Skincare and Snakes? Ulta Beauty Shoppers Interrupted When a Venomous Snake Slithered by The Brow Bar

Ready to return to retail shopping after COVID? Maybe, think again. Ulta Beauty shoppers and employees were subject to a random, venomous snake encounter on Tuesday. Just when you thought you'd never need a better reason to stick to browsing online.

The Ulta Beauty, located in Owensboro, Kentucky, saw parts of the store self-evacuated by terrified patrons who witnessed a large, black snake slither down one of the aisles. Apparently, it was first spotted by the store's Benefit Brow Bar by an employee. From there, authorities were called and the snake was removed safely from the cosmetics store.

Five firefighters assisted in removing the snake, along with a pest control team, according to Tristate Homepage. There's no telling where the snake is now. What's known, though, is that the snake was likely a venomous, non-native species.

A local wildlife rescue team told Ulta employees the snake was a red-bellied black snake. This kind of snake is venomous and deadly to humans, though most recipients of the snake bite don't die, according to the Australian Museum. Instead, hospitalization will likely occur if the snake bites a person. Instead of being prompted to attack, red-bellied black snakes are known to flee to safety before submitting to a brawl, so the chances of being bitten aren't too high if the person doesn't start the fight.

Despite being native to Australia, red-bellied black snakes can be found throughout Kentucky according to the University of Kentucky. The university also claims that some of the species are non-venomous.

The good news about the Ulta encounter is no one was hurt, and from the red-bellied black snake evaluations, it seems unlikely in any circumstance, the snake would have acted out without provocation. It may have just been looking for a new mascara, like the rest of the shoppers.

Somehow, spotting snakes in public or personal spaces isn't as isolated as you may think. Earlier this week, a 10-foot-long snake was found hiding on a woman's porch. Granted, it did take place in Australia, where snakes are much more common. But other encounters, like this little boy who found one of the world's most deadly snakes in his Ireland backyard, have us questioning when we'll be the random character in an unlikely snake encounter.