This summer, Mrs. HB and I went on a trip together. Over the course of that trip I realized that we were vastly different when it comes to packing. She brought over 110 toiletry items. I brought 14. I asked you to weigh in and it was all over the map. Some packed like me; some packed like Mrs. HB, some were somewhere in between. So it got me top thinking. What would my grandmother’s toiletry bag look like? Probably fairly simple. I suspect she’d have been closer to the 14 because back then there weren’t bazillion choices for everything, and times were just simpler!
These days there seems to two conflicting sides: the minimalist approach and the I-own-a-million-of-everything approach. I think a lot of people have been worn down by the constant barrage of health and beauty ads, so we’ve gone from simple to insane when it comes to toiletries. Do you have 3 things of mascara in your bathroom drawer? Multiple types of lotion? Scented? Unscented lotion? Differently scented? Face lotion? Sunscreen? Body lotion? What about eye shadow or shampoo or lipstick? Do you have a toiletry cabinet that is bursting at the seams?
If so, how do you tame it? How do you work towards minimalism where toiletries are concerned? Here’s what I do. You can take it or leave it, but it sure works for me:
- Use it up: I use every drop of something before I replace it. I squeeze every last bit of that toothpaste out and then tip those shampoo bottles out and drain every last drop. If I didn’t do that and I replaced them too soon, I’d find myself opening the new bottle when the old bottle still had some remnants. Then I’d end up with two bottles taking up shower space.
- Buy one of each: I have one tube of mascara. I have one bottle of face lotion. I have one tube of toothpaste. I don’t believe in buying multiple products that do the same job just for the sake of having options. Saves money and my clutter-hating sanity.
- Find products that can do the job of two: Speaking of buying multiple products, I double up when I can. I have bronzer than can act as blush and eye shadow too. There are lotions that have sunscreen and can be used on your face and body as well. See if a product you are using can do the double duty and then replace it with one product. Can your body wash act as shaving cream? Say goodbye to multiple products when one can do the job of many.
- Ignore the ads: I don’t follow trends. I ignore all of the ads I see for new and improved this or that. If something I am using is no longer working or the product I’m used to has been discontinued, then I’ll do a little research and find a new one. But if I bought the new and improved mascara every time one was released, I’d be buying 5 tubes every month!
There are a few tips I live by. What about you? What are you must-have toiletries you can’t do without? How would your bathroom cabinet compare to your grandmothers? How many tubes of mascara do you own right this second?
~Mavis
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