Custom Domain Dramas! :(

For the past two days I've been trying to switch my blog over to a custom domain, as it's not working, and I can't even switch it back to blogspot.com, I'm here for the next while!

I'm not entirely sure why this is happening, I've done everything correct on my end, I think it's the other end where everything is messing up!

Much love x

P.S Go and check me out on instagram @maeauroramua - I'll be having a giveaway at 500 followers and I'm nearly there x

DIY Brush Cleanser

So I usually just buy a cheap brush cleanser from kmart, or priceline, but after figuring out how much it was costing me (not to mention I never like the smell of the bought brush cleansers) I decided to make my own (and of course, if I was going to make my own, I'd make it Snow Fairy scented! (And pink!)).

For this you'll need -

• A small spray bottle, these can be bought from places like chemist warehouse, or dollar stores for nearly nothing. 
• Isopropyl alcohol. I bought mine from the moulding and casting shop (AMC Supplies) that I buy my SFX makeup gear at, I bought 99%, but you can get it from chemist warehouse, or priceline in 50%, which just means it doesn't evaporate quite as fast
• Some kind of body wash, or soap. I used Lush's Snow Fairy, which is christmas seasonal, so you can't currently buy it. It'll be back in stores for christmas in July so I've heard! 
• A funnel. Just a small kitchen one, the last thing you want is to end up standing in a puddle of iso alcohol cause you thought you could pour it and then it didn't turn out so well!

1. Firstly, I filled my spray bottle with the iso alcohol, I used a funnel to do this to make sure I didn't spill it (I'm accident prone!) I filled mine to the height which you can see in my first picture. 
2. I then squirted a 20 cent size amount of the snow fairy into the cleanser. You can add more, or less depending on how strong you want the smell of the snow fairy to be. Make sure you shake it well! :) 
3. You can also add a little water if the smell of the alcohol is still too strong for you! 

I decided to use the Australis neon crush bronzer, and my favourite brush from Furless Cosmetics to show how well this works! 

It's not too easy to tell but I really loaded the brush up with bronzer, and I didn't shake any of it off or anything. 

I used tissues for this, but you can also use a small towel, or paper towels. I spray two squirts on the tissue, so it's damp but not wet.

Next I sprayed the brush a few times, primarily on the end. 

I wipe and twist the brush against the tissue, basically how I clean my brushes when I wash them with water and brush shampoo! 

As you can see, all remnants of the products are gone. I also recommend deep cleaning your brushes once a week, especially if you use your brushes for creams, or liquid foundations. This cleanser will get rid of the bacteria and nasties but it's still a good idea to wash your brushes properly frequently so they last as long as possible!

Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag!

So today is Thursday! *cheers* Which is my last day at uni for this week. I got home, and felt like doing a tag, so I googled 'Beauty Blogger Tag', and found this 'Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag' on From Head To Toe.

Questions & Answers: 
1. Name a beauty routine you barely do.
Lipstick. I honestly never ever wear lipstick, which could be a good thing, because I always stop at the Yves Saint Laurent stand and look at the pretty packaging and I think I'd be in hundreds of dollars of debt if I wore lipstick because I'd buy ALLLL of the YSL ones.

2. Is washing your brushes something that you regularly do?
Yep. I tend to wash them properly with a shampoo and water once a week, more if I'm doing sfx stuff and get any dark shadows, or paints on my brushes. I also spot clean them after every use with the ELF brush cleaning spray.

3. How long do you last with chipped nail varnish?
Depends on how busy I am, sometimes (like this past week) I can last for nearly a whole week with some chips, but other weeks I can't stand it and repaint them immediately. At the moment I've been using the Fuse Gelnamel system a lot and I find this works really well for me because it does. not. chip.

4. How often do you put off buying/replacing a beauty item or nail polish, even if you need it? 
Not very long. That being said, I have so much makeup that I have been pretty good about not buying too much more lately. Unless there's a sale. 

