Hi friends!
As I mentioned in this post, I am currently undergoing a transformation of sorts. Namely, going from hoarding everything under the sun to trying to get rid of all my wordly (particularly beauty-related) possessions. To be honest, I have reached the point of oversaturation which has led me to, unfortunately, become a little bored with it all. Not beauty in general, but when you have so many products that it starts to stress you out, I guess you just start to avoid the whole thing. Which is what has sort of happened with me. Which is sad, because I love beautiful things that feel good and smell nice!
So I thought today I would shame myself into showing the sheer amount of stuff that I have in my house. Actually, mine and Gav’s house, which is even more impetus for me to clear out the crap. My hoarding ways are taking over , and although they are currently confined to a few specific drawers, it is on the verge of spilling over into the rest of the house and the rest of my life.
So! With that in mind, here is a picture of some of the junk in my trunk/cupboards:
I should follow up this picture by saying that the lighting really isn’t favourable (it’s upstairs in our loft) and I haven’t really organised it properly, but the amount of stuff is accurate. This is for one person. And this isn’t all of it.
How did I get to this point?!
Well, actually, I’ve always sort of been like this. I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with enjoying having certain things… but there is a limit to how much stuff you can actually enjoy at any given time. When it comes to make up and beauty products, this is even more pronounced, as you only have one face, right? I personally find it takes me aaaages to get through make up in particular, probably because I like to slob it up as much as possible, whenever I get the chance. This means no makeup at home, minimal makeup on the weekends and only slightly more than that for work. Winning.
Recently I have become a bit obsessed with cleaning out my makeup stash, and watching other people do the same, too. Honestly, my Youtube history is a rollcall of ex-slobs who have turned over a new leaf and have gotten rid of their crap. I love it. It cheers me up like nothing else, and I’m not sure if that’s because it’s inspiring to see people being harsh with their belongings and whittling it down to the bare essentials (it is), or because I like knowing there are other people out there who have a horrendous amount of stuff and are finally acknowledging the problem (I do). Whatever it is, I figure these videos are more beneficial to me than watching hauls, which immediately make me forgot about the expensive pile of crap I have in my cupboards and instead make me lust for MOAR!
So.
I thought I would start listing projects I want to use up here (a la Project Pan), as well as doing more empties videos and posts. Honestly, the amount of stuff I have is now overwhelming and weighing me down. I gotta cut the fat, man! Here are some products I would like to get rid of – and soon:
- Mise en Scene Damage Care Perfect Serum
- Plant Kingdom (식물나라) The Rich Snow Foam
- Skinfood Shea Butter Creamy Body Mist
- Chanel Precision Body Excellence Hand Cream
- Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Cream
I also picked up a few useful (and cheap) containers from Daiso to help separate some items. This immediately made me feel more relaxed and organised, and sort of gave my drawer more structure. I’m thinking perhaps I’ll do a video on me sorting out my stash, let me know if you’d like to see more of this sort of thing!
Really, all of this comes back to my boredom with the rampant consumerism which seems to be our generation’s lifeblood. I do still enjoy beautiful things, just not 45935409853945 of them at the same time. We can only focus on so many things at a time (in my case, one), and so it just doesn’t make sense to me to fill all my cupboards with stuff just in case. Even sale items don’t impress me much now. I figure, if I really want it, and I stop buying other stuff I don’t really care about, I will have more than enough money to enjoy a really nice thing – no matter the price. Within reason. I ain’t no Zsa Zsa Gabor!
Let’s see how I go with this! How about you? Have you ever done a Project Pan? Let me know in the comments – there’s strength in numbers! 🙂
Steph x
Hahahaha you and I both hit the wall at about the same time LOL. I am also starting to feel bored with my products and I think it’s because I’ve bought so much Korean crap that I just…I don’t know, nothing really shocks me anymore and nothing is all that innovating to me. Getting into Korean brands made Western brands really pale in my eyes, but buying so much Korean stuff has also made Korean stuff pale lol. Nothing shocks me anymore!
I am also in the works of considering how to downsize (blog sale) or else perhaps start using things in new ways. For instance, last night I found an old Skinfood massage pack that I never liked because for some reason I think it never had the fragrance added to it (like literally zero fragrance)…I used it on my feet instead since I can’t see myself using it on my face!
I keep rediscovering new things in cabinets too. >….> Products I forgot I’d even bought because I never used it. I want to make more of an effort to use a new product every day.
It’s crazy isn’t it? I never thought this would happen, but it appears you *can* have too much of a good thing! :S I totally get what you mean about nothing shocking you anymore, I think we both went hard (lol) and I love it, it’s still fun, I think I just need to step back for a bit so I can enjoy it all again. And I think you especially have seen it all (Queen!), so it makes sense to be a tiny bit over it!
That’s a good idea about reusing things in different ways, I should really get onto that. I actually don’t have a full sized emulsion right now – instead, I’m trying to use all my samples of emulsions before I buy a new one. I’m also getting really liberal with my use of any product, which is different to my old hoarding ways. Now I feel like it’s a race against the clock before it goes bad! I’m slathering myself in all sorts of things, but hey, at least I smell good lol.
