Saturday 30 January 2016

My Makeup Collection and Storage 2016

Since I've been on a path to simplifying my home, my makeup collection has significantly decreased in size. I used to have shelves and drawers full of items, and now I'm down to a single drawer in my vanity. 



I purchased my vanity in the "AS IS" section at Ikea. It is actually a MICKE desk, which can be found here: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80213074/#/80213074 . I purchased the desk for $68 CAD, and luckily for me, it was already assembled when we brought it home.

As you can see, my lipsticks, brushes, fragrances, and larger items still live on top of the vanity. I don't mind having them there as I find myself reaching for most of those products on a daily basis, so it keeps me in check when it comes to using products up. 

Here is a closer look at my fragrances:


As you can see, most of my fragrances are from Bath and Body Works. I love the idea of putting on a body spray in the morning so that when I go to work, I'm not overpowering the classroom, or setting any of the children off who may have allergies. I love that they linger only slightly throughout the day.

For my lipsticks, glosses, and larger products:


I've worked really hard to use up a lot of my older lipsticks. I've replaced some of them with more inexpensive alternatives since I don't wear a lot of bright, matte colours anymore. Wet N Wild Mega Last lipsticks have been wonderful for this. I found a few dupes to some of my favourite MAC lipsticks, and was quite happy to save some money.

And now for the inside of the drawer:


Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is it. I have downsized significantly since 2013-2014, and I am really pleased with my collection now. I find that I am actually using all of my items on a regular basis, and after many years of trial and error, I've really made peace with myself that I have the best products that work for me. I was always one to get sucked into trying new things, because I was always looking for the next best thing. Now, I feel that all of my favourite items are in one spot, and I have cut back on buying makeup just to be "on trend". 

I would love to even downsize further, but I am going to do so at my own pace. I have a few things that could probably go, but I would rather use them up than throw them away just so I could have less. It's been a long journey, but I am proud of myself that I was able to bring this collection down to a manageable size. It definitely takes the guess work out of getting ready in the morning, while still having options to change up my look. I hope you enjoyed.

Thanks for reading!




Wednesday 27 January 2016

Let's Talk - hosted by Bell and Bell Media

Today is a pretty special day. One of Canada's largest phone and media companies is hosting their annual "Let's Talk" day. The idea behind it is to raise awareness and to end the stigma around the idea that any mental issues you have make you look "crazy" or "not normal." This includes raising money, having others share their stories, and understanding that we all battle inner demons. 

Since my path to simplicity and the idea of minimalism, I have taken steps to not only de-clutter my home, but also to de-clutter my life. This includes cutting out unhealthy relationships, unhealthy situations, and unhealthy behaviours that used to be part of my everyday routine. 

While this is still a work in progress, one major thing I have noticed is the state of my mental health and well being. I am much more focused on the important stuff, and have realized that there is absolutely nothing wrong with cutting people and situations out of our lives to take care of ourselves. I am going to be quite honest by saying that there are relatives of mine that I have removed because of this. Certain family members of mine feel that, in order to keep peace, they still need to keep in contact with them. They feel obligated to attend family functions and "put up" with those other family members. I understand there are times where this is unavoidable, but please don't do it for the sake of pleasing other people. 

After a nasty email from my grandmother a few years ago, I have decided to cut her off completely. It wasn't a case of revenge or creating ripples in our family, it was a necessary step to take for myself. Now, not to get into too much detail, but I've never been close to my grandmother my entire life. I didn't go to her house on weekends to bake cookies. I've never had a phone call from her 'just because.'  She was someone I only saw twice a year, and she lived 10 minutes from my house. After her email, I realized that was the last page of that chapter in our relationship, and I was ready to close the book for good. I've never looked back. 

Back to where I was going with this - it really is all about self care, and how you can take steps to calm down when you are feeling anxious and off set. My journey has taught me that a lot of the issues I was having was because of a life time of trying to please other people. I know now that I was taking away from the person I'm supposed to become. 

I'm not afraid to tell you that I have had issues with anxiety, having panic attacks, going to be at 7:30 pm because I just couldn't deal with the outside world. I've always been a bit of an introvert, but this was to the point where I'd rather be in bed than see anyone, including my spouse. The depression came in waves, especially during my cycle, since my hormones have always been out of whack. I felt like I was a basket case at times and had a hard time learning to love myself. 

I took action, and started seeking help. I talked to my friends, family, to Marc. I read a lot of self help books, blogs and watched a lot of Youtube videos about other people's struggles. I also took a lot of time to focus on myself. I knew when I needed to take a break, and that I had no issues with disconnecting to focus on myself. I started to see real progress, and even though I'm still taking baby steps, I've come leaps and bounds compared to who I was 3 years ago. 

I'm not alone in this, and neither are you.

I don't know how many people will read this, or if anyone will find this helpful, but that's okay. It's now out there for other people to read, and hopefully see that regardless of what you are going through, you are strong and you can do this. Not everyone will understand, but it isn't their journey, it's yours. You have the power to do whatever you please to become who you were meant to be.

xo