Book Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying - Marie Kondo

Okay, I did it. I caved. I bought the book that everyone has been raving about for the past 12 months. I just had to see for myself what all the fuss was about, and whether I could be converted to the dark side that is minimalism. 

Marie Kondo claims that those who use her method (named the Konmari method, taken from her won name) never rebound, and her repeater rate is zero. 100% success rate is a pretty massive claim. 

I found that the book was more about decluttering than it was about "tidying", but I don't think that the Konmari method is about minimalism. Rather, it is about keeping only the items in your home that "spark joy". It is these two words that have been revolutionary; rather than think about what you want to throw away, you think about what you want to keep. Such a simple shift in thinking, yet it makes such a difference in being able to actually get rid of stuff. 

So how do you decide whether something sparks joy? Marie Kondo says you must work by categories (rather than rooms); the true Konmari way is to start with clothes. So, you take all the clothes you own (including accessories, shoes and handbags) and pile them on the floor. This is supposed to be confronting. Then you hold each item and ask yourself if it sparks joy. There should be an immediate response - if that response is no, then the clothing gets discarded. 

There is also the Konmari method of storing your clothes; the "Konmari way of folding" (which I have to point out is not anything new. I've been folding my clothes this way since 2012), and hanging clothes (from light to dark). 

There are a few key points to the Konmari method of decluttering: 

• It must be done in silence; 
• You cannot Konmari other people's belongings (whether something sparks joy is personal)
• Don't let your family see you Konmari-ing
• You should thank your items before discarding them

Generally, I found the book insightful, and it definitely inspired me to declutter my stuff (although I haven't had a chance to properly start). However, I did feel it was slightly too long - the first third of the book was really useful, the final third just seemed to be filled with stories of clients and her own experience which didn't really add anything, and by the end it kind of devolved into full-blown crazy land. 

Marie Kondo talks to all her belongings, she empties her handbag every single day, she doesn't believe in balling up socks because they need time to rest, and she doesn't believe in owning more than 30 books (the chapter on books was really painful to read). 

Of course, I know that not everything I own "Sparks joy" for me. For instance, so much of my furniture is second hand and cheap chipboard. Marie Kondo points out that there is joy to be found in utility, so even though my ugly cutlery set doesn't make me swoon, I find joy in it when I eat my food. I think this is important to remember as you go through the KonMari journey; it would be too easy to get swept up in discarding and replacing, and if you aren't at a point in your life where you can afford to replace all those things that spark joy, this could be dangerous. 

The main thing that didn't sit well with me is throughout the whole book, she goes on and on about throwing out and discarding items. This seems so incredibly wasteful to me. Of course, there are things that can't necessarily be donated, but if your items are in good working order there is no reason why you shouldn't spend a little time making sure you are responsible in discarding them. Whether that's giving them to a local school, charity shop, or local 'Pay it Forward' facebook page. 

Overall, an interesting read, but nothing that can't be learned from the internet.

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What's in my Rubbish Bin? #3

There's something so damn satisfying about seeing so many products totally used up.

I am always so sad when I finish a tub of the Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque - this product does wonders for my hair. It's a bit expensive at $32 for 250mL. It is a lot easier to get your hands on these days - when I first started using this I could only get it from Beauty Bay. Now it's stocked at Woolworths! I haven't repurchased this yet because I'm working through some other hair products, but I definitely will be buying this again. 

The Swisspers Dual Cosmetic Tips are absolutely essential to have on hand when doing eye make-up (especially when doing winged eyeliner!). These have a flat oval pad on one end, and a pointy tip at the other end. So versatile, I will forever repurchase these.

 

I've finished up two primers lately; the Face of Australia Face Base Primer and the Make-up Store Vitamin Day Primer. 

The MUS primer is really rich, very moisturising and my favourite primer ever. Unfortunately, it's also discontinued. I hate when companies do that. 

