Why I Became a Minimalist

The journey began in 2017, after losing a family member to Cancer.

A few months after their passing, we were clearing out their home filled with 30 plus years of memories. Memorabilia stacked on shelves, papers & trinkets spilling out of drawers, photographs hung on every inch of the walls. Possessions of all kinds being sold, donated or even trashed. It got me thinking, “If you can’t leave with any of your physical items, what makes them so important? You see, in my eyes I find the moments you share & relationships you have with others are far more valuable than any form of materialism.

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Ok, now I’m not saying because I devalue materialism that I live in an empty apartment, sleep on the floor and not own a damn thing. On the contrary, I i enjoy many of my possessions. Ive just simply learned to live with less & have downplayed their importance.

See, the idea of minimalism to me is not necessarily living with x amount of items, or painting your walls white, & only wearing neutral colors. It’s more so living intentionally. You see, it’s time to prioritize your life. The idea of stuff can easily consume your life to the point of no return. And it’s not just those physical items that can bog you down too. Look at every aspect of your life – the things you own, your career path, the people you’re spending time with…all of which are important. Why spend your life with unnecessary possessions, a career that’s not going anywhere, or people you can’t stand.

Simplify your life.

“Make room for things that matter by removing everything that doesn’t” – Brian Gardner

After being on this journey for a few years now, I can say living with less has given me more clarity & helped me focus on moments instead of things. I can’t tell you how overwhelmed I used to feel when items ruled my life. I used to be an avid therapy shopper. Instead of dealing with my emotions or certain obstacles, I would mend those feelings by purchasing new clothing or makeup products [I can expand on that a bit later]. Bottom line is, going on this “less is more” journey has made me feel so much happier in my life. I live in the moment more. I have better relationships with family, friends, and loved ones. I have an overall sense of gratitude for life.

How To Get Out of a Creative Rut

Inspiration can come from many things. You just have to look up & experience them. Most of what I write are from personal experiences – past, present & future thoughts. But even so, a creative rut can happen to anyone. It’s human nature. When this happens, it’s important to just take a breather & step back for a moment.

The blogging community can be a rather saturated place. One of the reasons I questioned blogging was because there are so many people out there doing the exact same thing. How am I supposed to stand out from the crowd? How can I be original? When I go through my feed, it’s hard not to see similarities in topics. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the title “What Every New Blogger Needs to Know” or “10 Ways to A Happier Life.” But after almost 7 months of blogging, I’ve learned the best way to remain original is to always focus on your own perspective. Sure, the title could be the same. The general premise could be similar as well. But a person’s perspective on the matter will always be unique.

There’s a fine line between finding inspiration through other writers vs. down right copying them. I understand the struggle of seeing another bloggers success & thinking to yourself, “I can do that too.” Especially, when you are in a slump, it’s easy to think this way. But the thing is, what’s the fun in following someone else’s journey. Why not focus on yourself & improve your own craft? While you wasted time trying to be that other person, you could have used that same energy to gain a skill & brainstorm on your own. Give yourself more credit.

The biggest reason certain bloggers “succeed” is because their followers fell in love with their personality & perspective as well as their craft. This is why I think creating this online persona is key in creative marketing. You want your readers to like you for you. And if this happens, chances are they will stick around regardless of what you write. Humans are extremely visual now a days. So, connecting with those readers is important (without giving away too much private information). Connection through your words is what draws people in. Others simply want peers to relate to. So, keep that in mind when you are writing your next piece.

Ruts happen when you yourself aren’t completely balanced. A lot of times, when I’m in serious writers block, it’s because I’m neglecting self care. I think a lot of creative people become frustrated when their talent becomes blocked. “Why can’t I be this magical creature who spits out ideas with a snap of my finger?” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Or in my case, ideas end up flying at 3 am on a Tuesday. Go figure.

The important thing to remember is not to give yourself such a hard time when you run out of ideas for the moment. It’s actually good you let your thoughts marinate. Step away from the laptop, open a book or listen to a podcast & let your thoughts run wild. Ask questions. Debate productively. Let yourself learn new concepts. You’d be amazed at how quickly those ideas start flowing on paper.

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My Everyday Makeup Routine + Skin Care Favs

The title is deceiving because I actually DON’T wear makeup every single day. Not to brag, but my skin has been the best it’s ever been in years! I have quarantine to thank for that one. Why waste wearing makeup when I’m isolating from the public eye & spending the majority of time binge watching Netflix. When I do decide to wear makeup which is primarily grocery store runs & a few random outings, I tend to keep it pretty simple. After I posted these photos on Instagram a few weeks ago, I received a few requests of wanting the details. So, today I’m here to share with you the products I’ve been gravitating towards lately. Here’s my Everyday (when I feel like it) Makeup Look:

BUT FIRST, SKINCARE:

The one thing this past year taught me was the importance of a skin care routine. I’m someone who has suffered from acne prone skin since my teens & I used makeup to hide those imperfections. But all I was doing was clogging my pores even more & not allowing my skin to breathe. So, I made a few changes & I actually love going bare faced more often than not now.

Going more dairy free, drinking more water & cutting certain foods out of my diet has made a big difference in my skin. I’m someone who used to love drinking milk. But I realized it broke me out so badly. To this day, if I have even just a glass of 2% milk, I regret it in the morning with blemishes down my neck.

