I have cut back significantly on my personal care products, and considering that 2015 is my year of exploring minimalism and the ways in which it expresses itself in my lifestyle, I thought I'd ruminate on the topic a bit.
The biggest change I have made is in the makeup department.
Yes, like any other woman, I spent mornings through my teen years standing in front of the mirror for hours. Late to school, late to outings, late to start the day. My parents still hold me to this reputation, although in the last few years, this routine has been slashed - mostly out of laziness. But also partly out of awareness for the "things" I was constantly acquiring and tired of maintaining.
I am proud to say that my teeny tiny makeup bag holds everything I could ever need, which is a total of seven products. This part of my morning takes roughly five minutes.
1. Foundation
2. Shadow
3. Brush
4. Mascara
5. Eyeliner (special occasions)
6. Eyelash curler (VERY special occasions)
7. Chapstick
When my Bobbi Brown blush fell to the floor and cracked into a million pieces last winter, I decided it was a sign that I was done with blush, anyway. I'm also on a slow transition to replace all makeup with eco-friendly and natural options, so I considered it a win-win.
My Foundation was a huge switch for me. I went from Bobbi Brown foundation to Mineral Fusion All-In-One Beauty Balm. This is a tinted moisturizer, so it is thinner and lighter than traditional foundation, and also includes SPF 9. Since I'm convinced that sun screen causes cancer, I use this only when I'm working. Weekends and breaks are foundation-free.
My mascara is Lancome which I've been addicted to since a pre-teen because it is so amazing. I receive this from my mom every Christmas, so I try to make it last a whole year. I'm really looking to switch to naturally pigmented vegetable-based mascara, so when this runs out, I'm on the mission for that.
I once read how many tubes of lipstick a woman eats in her lifetime and it made me sick. I wear only Burt's Bees chapstick and if I want to feel really fancy, I use the tinted kind. That happens like, five times a year.
In terms of skin care, I use Mineral Fusion Facial Cleanser and Eye Makeup Remover. They are both mild and eco-friendly.
For my hair I use only a Bed Head hair wax and occasionally a light spritzer of the lightest-weight hairspray possible. Product makes my hair heavy, and also it's expensive to continue purchasing. I blow dry it, curl it with a wand, throw a little balm on it, and that's it. The whole curling process takes me ten minutes. Now that my hair is getting longer, it takes longer to blow dry than I like, so I've considered takings showers at night so I can skip that step.
We've been using Jason Shampoo and Conditioner which are vegetable based and biodegradable. Also I've been using Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild bar soup or all-purpose liquid soap as a body wash and shaving cream. I love that it can be used for everything from washing dishes to teeth.
And that's it!
I love the simplicity of knowing which brands and which products I like and knowing I don't need anything more than what's absolutely necessary. Everything fits in one neat little basket under the sink and in a tiny bathroom, that's a necessity, too.
Showing posts with label minimalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minimalism. Show all posts
Friday, July 3, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Minimalism II
The culling of the streams of paperwork, possessions, and expectations which find themselves clogging up our daily lives is constant. It is amazing to me just how much work it takes to continue to pair down, to throw out, to donate, to let go, or to re-prioritize. Simplicity takes a lot of work.
For now, I've started mainly with possessions. What we have vs. what we need vs. what we want. If it has not served a purpose in a year or more, out it goes. I'm finding that the reasons it's so hard to let go are usually out of guilt or sentiment. But if it doesn't suit our lifestyle or our needs, then it's only taking up space which in turn just leads to a life of clutter. Once gone, I find I've soon forgotten what it was in the first place, anyway. Getting rid of "stuff" is a ruthless endeavor.
I find it's easier to determine what to keep and what to throw (or donate) based on where it's kept. If it has a home, a specific place that it belongs, then it's likely to be kept so long as there aren't a million of the same thing. This is also how I deal with the books we accumulate month after month and year after year. I have two bookcases. If it doesn't fit, it's time to cull. Those that we really want to keep, remain. Those that we kept for a while but are ready to pass on, are taken out to make room for the new.
