on hiatus

This blog is currently on hiatus.

Heart to Heart

Hi,

So it's been a while since I've blogged. I've been going through some personal issues and haven't had the time or energy to blog. I still want to keep my blog up and running, but sometimes I can't post. So, I've decided to do away with weekly posts and instead just post when I can. I'm still sorting through my issues and I can't promise anything so please forgive the lack of uploads. I hope I can start blogging again soon.

Review: Konjac Sponges

Hi!

So a while ago (as in last year) I hauled these Konjac Sponges. I've been using them for a while now, and I realised I never reviewed! So I'm rectifying that now!

I used the white one (100% Pure Konjac Sponge) when I first got it for a few weeks and I really liked it. Then, I went travelling for a few weeks and it dried out and got crusty and even soaking it in water didn't revive it. So that was a fail.

That made me really wary about opening my green one (French Green Clay) and I didn't want to open it after my bad experience. Then I realised, I had bought it and so I should use it. I've been using that one for over a month now, so I thought I would share some of things I found out.

I purchased the Wet version for both as that was the only ones in stock when I made my order. I do like the Konjac sponge for gentle exfoliation. I use it after face wash to help remove any leftover cleaser and freshen my skin. I did not find that it removed my makeup. It kind of smeared it over my skin, rather like I was washing my face with a damp tissue. However, used as a tool in the "final step" of my face washing routine, I do like it. I feel like it does make my skin look a little brighter and fresher. The green one is supposed to help with oiliness. I personally did not see much difference with oil production when using this, but when I used the sponge without a cleanser  in the morning, I did find it washed away oils rather well, so if you don't wear makeup or are too lazy to use a cleanser in the morning, this may be an option for you.

However, before you buy it, I wanted to talk about how I stored it. As I mentioned before, my 1st sponge dried out and crumbled. So to figure out how to use it, I looked online. From the Konjac Sponge company, it said to let it air dry between uses and that it would be fine if it shrunk, so I tried that. It did work for a while, but then yesterday my sponge deteriorated again. 

I did enjoy using the product, but it only lasted for a month (admittedly I had stored it in it's packaging for quite a long time). I feel like my washcloth does the same job or better and lasts longer. 

I probably would not purchase this again, but if you have tried it and found it worked great for you, let me know in the comments below! I do reply to comments (if I get them) and I would love to check out your blogs if you leave them in the comments.

Signing off now

Dusty Foxes

Project 10 Pan : Take 2! Intro

Hello there!

Apologies again for not posting last week, but I was going through some personal stuff.

Moving swiftly on, I've decided to kick off March with another Project 10 Pan.

Last year in January I started Project 10 pan here on my blog and I have links to everything in the tab at the top of my blog, so you can go check that out if you want to see what I did last time!

I'm using similar rules as last time, but I did edit a couple of things so here are the rules for this time!

My rules:

1. I will not buy any more makeup/skincare unless that particular cateogory (eg foundation) is completely finished. If I run out of something, I can buy 1 replacement. It can be the same item or a new item I want to try, but I can only get the one item.

2. If there is something that I really want, either a replacement (that I still have others of the same of, see rule 1) I will write it down and see how I feel about the product once I've finished the other products.

3. I will post reviews  (or at least mini reviews in my updates) of the things I finish on the blog! This is to make sure I don't get tetchy about not having things to blog about and also so that you (my lovely readers) can see my opinions after using a product up completely!

4. Anything can be considered an empty, except items that go off or I decide I don't want any more because they're not that great. I have to actually use them! Pan products can be considered as an empty once I hit pan, and again if I finish the item. Non makeup samples do not count as empties.

5. As an incentive to stick to this, once I finish P10P, I can get the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer- even if I still have other concealers! I really want this, so it should be good incentive!


This time I don't really have any products I want to focus on. I have some shampoo and conditioner that is almost done, so that is a bit of a "gimme" item, but makeup will be tough to finish.

Wish me luck! Let me know if you're trying Project Pan in the comments below! Make sure you're following me if you want to keep updated on my progress. Links in the sidebar.

Signing off now,

Dusty Foxes

Apologies

Hi everyone.

