I took a bit of a break from Marie Kondo-ing my stuff for a bit because it was becoming a complete distraction from applying to jobs, which is supposed to have been the whole point of me quitting my job and even though I haven’t spent any money I have been getting very worried about how long my money may have to last, and all the various categories of “komono” were overwhelming me.
Per the book the first main category of komono is skincare. I had no clue I had so many products, or that I still had so many plastic products. It was disappointing and a reality check to see that how far I thought I’d come in moving my beauty routine to plastic-free versus the reality of the amount of plastic-packaged products I truly have.
This one was different. I don’t think skincare sparks joy for me, even though I enjoy the ritual of it. So I separated into different categories and thought about if I use it on a regular basis.
I get really bad eczema on my hands and COVID has been brutal for it, so hand cream is a huge part of my life. 
I’m a ginger. 
Katie Sturino and MegaBabe are literally changing the game when it comes to products. 
These smell so fantastic. 
Literally never thought I’d be a sanitizer person. 
Everything face.
But turns out I actually use a lot of these products daily and some weekly. There’s a couple of empties in here that I had set aside to look for plastic-free alternatives for or decide if I was buying another. I’m also donating that Burt’s Bees scrub, I used to use it in high school and I think my mom thinks I still do because I get one in my stocking every Christmas.
I’m not getting rid of a lot unfortunately, however, there is a lot that I am not going to re-purchase or replace when I finish it. So I have wanted to be the kind of person who is really into skincare and I also really want to age “gracefully” and while I’m not adverse to potentially getting Botox or maybe even other subtle work down to help the process I would like to avoid it as much as possible. However, I don’t love my cardboard push-up tube of sunscreen. I have only tried to use it once without a facial oil underneath because it is so dry and I felt like I was pulling super hard on my skin. So I will probably go back to the Raw Elements metal tin of sunscreen. I also am not going to re-purchase the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. There is nothing wrong with the product, in fact I love them, but I can’t get past the amount of waste that it creates since it is disposable pads AND a plastic container. I could maybe talk myself into it if it was a bottle of the liquid and I could use my own reusable cotton pads.
So far the organization afterwards doesn’t look very satisfying but I’m going to work on it a bit and then take photos.
I am also feeling like I might do a post about the plastic free swaps I have made. I need to make myself feel a bit better about the progress that I know I have made.
Laura
Thoughtful Millennial 