Where I've been for the past few weeks+ the future of my blog?

Hello!

A bit of a random life post today, but I thought that I would share why I've been absent from social media and to some extent blogs lately.

I know that I didn't originally have a very strong presence online. I don't tweet or instagram all that often, and I only blog once a week. But I usually do try to comment back to people and to comment on other people's blogs, but lately I haven't even been reading them.

The reason is... I've been having exams. Yay. I pre-schedule posts most of the time anyway , and after my very long break from blogging, I didn't really want to have another one, so I sat down and wrote a few posts which I left in store just in case I didn't have time to write any (which it turns out, I didn't).

Now, the thing is, by not reading blogs and being busy with revision and stuff like that, I didn't really use makeup and I didn't even feel inspired to write anything. I'm trying to get back into it, but I feel very ambivalent towards beauty. For example, I haven't worn any makeup for about a 2 months now, and when I do put it on, it feels a little awkward. So because of that, I've been sitting here for about 3 hours wondering what to post. Since blogging is a hobby for me, I've decided not to stress too much about it and just keep calm. I know that it's not something I plan to do in the long run, but for now, it's something I have to do.

Ok. Another thing that I needed to mention was that summer holidays are coming up, and I'll be traveling and stuff, and there's no guarantee for internet connection, or even time to blog. Since I don't think I can pre-schedule 4 months of blog posts, posts may be erratic during that period. I will try to post things that interest me, as I always do, and I hope that you will find it interesting. I probably won't be able to reply to comments as quickly either, but I hope you will all leave some if I can post something interesting over summer.

I do wish that I could post more often, but sometimes hobbies need to take a backseat in order for me to do what I am doing in life. I'm not giving up on my blog, because I do enjoy writing it, but I need to place it on the backburner for the time being. I just want to relax and enjoy the time with my family and friends. I hope you understand.

That's all from me for now. I hope everyone has a great summer and hopefully I'll be back with more regular posts in September/ October.

Signing off now,

Dusty Foxes

Build Your Own Palette: An Analysis

For those of you who don't know about "build your own palettes" like the Z-palette or the Unii palette or even to some extent the MAC, Inglot, Kiko (etc) palettes, then this post may come as a surprise to you. However, with the numerous videos on YouTube talking about depotting, this is probably no surprise. 

Before I get into the review, I thought I would talk a bit about the different palettes and what they are basically. For those like MAC, Inglot, Kiko, Laura Mercier, Urban Decay, Trish McEvoy etc; you purchase the brand's own palette and then insert the brand's own eyeshadows/blush/whatever they offer into them. The most common one I hear about are the MAC eyeshadow and blush palettes and the Inglot ones. For MAC, I have heard that if you do not have the insert in palette, then you can put other things in as well (also apparently the Elf shadows are the same size), but I don't really know if that's true as I don't own the MAC palettes. I know for the Trish McEvoy travel cases, you can get little "pages" and those aren't just for Trish McEvoy things either. But usually it works that the brand of palette it is, the brand of makeup will fit in it.

But if you prefer to have a bunch of things from different brands or different items even, then the Z-palettes, Unii palettes and others like them may be for you. I think Makeup Geek do a similar one as well. Basically these are just magnetic containers for your makeup. Yay!

So, the benefits of having these custom palettes include:

1. Having all your favourite colours in one place.

2. Ease of travel as you aren't packing a bunch of single items

3. Save space (this is most true for those of you with many single items)

4. Ease of categorization (Eg all the blues in one place, etc)

5. Allows you to easily compare shades

So now that you think about those benefits, which one do you want to go for?

It depends. 

From my experience/research (as I don't own all the options),

Urban Decay- if you own a lot of the new shadows that can pop out of the casing and slip into the BYOP, then I recommend these as you don't need to depot them and can easily put them back as singles after. 

For example like this where I have the single that I can switch out. However, the BYOP from Urban Decay is limited as I think only the 4 pan ones are available now and they aren't the most streamlined. However, this is a good option if you like having the ease of a palette with your favourite UD shades.