Today is just a quick post to say sorry but there will be no beauty related post today due to personal reasons.

A regular beauty related blog post should be up next week though! Again, I'm sorry for not having a post up today.

Dusty Foxes

Review: Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar

Hello!

So today I'm going high end a little with the Bobbi Brown Raw Sugar palette. I got this on Cohorted before they revamped the site so I've had it for quite a while.

As you can see, the eyeshadows are all very shimmery and do not have individual pans. I've read that it's because they're set out in a way to make it easy to mix shades by swirling them together.  Personally, I think it's fun, but not really my favourite way of using eyeshadow. 

The palette is very small. It's about the length of the Naked Basics palettes, but shorter and wider. It's a good size for portability. I think the packaging is nice and sturdy.

The shades are very pretty and the formula is very blendable and pigmented, but my main issue is that they're all so shimmery. It's not glittery, but they have a very high shine. I find that any looks I create tend to look quite "night-time" even if I'm using the light neutrals. 

I think this palette is a solid one for evening looks but not for daytime. As I rarely go out, I don't find myself reaching for this palette unless I use some mattes from my collection to even it out.

Let me know what your favourite eyeshadows are in the comments below!

Signing off now,

Dusty Foxes

Review/ DIY: Make Up For Ever Chromatic Mix Oil Base Yellow- Colour correcting diaries

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I'll be sharing a product that has made me love my morning routine just that extra bit more.

Have you ever gone to get a foundation, and no matter how you looked in Boots or Superdrug you couldn't find  a colour to suit you? I have that problem. I have very yellow toned Asian skin and affordable foundations always pull pink on me. When I was first starting out with makeup, I had no idea what an undertone was. My first base product was a Korean BB cream, and that was very pink. While I do sometimes like the way it adds life to my sallow skin, a more full coverage option ends up looking like a mask on me.

Enter the Make Up For Ever Chromatic Mix. It's basically concentrated pigment you can mix in to help shift the undertones of your makeup. There are two different bases- oil base and water base. While the initial reaction may be to go for water base, a little bit of research showed me that I needed to oil based one in order for it to mix into my foundation better/ This is because my foundation is silicone based. Also, they came in a range of colours, White, yellow, blue, red, brown and black. Since I was looking to make my foundation more yellow, I went for yellow.

 Here is my foundation. It looks like a good match because my camera tends to change the tone of my skin, but it is a bit too pink on me. I tended to avoid using it because it made me feel uncomfortable.

On Tuesday, I started experimenting (and posted it on Snapchat! Add me @dustyfoxes). I ended up putting my foundation into a small (and clean) container to mix it more easily and then I added the Chromatic mix. You can see that it's rather mustard-y. I mixed it in and tested it at intervals on my jaw, adding chromatic mix until it disappeared into my skin. This took a while to get right.

Here you can see the difference it makes. On the bottom, they are swatched and on the top they are blended out. If you look carefully above the two foundation swatches, you can see that the one on the left (uncorrected) can be seen slightly as  a pink smear. On the right it blends into my skin perfectly.

I find that by colour correcting, I have been using my foundation more and as it suits my skin tone and shade, I don't need to worry about missing slight areas or if my blending isn't great. It's making me use foundation more regularly and I've been loving it.

Personally, I do think it's a bit of a faff to have to use, but it's something necessary for me to utilise my foundation. It is a small bottle, but it is very pigmented, so unless you're trying to make a drastic change, there's no need to use a lot at a single time. I did use quite a bit, but I was trying to colour correct the entire bottle.

I purchased this product from Guru Makeup Emporium. Shipping was super quick and it arrived a day after I ordered.

Let me know what issues you might want to correct with your makeup to make it Holy Grail status in the comments below! Also, what yellow toned foundations would you recommend for me? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Signing off now
Dusty Foxes

Review: Code Beautiful FFL Forget False Lashes Pre Mascara Lash Plumper

Hello!

Today I'm sharing my thoughts about the Code Beautiful FFL Forget False Lashes Pre Mascara Lash Plumper. Whew, is that a long name or what? 

