Kmart Makeup Is A Thing And We Tested It Out To See If It's Worth Your Money

Would $2 lipstick actually last a full day?

If you're anything like us, you're probably someone who loves makeup but doesn't have a whole lot of cash to spend on it.

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There's nothing wrong with being budget friendly, especially when some simple makeup products can set you back $20 or more.

So when we heard about OXX, Kmart's incredibly affordable makeup line, we just had to test it out to see if the products were any good.

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Most OXX products retail from $2-$10 which is an absolute bargain!

1. Primer

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Isha used the Hydrating Studio Primer ($6) and Jemima tried the Studio Brightening Primer ($8).

Isha: Since I have dry skin, I love products that moisturise my face. But this Hydrating Primer felt very heavy and oily, which made it slightly difficult to blend out. It did leave my skin feeling very soft, but I don’t think this would be my favourite primer in the morning.

Jemima: I tried the Brightening Primer because I wanted something that would make me a bit more glowy and wake up my face. I didn't love the texture - it was a bit slimy and I’m more used to a primer that soaks into my skin and makes it soft. It feels more like a sunscreen.

2. Foundation

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Isha used the OXX Studio Foundation in Honey ($6) and Jemima tried the OXX Studio Foundation in Beige ($6).

Isha: Although the foundation had a thick consistency, it blended like a dream. The coverage is on the medium side, but is buildable if you prefer a more glam look. I think this would be a great product for my everyday makeup routine. It also lasted well throughout the day considering how oily my skin can get.

Jemima:The foundation was pretty much a perfect match for my skin, which I was impressed with as I selected it online. I don’t normally wear foundation (I’m a BB cream gal), but when I do, I like it to look like I’m not wearing any at all. I found that this foundation kind of sits on top of my face, rather than blending into my skin. It left me a little shinier than I’d like, as well.

3. Concealer

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Isha and Jemima used the OXX Studio Concealer in Nude ($3).

Isha: Like the foundation, the concealer was creamy and easy to blend out. The colour was perfect for my under eye circles, but I would have preferred a slightly darker shade for my other blemishes. Unfortunately that was the darkest they go, which is something to note if you've got a darker skin tone.

Jemima: The concealer is light but blends really well with the foundation. I think it’s a good option for day-to-day coverage, but if I was doing a full glam look with a whole face of makeup, I’d want something heavier.

4. Makeup sponge

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Isha and Jemima used the OXX Makeup Blender ($3).

Isha: This is an obvious dupe for the OG Beauty Blender, and at $3 it is a STEAL. While using it, I did find that the sponge has a very firm shape, which makes it slightly difficult to spread your makeup evenly. It's still good enough for me though!

Jemima: I’m not a Beauty Blender user normally, so I don’t have much to compare this to. I found the sponge to be a little too hard, and didn’t do a very good job of spreading the makeup properly across my face. It kinda just plopped it on the surface without blending it in.

5. Pressed Powder

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Isha used the OXX Studio Powder in Dark ($5) and Jemima tried the OXX Studio Powder in Translucent ($6).

Isha: There's not much to fault about this powder. It gave my skin a nice, matte look which what I usually prefer. The only downside was that there was a lot of fallout when I swirled my brush in the pan.

Jemima: I tried the translucent setting powder. It made my skin matte, which I love. But it also made me look like a ghost, which I don’t love. It’s a little too light and doesn’t blend in like it should.

6. Eyeshadow

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Michelle and Sohan used the OXX Studio Berry Collection Eyeshadow Palette ($10).

Michelle: This palette wasn’t my favourite. I had to ditch my brushes and apply with my fingers to get the pay off I wanted. Though I do think it would make a great gift for someone starting out with makeup for the first time.

Sohan: I had to apply these colours with my finger and really layer them a few times, otherwise they were very faded and didn’t pop on my skin. I LOVE the colours though, and it’s easy to blend – I just wish it was more pigmented.

7. Eyeliner

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Michelle used the OXX Studio Wind Up Eyeliner Pen in Black ($4) and Sohan tried the OXX Studio Liquid Eyeliner ($4).

Michelle: I used the eyeliner pen, which was like a kohl pencil with a smudger at one end. It was very smooth and creamy and it matched the look I was going for, giving a softer, smoked-out wing and line.

Sohan: I liked the liquid eyeliner. It was super easy to apply and looks sharp when it dried out. It did sting a bit on my lid but that feeling went away really quickly.

8. Mascara

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Michelle used the OXX Studio Lengthening Mascara ($6) in Black and Sohan tried the OXX Studio Volumising Mascara in Black ($6).

Michelle: I grabbed the lengthening mascara and it did a good job at making my lashes longer. I normally layer different types of mascara to get the look I want, but I reckon this would be perfect for a more natural look.