Most products I use are fragrance free because I have very sensitive skin.

Aveeno Sensitive Skin Body Wash: this product leaves my skin feeling silky smooth

Cera Ve Hydrating Facial Cleanser : I love this facial cleanser for its gentle formula.

Origins 10 Minute Mask to Rescue Problem Skin: this product has a refreshing feel & evens out my skin tone / blemishes immediately

Related Post: Huge Makeup Collections Are Overrated!

ONTO THE MAIN EVENT

I like to first, prime my skin with some sort of base before I add any other face product. Currently, I’ve been using the Smashbox Primer Water Spray to hydrate my skin. I love the lazy factor of this product because you don’t have to take time massaging a product onto your face. And it’s just so refreshing.

In terms of foundation, I’ve been leaning to a lighter coverage option like the It Cosmetics CC cream. This product alone is what saved my skin! The ingredients help treat blemishes & uneven skin tone as you are wearing it. It has buildable coverage & the line has multiple finishes depending on your preference. I’ve personally only have tired the original one.

I’ve had dark circles under my eyes since a teenager. I think it’s genetic. I’ve tried so many different concealers, but nothing compares to Tarte Shape Tape. Believe the hype in this product because it will hide your bags & your sins. I also highlight my chin, around my nose, forehead & tip of my nose.

On a daily basis, I don’t usually full on contour my face. I just go in with a bronzer to warm up my complexion & add a little bit of definition to my facial structure. Lately, I’ve been using Benefit Hoola Bronzer, an oldie but a goodie. It blends like a dream & you just can’t go wrong with this one. In the photo, I’m wearing the original shade .

Blush is my favorite makeup product hands down. I’ve been leaning towards more mauve shades for the winter time & Benefit Rockateur is my all time favorite. It almost looks bronzy on my skintone so it blends nicely with the bronzer.

At this point, I usually fill in my brows. I don’t do a whole lot to them anymore. But my favorite pencil is the Anastasia Brow Wiz in brown.

When it comes to my eyeshadow, I keep it really easy & quick. I rarely wear winged eyeliner anymore, which was my signature look for many years. I’ve been using the Morphe Jaclyn Hill Palette ever since I got it for Christmas. I tend to wear the shade Mocha in the crease & blend it out. And then I’ll apply the shade Obsessed all over the lid.

I’ll top off my lashes with some mascara. I love the L’oreal Paris Paradise Mascara

Sometimes I will skip highlighter all together, but in this photo, I’m wearing Anastasia Beverly Hills Sundipped Glow Kit in the shade Moonstone (which is the top right) on my cheek bones, tip of my nose & cupids bow.

Lastly, I top off the look with a lip color. I’ve been loving the Kylie Liquid Lip in Koko K.

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3 Things That Made Me Fall In Love With The Minimalist Lifestyle – Guest Post

Hi everyone! Today I have a guest post from the lovely Helen of Crispy Confessions. Be sure to follow her on her blog as well as Twitter & Instagram.

When the minimalist movement started trending across America and some of my friends and neighbors started to adopt its values, I admit that I was intrigued. The very idea of choosing to have less stuff seemed unfathomable to me, having grown up with the mindset that you needed stuff to be truly happy. But the more I learned about the minimalist lifestyle, the more that I wanted to learn more. In this article, I will give you 3 things that made me fall in love with the minimalist lifestyle.

3 Things That Made Me Fall In Love With The Minimalist Lifestyle

Surrounding yourself with things that create joy

I first learned about the concept of surrounding oneself with things that spark joy in the Netflix documentary Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. What I learned was that the secret to decluttering the home was not using the gold standard of organizational methods, but to be intentional about the things that I do end up keeping. I learned about the importance of surrounding myself with things that gave me joy. I realized  that I didn’t want to just live in a home that was crammed with stuff, but rather with stuff that gave me purpose and truly made me happy.

Realizing the value in simplicity

Another thing that I love about the minimalist lifestyle is its emphasis of simplicity over chaos and clutter. It taught me that comfort can be found in even the simplest of things. You can simply have just the essentials in the home to survive. For example, I can just have a sofa, a TV, and a book or two, and I can be satisfied with just these three or four things. I don’t need that pull down map, fancy rug, or little trinkets. By just surrounding myself with the bare essentials for survival and comfort, then I am giving myself the best chance at maintaining a clean house and happiness.

Discovering the true meaning of life

The race to constantly buy things year after year is diluting the true meaning of not only the holidays, but life. The minimalist lifestyle embraces the complete opposite of that. Rather than going out to buy stuff, it advocates more important things that I could be doing instead. I could be spending precious time with family and friends or pursuing a new hobby or skill. By focusing less on consumerism, I can spend more time on the things that matter. It brings the focus back to the things that matter and less on materialistic things.

The best thing about embracing a minimalist lifestyle is the inherent ability to surround myself with joy, find happiness with simplicity, and ultimately reject consumerism. It is about finding peace with the things that matter. It is about loving who I am and the things that I choose to surround myself with at home. By being a minimalist, you end up ultimately embracing the best version of yourself.

Again, thank you so much, Helen for sharing your journey to minimalism. If you want to read more posts from Crispy Confessions, be sure to check out her blog!