It’s been a month since I posted my Project Pan 2019 post. It turns out I was pretty close to finishing some of my products, so here’s an update.
I am very close to finishing the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer and I’ve finished the Smashbox Under Eye Primer, MAC Radiant Primer, and Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick. I decluttered the Essence Eyeshadow Base because it was older than I thought. I also decided to declutter the Burt’s Bees Blush because I was just using it to finish it and not because I loved it. It’s a gorgeous shade, but I have a love-hate relationship with blush. I either apply too little or too much and making that mistake with a pink blush is not good. I don’t want to look like a clown. Anyway, I have been leaning towards the peachy/nude/coral shades lately instead of bright pink.
Since I finished so many products already, I added some more:
Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Bare Pink
MAC Cremesheen Glass in It’s A Strike
Marcelle Velvet Gel Lip Liner in Rosy Nude
MAC Patentpolish in Kittenish
TheBalm Batter Up Eyeshadow Sticks in Dugout and Shutout (read my review)
Lancome Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation in 01N Nude Vanilla (read my review)
Similar to my Makeup Goals and Style Goals, I thought I’d set some rules for when I declutter beauty products and clothing. This post will focus on clothing and if you missed the beauty edition (click here)!
I feel like I have a bigger attachment to clothes and accessories than makeup and skincare. Unless makeup or skincare is discontinued, I can always pick it up again if I need to, but for clothes and accessories, they might not sell it anymore. I’m a bit of a hoarder that way because I always think, “I might need this for a Hallowe’en costume or something.”
If the clothes/accessories are still in good condition, I’ll donate them (unless it’s underwear). I’ll ask the following questions before decluttering anything:
Where did I buy it from?
Any jewellery that I’ve bought from Claire’s, Forever21 and other similar stores, I’ve decided to donate them. If you read my Style Goals post, you’ll know that I am only going to buy better quality jewellery.
Does it still fit?
Obviously if it doesn’t fit anymore, I will probably get rid of it, but sometimes I’ll think, “maybe I’ll fit into it again.”
Is it too young for me?
I know I’m still young, but there are certain things I probably should stop wearing because they look too girly and cutesy. For example, my prom dress still fits me, but I don’t know if I’d ever wear it again unless I got it altered. It’s a light chiffon material which looks kind of girly and feminine. It’s pleated and it has a design at the bottom that makes it look like it has tiers which is what makes it more girly. It hits above the knee and has an empire waist. I think, for me, unless it’s a summer dress or made of a thicker material than chiffon, I should get dresses that are knee, midi or maxi length.
The very left pic is my prom dress (it looks so much shorter on the very tall model, it’s just above the knee on me) and the second one is a dress that I think is too young for me because it’s mid-thigh, chiffon and the way that it flares. I think the window of opportunity for wearing the black dress would’ve been ages 15-20. I don’t think I own any dresses that are fit and flare and mid-thigh length. Any dresses that are mid-thigh are form-fitting so there’s lower risk of seeing underwear when leaning over. The two dresses on the right are ones I think are more appropriate. The maroon dress is above the knee, but it’s a cotton material which has more weight to it, so it’s not as flirty. Also, the way it flares isn’t as dramatic as the black dress because it’s still form-fitting and won’t make me look hippy. The blue dress on the right is at the knee which makes it more grown up.
How long have I had it? Is it in good condition?
Have I had it for longer than a year? Is it in good condition still? For me, I don’t usually have to ask myself if it’s in style because I choose more classic pieces. But every now and then, I decide to wear certain clothes as loungewear instead of wearing out of the house. For example, baby doll shirts were really in style when I was in high school and I have a few of those. They’re great for hiding those food babies!
I usually go through my clothes every year or so to see what I want to donate. I have more clothes than I have closet space. I think my goal is to have all my clothes comfortably fit in my dresser, closet and shelves without overflowing. Like I said before, I’m a hoarder. For some reason, I have a lot of Forever21 activewear and I also have a lot of t-shirts from volunteering. I think it’s time to donate those and just get a few better quality pieces because I don’t need more than 2 or 3 outfits.
I was curious to see if there were articles on how often you should throw out underwear and bras. I found out that you’re supposed to throw out your underwear after a year and replace bras every 6-8 months.
For underwear, I used to buy new ones at least once a year, but I wouldn’t be throwing out old ones as quickly. I have a whole drawer full of bras and underwear and I probably only wear 1/3 of them. A lot are lacy and pretty and not that comfortable, so I don’t wear them that often. I just keep wearing the same ones over and over.
For bras, it was the same; I’d buy some on sale every year, but still wear the same non-lacy, t-shirt bras on a daily basis. For a while, I had like 30 bras and then I was at La Senza (lingerie store) and the lady measured me and it turns out I was a band size lower and a cup higher. I was wearing the sister size to my bra (i.e. 34A is the sister size to 32B). So, I had a ton of bras in the ‘wrong size,’ they still fit, but the new ones definitely worked better. At first when she said I was wearing the wrong size, I was like pshh! She just wants me to buy new bras, but I went to try them on in the new size and I was like “oh, damnit, she’s right, this fits way better!” Get fitted for your size, people! You might be wearing a size that doesn’t fit you. I was wearing a 34 band size and when I used a tape measure, I was like 31 or 32 when I measured under the bust. I would always wear it on the smallest hook of the three. I’ve learned that you’re supposed to be hooking the last one (loosest hook) and then as you wear the bra more and it stretches, you start to wear it on the middle and tightest hooks. Makes so much sense!
I think I might try that tip where you put everything in your closet with the hanger facing the other way and then when you wear something, you turn it the other way. That way, after a year, you can see what you haven’t worn and decide if you want to keep it.
Similar to my Makeup Goals and Style Goals, I thought I’d set some rules for when I declutter beauty products and clothing. This post will focus on beauty and Friday’s post will be clothing. I will be posting my first Declutter post next week because I decluttered a lot of beauty products this month. I plan to go through my clothing and accessories soon too. I’ve already gotten rid of some things when I was reorganizing my room, but I need to actually take things out of my closet and dresser and go through them properly.
To prevent wasting too much money, I’ve decided to come up with some ground rules before I declutter any products I have. I’ll ask myself the following questions before I go through with decluttering anything:
How much was it?
Did I buy it or get it for free? Was it over $25? If it was under $10 and I don’t use it very often, I’ll probably declutter, but if it was over $25, then I’ll ask myself the next question.
How long have I had it? Is it expired?
Unless I broke out from using it or had some bad reaction, I’m going to say that I have to have had it in my collection for at least 3 months before I can declutter it. If I’ve had it for that long and haven’t used it much, then I probably don’t love it enough to kep it.
Did I give it a proper trial? Can I use it in another way?
Did I give it a fair shot? If it was something like a foundation, did I try it in different ways- different primers and moisturizers? Unless I received a foundation for free or picked it up from Winners for less than $10, I don’t usually buy foundations unless I’ve tried multiple samples and done a thorough wear test.
Is it a highlighter that’s too chunky/glittery? Can I use it as an eyeshadow? Is it a face cream? Can I use it on my hands or something?
How much have I used? Can I give it away to a family member, friend or donate it?
How much have I used? Is it worth giving to my mom/sister/friend or donating it?