5. What is your worst beauty habit? 
Definitely not giving my face enough 'days off' from heavy makeup each week, which is something I'm trying to get better at. I'm lucky to have very clear skin, especially in conparison to my sister who doesn't, I just got lucky. But I tend to wear foundation nearly every day, which is bad for my pores and such, even though I clean my face morning and night and moisturise a lot too. I've been trying to swap my fave foundation for a bb cream instead some days, or even just concealer and a powder like the Australis Fresh and Flawless powder!

6. Name something non-beauty related that you tend to put off all the time.
Cleaning my room. Guilty as charged.

7. When going out somewhere do you leave getting ready until the last-minute or not? 
Last minute without a doubt! 

8. Can you commit to spending bans?
Nope! I've never done one. Basically if I have no money though ( basically always because I'm a student ) I don't buy things I don't need. 

9. How organised is your make up and nail polish collection?
Very. Organised. I have a train case for all my sfx makeup ( this includes my Makeup For Ever foundations, and my Inglot foundations ) and then I have an acrylic case for my palettes, foundations, polishes etc. a little glass that I keep mascaras in, and a little box for powders and bronzers, and then I keep my expensive palettes such as my Inglot custom palette and my Kat Von D one in a drawer safe and sound! (I should really do a makeup collection post! 

10. What is the longest time you have gone without writing a blog post?
Probably around a week! usually only when I'm busy with life will I not write any posts! I love blogging and nothing could keep me away! 

I would like to tag ANYONE reading this to do it, it's always fun to fill out a tag!
I'd like to specifically tag - Lipstick Addiction , Confessions-ofamakeupaddict , Katina Lindaa ! I've been loving these three blogs at the moment so you should go and check them out! 

Also - Go and check out my instagram @maeauroramua, I'll be having a giveaway when I hit 500 followers x 

*picture sourced from -snob.tumblr.com/*

Review : Eco Care Facial Wipes

 I've been on a search forever for some decent face wipes, I don't use them often but when I'm feeling too lazy to completely clean my face before bed (every once in a blue moon) I do love to use these wipes. I've been using them for a straight week now every night and I adore them. 

I've tried many face wipes, australis, swisspers, garnier, and none of them really ever 'did' it for me. These wipes however are really nice. They have quite a strong apple smell to them, but it dies down substantially when the packet has been opened and resealed once or twice. 

They did a really efficent job of taking off ALL of my makeup, including waterproof mascara, and pesky eyeliner that's sometimes hard to get entirely off.

The packaging is gorgeous, and I love the tiny butterfly next to the resealable opening. The packaging also has all the information you could ever dream of needing on it (below) and the wipes are even biodegradable which makes me feel 100 times better about using them. They're also made for sensitive skin so they're suitable for everyone, since they're only made using natural ingredients they're not going to harm you over time.

These are available for purchase for $7.90 AUD with FREE shipping and handling which is amazing, you can get them from  http://misspearlstore.myshopify.com/ and they're certainly worth a purchase! 

*this product was sent to me for review*

Chanel Cruise Show 2014

What. A. Show.

Karl always likes his cruise shows to be set up against an exotic background and Dubai was the perfect location, giving the show an automatic breezy holiday feel to it. 

The guests arrived via. Boat to the location, setting the tone in true chanel style. I always love was Tilda Swinton wears, she's so tall, slim and fair and can pull off honestly anything, especially dark tones like what she rocked up wearing today. 

Model Charlotte Free set off the show, looking gorgeous as always with her pastel pink hair. She's truly deserving of being the opening model as she's worked hard to get where she is and she isn't at all 'typical' looking. 

The whole show contained a very tribal, bold look to it, perfect for a cruise, and I really hope that these interesting prints and bright colours are going to be big over the next few months. 

I also hope that the big sixties style hair comes back into fashion, nothing quite as great as a great big messy hairstyle with minimal accessories. 

The makeup was amazing as well, with the continuation of minimal face makeup, and lips, with bold dark eyes, and emphasised brows. I'm thinking of recreating a few looks because I love them so much, let me know what you think in the comments below! :) x 

What's in My Bag!

I've always adored reading Whats in My Bag YouTube videos, and reading blog posts, I don't know why! So I've decided to make my own! 

