Use It or Lose It: Clutterpocalypse

Hello! No, I haven't given up on this...I've just been taking a break. It is hard on my skin to be constantly switching products. My face isn't as young and resilient as it used to be, and a small pause in the challenge was definitely required. To fill the gap, I've decided to tackle The Drawer in my bathroom...where all my toiletries go to die.

I have this drawer in my bathroom. I don't share it, so I can't shift blame at all. It's where I shove everything I use on a daily basis...and then some. It was time to go through it. There was no way I was actually using everything in this drawer on even a weekly basis. I just don't have that much skin!

I pulled everything out and laid it on a towel on my bed. Something oily leaked (I think its that damnable Josie Maran cleansing oil) so there was some cleaning that needed doing anyway. Then I went through the pile and threw out anything old or empty. There was a lot more than I am comfortable admitting. When I clean my bathroom, I often just shove whatever is on the counters into the drawer...not a smart habit.  Once the hoard has been thinned, it was time to sort.

everything laid out. holy shit.

I sorted things by category: face, makeup, hair, body, etc. I put away the cosmetics and perfumes, since those really didn't belong there anyway. (Don't keep fragrances and cosmetics in the bathroom. Temperature shifts and humidity are not their friends.) This was actually rather pleasant. When you sort things out by their use, you can get a really good idea of what you need and what you don't. 

still a lot of shit

Then I sorted out "what I actually need to function on a daily basis, but still need in this drawer." This is what I've decided I need. And yeah, there are some dupes (I have two facial sunscreens. You shut up) but I use them together or separately every day. These things I must have within arms reach.

Next, I addressed my hair stuffs. My hair is pretty short, and some of this stuff had been in there since I had shoulder length hair...and only one child. Yes. So I put things away  and refined the pile to things I need: dry shampoo, volumizing gel, duckbill clips, bobby pins, and a headband.  I'm trying to keep the products at hand so I will actually finish them off. I'm getting close with the dry shampoo...which is good because there is another couple of bottles waiting after this one. Dammit.

if I'm honest, I don't even need this much

I put everything back into the clear organizers, and admired the smallness. Much more efficient. Once I stick this back in the drawer, I can actually see everything that is in there. No more shoving things around and cursing as I grab one of a billion eye creams while I look for my lip balm at night. 

It is truly amazing how tackling one drawer can make you feel like real progress has been made. All of those things I was holding on to...really, if I haven't used them by now...

Oh, and for the sake of de-cluttering porn here is the bag of things I threw out. I'm pretty proud of this bag of trash. It is full of money, time, and space wasted. Let it be a lesson to me. Next time I decide to buy some lotion/cream/hair product when I don't need it...let me see this bag and reconsider.

How has the struggle been for you so far? Have you taken a break yet? Have you tackled any organization projects? I think, when you are feeling exhausted and missing your normal routine, that a small pause to take on a project like this is just what the doctor ordered.