closet downsizing

ok. this is really embarrassing for me to make this post.  as i have a real obsession with shopping and a desire to own all the clothes.  but i have finally come to the conclusion that i have too much and i need to help myself downsize.

my problem is that i haven't really changed sizes since high school (hello, class of 2005) and so i keep everything that still fits and is still in style.  buuuuuuuut i don't stop shopping.  i keep adding.  and my real true problem is that if i find something i like, say a crew neck tshirt, i get it in every color.  it's awful.  i have a problem.  i admit it.

i'm also in the belief that i wear most of what i own.  however, my darling husband would say otherwise.  so, to tackle my excessive shopping and to test my theory of how much of it i wear, i'm trying some downsizing tricks.

the first thing i did was to decide my time frame.  i live in ohio where the weather is finicky and so i obviously have winter clothes and summer clothes.  my closet is large enough (an entire bedroom, whatever) that i don't put away clothes due to seasons.  it all stays out year round and some pieces i do end up wearing year round.  originally i thought i would do jan 2016-jan 2017 but then i'd have to wait all year to go through my clothes since jan-mar is more snow weather, apr-sept is summer weather and oct-dec is fall weather.  and i'm impatient.  so, i finally decided on sept 2016-sept 2017.  that way i can start the process now and hit all the different weather experiences without having to break up in the middle for the warmer months.

after sorting all that out, i actually got started.  i ran to target and bought some dot stickers - the kind you normally use for rummage sales, grabbed a pen and paper and stood in the middle of my closet.  overwhelmed.

i decided i wanted to know what i spend my money on - heels?  sweats?  work clothes?  sneakers???  so, in the process, i created categories and counted as i labeled.  your categories can be as broad or specific as you want if you do this step.  i just wanted to get a better handle on what i tend to buy so i know to stop buying it.  my categories were mostly broad - pants, tshirts, long sleeve, shorts, dresses/skirts, sweats/leggings/gym shorts, spaghetti tanks, casual tanks, work tops, flannels, sweaters.. and i did the same for shoes - heels, sneakers, flats, sandals, boots..

i began with taking my hangers and hanging them backwards on the rod.  i counted each jacket, cardigan, tank top, dress and work shirt i have and recorded that number.  the idea behind this trick is once you wear the piece and you go to hang it back up, then you flip the hanger back the correct way.  then at the end of the season or year you'll know exactly what you did or didn't wear based on the hanger position.  easy enough.

but i was dumbfounded on what to do with my folding clothes.  most of my clothes are folded.  so, i came up with the stickers.  i went through each cubby and pulled out each item and stickered and counted it.  my advice for this is to put the sticker in the fold so that way when you pull out a shirt the sticker doesn't come off or fall off in the process giving you a false report at the end of the season or year.

sticker is on the inside of the fold

stickers are on the inside of the fold

i used the stickers on my shoes as well.  mostly putting the stickers on the bottom of the shoes or inside on the soles.  stickered and counted.

as i wear the folded clothes or shoes, i'll remove the stickers.  somethings i didn't sticker like my pj bottoms, sweats and leggings.  i have so many and most of them are tossed in a basket and so there was no easy way to sticker them.  and if i needed to downsize them i could just force myself to stick with a certain number like 5 pairs of sweatpants and get rid of the rest..

this is really customizable based on your needs.

once i was done counting everything, i really realized my buying habits.  (please do not judge me - harshly.  may i remind you i've been collecting for well over 10 years..) i have over 60 pairs of sweatpants/leggings/pj shorts/gym shorts.  SIXTY.  i have enough shirts that i wouldn't have to do a single load of laundry in 9 months because i can wear a new shirt everyday for NINE MONTHS.  pants/dress wise, i could not do laundry for THREE MONTHS.  who am i??  i'm not famous or special that i can't repeat clothes.  i know collecting and not getting rid of things for over 10 years would make my closet huge.  but that huge???  put down the shopping cards and lets reevaluate your priorities, girl.

