The woman behind the MODELCO + KARL LAGERFELD collection in our first Limited Edition box of 2018, is CEO and Co-Founder of ModelCo Shelley Sullivan. Shelley is a remarkable businesswoman who’s been a standout in the worlds of fashion and beauty for the past two decades.

We interviewed Shelley to find out more about the incredible collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld and her career in beauty…

MODELCO X KARL LAGERFELD

The Beginnings of ModelCo

In the 1990s, Shelley was running her own successful model and talent agency in Sydney when she identified a new opportunity in the beauty market. After working with models, makeup artists and celebrities, Shelley created a line of quality, innovative and achievable beauty products.

Q. What would be your one piece of advice to someone wanting to start their own business at 21?

A. Understand the business you are going into! Work out the funds you need to start and then double them!

Q. What made you change your focus to beauty from your model and talent agency?

A. Eight years into being a model agent I was continually listening to what my models wished they’d had in their beauty regime that all the luxury brands weren’t providing. I was also looking at the way they applied make up and tanning products and I was inspired to launch a heated eyelash curler.

Shelley’s Beauty Tips

Q. What is your go to beauty product?

A. It would have to be a tie between ModelCo More Brows and ModelCo Tan Airbrush in a Can. Groomed brows are essential for any makeup look and I always feel better when my skin looks sun-kissed and glowing. I also love ModelCo LashXtend as it is a tubular mascara and lengthens lashes to incredible heights!

Amp up your arches with More Brows! Brush on buildable volume for naturally defined looking brows ?? #ModelCo

A post shared by ModelCo (@modelco_cosmetics) on Mar 13, 2018 at 11:36pm PDT

Q. What makeup tips and tricks can you share for the Summer?

A. As the weather heats up I love to turn up my self-tan with ModelCo’s extensive range of self-tanning products. Bronzed and glowing skin is always a winner for Summer. You can pair this with a ModelCo bronzer and luminosity highlighter for a gorgeous radiant complexion.

Q. What is your best time-saving beauty hack?

A. ModelCo Tan Remover Exfoliating Soap, £5, is life changing! It takes off self-tan, exfoliates your skin and preps you for your next self-tan application within 30 seconds in the shower!

The results speak for themselves ??‍♀️?? Remove self-tan instantly with our genius innovation Tan Remover Exfoliating Soap. As seen here via @adorebeautyofficial #ModelCoTan #ModelCo

A post shared by ModelCo (@modelco_cosmetics) on Jan 21, 2018 at 3:03pm PST

Q. What are the biggest beauty faux pas do you see people making every day?

A. I feel like with the rise of the beauty blogger and YouTube ‘how to’ tutorials people are applying their makeup really well! It has helped enormously with general beauty application!

Shelley on the Beauty Industry

Q. What do you think the biggest change has been in the beauty industry since you first started ModelCo in 2002?

A. Social media has been a huge change and is hugely important to my brand. I am constantly thinking about our consumer and trying to understand what they want.

The rise of social media and the digital space means that whereas a brand used to launch a product and it would take a few months to gain traction – now, the uptake is a lot quicker. This means that as a brand you can tell very quickly if a product has been well received by consumers.

Q. So, what’s next for ModelCo?

A. Keep an eye out because ModelCo are bringing out a premium ModelCo cosmetics collection in 2019.

Don’t miss out on our Limited Edition KARL LAGERFELD + MODELCO Glossybox that’s filled with 6 incredible products worth over £115. Get yours now!

Not a GLOSSY? What are you waiting for? Subscribe from just £10 a month and get £5 off a KARL LAGERFELD + MODELCO Glossybox .

Lydia Woodward

The Queen Of Curls

I am always searching for future trends - beauty, fashion, hair, you name it! I’ve tried every foundation under the sun and love trying up-and-coming makeup brands to compare them with the big names. Variety is the spice of life and my makeup bag is definitely wide-ranging.