Why everyone is obsessed with ColourPop Cosmetics
And how you can get their cult eyeshadows in Australia
ColourPop is often referred to as the most mysterious makeup brand on Instagram. It launched in 2014 and became so popular so quickly, and was so cheap, the Internet got suspicious. But five years on, it’s clear that this makeup brand has earned its loyal following because its products are great and you can’t beat those prices.
As you can guess by its name, these guys specialise in colourful makeup. And boy do their formulas pop. If you’ve ever struggled to find eyeshadows that have enough wow factor, then you haven’t tried a ColourPop one.
If you’re curious about the brand, from how it started to which products are must-haves and how to buy ColourPop in Australia, we’ve got the full rundown on this cult makeup brand.
The ColourPop story
Founded by brother and sister John and Laura Nelson, the story behind ColourPop is pretty simple: They wanted to make makeup that had the feel and performance of a luxe product, at super affordable prices. It all began with 31 shades of eyeshadow. Using beauty influencers to get the word out, their cult following is all thanks to social media - and products that are actually buzzworthy. ColourPop has also always been 100 per cent cruelty-free.
Cool to know: Every step of making ColourPop’s products happens under the one roof in Southern California. The lab, manufacturing, testing and safety, packaging and retail are all handled in-house, which helps them keep their prices nice and budget-friendly.
The Kylie Cosmetics conspiracy
When Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics brand launched, it didn’t take long for the beauty savvy Internet to notice the similarities between the two. Rumours started circulating that Kylie Cosmetics products were rebranded versions of ColourPop. Well, it turns out the two brands are linked, but they’re not knockoffs of one another. ColourPop and Kylie Cosmetics are sister companies who both belong to Seed Beauty and are manufactured by Spatz Laboratories (which John and Laura Nelson’s father bought in 1989). However, they don’t use the same formulas - Kylie has full creative control of her products and ColourPop does its own thing, too. Kim Kardashian’s KKW Beauty and newly-launched Tati Beauty by mega influencer Tati Westbrook are also under the Seed Beauty umbrella.
ColourPop’s most popular products
Some of ColourPop’s best products are the Nude Mood Shadow Palette ($14 at ColourPop Cosmetics) (it has a five-star rating on ColourPop’s website); the OG Super Shock Shadows ($12 at ColourPop Cosmetics) (these creme-powder eyeshadows come in over 60 highly-pigmented shades); and the Super Shock Highlighter ($8 at ColourPop Cosmetics) (they have over 800 five-star reviews on ColourPop’s site and more than 13,500 reviews on Influenster! The icy champagne shade Flexitarian is one of the brand’s best-selling highlighters).
Who will love ColourPop?
Colourful makeup fans, bargain hunters and anyone wanting to try the latest makeup trends will fall hard for this makeup brand.
Here are just four more things to love about ColourPop:
#1 / Its extensive colour range
Think of a colour, any colour, and ColourPop probably have it in an eyeshadow or lip product. All of ColourPop’s products pack a punch when it comes to colour payoff - one swipe is all you need. While the brand earned its stripes with its single eyeshadow pots, these days the eyeshadow palettes are where this makeup brand really shines - because you get so much bang for your buck and there’s a colour range to suit everyone. You can even build your own palettes. There are over 130 shades to choose from, from matte to metallic and everything on the colour spectrum.
#2 / Its foundation shade finder
Because ColourPop is basically all online, it can be hard to figure out the right shade for your skin tone. So what they’ve done is created a ‘shade finder’ section on their website. For some of their base makeup products, they have photos of women (and even some men!) wearing each shade, so you get a sense of whether it’s going to work for you. They also note whether a shade suits warm, neutral or cool tones. Their extensive shade ranges are impressive, too. You’ll find 20+ shades in each of their concealers and foundations.
#3 / There’s no shortage of ColourPop swatches to help you decide on a shade
It’s not easy choosing makeup colours from a computer screen, so we rely heavily on swatches to help us decide. And thankfully, people love sharing their ColourPop swatches on Instagram. The hashtag #colourpopswatches has over 14,000 posts and counting!
#4 / The prices
The Super Shock Shadows cost just US$6 and an eyeshadow palette with nine shades goes for US$12 on average. Liquid lipsticks cost about US$8, lipsticks are US$7.50 and a new foundation won’t set you back more than US$14!
Where to buy ColourPop in Australia?
Sadly, there are no ColourPop stockists in Australia (or at least, no legit ones). ColourPop *only* sells their products via their own website and Ulta in the US and Canada. But you can buy directly from ColourPop’s website.
Does ColourPop ship to Australia?
It does! ColourPop offers international shipping to most countries and Australia is one of them.
How long does ColourPop take to ship to Australia?
The expected shipping time is about 10 to 21 business days.
How much does it cost to ship to Australia?
The shipping cost is a flat rate of USD$9.99, but if you spend over USD$50 (LBH, that’s very likely - it’s *tough* picking just a few colours from their insane range), you’ll earn yourself free shipping.
The ColourPop dupes you can buy here in Australia?
ColourPop is a bit of Fenty Beauty, Urban Decay and Too Faced rolled into one, but at Priceline prices. So if you don’t want to order their stuff online, you can find a few products similar to ColourPop cosmetics in Australia from those brands at Sephora and MECCA. Finding ones at a similar price point is the tricky part, but we’ve found a couple of drugstore ColourPop dupes worth checking out if your budget is tight:
The ColourPop product: ColourPop Jelly Much Shadow (US$8 at ColourPop Cosmetics)
The dupe: Maybelline New York Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Eyeshadow (AU$5.97 at Chemist Warehouse)
The ColourPop product: ColourPop Foundation Stix (US$10 at ColourPop Cosmetics)
The dupe: Revolution Fast Base Stick Foundation (AU$3.50 at Makeup Revolution)
The ColourPop product: ColourPop Ultra Glossy Lip (US$7 at ColourPop Cosmetics)
The dupe: Australis GRLBOSS High Shine Lip Gloss (AU$14.95 at Australis)
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Main image credit: @colourpopcosmetics / @rowisingh
Chelsea is BEAUTYcrew’s Contributing Editor. She has a sweet spot for anything that claims to make skin glow and won’t leave the house without a slick of mascara. Chelsea has 10 years of experience as a beauty editor and her words can be found on BEAUTYcrew, Women’s Health, Daily Addict, The Joye and Primped.
