Beauty

[just bee]

The ComPact is a commitment to simplify, pare down, streamline. It began as a way to gain some control over our collections of beauty products. Why were we amassing so much, yet not using what we were buying? Why were we always searching for the next new product? Why couldn't we just find what worked for us and stick with it?
The ComPact, however, is not restricted to beauty items. If you have a collection you want to address, do it here. Choose an area you want to work on, and track your progress on the ComPact thread. Members will offer tips and encouragement.
Choose one of our many mantras (“One by one until they’re done!” “We are SPAHHHRRRTAN!!!” “Not until you really have to.” “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” “Resist the propaganda.” "If it's high, I don't buy!" “When in doubt, do without!” “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” “Shoplighters of the World Unite!”) or create a new one and share it. Target items each month to toss, donate, or use, and post your “chopping block” -- or “hit list.” Post temptations, post victories.
They say it takes 30 days for something to become a habit: Let's see if taking the ComPact one month at a time works for you.
Join us.

[hoosieroriginal]

Love the idea "resist the propaganda"!  My goal this year is absolutely no shopping channel buying!  I have a strong will so I don't think I'll need any help, but great idea! 

[just bee]

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@hoosieroriginal wrote:

Love the idea "resist the propaganda"!  My goal this year is absolutely no shopping channel buying!  I have a strong will so I don't think I'll need any help, but great idea! 

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[Rachb]

I seriously stocked up last month on my Philosophy bath/body products. I should be good for 6 months. And I also stocked up on Laura Geller's Baked Elemdnts during a recent sale. It's my favorite everyday foundation. I do love to try new products but I've decided I'm going to try Laura's new TSV this month and that's it! Seriously, that's it! But I typically straddle porcelain and fair so I'll probably need to order both to try and return one of them. And except for a new primer and eyeshadow primer that I'll need next month, I don't need anything else for atleast 6 months. Good luck to me, I just need to practice some impulse control. And good luck to everybody else!

[kathie66]

Happy New Year Bee and Fellow Compactors,

Count me in again, its really become a way of life!

Unfortunately I can't post how many products I've used up this year as I kept trackof it with the weekly thread What did you use up this week? But when the boards changed I lost most of posting history. Buts thats ok I know I used up a lot!

I am proud to say my handsoap stash is all gone! My last one a 16 oz. Perlier Honey No Soap is open and half gone at the kitchen sink. No more handsoap for me, I will be refilling with shower gel at all sinks now to use my stash up.

One of compact goals was to use up my showergels from brands that were not my favorite. I am still working my stash down to that goal. I have made progress and hope to accomplish this goal this year.

 I will also continue to get rid of unwanted clothes, one thing I started but didn't finish.

One thing in my makeup collection I will finish this year is my Laura Geller Babycakes palette. I have one blush left in the palette that I have hit pan on! I will choose another blush to pan when this is done. And sheesh is it taking a long time!

 2016, will be my Supersize year. I am going to see how many supersize things I can use up. I have way too many taking way too much space. I plan to use up supersizes in showergel, body lotion, moisturizer, serum and perfume. I will use up things I have open now then move on to supersizes. Except for my showergels that I use up as handsoap, they will be the brands that I want to get rid of and not supersize.

I really want to keep up not buying anything new unless something is used up. Don't want to add to the stash.

I will keep posting on the What did you use up this week thread. It helps keep me accountable and I really love seeing the end result and tally. (miss that this year).

I wish you all luck this year. And I thank you all for being there for me on this journey. I love reading all your goals, and accomplishments. You all mean more to me than you know! And welcome to all the newcomers, this is a great place to be.

Happy New Year my Friends!

Kathie

[dosey]

Happy New Year!  I hope 2016 is a great year.  I am planning on it.

New quarter alert!  Time to change your toothbrush and mascara.

We survived DD's party, but I am exhausted.  DD wanted to keep the Christmas decorations up for the party, so tomorrow they will be packed away.  Our tree is just so sad.  We have always bought our trees from a small local place.  This year, we needed new lights, and a big, national store had trees.  To save a trip, we bought one.  Epic failure.

