I will be 29 this year and lately I’ve been in super observation mode- which is more than likely some manifestation of my need to justify my own grownupness since I’m teetering ever so close to thirty. Not that thirty is old, or that twenty-eight is particularly young- although I still have a very difficult time accepting the fact that people were born in the nineties and that those imaginary 90′s people can actually go to bars now. Anyhow, I digress, the other day while I was chilling out, maxing and relaxing all cool at home the other day I began to notice a marked difference in my beauty habits compared to even three or four years ago. I was noticing everything, from the products I used, how I kept them and even their scent. My beauty routine, although I am constantly reviewing new things and trying new stuff on myself has become much more streamlined over the past five years or so- I have finally reached a level of beauty grownupness! Here are some of the signs that really stood out to me.

1. I Stopped Hoarding Stuff:

Quirky Shower Station, Target $69.99

I realize that not everybody is a beauty junkie like I am. The truth is, I always have been. As I creeped closer to my teenage I had every drugstore frizz curing product that John Frieda put on the shelf at Wal-Mart, a collection of soaps and some sort of Silk Effects razor and anything else I could get my paws on with my allowance money and my bathroom cabinet was no exception, when I discovered the world of cheap make-up, I would stuff my caboodle full. Products would sit around forever, never be used and eventually go bad or get thrown away. I now ask myself three questions when I’m putting things out: 1) do I use this regularly? 2) will I ever use it? 3) is it finished?  If its something that I still use but not all the time, it gets to live under the sink. Asking myself these     questions has actually made my beauty routine super fun again- because instead of being bogged down by options and things literally falling off over-stuffed shelves in the shower, I actually get excited when my soaps, lotions, shampoos, etc… start to run out because I get to go out and try something new. I’m not quite at streamlined with my cosmetics, but if months go by and it hasn’t been touched, it gets gifted to somebody who needs it. If you have an excess of new product sitting around, contact some of the women’s shelters in your area- they are always happy to take donations- better to send that body wash gift set you got for Christmas their way than to have it sitting around for years.

2. I Stopped Smelling Like A Lollipop Soaked In Sugar Soaked in High Fructose Corn Syrup:

West Third Brand, Smell Good Daily Tonic in Tobacco 1812 ($28)

While there will always be a soft spot in my nostalgic heart for cotton candy scented body spray and country apple scented candles, I now find myself grabbing scents that as a teenager or even a young adult I would have steered clear from. I still totally appreciate crisp and fruity fresh scents, but I tend to go for ones that aren’t quite as sickeningly sweet as I did as a kid. Although, I think we can all agree that Vanilla is the scent that transcends generations. Never in my life as a college kid would I have ever picked up a wood or herb scented candle and now I just can’t imagine my life without sandalwood, basil, mint or lavender. My absolute favorite is Voluspa’s French Cade Lavender and I just bought a glorious body spray by West Third Brand called Tobacco 1812 and I’m obsessed.

3. I Stopped Obsessing About Rules:

Butter London Polish in The Black Knight ($14)

When you stop worrying about being on trend, or when you realize that all trends     are some variation of the same things (seriously, they always are) it really frees up a lot of mental real estate and enables the use of cosmetics for fun, expression and for personal style- whatever that may be. I spend a lot of time with the public and as soon as a anybody finds out that I’m a make-up artist or a beauty writer, I get bombarded with everything from people asking me for recommendations, to people confessing that since they are a “fall” they can’t wear “summer” colors or that since they are age x they can’t wear trend x. Who cares if it’s December- if you want to wear a neon pink manicure? It’s your style and as we get older we are more able to define what we like and try new things and the confidence in ourselves reflects in our choices- in other words, you can pry my chunky glitter polish out of my cold dead (glitter polished) hands and throw the rules out of the window and try something new- and most importantly- be yourself.

The three bullet points notwithstanding- I feel like I am noticing new stuff every day.  What do you think marks your beauty grownupness? What makes your list? Talk to me!!!