This is what I generally take to university. 

Starting in the top left corner and going counter clockwise, I take - 

- Water! I always take water. I seriously hate buying water because it's so damn expensive. 

- I also usually carry my laptop, it's an apple MacBook Pro and I SWEAR by it. It is amazing. 

-Usually I take my Australis Fresh & Flawless powder, it's the only thing i need to touch up my makeup throughout the day, and it really does keep my makeup flawless. 

- I always take 100,000,000 lip balms too, I love them haha. At the moment I've got the Sportsgirl Smooth Operator Paw Paw cream, which I love, the taste is a little strong, but I can look past it because of how good it works. I also love Maybelline New York Baby Lips. 

- Wet Ones are basically a staple to life. I catch the train so I always carry these because the train isn't exactly the cleanest place on earth.

- I got my wallet from Sportsgirl it was on sale for 4.95, it was super cheap and it works really well. It carries everything I need!

-Down the bottom is also a brochure from Benefit Cosmetics, about their brow services because I dropped in there to see how much everything cost! 

- Also take my glasses (in the black case) and my note book and pencil case! I also always take my impulse body spray in Very Pink.

-At the moment I'm busy reading Miss Vogue everywhere I go. It's the greatest magazine and you should probably head out to a newsagent right now and grab it!

-Lastly I always take my phone. I have an iPhone 4s and the case on it right now is one that I got on sale from Colette by Colette Hayman. 

Phew, that was long. If you've made it this far thank you for reading! Leave me a comment below with what kinda stuff you've got in your bag! 

xx :) 

Review: Frank Body Scrub

Yesterday in the mail I received my order from Frank Coffee Scrub, I ordered their original scrub, which has brown sugar and sea salt, sweet almond oil, and orange essence combined with of course coffee to create probably the greatest smelling body scrub I have ever smelt. I let my sister smell it and she said that it smelt like raspberry chocolate bullets, and coffee - which I totally agree with.

I have sensitive skin, and I've been having trouble with dryness lately so I was worried that this would take more moisture out of my skin and leave me feeling worse than before, but I tried it anyway, and the second I rinsed it off (after leaving it for the recommended 5-10 minutes) I was amazed by how smooth it really made my skin. 

This kind of product, while it feels rough to use while you're actually applying it encourages cell turn over, therefore making your skin heaps smoother over time. I would recommend this product to anyone and everyone, because it would work well on all skin types. 

You can head over to http://au.frankbody.com/ and grab your own for $14.95, with free postage too! 

x

*This is not a sponsored post, I bought this with my own money!*

Review: Garnier Micellar Cleansing water.

There's been mixed reviews all across the internet regarding this product, some people rave, some people hate. And after all, it is a beauty product, so opinions are going to be different depending on each and every person. 

I myself have never used the much praised Bioderma Micellar Water, as a uni student, I'm always going to have to go for the cheaper product, and though I want to try the Bioderma cleanser I just can't justify that much. So when the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water ($11.99 AUD for 400ml's) I was super happy. I purchased it when it was on sale at Coles for $8.00 so you can quite frequently get it cheaper.

This removed all my makeup, including liquid eyeliner, foundation, mascara, the lot. It also does an extremely good job at cleaning off lipstick. 

It doesn't dry out my skin too much, which is a total plus for me. And it helps put moisture back in my skin if anything. 

I think this is worth a try, the price means that even if it doesn't work for you, you're really not wasting money. I'll be buying this again for sure! 

Lipstick Republic haul!

A few weeks ago I ordered some stuff off the amazing store that is Lipstick Republic, and this morning I finally received it! 

This was what I received! Inside the post bag in it's own little zip lock bag with lots of little paper worms :) 

I bought a Sugarpill sticker cause I'm a sucker for how cute and sweet it looks! I think I'm going to put this on my makeup case! 

They also sent me a Concrete Minerals sticker! Also cute, also probably going to put it on my makeup case! 

This is the Sugarpill Shadow I bought, it's the loose eyeshadow ($12.00 AUD). I was surprised at how big the actual pot is, it contains heaps of product. This is in Tiara.

