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! 

Review: Essence Super Fine eyeliner pen

I had such high hopes for this product, I bought it because I'd read the description on the essence website and I forgot to wear eyeliner to uni one day and I felt odd! So I popped into priceline and bought this. 

The description on the website states : 

the all-rounder amongst eyeliners! the super fine eyeliner pen is riding on the trend-waves straight out of the usa and asia! this extremely long-lasting precision eyeliner has a particularly slim felt-tip applicator ideal for creating fine, subtle eyeliner looks as well as extravagant and dramatic styles.

Now, it definitely is long lasting, they don't lie there, and the felt tip is indeed slim.
The greatest problem is how fast it dries out. After only having this product a week the end of the felt tip is already getting dry which really disappoints me.
The thicker part of the felt tip however hasn't dried out at all so it is still usable.

The other problem is the fact that it stains. When they say it is long lasting they mean long lasting. It leaves a slight mark once you've removed it with a waterproof makeup remover, which is annoying because I don't like scrubbing at my eyes to get eyeliner off.

Overall, I probably would/might purchase this product again, because of how cheap it was. If I was creating a lot of looks quickly it would be useful, or if I was learning how to do a cat eye this would also be useful (which I'm not, but I guess everyone has to learn right?)

I think this is an average dupe for the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (avaliable at Sephora), and I give it a 7/10 :)

Working on new blog posts!

Hey guys!
So i reckon I'm going to change the tone here a little, I'm going to start making more tutorials and reviews (still primarily sfx), is there anything you'd like to see?
I'm planning on doing a series of capitol looks from the Hunger Games, but I'm always looking for more ideas and I'd love to know what everyone thinks! x

TAG: The Liebster Award Tag

I was tagged by Katherine aka. http://lustthebeauty.blogspot.com/ to do the Liebster Award Tag. Basically what happens is I answer 11 beauty related questions from her, write 11 facts about myself, and then tag 11 more people!
I'm going to put my own little spin on it though, so it's more relevant to my SFX Work!

-11 questions-

1. What was it that first got you into beauty sfx makeup? Probably movies more than anything, growing up I was a huge fantasy/zombie movie nerd, and I loved makeup from a young age too so it just makes sense. In terms of being introduced to makeup it was definitely my older cousin who's responsible for that!

2. Who is your beauty SFX idol? Ve Neill. Without a doubt in the world.

3. What would you rather go without: your mascara or your brow powder/pencil? I can't live without my brows being done, so I'll go without mascara thanks! 

4. For a two week holiday, if you could only pack 4 items of makeup (not including brushes), what would they be? For myself - Wake Me Up foundation, the Australis Cosmetics Pretty Pastels Palette, MAC zoomlash mascara, and the australis Cosmetics tint my brow.
If I had to create a horde of zombies while on holidays I'd go - Fake blood, Liquid Latex, Kryolan Supracolour Wheel, and gelatin! 

5. What is your best find/holy grail makeup product? For myself - probably the tint my brow from Australis.
In terms of SFX - Kryolan Thin Latex - I love it.

6. How long does it take you to do your makeup for a) every day, and b) a night out/party? Every day probably around ten minutes, and I'm not sure for a night out! It depends how 'all out' I'm going.

7. What is your most favourite eye makeup look? Plain old liquid eyeliner cat eye! 

8. How much is your face worth? (Add up the total amount of $$ you spent on items that you use in your everyday makeup routine) About $60! :(

9. What is your go-to foundation? Rimmel London Wake Me Up :)

10. A hint or tip to give about a winged eyeliner? Practice! I wear winged eyeliner nearly every day and people always ask me how I do it, honestly it just comes down to practicing a LOT. 

11. What do you think beauty means? Not to be cliche, but personality is more 'beautiful' than having awesome looks - so being a kind person, with a nice heart is how i define beauty.

-11 Facts About Me - 

1. I'm a vegan. I've been so for around 3 years now, and I don't think I could go back! 

2. I'm a Face Off addict. I watch it every week, it's my favorite tv show :) (except for mythbusters)

3. I'm messy! I'm not 'dirty' but I'm the most unorganized person ever. 

4. I'm at Uni.

5. I love lord of the rings, the books and the films. I also love Doctor Who. I'm basically a huge sci-fi/fantasy nerd. 

6. I cut my hair short last November and I'm trying to grow it out. 

7. Unicorns are my favorite animals. 

8. I'm hoping to apply for the Ve Neill - Legends of Makeup Scholarship to Cinema Makeup School later this year! 

9. I'm really tall (nearly 6 foot) 

10. I love coffee. 

11. I want to own my own SFX workshop/business one day.

-I tag- 

Katina - http://youtube.com/katinalindaa/
Bek - http://confessionsofamake-upaddict.blogspot.com/

Honeypot Blogs - http://honeypotblogs.blogspot.com/

Laura - http://thebeautycommandments.com/

Sophie - http://sophieaussiebeauty.blogspot.com.au/

(I can't come up with 11 sorry! haha) 

Your questions are - 

1. How old were you when you began to get into beauty products? 

2. Who's your favorite beauty youtuber? 

3. Would you rather have to walk through wind, or rain when you've just finished doing your hair? 

4. Favorite eyeshadow palette of all time? 

5. What's your favorite type of eyeliner? Liquid, pencil, or otherwise?

6. What 2 beauty brushes couldn't you live without? (i.e. a powder brush/eyeshadow brush) 

7. If you were stranded on a dessert island, and you had the option to have one makeup brand come and save you, supplying you with all their products, who would you pick? 

8. Last movie you saw? 

9. Beauty icon? 

10. Favorite book?

11. Favorite coloured lipstick?

BlogLovin'

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Sydney!

Since it's IMATS in September (and Im beyond excited) I thought I'd just quickly share some of my favourite little places in Sydney! (I wish I could live there!)

This is opposite Paddy's market, it's my favorite little lane. I love getting a starbucks frappe and then going to look at the cool artwork here! 

This is from the old mono-rail station near the powerhouse - I'm totally bummed I never got to go on it! 

In the tea gardens! 

My second favorite lane! Next to the state theatre company (near all the really good clothing shops :) )

Tea garden once more! I always go here when I head to sydney, it's so peaceful!

Weekly Inspirations

It's been a few weeks since I've done this, so i thought I'd try and get back into it! 

It's the Global Face Art, Dubai, soon, and this was one of the looks created for Kryolan's competition. I love the look of this piece, the blending is beyond phenomenal, and so is the head piece. I love it!

With word of an elusive new jurassic park film being made, I couldn't help but think of all the wonderful people who put time and effort into the dinosaurs on the first films and I found this awesome photo full of all ladies working on a velociraptor! 

I'm loving Furless Cosmetics' brushes right now! I can't wait to get my hands on some of them! 

I'm loving deep red lips, whether it's in a fantasy makeup or an every day look!

I also want to get more organised! I'm thinking about ordering a acrylic makeup cube, I think first I'll go and see what Ikea has, as I've heard good things about them!

I want to create a series of Hunger Games :Capitol looks, so I'm loving crazy eyelashes right now. 

I also want to create a series of Disney looks, so I'm currently collecting reference images and the like - I love this face chart.

Last but not least - I am beyond excited for IMATS this year. I'm planning on attending and I'm planning on spending way too much money on Kryolan products cause they're gonna be there *fist pump*. I can't wait to meet some of the beauty/mua instagrammers/bloggers I've become friends with! 

*These are all my own opinions. None of these photographs belong to me.*