So if you haven’t heard the disappointing news, then we hate to be the ones to tell you that Lime Crime Makeup has immediately begun to cease distribution and sales from online and physical retailers in Australia. At least temporarily.
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The company has taken to their Instagram account (limecrimemakeup) to release a statement confirming that “[they] have recently embarked on a company-wide overhaul to find ways to serve our customers better, ship to you faster and stay in stock. Unfortunately, it meant temporarily pausing our Australian distribution.”
Although a relatively young brand founded in 2008 by NYC-based makeup artist, blogger and model Xenia Vorotova aka Doe Deere, Lime Crime rose to popularity through social media and its large youth audience. The brand is particularly renowned for their quirky packaging and hyped-up lip products such as their Unicorn Lipsticks and Velvetines.
Some retailers such as Lipstick Republic, Lipstik Shoes, Peppermayo, Beserk Clothing and MakeupNet are among the Australian-based online stores that will be affected by the sudden change. These stores will continue to sell Lime Crime makeup until they run out of the brand’s products, with some even offering discounts simply to clear stock.
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So what does this mean for us Aussie makeup enthusiasts? What is left from various online retailers are quickly being added to cart and checked out – a practise that I may have indulged in a bit too much over the weekend. So if you’ve been eyeing off some products from Lime Crime, there’s no better excuse then the impending fear that you may not be able to get your hands on it for a while!
While the eventual return of Lime Crime to Australia is certain, the future of the the brand’s relationship with Aussie distributors and retailers is not. A few loyal distributors of the company have expressed extreme disappointment at the abrupt cutting-of-ties especially around the Holiday Season and are reconsidering stocking the brand, even when it does hit our shores again in the future. Explanations are vague, but its no doubt that this has left a sour taste in the mouths of retailers who have supported Lime Crime’s transition to the Australian market since the beginning.
For now we’ll have to rely on the official US Lime Crime Makeup website to satisfy our cravings, even if that means forking out for shipping costs and the often long waiting times for delivery.
Images via Lime Crime
When I first heard about this decision. I was thinking another US company withdrawing from the Aussie Market to only exclusively distribute to Mecca and Kit (Bare Minerals) but reading this article and going on to Instagram and they lime crime website. This appears to be a company actually listening to the Aussie Market and trying to deliver on their promises (and allowing us to purchase product at US prices). Sephora (if they are not careful) could end up like Starbucks.