Left is with an eyelid primer underneath, and right without. I only used a tiny bit of product, it was so incredibly pigmented. 

I also got the Concrete Minerals loose powder shadow ($8.00 AUD), in Sabotage. This is a really deep, rich purpley black colour, depending on what light you look at it in. You get quite a lot of product in this as well, it was a pleasant surprise. 

Left is with a base, right is without! 

This site is totally worth buying some things off! I plan on doing a much larger haul in the near future. You can use the code AuroraSFX10 at the checkout for 10 percent off. 

*this is not a sponsored post, I purchased these products myself*

The Great Cruelty Free Debate

When I heard a while back that Tarte had been sold to Kose, a non-cruelty free parent company, I was totally annoyed. I've always wanted to try Tarte, and at that point I was still vowing to use up the remainder of my products from brands who're owned by 'evil parent companies' and the such, in turn for buying makeup purely from smaller cruelty free vegan brands.

And then I came across a blog post from mybeautybunny which totally changed my mind. Many brands these days are owned by these big 'mean' parent companies, but that's just what happens within a capatalistic society, it's the way that it (unfortunately) works. 

mybeautybunny says - 

"Here’s another way to look at it. I shop at Sephora and ULTA. They carry many cruelty free brands and many brands that are NOT cruelty free. Sephora’s house brand is sold in China, and therefore, not cruelty free. That doesn’t mean I will stop shopping there. I will purchase the cruelty free brands, and hopefully (we will) show Sephora and ULTA (and other stores) that there is a strong consumer demand for cruelty free products. If you’re vegan, do you avoid grocery stores that sell meat? I doubt it. But you’re still putting money into the hands of the grocers who do sell meat. Same thing. You can’t live in a bubble. There’s no way to live a perfect life."

This reminded me of working at Typo last year, at my induction they said that while they're a part of the Cotton On Group, they're trying to break away and have more of their own identity, however, they're still owned by Cotton On because they're not big enough to survive on their own. 

Now I know that you can say that you can live without makeup, you CHOOSE to buy it. But you also choose to purchase food from a supermarket that may also sell meat, and you're therefore inadvertently supporting animal cruelty that way. 

Brands such as Rimmel London, and the Body Shop are indeed owned by larger parent companies, but the brands both claim to be cruelty free to the highest degree possible

Then there's the implication of law in certain countries. Brands such as MAC no longer guarantee to be cruelty free due to the current laws in China, and whilst I wish China would not ask for animal testing, if MAC stopped selling their products in my country (Australia - if it was to bring in a law mandating animal testing) I would be frustrated as MAC is one of the most highly regarded makeup brands in a MUA's arsenal and many clients like to see well known and well trusted brands such as MAC.
So while it bothers me, I can see that if I were a makeup artist working in China, while I would not agree with the rules, I would be glad that I still had access to the products. 

Then you also need to look at the good work MAC has actually done, such as it's Viva La Glam work, supporting AIDS research. The MAC AIDS foundation has raised a whopping $295,000,000 usd since 1994 which is amazing work, and has benefitted many people. 

Overall, it's each to their own, but there's no need to feel guilty for purchasing something owned by a parent company. Perhaps swap your favourite Maybelline mascara for an australis one next time, or maybe buy a Formula 10.0.6 moisturiser rather than a Loreal one next time.  

If you're making half an effort more than you were this time last year, you're doing well. 

Keep on supporting the outlawing of animal testing and let me know YOUR opinion on this below in the comments section! 

*I know you may disagree, this is merely my own opinion*

Favourite Aussie Drugstore Products!

I love Maybelline baby lips! These balms do exactly what they claim, they make your lips softer than you could believe and you can even buy them with a slight tint. They also only retail for around $4

I use this concealer (Rimmel London's Wake Me Up Concealer) as a highlighter, and it works wonderfully! It's got amazing coverage and leaves a not too dewy finish! I love it. It retails for $14.95 which is a steal considering how long it lasts. 

