravitate to you,” she says. “To heal, you have to speak out loud about it. What you keep inside is what eats you up.” Coming from someone who built an entire brand on truth-telling? We believe her.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR MS. PAT?
While Ms. Pat’s got her hands full with Ms. Pat Settles It and her comedy show, she hints there’s much more to come. “I got some stuff poppin’ that I can’t even talk about yet,” she teases. “But just know, like Kendrick [Lamar] said, we about to step out and show ‘em something.” That multi-genre deal with BET and Paramount is clearly working in her favor — and she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
She says one of her proudest moments in this chapter of her career is seeing things she once dreamed of finally come to life. “In this business, you never know what’s gonna work or what’s gonna stick. But now I’m working with a network that really understands me — and that’s special,” she says. “I feel seen. And I’m just getting started.”
Whether she’s in the courtroom cracking jokes or catching up on rest in her own sanctuary, Ms. Pat is living proof that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of authenticity. She’s rewriting the rules in real time — on her terms, in her voice, and for her people. As she continues to turn pain into purpose, laughter into legacy, and everyday mess into must-see TV, one thing’s clear: Ms. Pat is in her prime. And we’re lucky enough to watch it unfold.
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Feature image by Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock