A Minimalist Skincare Regime

Recently I wrote about how my spending on beauty products had gotten out of control in the first half of the year and so I had resolved to cut back for a month or 2. I’d like to be able to say that I did exactly that, but as usual I’m a master at inventing reasons to shop and so having decided that I wanted to make a move towards using more natural, homemade skincare I started to explore the oil cleansing method. I did a lot of research into the many oils available and decided to purchase some passion fruit seed oil and some hazelnut oil, as these seemed to be good oils for my skin type and at only £5 total I figured if they didn’t work out I hadn’t wasted too much money. Around the same time, I also ran out of facial sunscreen, and after some research into natural sunscreens I purchased some Kimberly Sayer Ultra Light Moisturiser with SPF30 (costing £25.80 for 120ml). So after a shaky start, I’m now committed to no more spending until the end of this month when I plan to purchase some ingredients to make my own toner. I’ve also decided that for the rest of the year I won’t be buying any more skincare products, apart from the raw ingredients needed to make my own products.

As a kick start to this little shopping ban and move towards homemade skincare, for the last 2 weeks I’ve been conducting a minimalist beauty experiment. So my current routine is:

Morning and Evening - cleanse with Passion fruit seed/Hazelnut cleansing oil, remove with a washcloth. Follow with toner.

Morning – use a natural sunscreen, evening – apply a few drops of Passion fruit seed oil.

Once a week I use a Salicylic Acid Toner.

I’m also using a few drops of Hazelnut oil as a hair oil.

To put this in context, my previous skincare routine involved the following: double cleansing using a cream cleanser, and a foaming face wash with my Clarisonic, then following with 2 types of toner (hydrating, then exfoliating), a serum, eye cream and moisturiser, sunscreen for day time, weekly exfoliating peels and weekly face masks.

It wasn't always this way, as for most of my life I'd been content to cleanse and moisturise, and always used a sunscreen. However, at the beginning of this year I started reading articles on the Paula Begoun site and reading a lot of skincare blogs and it led me to question my existing routine. I justified it by telling myself that other people had similar routines and that if it meant having great skin then it was worth it, but I’m horrified to write this all down! Needless to say, I didn’t see any improvement in my skin whatsoever, and at times by skin was actually slightly worse!

I've now been following this routine for around 2 weeks and my skin looks good, with no spots or red patches. I wouldn't say there has been a massive improvement but it feels soft and looks quite radiant which is enough for me. I'd love to hear about other peoples skincare routines and if anyone else is interested in natural skincare?

V xx

Holiday in Scotland - What I Packed

Above is what I packed for a recent family summer holiday to the South West Coast of Scotland. We were fortunate to enjoy beautiful sunny days so the jacket, sweater and long sleeved shirt didn't get worn but I enjoyed wearing everything else that I packed. I'm really starting to notice a difference in how I'm feeling in my clothes since adopting a modified version of Project 33, and this really hit home on holiday. It just feels easier getting dressed each day, and I feel that my clothes really suit my lifestyle and reflect who I am right now. Maybe part of this is getting older (I turn 32 next month) so I feel like I can wear what I want, regardless of whats in fashion or what other people are wearing and not have to make any apologies for it. I'm also starting to notice other subtle changes, I've had my hair cut shorter and can't remember the last time I blow dried it or straightened it. I wear very little make up these days and even though I still love to buy beauty products (as evidenced in my last post!) I'm more interested in improving my skin so that I can go makeup free rather than masking imperfections. I'm actually conducting a little minimalist beauty experiment right now and I'll write more about this later.
V xx

6 Month Check In

Given that we're now halfway through the year I've recently been conducting a little review of the clothes I've purchased in the last 6 months. My goal at the start of the year was to buy no more than 20 items in 2014 and so far I have bought 11 things so am on track to stick to my limit. One factor which I think has contributed to my success (I usually never manage to stick to my limits!) has been having a couple of shopping bans, so for example from the beginning of January until the end of March I didn't buy any clothes, shoes or accessories.

One unfortunate side effect of these little shopping bans is that my spending on beauty products has gotten a bit out of control recently. Because I don't keep track of my beauty purchases like I do with new wardrobe additions, I didn't realise how bad it had gotten until I decided to list all the products I bought this year. I'm a real spreadsheet geek (I've recorded all my clothing purchases since 2006!!) so I came up with a list of everything I bought, and the price, and was shocked to realise I bought 22 products (skincare and make up but not including stuff like shower gel, deodorant, toothpaste) and spent over £200! This is even more shocking in light of the fact that I now work part time and money is tighter than ever, so realising that I'm spending £35 a month has been a real wake up call.