When we brought it home, we put it in the stand immediately and gave it water.  We never had to water it, again.  It did not drink a drop.  Then, I remembered a few years ago a local tree seller told me that the trees for the big stores are cut way before the stores pick them up, so they are not fresh when people buy them.  I wish I had remembered this before we bought our tree.  It is brittle.  To top it off, the branches dropped unevenly.  Some are resting on the floor, and there are two big holes in the center of the tree.  A sad, sad tree.

I still haven't put together a ComPacting plan for the entire year.  For now, I am sticking with my January no-buy and will take things month-by-month.  

Ulta sent me a new catalog, and I noticed new Bare Minerals skin care products.  How do companies come up with new stuff all the time?  At least, it seems like all the time.  This has got to be a marketing strategy to just sell, sell, sell.  They understand the mindset of consumers.  Keep buying and trying new things.  That is why I had to join the ComPact.  To change that mindset.

A new Sherlock episode is about to start!!!!!!!

[aprilskies]

Happy New Year, Everyone.  May we all have a great year.

On the compacting front, this is really my use up year.  I am really looking forward to reducing all of these bottles and jars. I want this to be the last time I am in this spot.  I did identify a budget that I will set aside for wants and allow myself a thing or two during the year.  But I am keeping it strict. It will be challenging. 

I have a few products I may give away.  Just not sure I will get around to using them so I want to give them away since they are not old.  Someone else can enjoy them.  

I will continue decluttering.  I already have another box going and throw things in there as I go along. I really would like to reduce as much as I can. 

I really am looking to make some lasting changes this year. 

[rnmom]

Happy New Year everyone!!

I haven't posted in a long time, but I continue to read all the posts. I'm still working on simplifying and compacting and I got a lot done last year. During the course of the summer I went thru just about every room in the house and took many car loads of items to Salvation Army. I'm going to start another round of decluttering on Jan 4, I've been following a blog called Mary Organizes and she is doing a 13 week declutter, so I'm going to follow along with that. I don't expect to have nearly as much to get rid of this time around, but every little bit helps! It still just amazes me that every time I go thru a room I can still find items to get rid of. It really is an endless process.

I did some shopping around the holidays and I think I'm pretty well stocked up on everything for several months. I am looking at some Bumble and Bumble hair products for my dry hair, I got a sample of their hair oil and really like it, and I will need an eye cream, but I can't think of anything else that I'll need anytime soon. My problem is that I still am having an awful time finding HG items. I pretty much have it narrowed down to which fragrance products I like and I did get a Philosophy TSV on auto delivery that will come twice more this year, so I'm trying to work thru the rest of my BBW items that I don't love so that I just have items here that I really like. But I cannot find skin care that I really love. I've tried SO many things, and I still end up disappointed. I just don't know what to do on that front. I used to like Philosophy many years ago, and I do have a large 4oz Hope in a Jar that I got off e-bay to try again. If I like that maybe I'll just switch back to Philosophy. I've thought about trying Isomers, but I don't want to fall in love with something and then not want to repurchase it because it's too expensive if it's not a special price. Who would have thought that something as silly as skin care would become such a dilemma?

So, this year my goals are to really try to focus on using up or tossing items that I don't love so that I'll have mostly items here that I do love and want to use. I'm sick of making myself use products that I just don't love but feel like I have to use up. And I'd like to see if I can find some more HG products so that I quit bopping around trying different stuff all the time. 

Sorry for the long post and vent, thanks for listening! I hope to be posting more this year!

[just bee]

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@Rachb wrote:
I seriously stocked up last month on my Philosophy bath/body products. I should be good for 6 months. And I also stocked up on Laura Geller's Baked Elemdnts during a recent sale. It's my favorite everyday foundation. I do love to try new products but I've decided I'm going to try Laura's new TSV this month and that's it! Seriously, that's it! But I typically straddle porcelain and fair so I'll probably need to order both to try and return one of them. And except for a new primer and eyeshadow primer that I'll need next month, I don't need anything else for atleast 6 months. Good luck to me, I just need to practice some impulse control. And good luck to everybody else!

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Stocking up works when you are stocking the items you love and actually use.  Also when you can get them on sale with free shipping.  If you have everything you need for six months -- or even a year -- why continue browsing?  Keep your items organized and in plain sight.  Whenever you feel like you might want to try something new, look at what you've stocked.  Do you really need a new item?  What if you discover you prefer the new item to what you've already stocked?  This is where stocking up gets tricky.  Why put yourself in that position?