Most branded stuff (eg Inglot, Kiko...) - These you will have to get specific palettes for (unless you want to depot). For Inglot, as far as I know, you need to get the palettes as they don't sell single pots (though you can get a single pot palette thing separately). For Kiko, they have the Clics system where you can get pop in/out shades like the UD ones where the packaging allows really easy switching, but these don't come individually.

For MAC- I don't have much experience with this besides watching/reading/looking longingly in the window.... But from what I gather, this is a great way to Back to MAC eyeshadows if you previously bought a lot of single pots, or a way to save money if you are planning on collecting. MAC do a 4 pan eyeshadow palette and a palette where you can buy inserts for either 15 eyeshadows or 6 blushes. They also have a double sided one where you can get the inserts for 15 eyeshadows or 6 blushes as well. For me, these are the ones I want the most as I don't own them and I think they look really sleek. The packaging is plastic with a clear cover so it is easy to see what is inside.

For other miscellaneous stuff:

Z-palettes: Z-palettes are the most common on YT and blogs (that I have seen). At one stage they were like the most amazing thing ever (until people got bored and found new stuff to play with). These are cardboard boxes with a clear plastic sheet on the top that have a magnetised base. They are slim and come in various sizes to suit your needs. There are even deeper ones in case you want to depot something that isn't in a flat pan.

These are quite pricey and there are a lot of dupes for them on Etsy and other sites. They also sell magnets (to stick on the bottom of your pan so it will stay in the palette) and empty pans (so you can press stuff into it) and a spatula.

The Z-palette almost whatever you want. If you have MAC shadows and don't want to splurge on the MAC palette, then you could put them into a Z-palette. If you only use products from pans, you could even put your entire makeup look into a single Z-palette. This is basically one of the more creative options.

Unii palettes: I am thinking of doing a proper review post on these soon as I own a bunch, but basically these are a similar idea to the Z palette in terms of what you can put inside. However, these come in one size only and do not allow you to put baked/domed products inside. The Unii palette is made of hard plastic and has a mirror within the lid and snaps shut with a clasp making it a bit more secure. They come with a magnetic sheet which you can cut to size and stick onto your depotted makeup, if they are aluminium (most makeup pans are). They also have a movable thumb grip so you can hold onto the palette without having your thumb in an eyeshadow. These are not the most streamlined of the bunch as they are quite bulky.

Trish McEvoy Wardrobing Pages: These  are designed for the Makeup Planners from the same brand and come in various sizes depending on the size of the planner. These are marketed for Trish McEvoy makeup, but from what I can see, it can fit most makeup, though not those that are baked/domed. These come with holes punched on the top to fit the planner and are made of plastic. I think the latest version have a clear panel and a small mirror. These are more expensive, but are also an option.

Wheww... I feel that this was a giant of a post, and I'm sorry I didn't include more pictures. I've just been on a bit of a google spree so I thought I would collect all the info I knew into one comparison post. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Signing off now

Dusty Foxes

Review: Bourjois Java Rice Powder aka Poudre de Riz de Java

I originally got the Bourjois Java Rice Powder when everyone was raving about it, saying how it was this amazing product that gave you a great glow and smelt lovely (it's also been compared to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder) . It is one of the original products Bourjois came up with back in 1879, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try it out!

The packaging is nice, and the little vintage-themed green pot looks so pretty on desk, but I think the inside of mine may have been slightly defective. It's supposed to shut the holes when turned, but I find that if it bounces around, some product will spill out so I put this into the "dressing table only" category. If you travel with this or you're the type of person who puts their makeup in a makeup bag, then be careful because this product can end up everywhere! 

Onto the product itself. The powder is finely-milled and very silky, it feels really nice. In the pot, it is a pinky colour, but it ends up with a more translucent finish. It is scented with quite a sweet, powdery scent. It reminds me of my childhood for some reason, but I can't place it at all. 

I tried this for the first time to set my makeup all over and loving it, until I walked out into the sun and my friend asked me if I had been DIY-ing due to the glittery-ness. As you may be able to see from the pictures above, it looks normal in shadow, but in direct sunlight the glitter particles show through! I am very heavy handed with powder as I hate the feeling of sticky skin and often go overboard, so it's possible that the glitter won't show up if you don't pile on the product like I do. 

