Project 333

Many years ago, I stumbled across who I consider to be a pioneer in the minimalist world: Dan Ho. His book, Rescue from Domestic Perfection, resonated with me. I loved his television show.

Yet, In spite of the inspiration I drew from Beverly's (since September 2010!) and Coco's Project 333 posts -- as well as Xandra's participation in #MinsGame and Project 333 -- I kept my minimalist leanings out of the social media eye. Until recently.

I posted sporadic #MinsGame photos to Facebook and other social media platforms, and I started blogging again.

Project 333 - My Rules
Given that my current wardrobe is fairly small, I am not:

• boxing the non-33 items
• including shoes and accessories in my 33 items.

I am in the process of culling shoes and accessories, and I will keep or eliminate items based on fit -- personal style and comfort.

Project 333 - My (26) Items
Blazer - cinnamon (1)
Cardigans - blood orange, cream (2)
Camisoles - yellow, lavender, cream, tan (4)
Tanks (Singlets) - olive, cream & salmon stripe, cream lace, cream sequins, brown beaded (5)
Skirts - brown print, brown crepe, tan polka dot, khaki pencil (4)
Dresses - brown cotton jersey, mustard cotton jersey, brown Swiss dot, leopard print (4)
Blouses - cream tie front, brown ruched (2)
Pullovers - cream dotted linen tee, salmon stripped 3/4" length, cream knitted, mint knitted (4)

Most likely, I will add a cardigan and additional camisoles/tanks to the mix. Southwestern Pennsylvania's humid summers demand that tops be washed after one wear.

Beauty Inspiration

Lately, I have been favoring videos and blog posts about beauty, style, and minimalism over reading books. Lea Ann and I share these interests, and we share our discoveries, such as The Private Life of a Girl and  Light by Coco (blog and YouTube).

One area of focus is minimizing my beauty products (cosmetics and skin care). Inspiring posts include:

• Coco's everyday makeup routine.
• Sophie's summer beauty products and her streamlined makeup collection.

I shared the post with Lea Ann, and she sent me this:

Lea Ann's entire makeup collection.

I was rather pleased with the size of my makeup collection until I saw Lea Ann's. In spite of rarely wearing eyeshadow, I own three singles, one duo, and one quad. I feel a beauty purge brewing.

Empties | April & May 2014

As I move towards a more streamlined and minimal life, I find myself purging skincare and cosmetics. This creates a more streamlined collection of items that I love -- or at least like.

Two of my main issues with having a slew of product was spoilage and boredom. I would often not finish a product because I did not care for it, and I became bored. Also, with too many products floating around, I often forgot about good products, discovering them after their expiration date.

With less product around the house, I am able to use use a few products regularly. This allows me to:

1. finish a product before its expiration date (or before I get bored with it).
2. make an informed decision about repurchasing. I will know if a product is delivering results because I am using it regularly. 

Enough yammering! Here are my empties for April and May of 2014.

You can see the video here.

April 2014
Clarisea Sea Salt Body Scrub - A nice enough product. I don't like scrubs. I prefer to exfoliate by dry skin brushing or using those netted cloths.
Celtic Complexion Creme - A lovely product, but it is too rich for my skin for summer.
Celtic Complexion Youth Serum - The sample is small, but I think it made my skin glow. The scent rose and sandalwood essential oils are a bit much for me, so if I purchase the full size, I will need dilute it.
Nature's Gate Sport Sunscreen SFP50 - This claims to be a dry touch product, but I think it is a bit greasy. That does not bother me because it blends so well for the high SPF.
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster- I cannot say that I saw any tangible results from this product. I do want to incorporate Vitamin C into my daytime skincare routine, but I am on the hunt for a more clean and green product than this.
Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen and Primer SPF 30 - I liked this, but I had another face sunscreen (Prana) that I need to try and use.

May 2014
Una Biologicals Body Butter - This product is divine, and I am thrilled to support a local (Pittsburgh), green beauty brand. I will repurchase her body butters when I finish the other body products lurking around the house.
random sheet masks - These are not clean/green products, but I am committed to using up my stash.
Prana Natural Defense SPF 25 - I love this product! My only complaint is that SPF 25 is not high enough for the Summer.
Mychelle Dermaceuticals SunShield SPF 18 Coconut - Goth Gina of past would have loved the deathly pallor white cast of this product. This smells fantastic, but that is not enough of an incentive to forgive the white cast that this product leaves on my skin.