my plan is to maybe go through my winter clothes at the beginning of summer next year and then go through absolutely all of it next september.  anything that i didn't wear this year will either be donated or i may end up keeping it.  items that i do keep i plan to write down and do this process all over again next september.  then if i don't wear it by sept 2018, it has to be donated.  no ifs, ands or buts.  some pieces, like my sequin dress, i may keep even if i don't wear it for a few years for the off chance that we do something for nye.  and obviously if it doesn't fit or it's out of style or it's been 5 years and i need to let the dream go, i'll donate it.

in doing this, i have a few expectations or goals in mind.  (1) i want to find out where i spend my money.  is it so much on casual clothes when i need to invest in work clothes? (2) what do i wear? do i think i wear 80% of my closet but i'm really wearing the same five things? (3) again, what do i wear? do i wear mostly black and white but i have 85 things of hot pink i don't wear? (4) because i will buy the same item in every color or sometimes even in the same color, am i wearing them? do i really need 5 white tshirts?  or should i just keep 2 on hand in rotation?

i'm really excited to see how it turns out and to see if i can prove my husband wrong on what percentage i do actually wear..

makeup must haves

if you ain't crazy about makeup, then this post ain't for you.  but i wanted to do a post about my must have products for makeup.  i recently started watching youtube and have a few fav girls that show me how to apply make up, what's the new hottest products are and their ulta hauls.  i just wanted to showcase some of the products i've picked up from my youtube binges or what i have found to work for me.

my skin is pretty much normal.  not too oily, not too dry.  i have a few break outs here and there but nothing major.

my usual routine is to shower at night.  i typically clean my face in the shower using olay rro-x advanced cleansing system and garnier's charcoal face wash.  what's remaining after my shower, gets wiped off using target or walmart generic face wipes.  before i go to sleep, i put on clinique's face lotion.  i almost always just let my hair air dry during the evenings and while i sleep to help cut down on applying too much heat to my hair.  usually in the morning it's always wavy and sticking out all over the place.

in the morning before work, i only give myself a half hour to wake up, put on make up, get dressed and do my hair before i need to leave.  this gives me very little room to mess around with any hair style or makeup.  i pretty much use the same products every day and do very simple looks for work.  i need the products i use to be simple and easy to apply.  plus do what they're supposed to do, make me look better!

here's my before and after of me over the weekend.

BEFORE

AFTER

aren't i so bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning??  as you can see in my before, i have some dark circles under my eyes, a few blemishes and a little bit of mascara that was too stubborn to come off.  my hair is sticking out in every direction.  and i look tired.  i need my makeup to hide all of that and hair tools to tame that mop.

my current go to for a primer is L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base. i have used other primers before.  some drugstore brands some more expensive brands.  i really like this one so far.  and it's a good price point all around.  the key with primer is to give it enough time to soak in for it to do it's job.  i don't use primer absolutely everyday.  i mostly only use it on the weekends or days i know i'll need my makeup to last more than my 8 hours at work.  when i do use the primer, i'll put it on and then piddle around doing something else for 10-15 minutes so it can soak in and work properly.

in the summer, my next step is bb cream.  in the winter, i'll use a stronger foundation to give me more coverage.  but when i'm slightly tan and too hot and sweaty to use something heavier, i'll go with a bb cream.  my current favorite is tarte bb cream in light.  the reason why i love this bb cream so much is the color is awesome.  it has a yellow tint to it that really matches my skin tone.  it's not heavy but it does cover and even out my skin tone really well.  it also has spf built in to it which helps cutting back on using another product for sun protection.  it's a little on the pricey side.  i do have some drugstore bb creams to try but haven't yet to compare them. 

now for most youtubers, they stay away from powdering the whole face.  they mostly only use it to set they're concealers.  i, however, do not like the shiny-dewey look.  so i will set my face with a powder.  i simply brush it on all over my face to help keep the bb cream in place and matte my face.  the one i currently use is rimmel stay matte powder in silky beige.  it's a basic powder that matches my skin tone.  nothing too special.  and it's super cheap!