Sohan: This mascara was really good! It didn’t clump at all when applying, and you can keep it chill or really layer it on for a dramatic look. I’d definitely use this again.

9. Eyebrows

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Isha and Sohan used the OXX Studio Auto Brow Pencil in Black ($3).

Isha: I found the brow pencil difficult to apply. The colour itself was too dark for my brows; I usually use a cool-toned brown but the only other colours available were Light and Medium. Whenever I tried to blend the product, I ended up smudging it. But if you have some concealer on hand to tidy up, this would probably work well.

Sohan: If you know how to do eyebrows well, you can definitely make this work. Although – it really doesn’t apply smoothly. It smudges a lot and it’s hard to blend out a gradient on the inner part of the eyebrow. Throughout the day it also got really greasy and would wipe off with no effort.

10. Lipstick

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Jemima used the OXX Matte Liquid Lipstick in Hawaii ($2) and Isha tried the OXX Matte Liquid Lipstick and Lip Liner in Plum ($5).

Jemima: I am a real Red Lipstick Bitch. I think I own at least fifteen different shades and styles. I tried out Hawaii, which is a really nice bright red. The brush isn’t amazing - it’s a little hard to apply neatly, but the product goes on pretty well and I only had to apply one coat. It's such a good red colour, it's not too blue but not too orange which I love. Its staying power is pretty amazing. Because I only needed a thin coat, as it dried it didn’t get flaky or crumbly, and stayed on for hours like a lip stain, even through lunch. Very, very impressive for a $2 lipstick.

Isha: I was drawn to the Matte Liquid Lipstick Kit as it looked like a possible dupe for a Kylie Lip Kit. While the colour of the lipliner was nice, I found that I had to press down quite hard to get it to show up nicely. The lipstick itself was a GORGEOUS colour that dried down very quickly and very matte. Because of that it felt slightly uncomfortable on the lips, but it was nothing to complain about. It even lasted through a greasy pizza lunch, so I give it my tick of approval!

11. Blush

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Michelle used the OXX Studio Powder Blush in Peony ($5) and Isha tried the OXX Studio Powder Blush in Dusty Rose ($5).

Michelle: This blush looked so aggressive in the package but with a light touch and some blending, it turned out really nice. I reckon I’d use this again in the future.

Isha: Like Michelle, I was nervous about the blush being super pigmented. But after applying it to my cheeks, I was pleased with the subtle rosy colour it gave me. The only downside was the amount of fallout, but it's a small negative considering that this blush is only $5.

12. Bronzer

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Michelle and Isha used the OXX Studio Be Bronzer in Sunrise ($5).

Michelle: I normally use a matte bronzer but this one was filled with shimmer. The shimmer surprisingly just gave me a nice, glowy look and a few people in the office commented on how I looked “radiant” and “dewy”. Unfortunately the actual colour of the bronzer itself didn’t show up all that much once I blended it out.

Isha: The bronzer was packaged really nicely, so I was excited to use it! But once I swatched it on my wrist, I was slightly disappointed to see how shimmery and orange-toned the product was. After applying it, I couldn’t notice a huge difference either.

13. Highlighter

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Michelle used the OXX Face Powder Highlight in Just Peachy ($2) and Isha tried the OXX Face Powder Highlight in Ice Queen ($2).

Michelle: The highlighter looked like such a nice colour in the packet but it was kind of…lumpy when I swatched it? After I scratched the top layer of glitter off a bit, and blended it onto my cheeks, top lip, inner corner and brow bone, it did make me look quite glowy.

Isha: Tbh, I didn’t have high hopes for this highlighter. The packaging made it look dull and there didn’t seem to be a large amount of glitter or shimmer in the product. But when I swatched it on my wrist, I was pleasantly surprised at the gorgeous gold colour it gave. Unfortunately the colour payoff wasn’t as good on my face, but it’s still a pretty colour that you could layer.

14. Setting Spray

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Isha and Jemima used the OXX Studio Finish Setting Spray ($5).

Isha: The OXX spray felt super refreshing to apply and I feel like it did make my makeup last longer. My face usually starts getting shiny around lunch time, but with the setting spray my makeup was still looking pretty decent.

Jemima: I have never used setting spray in my life, but apparently this is supposed to stop me getting shiny? Usually when I wear cheaper makeup, I do get oily after a couple of hours. I was pretty impressed that this spay actually stopped that from happening. I’m not sure if it would withstand a sweaty nightclub, but for a normal day it worked perfectly.

So, what's our overall verdict?

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While Kmart's OXX line is very affordable, there were some hits and misses. But because the products are so cheap, it's a great way to experiment with makeup, especially if you're a beginner who doesn't have cash to spare. With that being said, there's isn't a huge shade range in the foundations, concealers, powders and brow products.

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All prices are quoted in Australian dollars and were correct at the time of publishing.

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