I also love this mascara (Maybelline New York The Colossal Volum Mascara), it works well, and doesn't dry up. The wand is quite big too so it's easy to get volume and length. It retails for $19.95

This is my favorite liquid eyeliner (Australis Eyeliner), the brush is small so it's quite easy to get winged eyeliner even! It retails for $10.95 

These two are my favourite foundations, on the left is Rimmel London's Wake Me Up Foundation (in True Ivory) this really does wake you up, it makes your skin glow and I LOVE it. It's a little more pricey at $19.95.
On the right is the Maybelline Dream Pure BB cream (in fair) I like to mix this with the Wake Me Up foundation to make it a little lighter so it matches my skin tone :) It has 2% Salicylic Acid so it also keeps your skin clear. It retails for $15.95

These are my favourite powders! I love the Australis Pressed powder and it's a steal at $11.95 and everyone should own one of these! 

My favourite bronzer is also from australis, it's the perfect shade, and I hate that it's only a limited edition! It's still available for around $8 as part of australis' Neon Crush range.

Until next time! xx 

Review : Furless Cosmetics

A while back Furless Cosmetics followed me on instagram and I immediately went to check out their website.

Being a vegan who’s religiously against animal cruelty in cosmetics I immediately fell in love with their huge range of cruelty free makeup brushes. They have anything you could possibly need, from professional brushes to little three brush sets perfect for popping in your bag for a day out.

They came perfectly packaged, in a little brown postage bag and got here in only a day (fast postage is something which makes me a very happy person). And all of them were in little plastic individual sleeves.

This brush is from their professional range, it’s the Must Have Professional Stippling brush. The quality compared to my other brush like this is INSANE. It’s so good. It’s very dense, and the bristles are incredibly soft, I’ve used this for the past week to put on powder/bronzer etc and it hasn’t failed me yet. I much prefer it to my old one of these which is a lot more sparse, and isn’t anywhere as soft as this one.

This is their Black Beauty Powder brush, when I saw this I pulled it out of the package and immediately ran to try it. This is honestly my favorite brush I have ever used. It’s perfectly dense, so I’ve been using it for not only powder but also blending my foundation/BB cream and it gives a flawless finish - so much so that I’ve had comments this past week on how incredible my skin looks. I seriously recommend this for everyone - professionals and otherwise.

This one’s their Purple Fluffy Eyeshadow brush. It’s the perfect size to pick up just enough product (and actually is a lot better than brushes I own as it makes it harder to cover your cheek in fall out), and it’s also perfect for blending. It really is fluffy, and I honestly love this one too!

And last but not least is their Perfectly Pink Angled Liner brush. I’ve been using this for the past week to fill in my brows and it’s compact enough to get a really strong line which I love since I’ve never been able to find a brush that I adore for filling in my brows! Just like the Purple Fluffy Eyeshadow brush it picks up just the perfect amount of product.

I also washed these brushes over the weekend and I found that they dried quicker than most of my other brushes, as well as drying ‘as new’ (aka they felt as nice and fluffy as when I first took them out of the packet). I also found that it was easy to get the product out that was sitting in there and I didn’t have to scrub at them for ages.

Overall, I love these brushes, they’re honestly what I’ve been looking for all of my life. I’m thinking of buying their professional set now!

You can use the code 15me for 15 percent off of your next order at http://furlesscosmetics.com.au/ also make sure to follow them on instagram @furlesscosmetics and http://facebook.com/furlesscosmetics/

*These products were sent to me to try out, this does not change my opinion in any way. This is an honest review.*

Weekly Favorites: Gaga for Versace

I've always been an avid Gaga fan, and an avid Versace fan. So when I heard the pair was pairing up I was beyond excited! After photos this week leaked of the unused (and unphotoshopped) images I was even MORE excited. She looks incredible shopped and otherwise. What's your opinion?

I adore her long blonde locks, and her minimal makeup. I'd like to recreate this look and do a tutorial on it! 

I believe that the photos are over photoshopped, but I can understand why since they appeared in such high end magazines and locations. I really believe Gaga is one of those people who doesn't need to be too heavily photoshopped to look absolutely stunning - since she's so incredibly confident in herself!