Simpler Living: Products I'd Like to Eliminate From My Routine

In my quest to reduce my beauty stash, I've been using and using up a lot of different products. So many, in fact, that lately I've started to feel a bit bored with my elaborate routine, and I'm over all those special products and treatments cluttering my bathroom and my vanity. If you've been reading Rocaille Writes for a while, you may remember that I wrote a similar post roughly a year and a half ago, but since then, I feel that I have even more products I'd like to add to my list of superfluous beauty stuff - skincare, haircare, make-up, all the works.

Starting with make-up, I've realized not so long ago that I really don't enjoy using liquid eyeliners. I know many of you are gasping in horror right now, but I just don't reach for them - case in point, that Wet n'Wild Mega Liner is all dried up now (why did I even have it in my drawer? Oh, right, I didn't know it had dried out, because I DON'T USE IT), and I kind of have to make myself use the LORAC Front of the Line Pro, reviewed here. I just prefer the convenience of a pencil (and yes, you can make a beautiful cat eye with a pencil liner!), or gel, if I really want that perfectly crisp look.

I'd to like to amend my previoust post here and say that while I'm still not using lip liners or eyelash curlers, I do sometimes reach for a face primer (although I haven't had to buy one in a long time as I keep getting deluxe samples with orders!), and I now use a highlighter (mostly powder) at least a couple times a week - but my skin has also gotten less oily and more even in texture, so they've become more fun to play with. I will however add one more product to my list of unnecessary steps: make-up setting sprays. Personally, the only benefit I get from using one is taking down an overly powdery finish on the face, and for that, I can easily replace it with a hydrating spray toner I already use in my skincare regimen.

In my skincare routine, I'd like to simplify by eliminating a daytime eye cream with SPF (plus, I just really don't like this Clarins SPF30 Sunscreen For Eyes one anymore - so thick and not nearly hydrating enough). I just don't think I need a separate eye cream for the day; I could just be using one eye cream both day and night, and make sure my facial sunscreen is not irritating and suitable to use around the eye area. And while we're on the topic of one cream for both mornings and evenings, I'd like to reduce my stash to just one face moisturizer too. I know that for some this may be unthinkable, and we've been told repeatedly (mostly by skincare companies) how our skin needs more nourishment and active ingredients at night, but I can take care of all the extra nourishment by adding in a face oil, and really, most moisturizers don't even have that many active ingredients compared to serums, which I have a few of to switch around according to my skin's current needs.

I also don't really use spot treatments anymore. To be perfectly honest, they've never worked all that well on my spots anyway, maybe with the exception of benzoyl peroxide treatments, but these too only work on a certain type of spot (usually small, clogged bumps on my forehead). I've also been getting less and less spots in general *fist pump*, so they're just not something I need to keep in my skincare regimen.

And lastly, I think the days of my using the Clarisonic are over. Maybe it's because I now have a much better face cleansing routine (using non-foaming milk/oil/balm cleansers and cleansing twice), I just don't really see the need for a Clarisonic anymore - if I feel like my skin may need a bit of a manual exfoliation, I choose one of my favorite scrubs instead. And, like mentioned above, I don't use foaming face washes anymore, which in my opinion work the best with those sonic brushes. I'll most likely send mine in a care package to my best friend, because I know she's been curious about the Clarisonic - I'm hoping maybe she'll get better use out of it.

For my hair, I'd like to do away with two products taking room in my shower: a clarifying shampoo and a hair mask. I've briefly mentioned in my 'What's In My Shower' post that I'm working on using these up, but never elaborated on the reasons for cutting these things out of my routine. It's very simple - I don't think my hair needs it. I have very fine, straight hair, and I find that a good volumizing shampoo cleans my hair well enough not to need a separate clarifier once in a couple weeks. I also feel like this absolute need for a clarifying shampoo is somewhat of a recent development; it almost seems like a marketing ploy designed to simply sell us more products, no? And at any rate, I've read multiple times that adding baking soda to your normal shampoo makes for a fabulous deep cleansing treatment, so I may try that instead of keeping yet another bottle on the shelf.

As for the hair mask, again - fine, flat hair. I generally don't suffer from very dry hair, maybe with the exception of my ends; but for that, I prefer to use a leave-in conditioner, which has an added benefit of helping to detangle the knots in my strands after I get out of the shower. In the same vein, I don't feel like I need to use hair oils either - the whole routine of doing a hair mask, then applying a little oil, then a detangling spray, then maybe a styling product to add volume... That's way too many steps for someone who isn't really all that into doing her hair. What can I say, it's just boring, and takes too much time as it is, without all the extra steps. However, if I do occasionally find the need to condition my hair a bit more, I'd prefer to just keep one universal plant oil to use everywhere, on my hair, face, and body - be it argan oil, jojoba, camellia, or a mix of a couple different ones.

And since I do already have quite a few of those nice base oils in my stash, I don't really need a cuticle butter either. My cuticles and fingertips in general are usually a dry, flaky mess, thanks to my eczema, but to be honest, I don't reach for my cuticle butter all that often anyway, maybe because I don't like the greasy fingers after applying it - and again, it's just another step I have to remember about. I'm fine with using my one universal oil on my cuticles too, or you know what, a good old lip balm works really well for that purpose too.

 Lastly, I don't want to own any fragrance mists, body splashes or however you want to call them. I just don't really see the point - if I want to smell nice, I'd just much rather reach for a perfume (eau de toilette/ eau de parfum) that will last a couple hours as opposed to this weak mist that will disappear within an hour or two. Even at home, I just can't be bothered to reapply; for now, I lightly use these before I head out to the gym to make myself feel a bit fresher in the morning. But yeah, in general, they're kinda pointless to me.

That's all I could think of right now - I'm sure there will be more products I'd like to add to this list as I continue making my way through my stash and learning to recognize my preferences a bit better. By the way, just to clarify: nearly all of the specific products I used to illustrate this post are GOOD products. Seriously, they do their job very well - which is why I'm not just tossing these things in the trash, but continuing to use them up. I'm just not going to replace them with another product of that type when they're finished - hopefully that makes sense. Also, if you're interested in different perspectives on simplifying beauty routines and what not, Liz has recently shared her list of stuff she doesn't use anymore, and Latoya has written a post about all the products she won't be buying for a while here. Do you guys also have a list of products you don't want to be repurchasing any longer? I'd love to know!