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I love makeup. I like to wear it on the days I’m feeling confident. I also wear it on the days when I’m not feeling too great about myself. I wear makeup because it serves as a creative outlet. I wear makeup because it makes me feel good–I wear makeup for me, and nobody else!

My makeup collection may not seem too minimalist, but I only purchase one item for each need. I don’t really like to purchase multiple mascaras, foundations, etc. I only buy new products to replace old ones or to just fill in a missing gap. I’ll also include the products I’m looking to try after some of these products run out! Here’s a list of the products I use for my everyday makeup routine:

          

Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector

I like this primer so much for its purpose–oil control. The ONLY downside is it make me look so so so so so ashy under my makeup, no matter how much I try to warm it or spread it out. When this product runs out, I want to try either the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer or the Dr. Brandt Skincare Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup (Shade: 9)

I’ve had this foundation for over a year and probably will never replace it. It’s my perfect shade, matte, and has buildable coverage.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Shade: Caramel)

I prefer a more natural look with my makeup, so I don’t highlight with a lighter shade of concealer. This concealer is my perfect shade and doesn’t crease on me. I love the coverage as well.

Lancôme Dual Finish Multi-tasking Longwear Powder (Shade: 510 Suede

I just purchased this powder and I LOVE IT. It looks so good on its own. It looks like my skin and applies flawlessly. The ONLY downside is it smells like a grandma who sprays too much perfume.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner

This liner is a very opaque black and applies smoothly. The only thing I would change about this is the brush. It’s not thin enough for a sharp wing, but I rarely wear wings anyway. I’m thinking about trying the NYX Matte Liquid Liner next.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil (Shade: Espresso)

I didn’t start doing my brows until recently, and I was too nervous to try a pomade first. This is a great product, but the shade is a bit too red for my skin tone. Next, I’ll be trying the NYX Tame & Frame Tinted Brow Pomade!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

This mascara is my holy grail. I will never replace this. EVER.

NYX Slim Lip Pencil (Shade: Brown)

This pencil is cheap, smooth, and does its job. It blends with any lip color I wear.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme (Shade: London)

This shade is such a subtle matte nude and works perfectly for my skin. It’s like the perfect blend between my skin and lip colors.

NYX Butter Gloss (Shade: Fortune Cookie)

I used to be strictly matte, but now I like to have some contradiction between a matte face and a glossy lip. This gloss never lets me down! It’s not too sticky and is very long lasting.

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm (Scent: Shea Butter and Vitamin E)

I know what you’re thinking–who spends $8 on a lip balm?! Well, I did, kind of. (I had a gift card!) The smell of this is amazing. I basically only like things scented with vanilla, shea butter, or coconut. The smell is perfect and it definitely protects my lips. I’m prone to sunburn on my lips and this has kept me protected through the harsh sun.

Have you guys tried any of these products? How did you feel about them? Be sure to comment down below!

Let’s be real. The face of minimalism is usually someone with a good amount of money, whose capsule closet contains an Acne leather jacket, a Saint Laurent Sac De Jour, and a pair of Stuart Weitzman Nudist heels.

Girl.

Of course, the emphasis of minimalism is to focus on owning a minimal amount of products while still investing in quality pieces. The pieces mentioned above are definitely of higher quality, but way out of my price range. I feel like this is the same story for a lot of you guys that may be considering it too. I also believe that this isn’t the story of most minimalists.

I was looking at my closet full of lower-quality clothes that have definitely seen better days and decided that it’s time for them to go. It’s time to make room for nicer clothes. I may not bee able to afford them now, but it’ll feel great when I can because I’ve already made room for them. I still liked a lot of these cheaper clothes, but I no longer felt attached to them. It was time to purge my closet. As I stated in my last post, I’m not really big on color anymore. I mostly wear white, black, grey or white. I love clothes that are structured and basic but still make a statement. Basically, I love these looks Aleali May put together for a client a couple days ago:

Day 1 & 2 of styling @_OTMARA pic.twitter.com/WGTio5kwyT

— Aleali May (@AlealiMay) May 26, 2016

Yeah, those outfits are a dream. The first one stole my soul. I try to focus on buying a lot of structured/statement pieces (and an unlimited amount of t-shirts). But, back to the point! This was my process of getting rid of clothes:

1. Is it looking tattered/not up to par?

2. Does it fit in a flattering manner?

3. Can I stand to wear the color anymore?

4. Do I still feel a connection with it?

If I even felt a tinge of guilt with the piece, I donated it. It’s not worth holding on to clothing that you won’t wear. One of the biggest issues I had was getting rid of clothes that held distinct memories. I realized that the memories won’t leave just because I got rid of the items associated with the memory, and that made it easier to get rid of things.