my next step is to contour kinda.  i use pixi by petra bronzer in summertime and my blush is city color be matte blush in fresh melon.  i change out my blush and bronzer depending on what's on sale or whether or not i have a tan at that time.  these two options i'm currently using were either in my ipsy bag or my boxycharm box.  i love getting makeup in the mail and trying new products i would have never tried before.  if you're not familiar with either service, they're basically a monthly mailing service that sends you 5 different products.  the ipsy bag is $10 a month and comes with a small makeup bag and 5 small products that will fit in that bag.  some products are samples some are full size.  the boxycharm is $22 a month (i think) and it offers mostly full size options.  it also usually has a value of at least $50 or more a month.

anyhow, i just roughly contour with the bronzer around my temples, under my cheekbones and under my neck.  i put a little bit of blush on my cheek bones.  i will also bring the bronzer down on my neck and my chest to help blend my face and my body.  my face and neck don't tan so easily so if i'm bronzing my face, i need to bronze my neck or i look like i'm wearing a mask.

my final face product that i use is my holy grail.  like seriously life changing experience for me. i have always struggled with my bottom lash mascara rubbing off on my cheeks during the day.  i would spend the morning covering these dark circles and get everything perfect to only have my mascara rub off and give me raccoon eyes all over again!  the torture!  i asked some reps at sephora what to do.  my aunt the makeup artist.  and no one had a solution.  i was using liquid concealer, powder and water proof mascara and NOTHING would work!  finally, i was watching youtube and one of the girls said she used bareminerals concealer and i thought i would try it since it was a powder and not a liquid.

i typically do this step last.  i will use this product under my eyes after i put on my mascara just in case any comes off on my skin i still have the ability to get it off.  i will also use it to cover blemishes.  i found that this product covers anything and everything.  and does it well.  i haven't really tried any other bare minerals product but this one i will buy and buy and buy again.  it's the bare mineral concealer in well rested.

i recently started filling in my brows.  i'm a natural blonde so my eyebrows are snow white and non existent.  i get them threaded once a month or so to shape them.  i found that the ulta eyebrow pencil in golden ash is a good match for me.  it's not too orangey or too dark for me.  i will use that first to kinda outline and fill in my brow.  then i'll use maybelline expert wear in brownstones to set it and help blend.  finally i'll use a spooly to blend it all together and make it less harsh.

for eyes, i will use nyx eyeshadow base to help make my eyeshadow last.  for eyeshadow, i tend to go towards my coastal scents revealed 2 palette.  i received this palette in my boxycharm box.  it's a cheaper version of the urban decay naked palette.  the key with eyeshadow is to blend, blend, blend! i line my waterline with urban decay all nighter eyeliner in perversion.  finally i use 3 different mascaras.  i first use a drugstore brand - whatever is on sale - on my upper lashes.  i do a second coat on my upper lashes using benefit they're real in black.  i do the first coat in drugstore brand so that it coats my lashes.  makes my blonde lashes black.  the second layer i use my more expensive mascara to give it the long butterfly lashes.  and i use less of my expensive mascara this way.  finally i use a waterproof mascara for my lower lashes.  again, usually drugstore - usually whatever is on sale.

finally, after all of my makeup is on, i'll do my hair.  now that i wash it at night and let it air dry, i mostly wake up in the morning with wavy hair.  well some parts are wavy.  some are straight.  and to blend all that, i use my remington curling wand.  i will curl my whole head and brush it out to soften the curls.  then i set it with hairspray.  the hairspray i've been using lately is marc anthony.  i absolutely love the smell.  i got a sample size of it in my ipsy bag and instantly went to ulta and bought the full size version.

and that's how i go from drab to fab.

organized freak - dream closet

i am slightly embarrassed by this post but slightly feel obligated to highlight some of my ocd organizing in my closet.  i have a lot of stuff.  i am more of the girl that finds comfort in quantity over quality.  most of my clothes or accessories come from walmart or target with my nicer items coming from express or american eagle.  honestly, i can't justify spending a bunch of money on pieces when my tastes change so regularly.

