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In the two years since Colourpop launched, it’s gone on to conquer Instagram with more than 2 million followers. Now the affordable indie beauty brand is attempting world domination by launching international shipping today.
The Southern California cosmetics company will ship its $6 lip glosses and $5 gel eye liners ship across the globe, with the exception of Turkey and China. International shoppers can expect their orders to ship within 10 to 12 days, and the shipping rates vary from country to country.
International shipping seems to be an obstacle for beauty start-ups — Glossier, for example, currently only ships to all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
But ColourPop, one of the buzziest indie brands (Kylie drama notwithstanding), has been able to go global. While ColourPop international fans have anxiously awaited the chance to get their hands on products, some shoppers weren’t happy about the shipping fees and expressed their displeasure on Instagram and Facebook.
“$25 shipping ruins the whole budget friendly cosmetics line thing... Even Kylie's shipping is cheaper,” minichellex wrote on Instagram. “How can you complain about the shipping when all the products are already so inexpensive???” jaquelynnnxhp countered.
Racked reached out to ColourPop about the international shipping costs, and a rep confirmed that there is no flat rate shipping; costs associated are based on location and weight of the package, though it doesn’t vary by product.
In addition, the shipping rates are bracketed, meaning there's a small price range associated with the weight of the packaging, so you'd be able to add to your cart without paying more per item.
Thanks to the power of Instagram/YouTube/Tumblr, cult beauty brands have been able to go viral, and ColourPop taking its business international proves how widespread this phenomenon really is.