I’m not jumping on the minimalism train because it’s a trend. I actually really enjoyed what it stood for and saw how it could benefit my life. I love clothes (obviously) but I wanted to downsize. There’s no point in having/buying an abundance of clothes when I could be saving up and investing in better pieces instead. And it really makes it much easier to look at a closet this isn’t overstuffed.

I watched people like Tara Efobi and Dani from Dani’s Dish and got so inspired. It’s so difficult finding other black women who are living/transitioning to a minimalistic lifestyle–so far, these are the only ones I’ve found on YouTube. This is a really big part as to why I created this series. I love the phrase, “create the things you wish existed,” and it definitely defines threads and such. I created this site simply because I wanted it to exist! Not too long ago, I didn’t know which direction I wanted to take my site in. And then I finally got it–I want to see more black woman who are minimalists! I was so happy to finally realize the exact direction I wanted to take, and hopefully it’ll encourage others who look like me to follow suit.

I can’t lie guys. I’m currently not utilizing a complete capsule wardrobe. I have a large amount of clothes, but I’ve been significantly downsizing in order to create room for higher quality items.

I’m starting to collect t-shirts with art as the focal point. I definitely don’t believe I have an excessive amount, but I definitely have more than the average person who utilizes a capsule wardrobe.

Since I’m in the process of reducing my closet size, I decided to make this post more about closet essentials. If needed, I guess I could just live off of these items for spring/summer.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t fit shoes into this post, because, well.. Shoes. I have way too many sneakers that all serve a different purpose. If I added all of my favorite shoes, this post would be way too long to keep y’all’s attention.

To start off, I wanna focus on a few benefits I’ve noticed while downsizing my closet:

Clothes are much easier to transport to and from school.

Since I fly home from school, packing three months worth of clothes into two suitcases isn’t really the easiest task. Downsizing has definitely helped, and I only had one 50 pound bag instead of two!

My closet is more aestethically pleasing.

Okay, I know this point doesn’t really have a significant reason, but anyone who knows me knows I’m not really big on color. If you look at my closet, it almost looks like somebody put a black and white filter over it because I wear so much gray, black, and white.

It’s easier to get dressed.

It kinda makes it easier to get dressed when you’re only looking at the colors you like/wear. I’m more excited to get dressed, especially when I see a bunch of grey (my favorite color!). It’s also much easier to get dressed when you have a smaller amount of clothes. It’s easier to pick from a smaller pool of clothes rather than a whole sea of clothes!

Now onto my closet essentials! Unfortunately, I don’t have the link to many of these items because I got them on sale, through a limited release, at a thrift store, or just a long time ago.

TOBI GREY LEATHER JACKET

I absolutely adore this jacket. Whenever weather permits, I wear it! Since it’s faux leather/vinyl, I can wear it through the rain without the fabric being ruined.

NASTY GAL CAPE

I bought this cape for my birthday and truly love it. It’s so posh and it can really dress an outfit up and make it more stylish.

TOBI BLACK AND WHITE CARDIGAN

If I’m in a rush, I always grab this cardigan. If you see me wearing this, I probably had to rush to get ready and didn’t have an outfit plan. Nevertheless, it’s sooooooo comfy and still cute! I love slouchy sweaters because they have a lot of comfort with a touch of chic.

ALTERED HILLMAN COLLEGE SWEATSHIRT

Y’all know how I feel about A Different World. If I start talking about this sweatshirt, this post will literally never end.

REBECCA MARIA PAID IN FULL TEE

Even though this movie came out in 2002 and is based in the 1980s, it still gives me major 90s vibes. It’s one of my favorite movies of all-time, and I knew I needed to cop this limited release tee when I saw it.

GUESS X A$AP ROCKY COLLAB OVERSIZED TEE

I. Love. This. Tee! I love how Rocky’s collab with Guess focused on 90s culture (clearly a fave of mine). Even though it’s just the Guess logo, I love how Rocky added his little touch to it.

