Want not, Waste not

I read an article recently which stated the average Japanese woman uses something like 19 skincare products daily. 19!!! Outrageous, right?!

Well, I got to thinking about the skincare products I use, and....I'll save you the laundry list, but I can say my product count is safely in the double digits. It makes me think not just about the TIME I must spend working on my skin, but the amount of product and packaging I must go through in any given time period. I do agree with the idea that one should take good care of their skin since after all, it's the same skin one has for the rest of their life. But there's got to be a way to streamline my routine and conserve resources, right?

Flashback to a couple months ago, when I was staying at a house my boyfriend was renting in the Mission district of San Francisco. The house was owned by a couple with two kids under 3. I peeked in the bathroom cabinet (yeah, I'm a peeker!) and was amazed at how empty is was. Compared to my bathroom cabinet, which usually has all sorts of bottles and jars tumbling out of it, this cabinet contained 5 items:

1) A bottle of three-in-one facial cleanser which tripled as a makeup remover and toner.,
2) A tube of Garnier moisturizer with SPF,
3) A travel size bottle of fancy shampoo,
4) A travel size bottle of the corresponding conditioner, and
5) A toothbrush.

That's all, folks. Super hardcore - not even a stick of deoderant!

As I myself consider the big move to the city (possible bringing the boyfriend along with me), I imagine it would be a lot easier, cheaper, and eco-friendly to buy and use fewer skincare products in general.

Americans are often criticized for being overly self-indulgent and I can see where we get that rap. But hope that as our generation progresses, we learn to lead simpler lives - buying less, working less, eating more healthfully, appreciating the outdoors more, and relying more heavily on the things that cannot be bartered for - love, life, and family (blood relatives or not).

I hope that cutting down on my product consumption will take me one step closer to leading a simpler life. And a less hectic life, too :)