Clothing is another story entirely, and when I've solved that dilemma I'll write about it. Right now I have pared my closet down to only what I wear day in and day out which actually means I don't have much of anything in there. I need to replace some items that are simply too worn and I'm not sure how to do it yet. Do I shop every summer for cheap tanks knowing they will only last a season? Or do I shop a few times a year at a high end boutique and slowly build pieces that will last several years? I have no idea. I will continue to weigh, readjust, and report back.
I am finding that if I don't really love something, it's likely I'll merely replace it with something that I really do and out goes the old with the Goodwill pile. I'm trying to do away with this "in between" stage and only buy things I really love the first time around thereby being able to hold on to things for many years and only replace when they are in need of repair, not just because I came across something else. For example, when we were first married I didn't really know any better or think about it so I bought this horrible dish set which I hated almost since the day after I bought them. They were bulky, and dark, and chipped easily. I've held on to them out of necessity, but I finally found what I wanted at Ikea and this time, I was smart about it. Instead of buying the "set," which comes with dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and mugs, I bought only what I know we use and have space for. I bought 8 dinner plates and 8 bowls. It is perfect for our needs and our lifestyle, it suits a "need" but also fulfills a "want." The point is to buy something I "want" to fulfill the "need" so as not to be running through many different "things" that will only end up in the trash pile anyway, year after year.
I have also found that minimalism and simplicity go hand in hand with systems and organization. The better I become at creating a simple, habitual system, the easier it is for me keep things under control and in line with our needs and wants. The simpler things are, the fuller and richer I feel.
That is, after all, the whole point.
For now, I've started mainly with possessions. What we have vs. what we need vs. what we want. If it has not served a purpose in a year or more, out it goes. I'm finding that the reasons it's so hard to let go are usually out of guilt or sentiment. But if it doesn't suit our lifestyle or our needs, then it's only taking up space which in turn just leads to a life of clutter. Once gone, I find I've soon forgotten what it was in the first place, anyway. Getting rid of "stuff" is a ruthless endeavor.
I find it's easier to determine what to keep and what to throw (or donate) based on where it's kept. If it has a home, a specific place that it belongs, then it's likely to be kept so long as there aren't a million of the same thing. This is also how I deal with the books we accumulate month after month and year after year. I have two bookcases. If it doesn't fit, it's time to cull. Those that we really want to keep, remain. Those that we kept for a while but are ready to pass on, are taken out to make room for the new.
Clothing is another story entirely, and when I've solved that dilemma I'll write about it. Right now I have pared my closet down to only what I wear day in and day out which actually means I don't have much of anything in there. I need to replace some items that are simply too worn and I'm not sure how to do it yet. Do I shop every summer for cheap tanks knowing they will only last a season? Or do I shop a few times a year at a high end boutique and slowly build pieces that will last several years? I have no idea. I will continue to weigh, readjust, and report back.
I am finding that if I don't really love something, it's likely I'll merely replace it with something that I really do and out goes the old with the Goodwill pile. I'm trying to do away with this "in between" stage and only buy things I really love the first time around thereby being able to hold on to things for many years and only replace when they are in need of repair, not just because I came across something else. For example, when we were first married I didn't really know any better or think about it so I bought this horrible dish set which I hated almost since the day after I bought them. They were bulky, and dark, and chipped easily. I've held on to them out of necessity, but I finally found what I wanted at Ikea and this time, I was smart about it. Instead of buying the "set," which comes with dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and mugs, I bought only what I know we use and have space for. I bought 8 dinner plates and 8 bowls. It is perfect for our needs and our lifestyle, it suits a "need" but also fulfills a "want." The point is to buy something I "want" to fulfill the "need" so as not to be running through many different "things" that will only end up in the trash pile anyway, year after year.
I have also found that minimalism and simplicity go hand in hand with systems and organization. The better I become at creating a simple, habitual system, the easier it is for me keep things under control and in line with our needs and wants. The simpler things are, the fuller and richer I feel.
That is, after all, the whole point.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Search for Minimalism
While I certainly subscribe to the values of "less is more," I often find myself in a reality that feels far from it. As this has been on my mind since the beginning of the new year, I thought I should visit this idea from time to time as a sort of "check in" with myself.
Where am I on this quest?
Have I gotten further in my understanding and application?
Are there new interpretations to consider?
What are my future goals?