anyway.

because i have a shopping problem.  and a hoarding problem.  i must find ways to store these items and still make them pretty.  here's a zoomed in approach to some places in my closet.

we shall start with my make up.  i used acrylic drawers and lipstick holders.  i got the lipstick holders from amazon.  the drawers underneath the front lipstick holder i purchased at marshall's. i have my chapsticks, lipsticks and lip glosses in the lipstick holder.  in the drawers, i put my lip stains, extra lip gloss and any other lip product in pots.  the acrylic drawers on my actual make up table also came from amazon.  i have each drawer divided by eye shadows, eye liners and mascara.  the drawers under my mirror hold the make up i use every day.  so it's separated by face, eyes and finishing powder/spray.  next to my everyday make up drawers i have lotions and two cups with my general brushes and my everyday brushes.

lippies

eye make up

everyday make up

next to my make up table is a short bookshelf that stores my back up products and travel products.  on top of that, is my jewelry and perfume.  i have two more acrylic drawers that hold my back up products.  those are separated by foundation, powders, blush/bronzer, finishing sprays and concealers.  the silver box i purchased on sale at target.  it holds small jewelry bags for travel. the plastic bins are all from the dollar store.  they hold back up lotion, hair products and tons of travel size beauty products.  i also have a huge hand sanitizer bottle to use when i have hair product on my hands but don't feel like going to wash them off.  on top of the bookshelf, i have a silver platter i got from target to display my many perfumes.  another drawer set holds my earrings, rings and watches.  a small dish holds any jewelry i take off after work and am too lazy to put away.  on the wall is the custom jewelry holder my dad and i put together i mentioned earlier.

back up/travel products

perfume and jewelry

next to the short bookshelf, i have my folded clothes and then my shoes.  these photos are a little more zoomed in than my previous post pictures.  here you can see the cubes used to divide my folded clothes.  you can see the tall and short bookshelves holding my boots and heels.  and you can finally see the shoe racks i spoke of but never posted a picture.  it's also showing a closer view of the updated knobs on the drawers.  the pool noodles on my boot shelves are used to keep my boots standing up while they're on the shelf.

folded clothes

shoe rack

shoes!

next to my shoe shelves, are my nail polish and hair carts.  i took more detailed and zoomed photos of these carts.  first up is my nail polish cart.  i got this cart at ikea.  the black cups hooked on the front are from ikea but i ordered them off amazon.  i put my brushes, files, clippers and stickers in these.  the clear boxes i purchased at the dollar store.  i have my nail polish separated in them by color.  it is really convenient if i know i want to paint my nails a certain color to grab the box than the whole cart some times.  but i also like the convenience of dragging the cart to whatever room i want to do my nails in.  on top, are my nail polish removers, cotton balls and other small items i use to make designs.

finally, the hair cart is a wee bit more detailed..  i'm only going to show a few photos so the post won't be so long.  but each drawer is divided up to hold all my clips, hair bows and tools.  on the side of the cart i hung a container to hold my hair dryer and curling iron.  i believe i purchased this at marshall's.  on top, i used magazine holders i purchased at target to hold my hair products.  the lace cup is also from target and it holds my hair brushes.  most of the plastic dividers in the drawers are from the dollar store.

that's about as detailed as i want to get on how ocd i am about my organizing.  it's a little ridiculous.  but i make a looooooooooooot of crap fit in a tiny space with my ways. :) 

dream closet

the house has 3 bedrooms and a 2 baths.  the 2nd bath is in the bonus room that was once a garage.  i am using that bonus room as the master suite so that left me with 3 bedrooms.  i decided for one of those bedrooms to be my dream closet.  i have enough clothes and make up to dress the neighborhood and so i wanted to display it properly and keep it organized.  if i see it, i'll remember i have it to use it or wear it.  so i started with the basic bedroom:

BEFORE

BEFORE

basic four walls and hardwood floors.  a normal sized closet for the 60's.  nothing special.  we painted all four walls white.  on one wall, my boyfriend and i created a fun design inspired by pinterest.