HERTHREADS SALUTE THE QUEEN TEE

This tee doesn’t even need to be explained. The queens of R&B on one tee?! I was sold immediately.

CALVIN KLEIN DENIM SHIRT

This shirt has been with me for about 6 years! I got it from Lord and Taylor during their Black Friday sale so it was definitely a steal. I wear this shirt to death, but the quality has not been compromised. It looks the same as the day I purchased it.

BOOHOO LEENA LOW BACK SWING DRESS

I’ve had this dress for a year, but I haven’t worn it. I have to alter it because it fits just a tiny bit too loose, but it’s truly one of the cutest dresses I own. It looks pretty boring from the front, but the back is a totally different story!

FOREVER 21 DRESS

I found this dress at Buffalo Exchange last year, and it’s sooooo comfy. It’s loose-fitting and made of a breathable fabric. I love this dress through spring, summer and fall!

TOPSHOP JONI JEANS

I have never put on a pair of jeans like these before. Topshop has truly changed my life with the Joni Jeans! These fit me perfectly, AND the inseam actually works for me. I would buy these in every color, but they’re a tad bit expensive.

ZARA MOM JEANS

Ironically, my mom hates these jeans. They fit my waist perfectly but are extremely baggy on the rest of my body. I like the look, because they’re the antithesis of the rest of my jeans. They were the first pair of non-skinny jeans I purchased, and still are the only pair of baggy jeans I own.

BDG HIGH-WAISTED BLACK SKINNY JEANS

I bought these jeans about 4 years ago from Urban Outfitters and love the way they’ve aged. They’ve definitely faded through the years, but I like the way they look now more than the way they looked when I bought them.

Thanks for visiting threads & such and taking a look into my closet essentials!

A couple months ago, I found myself in a creative/schoolwork slump. I was extremely lazy with my homework and never tended to threads & such.

I made excuses in order to make myself feel better. To others, it may have looked like I wasn’t doing anything but I convinced myself that I was working. I stayed on Tumblr for hours a day a telling myself that I was looking for artistic inspiration knowing I was just wasting time. I was delusional. I was missing assignments. After I missed an essay for my English class and I realized that was the last straw.

I bought a planner. I started to write my ideas for posts down in a notebook. I even started creating the graphics again! I slowly crawled out of this hole I was in for months.

For the first post in my minimalism series, I wanted to introduce something that would not only benefit your mental space but also physical space. Here’s a few points on decluttering your mind and space.

Identify the problem.

Visit a therapist if necessary. Don’t be ashamed–mental health is just as important as physical. For me, I could tell where my problem stemmed from, but it’s not always that easy. Make sure you’re taking care of your mental health!

Clear up your personal space.

Throw away those old papers from last semester. Tidy up your room. Hang up the laundry you washed three weeks ago. You may not realize it, but a clean room can really affect your mood. Walking into a messy room every day can subconsciously bring you down. In order to get organized, purchase cheap containers from Burlington, Home Goods, the Dollar Store, or the dollar section at Target.

Clear up your thinking space.

Get a notebook or journal. I love my Passion Planner. You really can’t remember everything. I relied on my mind basically my whole life, but I realized that I couldn’t do that anymore. Ironically, I’m a writer that doesn’t like to write stuff down. I’ve had to force myself to write things down but it has made my life much easier. Rather than stressing yourself out and trying to remember everything, it’s better on your mind to just write everything down.

I also like to just lay down in my room and listen to music at a soft level. It helps to have some time to reflect on yourself and your recent actions. It definitely keeps me calm and prevents stress.

Keep it clean!

Find ways to keep yourself from falling back into your slump. Painting my nails is fairly therapeutic for me as well. I never really used my words as therapy, but journaling helps me in several way. First, if I’m upset, I might not go and say something hurtful to someone I care about. Writing something down gives you the chance to see if what you’re saying will hurt another person. Second, I get the opportunity to see how my thoughts and actions have changed over time. My journal serves as a record of my emotions and allows me to go back and reflect on myself. Finally, it allows me to work on my writing. As a writer, I’m constantly finding ways to improve on my writing. My journal also serves as a self-reflection tool for my work!

Don’t forget to tend to your mind and emotions. It’s very, very, VERY important. I cannot stress it enough. Take time to take care of yourself.