The FOA primer is a dupe for Napoleon Perdis' Autopilot primer. I used to love this, but I think now my skin needs something more hydrating - I find this leaves my foundation looking worse-for-wear at the end of the day. So I won't be repurchasing this one. 

I have finished up the Revlon Photoready concealer - I really like this concealer for my under-eye area. It's creamy and covers up dark circles well, without settling into fine lines. I don't love it as much for covering up blemishes - it tends to cling to the skin, and make pimples look scabby, so I avoid it for that use. I have already repurchased this.

 

 

Brush cleansers! I really like how effective the Napoleon Perdis Brush Cleaner is - it spot-cleans my brushes really well. I just totally resent paying $40 for 250mL when I'm positive the main ingredient is alcohol. For that reason, I won't repurchase it. 

I have also recently finished up the MAC Brush Cleanser -  This retails for $20 for 235mL. I hate the packaging for this - the lid leaks way too easily, which wastes a great deal of product. I also feel a bit 'meh' about the product. It doesn't do a great job at spot-cleaning - it just doesn't get the colour out when using it to clean eye brushes, and it doesn't effectively clean my foundation brushes. So I won't be repurchasing this ever again. 

In better review-news, I freaking love the Loreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - this is the original formula; they've since released a few different ones. I love this and use it constantly on my hair - after straightening, before blow-drying, after blow-drying, when it's just feeling dry. I love how this restores the smoothness and shine to my hair. I have repurchased one of the other formula types, but I will definitely return to this original one. 

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Review: Daiso Brush Cleaner

A couple of months ago I shared with you guys my Daiso beauty haul. The product I was most excited about purchasing and using was the Daiso 'Detergent for Puff and Sponge'. I'd heard so many great things about it, and for $2.80, if it was as good as people claimed, it might just be the answer to my prayers. 

Cleaning a handful of brushes is time-consuming and annoying, and not that fun of an activity. I really love the end result, and I love clean brushes. But I hate the process. So anything that aims to make that process less frustrating is welcome in my life. Hello, Daiso. 

This brush cleanser is very different from all others I've tried. It doesn't lather up, and instead works by dissolving all the oil and product on the brush fibres, leaving you with a squeaky clean brush. That means that the actual process for using this is different to other brush cleansers. For this, I fill up a glass with a tiny bit of water (in all honesty, in that above photo, that's a bit too much water). You then add a few drops of the cleaner. Literally. A few drops. 

Then you just swirl your brushes in (making absolutely sure not to dip the ferrule in), until the water goes a disgusting murky colour. When it gets to that colour, empty out the water, re-fill the glass, add a few more drops of cleaner and repeat. You repeat this process until you get to the point where you swirl your brush and the water stays clear. Depending on the brush you're cleaning, this can take a few repeats of the process. 

I do most of my eye brushes in the one water, running through the process twice. 

All face brushes take maybe three or four repeats. 

My Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush is incredibly dense, and it is this brush that I judge all cleansers by. Even though I spot clean this every single time I use it, product still works its way into the brush and it's a monster to clean. This brush took maybe six or seven repeats of the process. 

I then rinse the brushes under clean water just to make sure there's no residue on them. 

I add brush guards to my brushes while they dry. It's alleged this helps them dry faster. I don't think it actually does, I think it makes it take a bit longer, but it helps re-shape the bristles, and I'm down with the extra waiting time for that. 

I really do love this cleanser. I think it saves a lot of time for all but one of my brushes...that damn F80 is such a pain and I think a bit of a lather and scrub makes it clean up a lot faster than this method. Note this isn't a criticism on how well the detergent cleans...it definitely gets the brush clean and looking new, and it takes almost zero effort to do so. I'm just lazy and hate standing at the kitchen sink for ages, so I like to rush the process along. 

Have you used the Daiso brush cleaner before? What do you think of it? 