And yes I rediscover things all the time too. I thought for a while I’d bought the same lip tint from Tony Moly (without realising) and was sort of weirded out by that. It turns out it’s not the same… but it is veeerry similar. It was my wake up call! I sometimes get torn between using something new every day and using one product up til the end. I want to do both! Lol. It’s so satisfying actually using everything I have, and there ain’t nothing better than when you get to the end of something! Let me know how you go lovely, thanks for your comment <3
I can relate! I get so overwhelmed/stressed with too much stuff and I’m currently doing dedicated challenges to work through a bunch of my excess. I get overwhelmed even if my stuff is organized nicely! It’s just too. much. And I don’t even have nearly as much as so many people… I don’t know how they do it! I hope you will do updates on your progress. I agree – reading/seeing others tackle these things is inspirational!
Oh I totally agree! It’s great to sort things out, but there really is nothing better than just having less stuff. I seem to just have stuff inside of stuff, like Russian babushka dolls lol. But the good news is I’ve been resisting buying things and I’ve actually been finishing things, which feels great!
And yes I will definitely keep you updated – I have already filmed a huuuuge empties video that I think I will need to split into 2 parts(!), and I’m working through all my samples on Sample Sundays 😉 The support really helps me too! Thanks for your comment, it means a lot 🙂
hahaha yeah I have been amassing quite a bit of stuff as well! When I realized I did to a few exchanges though and gave some things to friends and family. I have two no buy months as well as to not even get more!
In my eagerness to use up stuff I forgot to buy things we were running out of and i had no replacements though ups 🙂
Good luck with using your products though, I am sure it will make you feel lighter!
No buys are definitely a good idea! Mine actually seems to be working, which I’m really happy about. I generally don’t like to restrict myself too much (YOLO and all that) but it does get a ludicrous when I have 49832483 of the same thing.
That’s cute about you running out of necessities – I even have backups of those! Literally have nothing to shop for, except food – and I probably should be cutting down on that! Aiyiyi my life 😉 Thanks for your comment, I am feeling lighter and hopefully will continue to do so! ^^
Ha! I had this same feeling. I don’t have nearly as much stuff as more experienced beauty bloggers, but even my small stash has gotten to a point where I get overwhelmed. It’s not an exaggeration to talk about the anxiety we have when we think about all the stuff we’ve accumulated and how unlikely it is that everything will get loved! That’s what prompted my project 10 pan this year. I do like variety in makeup, but I definitely want to push out products that didn’t work well enough for me. My approach to skincare is finding what works best, and it’s not good to switch up your routine too often. I’ve just got a lot of redundant products I gotta get through. This reminds me of the George Carlin bit about stuff and how quickly it gets ridiculous.
Yes, I feel exactly the same way! It’s all and games until you start getting stressed about your makeup… not cool. I think Project Pan is such a good idea, especially in the beauty community where so much of the focus is usually on consuming.
And I also agree that it’s best not to change up your skincare routine too much. My skin is super sensitive and will take any opportunity to relax, so I’ve realised that even if I have all these products, I possibly will not actually use them. That George Carlin bit is amazing btw, and so true! Gav showed me it a while ago and I’ve been thinking of it as I have my “stuff” in a few spots all over the world 😉 thanks for your comment and good luck!
I think it’s a year that I’ve been in the process of Asian skincare diving, but my skin is sensitive and acne prone so every purchase I make is carefully thought out. thankfully this means there’s no temptation to buy meme boxes or try new things just cause. When I do accidentally but something I cannot use, I immediately put it in a bag to sell or give away when people purchase from me.
However, I do have another more serious problem, my Taipei apartment has all furniture I bought/was given by others. We’re talking two beds, couch, fridge, washer.
You might be thinking oh no big deal, but in Taiwan people don’t buy things that aren’t super cheap, and my stuff is actually quite nice. I don’t know what to do if I can’t sell it 🙁
And clothes. As I’m sure you knew, Asian clothes 1) don’t fit properly, 2) shit quality, 3) always look better on the rack/them. I really dislike buying clothes, but how long can my new York stuff last? :'( zip I end up buying stuff I don’t really like and it just sits here on the off chance I’ll one day wear it.
Oh the struggle!
I agree with sticking to what works for you, instead of just trying new things for the sake of it. My skin definitely doesn’t like too much of that! Although, these days it seems to be a teensy little bit less sensitive, which I am enjoying. It sounds like you have a good system with excess beauty products, that’s really diligent!
Re: the furniture, ever since moving out I am understanding that less really is more. Clutter is clutter, and the more you have, the more you have to worry about. I’ve found the quality of clothes here in Korea to vary quite a bit: some is super disposable, and then some last for ages. It does depend, although I do prefer buying from the sale rack! ^^ All in all, I’ve found that having less stuff just reduces these sorts of problems. Although they’re not really bad problems to have!
Thanks for commenting 🙂 and good luck!