I stock mascara and eyeliner for the entire year.  I have a supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste.  I have my Konjac sponges and body Buf-Pufs.  I just stocked lip balm for the year.  I have plenty of CC cream and BB serum.  Still working on the shower gel stash and making progress.  Just bought five pounds of tea in December.  I have a new tote bag (a freebie from the hospital).  I have my 2016 calendar.  Plenty of work shoes.  My pens still have ink.  I have what I need for 2016.

[just bee]

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@kathie66 wrote:

Happy New Year Bee and Fellow Compactors,

Count me in again, its really become a way of life!

Unfortunately I can't post how many products I've used up this year as I kept trackof it with the weekly thread What did you use up this week? But when the boards changed I lost most of posting history. Buts thats ok I know I used up a lot!

I am proud to say my handsoap stash is all gone! My last one a 16 oz. Perlier Honey No Soap is open and half gone at the kitchen sink. No more handsoap for me, I will be refilling with shower gel at all sinks now to use my stash up.

One of compact goals was to use up my showergels from brands that were not my favorite. I am still working my stash down to that goal. I have made progress and hope to accomplish this goal this year.

 I will also continue to get rid of unwanted clothes, one thing I started but didn't finish.

One thing in my makeup collection I will finish this year is my Laura Geller Babycakes palette. I have one blush left in the palette that I have hit pan on! I will choose another blush to pan when this is done. And sheesh is it taking a long time!

 2016, will be my Supersize year. I am going to see how many supersize things I can use up. I have way too many taking way too much space. I plan to use up supersizes in showergel, body lotion, moisturizer, serum and perfume. I will use up things I have open now then move on to supersizes. Except for my showergels that I use up as handsoap, they will be the brands that I want to get rid of and not supersize.

I really want to keep up not buying anything new unless something is used up. Don't want to add to the stash.

I will keep posting on the What did you use up this week thread. It helps keep me accountable and I really love seeing the end result and tally. (miss that this year).

I wish you all luck this year. And I thank you all for being there for me on this journey. I love reading all your goals, and accomplishments. You all mean more to me than you know! And welcome to all the newcomers, this is a great place to be.

Happy New Year my Friends!

Kathie

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1. It does become a way of life!  You're simply developing new habits.  Truth be told, it's just a new addiction.  You're probably becoming addicted to more space and less clutter.  For me, life is simpler because I have fewer choices to slow me down.  I can't believe how much time I wasted standing in front of 100 bottles of shower gel, wondering what scent would match my mood.  Or change my mood.  Ridiculous!  Just stock a couple scents that make you happy and be done!

2. Using shower gel at the sinks has made such a difference!  I like to use up "seasonal" scents if I have them.  It's a good way to put a dent in super sizes, too.  I'm finally using that bananas foster!  One day all the philosophy and B&BW will be gone!  (At that point I may have to pull out all the bar soap I collected and never used.)

3. Must prune my closets this year.  Makes more sense than buying more hangers.  Am I really going to wear all those old Hawaiian shirts?  Back in the 80s I bought several Victorian-inspired flannel nightgowns.  These things were just beautiful and the flannel was heavy, but so soft.  And then I never wore them.  I don't wear nightgowns -- haven't in decades.  When Better-half's mother visited recently, she asked me if I had an oversized shirt she could use to sleep in.  Light bulb over the head.  Not only did I have an unused flannel nightshirt, but I had all those gowns.  She tried one of the gowns and fell in love.  They now have a new home and they're being used.

4. I bought my LG palette in 2010.  Still haven't made a dent in it.  Only one shadow has dwindled to the point where I can say I hit pan.  My Subaru was killed in 2012 and did not survive me as I had planned; however, I might exit stage right before this palette does.

5. Yup!  You can put off replacing items longer than you think.  The sale that is so tempting will come 'round again.  Date your items with a Sharpie to get a feel for how long your basics really last.

6. Ditto on your last paragraph!  It really is a journey and it's such a fun one with you wonderful human beings.  I so enjoy reading all your posts.  Smart, funny, quality ladies here.