Kmart Australia Beauty Guide

El.f. (2) Kmart (1) Fifth Avenue (1)

Kmart has seriously improved in recent years. Having overhauled their strategy completely, they now have a smaller range of products and consistently low prices. Their cosmetics section contains a range of affordable brands, including cult favourite E.l.f. as well as usual pharmacy finds like Australis and Covergirl.

There are no tester products in the Kmart cosmetics section. All products are backed with card, so there are no open products in sight. As a result, you either have to know what you want, or be willing to take a chance on a new product.

Let's talk about E.l.f.: Kmart's stand-out brand. Makeup nerds will travel far and wide to get their hands on E.l.f. products which have been reviewed favourably by beauty gurus. The E.l.f. stand at Kmart features both the basic and studio E.l.f. lines. The studio collection is characterised by its sleek black packaging, and represents a jump in quality over their basic products. E.l.f. products can be quite hit and miss, so it is worth looking at a few online reviews ahead of time. Or, just buy a bunch of products and hope for the best- it's hard to fault a $3 liquid lipstick for failing to match the quality of a $30 lipstick.

Generic brand Nails Lips Eyes Face is not to be confused with E.l.f., though the stand is placed beside the E.l.f. products. The Nails Lips Eyes Face cosmetics are at similar or slightly lower price points. The quality is not as high as that of E.l.f., though they represent good value if you want to get some new and cheap colours into your makeup collection.

Fifth Avenue is another Kmart house brand which has made a few ripples in the beauty blogging world. With shiny, luxurious packaging, you would be forgiven for thinking the Fifth Avenue brand belongs somewhere a little more upmarket. Like E.l.f., the products range from bang-for-your-buck to cheap-and-nasty. They are a little cheaper than E.l.f., with everything priced at $10 or under.

For the cheapest makeup at Kmart, try youthful brand Lol (Lots of Love). You can pick up foundations, mascaras, lip glosses and more for a few dollars apiece. This brand is most suitable for those first learning how to use makeup.

Kmart seems to be slowly phasing out well-known brands for their own versions. Face of Australia used to be a Kmart mainstay, but has now been replaced by their own generic makeup lines.