Makeup Clean Out

Spring is here and it is time to clean out my makeup. I am going all out and throwing all kinds of stuff away. 

First off it has to pass the smell test. If anything smells off or bad out it goes. 

If it is broken and I am not liking it enough to try the rubbing alcohol repair on it, buh bye!

Next I am getting rid of all those colour mistakes. We all have bought a colour a  sales girl talked us into that we later regretted. Bye bye Felecia!

With what is left I am going to remove all my eyeshadows, blushes, pan glosses, etc from their compacts and put them into larger blank palettes. I did a Facebook post about it here:

https://www.facebook.com/styleonashoestring/posts/10152782615090292:0

Now I should have a better and less cluttered makeup shelf. Wish me luck because I have a feeling this is going to take all weekend!

Peldyn

Wardrobe Clean Up

 Winter is a great time to either start a wardrobe clean up or continue one started earlier in the year. I had previously gone through my summer clothes and let go of a huge bag worth of them. I am now ready to go through my fall and winter clothes and pare them down as well.

My closet as of now is still a jumbled mess. I have banned myself from any further clothing or shoe purchases until I have reduced it all by at least a third. I also have purchased a closet organization system that will be going in this week. ALL the clothes will be coming out of my closet at that time and only what fits my style, as in colours that compliment me, and what can make up more than two outfits can stay. All worn items and what do not fit/belong stylistically will be donated or sold. I am determined to get a handle on this overflowing closet situation and to wear more of what I have. I will keep you updated on the progress. Wish me luck!

Give Me Liberty, Of London!

• Liberty of London for Target® Petites Tiered Ruffle Keyhole Tank

• Liberty of London Milk Crate
• Liberty of London Media Boxes

If you haven't heard by now, Target has had a collaboration with Liberty of London. The collection hit the stores on Sunday or Saturday depending upon your area. I just happened to be in Target with my daughter on Saturday and bought myself a sweet little blouse and some organising containers for my sewing room. The price points were excellent and I really wish I had more funds to purchase more goodies! Maybe like these:




While I haven't had a chance to wear the blouse yet, it looked really cute in the fitting room. Not so with an uber ruffled sundress. It really made me look like an over large pineapple. Not an appealing look. My granddaughters had a good giggle over it.

Actually, I would have wore the blouse today, but I never really got myself together. I just lazed in bed and ate cupcakes, drank rooibos tea and played BattleStations on Facebook. Maybe I am getting depressed or something? Or maybe it was just from staying up too late out on the protest line with the hubby, but THAT in itself is depressing, sigh. Yikes!
Tomorrow I go out of town to an unemployment interview with the hubby and I will definitely dress up for that! I plan on taking an Acess and Powerpoint class while I am there in their Resource Centre.
Wish me luck!

Pel

One Wishlist To Bind Them All

I don't know about you, but I have wishlists scattered all over the internet. I also have a husband who is so shopping phobic that if I can get just him to shop at Amazon.com for his dvds and video games then I am lucky. So when it comes to birthdays and anniversaries and that biggie, Yule I am on tenterhooks as to what I am to get. I tell him about my wishlists and leave plenty of clues, but he is still clueless. Then comes the day of unwrapping and I usually get nothing that I asked for. Enter Amazon.com and their new Universal Wishlist button! With this new little widget I can add items from any web retailer to my Amazon.com wishlist. Wow! The person who thought this up deserves a Nobel Peace Prize! No more searching all over for items you have favourited, they are all in one place. People can search for your wishlist by your name or your e-mail address so it makes shopping for you a breeze! Now, I am off to add some more things to my list. After Yule is Valentine's day and my birthday, I must make sure he has a good selection to choose from!

Pel

A New Purpose

I love it when I find a new purpose for an everyday item and when I also find a use for something I might have thrown away. Especially when that use saves me money! Here are a few things I have repurposed. I hope they give you a few ideas too.



I was going to buy drawer organizers at the container store when I noticed that the inserts that held these little strudel cookies was perfect for organizing items in my drawers and on my vanity tray! What is even better is they stack so they take up so little space. So I've kept plastic out of the land fill and saved myself a few dollars in the bargain. I am pretty happy about that.



At Target I saw this adorable bathroom set that was so cute. The wheels started turning in my head and I realised that the toothbrush holder would be better off as an earring holder. It holds my longer earrings tangle free.


The soap dish keeps my large "knuckle duster" rings close at hand.


This hand soap dispenser is waiting to be filled with my favourite body lotion.


They all look so beautiful sitting on my vanity.

So tell me about the things you have repurposed. I have just started and it is fun!

Pel

Cleaning Out Your Closet

We have all seen the new magazines and catalogs touting the new Spring styles and for those of you still digging out from Winter's recent snowfalls you are thinking it is madness. I too am not really ready for Spring wear, but now is the perfect time to think about cleaning out your closet. If you are like me it is in serious need of an overhaul. I have a pile of items waiting for the dry cleaner. Another pile that needs to be mended and I am feeling very blase about the whole thing. The rewards make it all worth while though, I swear! First, forget the rule that if you haven't worn it in a year you should throw it away. I wear things in rotation and may not wear an item in a year, but I will get to it. More important is if it makes sense as a whole in your wardrobe. All items in your wardrobe must go with at least 5, YES FIVE other items. This allows you to build multiple outfits so that you will always look and feel like you are wearing something new. If you have, say a blouse that goes with nothing else it it taking up valuable real estate and needs to go. Another important thing is to get rid of what doesn't fit. It is doing you no good if you can not wear it. If it is too big take it in. If it is too small sell it on ebay or donate it to charity.

Now that you have pared things down a bit lets think about organization. There are a few ways to organize your closet. I like to separate first by casual and work wear then then into the distinct items such as jackets, blouses, skirts and pants. If you have a small wardrobe and have little time to get ready in the morning it may help to organize by outfit so that you may simply grab one and get dressed! If you go this route do not get stuck in a rut. Try to mix up your outfits a bit at least each month so that you look fresh.

Once your closet has been cleaned and organized you may find that you are in need of items to fill "holes" in your wardrobe. Make a list of what you need and start looking in magazines and catalogs to see what is in style and available BEFORE you spend your cash. It is better to make any new purchase on a well thought out basis so you can look for the best deal available. Places to look that you may not have thought of before include ebay and thrift shops. I will be writing future articles on these places!

I hope that you have been given inspiration to tackle that closet and maybe Spring doesn't look so far off after all!

Beth