I think because I've become more content with my wardrobe and am consuming less in this area, my urge to shop has spilled over into another area and instead of browsing online for clothes I now waste time reading beauty blogs and skincare reviews! I've always been interested in looking after my skin, but have only really taken a serious interest in it since the start of the year when I discovered a blog by Caroline Hirons. I've also read a lot of what Paula Begoun has to say on the subject and have become a bit obsessed with the product reviews on Beautypedia. I love reading about the science behind it all, and its fascinating to me how many skincare brands make completely ludicrous claims without the slightest bit of evidence to back them up. As a result, my usual 2 step skincare routine (cleanse and moisturise) has acquired a few additional steps and I'm trying more products out in my quest to get perfect skin!

That said, as I work towards a more minimalist, simplified life I need to be mindful of creating additional physical and mental clutter so I'm putting the brakes on and have decided that for the rest of the month I won't be buying any beauty products and will also avoid browsing online too.

V x

My Style - 2 years ago

I was browsing through some old photos recently and came across this one taken in Paris, in February 2012. It really brought home how little my style has changed since then, and how I would be more than happy to wear this exact same outfit again. When I started this blog, I wanted to:

"hone and define my style, and really drill down to what I like and what works for me. I want to have a clear overall vision of my style, so there is a common theme running through it and a feeling of cohesiveness."

Looking back on this photo, and others taken over the last few years makes me realise that I have made a lot of progress in figuring out what works for me. I finally feel like 'me' in the clothes I wear and not like I'm emulating the style of someone else. I still make mistakes from time to time, and of course I occasionally look at other people and wish I looked as good as them, but for the most part I'm pretty content with my wardrobe right now.

What is also nice to observe is that I still own most of the things I'm wearing in the photo, which is a very good sign to me that I'm buying things with more longevity now instead of tiring of them after one year. I did upgrade the black bag for a Longchamp Le Pliage Cuir and have recently donated the black sweater after 4 years of wear (and bought almost the exact same version from COS), and am happy that I'm finally moving towards a slower, more thoughtful buying process.

My husband and I are going to Paris in October and I'm so excited I can hardly wait. I'm pretty sure my packing list will be pretty similar to what I packed last time, but I will be sharing more on this nearer the time.

V x

What I'm wearing right now

Above is a polyvore image that I created which shows my current capsule wardrobe (not including work clothes). In total I have included 20 pieces, not shown is another long sleeved stripy tee and a couple of vests for layering. Since the beginning of this year I've been following minimalist blogger Courtney Carvers wardrobe experiment Project 333
and have really embraced the idea of creating a capsule wardrobe of 33 pieces to last 3 months. I have tweaked the idea to suit my own needs and I generally pick 30 items including clothes, shoes, bags and outerwear but I don't include accessories and jewellery. It also doesn't include at home clothes or exercise clothes. I also switch mine up every 2 months because in England we have quite changeable weather and I like to make sure what I have in my wardrobe is tailored to the season. Having said that, we do have very erratic weather here so thats why you will find shorts and a raincoat in rotation!

I'm really happy with how this is working out so far and feel like it does make getting dressed each day a little bit easier and stress free. I feel like for me 30 seems like the perfect amount, not so much that it becomes overwhelming and not too little that it feels restrictive in any way. It also works well for my lifestyle which encompasses working in a formal office environment 3 days a week and being at home with the children 4 days a week. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has tried anything like this?

V x

Here we go again

Ok, so this has been a very long time coming but here I am again, ready to give this another go. I'm sorry to anyone who read my last post (2 years ago!!) and waited for another post that never materialised but a few days after I wrote it I found out I was pregnant and was faced with 9 months of non stop sickness. Needless to say, blogging fell way down my list of priorities as I barely managed to look after my daughter and make it to work each day. Two years on, life is full and busy and lovely, and I am still on an endless quest to look stylish with a small wardrobe!

I would say that my progress has been mixed along the way and unfortunately a few mistakes and impulse buys have occurred over the last couple of years and I've bought more clothes than I would have liked. Although I managed with a pretty small capsule wardrobe throughout both my pregnancies, I did need to repurchase a lot of clothes second time round since I wore my maternity clothes so heavily first time round. Also after my son was born last year and the baby weight didn't drop off as quickly as I would have liked, I felt like I never had any clothes that fit me so I bought a few 'interim' pieces. As much as a new baby brings so much joy into your life it is also hard dressing a 'new to you' body and dealing with all the hang ups that arise from not being entirely comfortable with your weight.

