Project Use Up 10 Items 2015 - Final Update

Hello all!

It's time for my final update on my Project Use Up 10 Items! I am happy to report that out of 10 items, I had managed to completely use up 7 of them. There is one bad news however and that is I lost my MAC Lipgloss in Icescape while I was working on Labor Day at Tambunan. I have decided to replace it with another lip product which is The Body Shop Born Lippy stick lip balm in Lychee flavor.

The remaining 'in progress' products from my first update

The following is the status for the products in this project:

01. MAC Lipstick in Quiet One Used Up 
02. The Body Shop Born Lippy stick lip balm in Lychee In Progress
03. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in Warm Natural 6 Used Up
04. The Body Shop Vanilla perfume In Progress
05. The Body Shop Moroccan Rose perfume In Progress
06. Naturals Argan Oil Body Scrub Used Up
07. The Body Shop Shower Gel in Vineyard Peach Used Up
08. Nivea In-Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner Used Up
09. Za Deep Cleansing Oil Used Up
10. Benefit Cleanse Oil-free Remove It Makeup Remover Used Up

The only items that were not used up are the perfumes and the lip balm. I think I can still take pride in the amount of progress I made especially when I don't really wear perfume that much these recent years and the lip balm is added to the list only recently. 

The ones that I didn't use up at this point in time..

I am soooo looking forward to picking out my 2nd batch of Project Use Up 10 Items for the year and this time I will be putting a reasonable time limit of completion for this project so as not to drag it on indefinitely. I am also planning on doing more frequent updates within the determined time frame. It's going to be more fine-tuned next time around, in shaa Allah. Hehe...

What do you think I should include in the next batch? Something challenging like a blusher or eye shadow perhaps? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Love,

Phy

Project Use Up 10 Items 2015 - 1st Update.

Hello dearies!

I had wanted to do an update on my Project use Up 10 Items on the 1 month mark on April 3, 2015 but life got in the way a bit so I am currently at about the 6 week of the project. I am proud to say that I have used up some products and making good progress on the rest. Let's have a looksee shall we?

Empty products except for the face powder..

The rest..

The following is the status for the products in this project:

01. MAC Lipstick in Quiet One Used Up 
02. MAC Lipgloss in Icescape In Progress
03. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in Warm Natural 6 In Progress
04. The Body Shop Vanilla perfume In Progress
05. The Body Shop Moroccan Rose perfume In Progress
06. Naturals Argan Oil Body Scrub Used Up
07. The Body Shop Shower Gel in Vineyard Peach In Progress
08. Nivea In-Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner Used Up
09. Za Deep Cleansing Oil Used Up
10. Benefit Cleanse Oil-free Remove It Makeup Remover In Progress

As you can see, I have finished 4 products out of 10 so far which is good I think. The ones that I am having a bit of trouble using up is the lip gloss. There's only so many times you can re-apply in a day. Perfumes are no walk in the park either but hey, that's all part of the challenge, yes?

So that's my first update on my Project Use Up 10 Items. I am looking forward to the next update. Toodles!


Love,
Phy

Less Stuff Less Stress 1.0 Update - Cleaning Out Big Ben

Hello dearies,

A month ago I decided on committing myself to a cleaning project which I named Project Less Stuff Less Stress 1.0 where I am to de-clutter my makeup collection as well as my room as a whole. Previously in that post I had gone through my childhood clothes cupboard where I had stored Sophie's baby clothes and my skincare products as well as a section of a huge cupboard situated at the foot of my bed.

Between then and now I had cleaned out the top section of said large cupboard on one weekend and also separated my makeup into the ones that I definitely want to keep, throw and the ones I am on the shelf about on another weekend. I didn't take any photos for the former but I do have photos for the latter so if you are interested to know which makeup items that I've separated to try out, let me know and I'll make a blog post about it for you.

This time around however, I'd like to share the progress that I had made with the cupboard I mentioned earlier which I will from now on call Big Ben because The Huge Open Cupboard At The Foot Of My Bed is way to long to be made as a reference. So, you might be wondering why on earth is it taking me so long to clear out one cupboard? You see Big Ben has been around for as long as I can remember and it has become a dumping ground of sorts with decades of things being stuffed in every nook and cranny.

While I have worked at cleaning first 2 shelves periodically throughout the years, I have always shied away from going near the bottom shelves because it was just too overwhelming. Going on this project, I knew that I couldn't turn a blind eye on that section any longer. That didn't stop me from procrastinating it though which resulted of me going on a vicious cycle of gnashing my teeth every time I see the mess and running a way with a howl of despair.

So last Sunday I told myself that instead of dragging out the inevitable I decided to chip at it by just clearing out half the section of a shelf. As I was doing it however, I gained 'momentum' and enthusiasm until it turned out to become a full blown clean out of all the bottom shelves. Woo hoo! You wouldn't believe the things I found in there. Some even dated back to 1998! It's crazy.

Before: This was already half-way through the clearing out process.

Top row, L-R: 1) An OMR form to enroll into MRSM. The pages of paper that totally changed my life. 2) Folios! Who can forget making them?

Bottom row, L-R: 1) My so-called business card. This was for my Sales assignment where I was supposed to be a Sales Rep from The Body Shop doing a demonstration on their new Seaweed skincare line. 2) A page of my planner in uni during the busiest 2 weeks of my student life, EVER. I was practically functioning on autopilot at that time. 3) A game from the 90's! Have any of you seen or played with something like this before? 

