Here is a little update on my original post, read it here to get caught up: Let’s Save the Planet – Join My Challenge

Good news is: I have used up four of my lip products! I started carrying around the few that were already on their last leg so I could just be done with them.

Bad news is: I still bought two new lipsticks and one new lipliner 😭 I am so ashamed. I know I have a problem and Black Friday deals and birthday money had me bewitched!!

Lets forget about my shortcomings for now and talk about the other ways I have tried doing my part in waste reduction. We aren’t striving for perfection here!

• We used cloth diapers for my first baby. Yes, it was only for the first but just imagine the amount of plastic diapers I DIDN’T put in the landfill during that time!!
• I have an extensive collection of reusable shopping bags and when I remember to bring them into the store – I win, and so does the Earth.
• I don’t use much paper for anything. I use a Kindle Scribe for taking notes at school (it gives me that pen and paper feel, I don’t like typing notes onto my laptop), and I download a lot of books to read.
• Speaking of books, I do my best to only buy them second hand.
• Second hand clothing is something I have been trying to focus on recently, for my personal wardrobe. I love Poshmark and Depop!
• Instead of taking bags and bags of outgrown clothes to the donation bins I sell them on Poshmark and Depop. It is a lot of work but I have been able to make a small but steady stream of income this way, or use the funds to restock my own wardrobe.
• As far as clothing (and anything made out of cloth) is concerned, I try to buy natural fibers as much as I can but it’s so difficult to do these days. Synthetic fabrics are so much cheaper and readily available. 100% cotton sheets are non-negotiable though.
• I make sure to put my trash in the correct bins at school and anywhere there is the option to.
• I used to own a lot of makeup but over the last few years I have actually been using up what I have before I buy anything new. I have also shared a lot of my awesome eyeshadow palettes with my daughters so nothing has been thrown away that didn’t need to be thrown away.
• I have never wanted to spend money on skin care so I don’t have anything in excess when it comes to face creams or cleansers. I buy the cheaper stuff and use it up before I restock. Same goes for haircare.
• I don’t buy plastic bottles of water.
• I don’t use disposable plastic straws.
• I keep a set of bamboo cutlery in my bags for when I am out and about.

While researching for this little lipstick journey I am on, I found out about Project Pan. This article, Meet the Beauty Community That Just Wants You to Finish Your Makeup (Vogue online 2021), talks about where this idea started. The beauty community was feeling overwhelmed by the excess of products and there had already been a collective conscious desire to downsize, to stop the madness of over consumption.

It’s nice to know I am not alone with this. I found so many videos online of this special community and I am excited to bask in the support of like minded people who are trying to change.

In my next update I will talk more about the things I would like to work on when it comes to sustainability and waste reduction, because there is a lot I still need to change in our day to day lives. I would like to gently push my family into thinking more about their choices for personal care and things like that.

Thanks for reading 💜