At this point in time I do feel like I have a really clear idea of my style and have been pretty disciplined this year when it comes to shopping. The thing that never seems to get any easier is the constant urge to shop, there is always so much temptation around and it is a daily battle to stay away from shops and my biggest weakness which is online shopping. That said, I do really think hard about what I buy and try my utmost not to be a mindless consumer. I think this is something we all struggle with in some ways, as people who want to look good and create a perfectly formed small wardrobe, we are always going to be faced with temptation and inspiration from so many different sources. I'm trying to accept that these urges will always be present, but find ways to manage them without stressing myself out and feeling guilty if I make a mistake. One thing that I have found helpful this year is to take a break for a few months, so for example I went to London in March and bought a few new things from COS so I then took a 2-3 month break from shopping and tried to stay away from shops, both real and online. So far it is working well but my issue is then trying not to get too consumed with shopping and online browsing when I'm not on a 'break'.

I'm brimming with ideas and things I want to write about, mostly just to find a sense of clarity from all the crap swirling round in my brain so I will hopefully find time to write again very soon. I'm not sure yet whether I will keep this blog totally focused on my wardrobe as I'm very interested in seeking simplicity and minimalism in all areas of my life so we will see where this goes. Thanks to anyone that reads this and a very big thank you to those that commented, encouraging me to write again. It means a lot.

V x

The Minimalists Wardrobe - An Update

Apologies to anyone that read this blog for disappearing for such a long time, somehow a one week break turned into a one month, then a one year + break. I was never the most committed blogger but I did miss having a place to call my own, to jot down my thoughts relating to style and trying to create the perfect small wardrobe. I also missed the communication with the few people who read and commented on my blog, who always left insightful and thought provoking comments.

To that end I have decided to start posting again, I can't promise I will be posting many times a week but I do want to at least get something out there once a week. I think I have said this before on this blog, that even if no one reads it I do like having this space to try and make sense of my thoughts, to analyse potential purchases and to wade through the myriad of style inspiration and temptations out there.

To provide a bit of an update on where I am right now, I'd say I'm the happiest I've ever been with my wardrobe. Its not 'perfect', but I've realised that it will probably never be - there will always be something that needs replacing or something that needs purchasing to fit whatever stage of life I'm currently at. And thats ok! I think before, I was hung up on this mythical idea of the perfect wardrobe, and I thought when it all finally came together getting dressed each day would be a delight and the compulsion to shop would entirely disappear.

So far this year I've bought less than I've ever bought before (during a 6 month period). I'm satisfied with each purchase and feel like I don't make as many (if any at all) mistakes any more. I also find getting dressed each day easier and tend not to overthink each outfit. I've reached a place where I really can grab a few things from my wardrobe and each piece works together, but more importantly that I feel comfortable in and that just feels right somehow. More on how I got to this point later.

Thanks for reading, V x

Wardrobe Challenge Days 6-10

Wardrobe Challenge - Days 6 & 7 by victoriastyle featuring long sleeve tops

Wardrobe Challenge - Days 8 & 9 by victoriastyle featuring leather pumps

Wardrobe Challenge - Final Day by victoriastyle featuring a sheer shawl

Well, my little wardrobe project is over and although I thought I would be breathing a sigh of relief, I have to say I've enjoyed it. A few observations are:

-I didn't find it restricting and I didn't really feel myself becoming bored with the 10 pieces I'd picked out. For the most part I was very happy with the 10 items I selected, although I could have done with a warmer jacket on a few days - its definitely time to get my wool coats out of storage now.
-Looking at the polyvore sets, what strikes me is how boring all my outfits look! But realistically my day to day life doesn't require much more than a tee and jeans and I'm fooling myself by thinking otherwise. I think being honest with myself about what I actually need and what I feel comfortable wearing will mean I'll make less mistakes in the future.
-On 6 days out of the 10, I wore the same tee (I have one in dark grey and one in navy) but suprisingly I never got tired of it. I recently took my 3 old stripy tee's out of circulation (saved for slobbing about the house!) none of which were quite perfect, and replaced them with the two tee's mentioned above which are perfect in every way - fit, colour etc. It really does make all the difference to wear something and be 100% happy with it.
-It has totally reinforced my view that having only a few really well chosen pieces is so much better than having lots of 'almost/maybe' buys. I hope I can continue to keep this in mind when I'm tempted to settle.
-I really relied on my scarves and jewellery to add a bit of interest to my outfits. I've always felt a bit guilty whenever I purchase a new scarf (which I tend to do every season) but its such an easy way to change the look of an outfit and for me I think they are real staples in my wardrobe.
-Even though I was trying not to think of shopping, I did identify a few gaps in my wardrobe. I need a new pair of straight leg jeans as mine (2 years old now) are fine for wearing casually with converse but I prefer a smarter, darker wash in winter. I also noticed that I still find it really hard to dress for those inbetween occasions, not formal, but not totally casual either. I feel like I need one or two tops (not tees), I have lots of basics but really need something a little bit more interesting.