If you're an 80's baby, you might recognize some of these items:

Before lyrics were available online: Lyrics book (a.k.a song book). 

  

Before there was Friendster, Myspace and Facebook: Biodata diaries to be filled with addresses and contact number of friends. 

Before Goodreads existed: A synopsis record book to keep tract of the novels I've read

After going through everything this is what the end results looks like:

A fraction of the amount of stuff that used to occupy the space. Yay!

The amount of stuff I am throwing away.

The areas that need de-cluttering: Big Ben's top 2 shelves to be revisited and also the area below my desk.

One thing I will say is that it feels soooo goood after a cleaning out session especially seeing the end result of the area being clean and organized. It's like a heavy weigh has been lifted up from my shoulders. For those of you who are thinking of doing a spring cleaning sesh in your home but feel overwhelmed, all I can say is just take a (or several) deep breath and start doing it. The first step is always the hardest.

You don't have to clean out an entire room if you don't have the time or the energy. Just start with cleaning up the clutter on top of your arts and crafts table one day then the first drawer the next day for example. Also, set a time of 10 minutes max during each short session. This prevents you from thinking too much and having the time to convince yourself that you need to keep that ugly photo frame because Uncle Harry gave it to you or those 3 pocket sized flashlights that are barely working 'just in case'.

What are the items that you hoard the most? Do share in the comments section below. 

Love,

Phy

My Project Use Up 10 Items Revealed!

Helo hello dearies!

Last month I had de-cluttered my room of non-beauty items. I had also mentioned that I was planning on going on a Project Use Up 10 Items where I am to select and use up 10 items to including makeup, skin care, body care and hair care. Well, I have finally come up with a list of the 10 items and would like to share it with you!




01. MAC Lipstick in Quiet One
02. MAC Lipgloss in Icescape
03. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in Warm Natural 6
04. The Body Shop Vanilla perfume
05. The Body Shop Moroccan Rose perfume
06. Naturals Argan Oil Body Scrub
07. The Body Shop Shower Gel in Vineyard Peach.
08. Nivea In-Shower Intensive Skin Conditioner
09. Za Deep Cleansing Oil
10. Benefit Cleanse Oil-free Remove It Makeup Remover

Some of these products I've had for years whether I had used it less to prolong it's use (01, 02 & 03) or simply forgotten to use (04, 05 & 10). There are some pretty current products as well in the mix (06, 07, 08 & 09). I am really looking forward to using these products up and adding them into my Empties bag.

Do you have any beauty products that you are planning or needing to use up?

Project Less Stuff Less Stress 1.0

Hello hello dearies..

I have been thinking of de-cluttering my makeup collection and room in general the past week and I finally had the chance to do it last Sunday. I had concentrated on getting rid of my non-beauty items first because I had to make room for a new tv that we are getting just for my dad. While I have put aside some makeup items that I know I can do without, I know there's more.

I must warn you that my makeshift vanity area was very messy and out of control. Also, my furniture are very old. In fact, they are older than I am! So you will see battered and scratch-riddled pieces rich with family history and not pristine Ikea furniture. :)

Are you ready? Have a look at the before photo:

Disaaasssterrrr... And this is just my 'vanity'.

I had to sort through a looootttt of things from clothes to accessories, body care, crafts, etc and it took me the whole day. All in all I did enjoy myself although there was a moment early in the evening when I actually felt absolute panic settling in.

It was caused by seeing a pile of stuff on the bed and realizing that not only do they belong to no specific category, there was also no place to put them away. I felt like I was merely moving my stuff around and not getting rid of enough which is crazy since I have 2 full plastic bins worth of junk to throw out, 2 bags of clothes and accessories as well as a box of baby clothes to donate.

Whaaaatt the???

Some of the junk lurking in my closet: Video cover pencil case (doesn't it bring back memories?), clasps I used to collect to make my own necklace, 1 cent coins that are no longer in use and a mountain of baby clothes (and a sprinkle of adult tops).

Here is the after photo:

Tadaaaa...

I still have a lot of stuff because not only is it a work in progress (to be resumed after work and on my next day off), I am also retaining things like body care and skincare that I have accumulated over the years to use them up. I am thinking of doing a Project Use Up 10 Items which essentially is pretty much the same as a Project 10 Pan but it's a mish mash of makeup, skincare, hair care and body care and it will be about using up products instead of just 'hitting pan'.

By the way, I had visited Youtube to find ideas on how to go about my cleaning/clearing project and was surprised to find that a lot of makeup gurus/junkies on there have actually jumped on the de-cluttering bandwagon although they mainly concentrate on cleaning out their makeup collections. Apparently, it has become a trend of sorts.

One Youtuber stood out above the rest however. Like me, she did not only go about clearing out her makeup pile but also all the unnecessary stuff in her house. I really like her because she is pretty brutal and very logical at the same time. If she haven't reached for an item in a year, the color doesn't suit her or the smell irritates her, she chucks them out either by donating to her local women's shelter or giving them to friends and family to enjoy (even high end makeup!). As for non-makeup items she either throws them/donate or sells them off at a yard sale. She really got me pumped up on doing this project.

Are you happy with the way your room/house is at the moment? Or can it use a bit of spring cleaning? Share your thoughts below darlings. Till the next post, toodles!



Love,
Phy