I do like the powder as it gives a soft diffused glow to my skin, but I've yet to wear it out since my first try. I think it's one of those "night out" products and as I am definitely a stay-in type of person I haven't used it since. Every time I apply it I love the end result, but am too worried about the glitter to actually go out with it on. 

I am not a fan of this product as I have tried it in many different ways, but if you know how I can use this product then please let me know in the comments below!

Signing off now

Dusty Foxes

Project 10 Pan Update 2: I finished P10P!

I honestly find it hard to believe that one week after I decide to stop Project 10 pan, I complete it. The irony. Anyway, as I haven't used any of the new things I bought yet (haul coming soon), I decided that it would be ok to consider this project 10 pan completed. To be fair, I had most of these items as almost finished/ finished when I decided to give up, and it was only when I was updating the list of items I had finished on the P10P page I realised I had reached 10. So yay! 

1st up is this EOS lip balm in Mint. I got this a year ago in New York and I really enjoyed it. I have read that this isn't the most moisturising and some people say it actually dries your lips out, but I didn't have that problem at all. I would (and have) repurchase.

I only realised that this photo does not show that it is finished. I honestly did finish it! This red lipstick is the Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Red Porcelain and I did not really like it. It had a glossy-ish finish and was quite slippy on the lips, but I was just uncomfortable with the colour to be honest. I felt very out of place while wearing it and I could feel the lipstick on, which I personally do not like. However, wearing a red around the house and when I'm going out did make me feel more bold about wearing colours on my lips, so that is a good thing. Personally, I would not repurchase this.

Believe it or not, this is the first eyeshadow I hit pan on and it is a big one. I depotted this MUA Matt individual eyeshadow in Shade 20 which was a matt black to put into my Uni palette for this project and it did help me finish it up. I used this mixed with my Barry M Matt bronzing Powder for my brows and I used this for anything I needed a matt black for. I used it for smokey eyes and eyeliner as well and I would repurchase this if I ever wanted a matt black again (unlikely).

Disclaimer: I think this dried up as opposed to being used up as I doubt I used it enough to actually finish a mascara. Also, how do you know if a mascara is used up or dried up? Anyway, it's the first time I've used a mascara until it can't be used anymore, so I'm counting it. I did not really like this mascara and would not repurchase.

This had a little bit left after I was done with the colour club one I posted about last time so it isn't a surprise that I finished this. I have already repurchased a new Seche Vite top coat as it is my favourite for a shiny, fast drying top coat. It really makes my nails dry faster and it makes them really glossy and pretty, so I'm happy with it. I know that it has toulene in it, but I make sure to have my window open when I'm painting my nails, and nothing else I've tried is as good as this top coat.

This empty pot was the 17 Phwoarr paint in Medium. I did clean the pan up a bit before taking the photo but it was pretty much like this already. I used this under my eyes, but I didn't really get along with it that well. I would not repurchase.

So that's the end of this update and the end of Project 10 pan! I have some other items to blog about and I want to talk about some other things as well, but look out for full reviews of some of the products mentioned in this post! Keep up to date by following my blog (bloglovin' link on the side bar) and leave a comment below!

Signing off now

Dusty Foxes

PS. Happy International Mother's day to all mothers out there!

Apologies and update

Hello,

It's been a few weeks since I last updated, but I've been struggling with writers block. I've been feeling uninspired by makeup lately and I've been feeling down about wearing it. So much so I stopped wearing makeup completely  for about a month.

Because of that, I didn't feel like blogging or talking about makeup at all, and as my blog is my hobby, I felt like I shouldn't do something that I was feeling so bad about. But now I'm back! I've decided to stop the "no-buy" part of project 10 pan and bought a few items recently that have me feeling more inspired, so hopefully I'll be able to share a beauty related post soon!

I'm really sorry for the long hiatus, but hopefully that won't happen again!

Signing off now
Dusty Foxes