The hardest part about minimalism is that it does seem as if it takes forms entirely dependent on the eye of the beholder. My intentions of minimalism are going to vary greatly than that of my brother, whose minimalist philosophies are more extreme. For me, I've simply noticed a desire to pare down. To purge. To rid of clutter. Mental and physical clutter which may take the form of piles of junk mail, or unused spices in the cabinet, too many pairs of shoes which I hold on to for the sake of guilt, or too many apps to keep up with. I'm looking for a sense of freedom from having too many things, too much to "keep up," and too much to want more of. The more I have the less I want.
There are times, even at its most basic level, that I wonder if Brian and I will want to move to a different neighborhood. Will the house be big enough. Is the street quaint enough. Are the neighbors young enough. Really all I'm asking myself is Is it good enough? and I go around in my mind for all the reasons we bought this house. At the end I determine, yes. Of course. It is exactly good enough because it is what exactly we wanted, which was so simple.
1. We wanted a yard where we could plant a garden and the dogs could run free.
2. We wanted a mortgage that didn't require staying home all the time for fear of going broke.
3. We wanted to be close to work and our families.
It is a small house at 1100 square feet, but not small at all, really. We have two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a kitchen and a living room and a dining room and a sitting room and a laundry room and a garage. I'm painting it how I want it and have slowly acquired curtains and a new couch and a patio set. I'm perfectly happy living in my 1100 square feet and I want to keep it that way. But I guess what I'm realizing is that it takes some work to not always want for something more.
It takes a little work to maintain what we already have so we aren't wasting money on more things to replace them.
It takes time to organize the constant flow of paperwork and holiday gifts and school supplies that have ways of reproducing in dark corners and creeping in on usable space to the point where it isn't being used anymore.
It takes discipline to realize that magazine subscriptions are mainly ending up in the trash and just because I can afford it doesn't mean I should buy it.
Living below our means means culling the desire to want more. The enjoyment seems found in the empty spaces between the accumulation. Like pockets of air you struggle to find.
Our stuff feels like an avalanche. I am trying to build a snow cave.
Where am I on this quest?
Have I gotten further in my understanding and application?
Are there new interpretations to consider?
What are my future goals?
The hardest part about minimalism is that it does seem as if it takes forms entirely dependent on the eye of the beholder. My intentions of minimalism are going to vary greatly than that of my brother, whose minimalist philosophies are more extreme. For me, I've simply noticed a desire to pare down. To purge. To rid of clutter. Mental and physical clutter which may take the form of piles of junk mail, or unused spices in the cabinet, too many pairs of shoes which I hold on to for the sake of guilt, or too many apps to keep up with. I'm looking for a sense of freedom from having too many things, too much to "keep up," and too much to want more of. The more I have the less I want.
There are times, even at its most basic level, that I wonder if Brian and I will want to move to a different neighborhood. Will the house be big enough. Is the street quaint enough. Are the neighbors young enough. Really all I'm asking myself is Is it good enough? and I go around in my mind for all the reasons we bought this house. At the end I determine, yes. Of course. It is exactly good enough because it is what exactly we wanted, which was so simple.
1. We wanted a yard where we could plant a garden and the dogs could run free.
2. We wanted a mortgage that didn't require staying home all the time for fear of going broke.
3. We wanted to be close to work and our families.
It is a small house at 1100 square feet, but not small at all, really. We have two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a kitchen and a living room and a dining room and a sitting room and a laundry room and a garage. I'm painting it how I want it and have slowly acquired curtains and a new couch and a patio set. I'm perfectly happy living in my 1100 square feet and I want to keep it that way. But I guess what I'm realizing is that it takes some work to not always want for something more.
It takes a little work to maintain what we already have so we aren't wasting money on more things to replace them.
It takes time to organize the constant flow of paperwork and holiday gifts and school supplies that have ways of reproducing in dark corners and creeping in on usable space to the point where it isn't being used anymore.
It takes discipline to realize that magazine subscriptions are mainly ending up in the trash and just because I can afford it doesn't mean I should buy it.
Living below our means means culling the desire to want more. The enjoyment seems found in the empty spaces between the accumulation. Like pockets of air you struggle to find.
Our stuff feels like an avalanche. I am trying to build a snow cave.
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