I got this last year in December or so because I really wanted long voluminous lashes without having to use falsies. I used it a couple of times then promptly forgot about it because it's a bit of a hassle having to wait for it to dry. However, after hearing Amelia Liana talk about it in her recent January Favourites video, I've pulled it out and am trialling it again.

So, how did it do?

Packaging:

The product came in a lovely cardboard box with the instructions on. Inside was a simple black mascara-looking tube. I quite like how sleek this looks. I feel like it feels expensive- mainly because I love the colour scheme. 

The wand is quite bristle-y and I'm pretty sure they are plastic bristles. Personally, I like plastic bristles, so this was fine. 

Product:

As you can see, the plumper is a light brown colour and contains little fibres.

I've added here some comparison photos. On the left, I did a coat of the plumper, then mascara, then plumper, then mascara. Looking back at the instructions, I think I was only supposed to use the plumper then just mascara, but the overall effect did not change much.

On the right, I did 4 coats of the Benefit's They're Real mascara, which was also the mascara I used with the plumper. I did 4 coats so that it could be better compared with the left eye as I did 4 coats of "lash product" on that eye.

Personally, I found that the plumper did not give me a lot of added length or volume, but it did leave my lashes looking (and feeling) less clumpy than the 4 coats. I noticed this when it was just 2 coats of both as well. I think the plumper wasn't really worth it because it didn't really give a "false lash" effect.

I do think that it is something I will keep using as it has a lovely finish, but I may try it with different mascaras as I think the Benefit They're Real does a better job on it's own. (it is easier to remove the mascara with this under it though)

Just a final note that I just thought of, I do like that you can use this directly on your lashes, unlike Magnifibres (which I've also been trialling) that you need to use mascara first then layer the product on.

Overall:

I think this isn't something worth spending £18 on. Personally I did not see a huge difference and do not think it's worth the extra effort. However, I have seen very positive reviews, so it may be down to personal preference.

Let me know what you think in the comments below! Also, if you have any non-false lashes recommendations let me know because I still somehow manage to stab myself with falsies...


Update:
Code Beautiful commented on my instagram pic (@dustyfoxes) and let me know I had to wait 30 seconds before applying mascara. I have tried this with 2 other mascaras. Again, I didn't see so much that I would splash out on it again.

Signing off now
Dusty Foxes

Back to Blogging

Hello!

I've been in a funk lately when it comes to blogging. I don't know whether it's because the days are so grey that getting lighting for a picture is impossible, or because I've been lazing around and not feeling like beauty stuff.

I know that blogging is just my hobby, but at the same time, I want to make sure that I am actively trying to do it. So I decided to really think about what I am doing with my blog and why I am blogging.

I think the main reason why I blog is because I have opinions and I want to share them. I enjoy reading reviews or hauls or even just chatty posts. There's something about blogging that I loved when I started, and I feel like maybe I'm losing that because I feel like there's something to prove. Which is not to say there is, because I don't think I am really being forced into something I don't enjoy. I think I'm just getting too caught up into what I'm doing with my blog that I'm starting to become detached from what I really want to say. So this year, I'm going to work on it and hopefully be able to write posts that really convey what I want to say.

On a lighter note, I did a few series last year such as my 12 Posts before Christmas and my Sample Sunday in November. I really enjoyed doing them and I'm wondering if I should keep doing series? Let me know in the comments below!

Signing off now
Dusty Foxes

Happy New Year!!

Hello!
Can you believe it's 2016 already? I certainly can't.

I won't be posting this 2 weeks as I am taking a break to do spend some time with family and friends and spend the first 2 weeks of 2016 getting back on track with life. Time to bust out some new year resolutions and try and keep them this time.

Anyway, wishing you all the best and hope your year is going well so far!

If you want to keep up with me, I have various social media accounts that I update (infrequently).

Twitter: @DustyFoxes
Instagram: @DustyFoxes
Snapchat: Dustyfoxes

Basically it's all DustyFoxes.

Please do add me and if you want a follow back, comment your username down in the comments (or send me a message) so I know you're from my blog and I will follow you back!

Sending you all the best wishes for the new year!

Signing off now,
Dusty Foxes