fancy wall

my boyfriend and i framed the wall using wider painters tape (i think about 2 inches) and then used regular masking tape to create the design in the middle.  we just randomly ripped off pieces of tape and stuck them on the walls being careful to keep the rough edges covered.  i used a paint brush and just brushed on the light grey paint.  i only did one layer with the light grey which left subtle paint brush lines.  i liked the texture.  i chose a handful of shapes to be colored in with the darker grey paint.  i did do two coats of the darker paint since the first layer was really patchy.  the end result is awesome!  i left the remaining three walls white as they will be covered with clothes or shelves.  this fancy wall will be my make up/jewelry wall.

the main set up of the room looked like this:

main set up

 this is what the room looked like in the process of building all the shelves and getting things in place.  most of the white shelves came from walmart. i purchased three 9 cubed shelves for folded clothes.  two short 3 shelved shelves for shoes and jewelry.  one large 5 shelved shelves for boots.  i got a small desk for make up.  a drawer unit for make up bags and clutches.  four shoe cubbies and 4 two drawers for shoes and underwear/socks.  i got 2 carts - one for hair stuff and one for nail polish.  i'll have to do a separate post to get all the little details.

clothes wall

 for the wall opposite the actual built in closet, i decided to do my hanging clothes and folded clothes.  my dad installed the hanging materials we purchased at our local hardware store.  i chose to have a single rod go the length of the wall and have a shelf on the very top.  the cube shelves have 9 cubes for my folded clothes.

AFTER

this angle shows how my hanging tops are organized on the wall mount.  i separated and organized by casual jackets/top, casual tanks, dressier tanks, blazers/cardigans and sports jerseys.  on top i have my sweatshirts and sweaters folded.  in the cubes, i separated each cube in to sleep, casual tops and pants.  you can see in the middle of the room i did my shoe cubes and drawers.  the shoe cubes keep my flip flops, sandals, flat and sneakers neat and tidy.  the cheap plastic drawer handles were replaced with fancy knobs.  i purchased a wood counter top to make the center appear to be one piece.  in the corner i have the taller bookshelf holding slippers and boots.  the basket on top is holding all my baseball caps. next to the tall bookshelf, is the shorter one holding high heels.

AFTER

this angle shows the fancy wall with my make up table and jewelry.  the small bookshelf holds jewelry, perfume and any travel size beauty products i may need when i travel.  my dad and i made the jewelry organizer hanging on the wall a long time ago.  it's a picture frame with no back, a handful of random door knobs i picked out at hobby lobby and some hooks.  i installed mesh in the open space to hang my dangly earrings and the knobs and hooks hold necklaces and bracelets.  my make up desk only has one drawer.  in it i have my larger palettes.  i have 2 smaller acrylic drawers on the desk top that holds my day to day make up.  the drawers hold my make up bags and clutches.  the acrylics on top of the drawers are all lipsticks and lipglosses.

AFTER

photo collage

this angle shows the built in closet that i used to hang all my dresses.  i removed the doors from the closet so i can easily see the clothes inside.  a better view of the short bookshelf that holds my heels. my 2 carts holding hair stuff and nail polish stuff.  and my full body mirror is propped in the corner.  i added the photo collage after i took the 'after' picture.  i got most of these pictures off of pinterest or google images.  i purchased the frames at hobby lobby, target and the dollar store.

AFTER

scarves

the final angle shows behind the door.  i put an over the door hook system to hang new clothes or outfits for travel. the scarves are hung on towel rods.  i had my dad install two of them and then i just looped my scarves over them.  i made the purse hanger out of a piece of wood and hooks from the craft store.  and dad made sure it was hung properly to hold the weight of all my purses.

this is my absolute favorite room in the house.  i love being surrounded by my things and i love organization.  i like that everything has a place and everything is nicely organized so it's not overwhelming clutter.  having everything out in the open allows me to keep everything in a rotation so it doesn't go to waste being hidden away.  plus it keeps me from buying certain things when i know i have no other place to put them.