Overall its been quite satisfying to do this little challenge, and I think I've learned a lot from it.

Musings on being chic

I have been thinking a lot lately about what it is to be chic. I should first of all try to clarify what I mean by chic, as you can interpret this word in many different ways. What I'm getting at, for want of a better expression, is that 'je ne sais quoi' that some people possess. It isn't present because of what they're wearing, although that certainly contributes to it, I think its something that you either have or don't have... something innate. I'm not sure you can even really quantify or define what makes someone chic but its easy to identify it visually and for me the person that most embodies what I'm trying to get at here is Sofia Coppola. In a simple shirt and jeans, wearing little make up she exudes chic. Another person that springs to mind is Audrey Hepburn, and not neccessarily in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but in photos I've seen of her she had such an inner radiance that shines out, and I think her style trancends time.

I've noticed over the years that regardless of my outfit, the makeup I've applied or the way I've styled my hair - there is always something lacking. I'm not trying to be negative here and I'm in no way looking for compliments or reassurance, I'm just being honest. The thing that sparked off this train of thought was observing a woman dressed in black cigarette pants, black ballet flats, a trench, leopard scarf and tan handbag. The elements were chic, but the whole ensemble seemed to me to be almost a caricature of chicness. She looked as if she had copied all the advice from a style guide imploring you to 'buy these and you will look chic' (I hope this doesn't come across as judgemental as I actually own a number of books like these and have made this mistake myself). I think I was just a little surprised to observe someone wearing such typically chic clothes but not actually looking chic. I think I always thought that if only I had the right clothes, that magic combination of items, that I would instantly look 'perfect'. I also naively thought that I could replicate a look I saw on someone else if I owned the same pieces, but you could put two people in the exact same outfit and it would work on one person and not on the other.

In some ways it is quite freeing to realise that maybe its something you either have or don't have, that maybe I have been striving for something which will never be attainable? Or maybe its to do with confidence and attitude, feeling at ease, being comfortable in your own skin?

I'm not sure that I'm making myself clear here, but the point that I'm trying to make was summed up so much more eloquently in this blog post if you're interested in reading. I'm pretty sure everyone has their own version of what chic means to them, I'd be very interested to hear whether you agree that being chic is something innate that you are born with - or if you think it can be achieved through your external appearance ie. clothes etc?

Wardrobe Challenge Days 1-5

Wardrobe Challenge - Days 1 & 2 by victoriastyle featuring ballet pumps shoes

Wardrobe Challenge - Days 3 & 4 by victoriastyle featuring a cashmere cardigan

Here's a look at what I have been wearing for the first few days of this little challenge. (Day 5 was exactly the same as day 4!) A few observations to note:

- I'm enjoying the lack of choice so far, I'm finding a sense of freedom almost in having such a limited selection, if that makes sense?
- So far I have been happy to repeat outfits, and in 5 days I wore the same t shirt and cardigan 3 times! I was seeing different groups of people which helped, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this at work when I see the same group of people everyday.
- Its made me realise how messy/clumsy I am and I have had to do more washing than usual, in fact I don't think I have any clean clothes left for tomorrow!
- I was very tempted to cheat today, I was meeting a friend for lunch and didn't feel that any of my 10 items were smart enough so I added a necklace and wore heels which somewhat redeemed my boring jeans and tee.
- Unfortunately it hasn't stopped me thinking about what I need to add to my wardrobe, and if anything wearing my 2 pairs of jeans (1 skinny, 1 very old straight leg pair) has convinced me that I need a new pair! I have also failed miserably at not online browsing, although I haven't bought anything. Oh well, baby steps eh.

I'll post an update shortly on how the final 5 days have gone.