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Quick Tip: Removing Stickyness From Your Products

I have mixed thoughts about stores using sticky-tape to seal cosmetics.
I love it because it means that I know the product I'm buying has not been opened before by some feral in the store, and no one else has put their fingers inside it because they were too lazy to find the tester.
I hate it because the sticky tape is hard to remove, and when I do finally get it off it leaves a sticky, gross mess all over the product that dust and cat hair loves to stick to.

Exhibit A:

In my efforts to use more natural products for cleaning, I've tried out a few different things for removing this sticky-ness. And I've found the holy grail.

Just pour a little tea tree oil (non-diluted) onto a cotton pad or cotton ball (one that won't dissolve easily...don't use tissues!) and wrap it around the sticky mess. Leave for a couple of minutes, and then gently wipe down. 

Voila! All sticky residue gone!

Exhibit B:

Just like magic!



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Home Tips: DIY Homemade Cleaners

Over the past few weeks, I've been experimenting quite a bit with home-made cleaners for the home. So I thought I'd share with you my favourite (and the ones that work the best) recipes so you too can get on your way to using home-made cleaners. Not only is it a hell of a lot cheaper to make your own cleaners, it's better for the environment and it's better for your health. I cleaned my entire bathroom (scrubbed grout and mould...gross, but that comes with the territory of living in a rented house) without the use of any bleach or chemicals. And now our bathroom is sparkly and white. YAY! Even better was not having to run from the room every 20 minutes because of the fumes. 

So, the ingredients you will need are:

White vinegar (also known as cleaning vinegar), rubbing alcohol, dishwashing liquid and water. 

I have also started to rely on bi-carb soda quite a lot in my cleaning adventures, so you may want to have some of that on hand, even though it's not required for these recipes (I will do another post that details my bi-carb use)

You will also want to pick up some spray bottles. I got mine from the local Woolies', and decided to go with different colours to easily differentiate between them. It's also probably not a bad idea to label them either. 

To make glass cleaner, you will need:

equal parts white vinegar to water. I used a cup of each. 

This glass cleaner also works really well for mirrored surfaces. It helps get rid of any smudge marks and evaporates quickly, leaving no streaking. 

To make a de-greaser and scum fighter you will need:

This is a tricky one to give a recipe for because the quantities can change depending on what dishwashing liquid you use. This particular dishwashing liquid is quite a high concentrate so I used about 6 tablespoons, to one cup of white vinegar. If your dishwashing liquid is not concentrated, I would use equal parts dishwashing liquid to white vinegar. 

This is a really, really powerful cleaner, and is a great one to keep in the kitchen. It's especially useful for cleaning stovetops and ovens, as well as bench-tops. When I cleaned my bathroom I used this on the tiles and glass to get rid of any built up soap scum. I also keep a spray bottle of water nearby to easily clean off any soapy residue. 

To make a household disinfectant you will need:

Equal parts rubbing alcohol to water. Again, I used a cup of each. This is really good for cleaning down computers and phones, spritzing yoga mats, wiping down cutting boards and bench tops...basically anywhere that might need a bit of a germ kill. I personally feel that soap and water (see the de-greaser recipe up above) is more than adequate for cleaning, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to disinfectant. The alcohol ensures that the product evaporates quickly and easily, meaning it won't cause damage. Just be careful around open flames.

And that's it! Of course, I'm not advocating completely getting rid of all store-bought cleaners. (I still regularly use JIF on our steel counter, for instance) I think everything has a time and place, but if you can swap to using these home-made cleaners more often it will be better for everyone.
At first, the smell of the white vinegar seemed a bit strong, but with continued use of these products I barely notice it any more. The 'vinegar scent' also dissipates really quickly and doesn't build up (like chemicals can) so it will be over before you know it. I have actually noticed since switching to these that when I give our bench-tops a quick clean with some spray-and-wipe, the smell of that product is way too strong for me now. Interesting, huh?

Have you ever dabbled in home-made cleaners? Do you have any recipes to share with me? Next week I'll share my favourite uses for bi-carb soda!


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