Life

Minimalist Makeup: How I Decluttered My Makeup Bag

by theminimalistmom |

The Minimalist Makeup That Fits My Daily Routine

One summer I had two very important weddings to go to – my brother’s and my best friend from college’s – and decided that I would finally be a grown up and get grown up makeup. I was many years away from discovering minimalist makeup. I was 22, had my first post-university job and thought an important step on my journey to adulthood was to toss all my mismatched drugstore makeup and blow over $200 at the MAC counter.

So I did it.

I got the full complement of brushes, bronzer, powder, foundation, six different eye shadows, lip gloss and mascara.

For both weddings I did my full makeup with dramatic eyes and heavy foundation. I felt a little silly at both events because I’d never worn that much makeup before. It looked good but it looked like, hey, there’s Rachel wearing makeup.

I made a commitment to “do my face” for work every day which I quickly forgot. Back to my regular routine, mascara, maybe a bit of eye shadow, and my investment makeup and brushes sat unused for years.

all that remains…

Buying expensive things isn’t a hallmark of adulthood. Oh how I wish I had learned this earlier in life.

My Minimalist Makeup Bag

My makeup bag is now, you guessed it, very simple. As pictured above I have:

  • tinted moisturizer and foundation primer
  • two eye shadow brushes
  • mascara
  • eye shadow kit
  • lipstick

Most days I just wear mascara but once or twice a week I like to jazz things up and put on my ‘face’ for date night or just because.

Now, I’m not into shopping for makeup. I find it overwhelming and have bought a lot of useless products in my lifetime. The items I have right now are great, work well for my skin type, colouring and needs. How did I find them? I asked other people what they used.

If you’re makeup challenged ask for help. Not necessarily from a sales person but from someone that has a look that you like. I found my tinted moisturizer from my older sister and my eye shadow kit from my twin (who found it via a friend). The lipstick was purchased from the makeup artist I had for my wedding.

Minimalist Makeup Recommendations

I’ll run through a couple of the products because I like them a lot. You can also look at various sites that review products so you can get good recommendations on products that fight aging while they make you look good. Note: some of them are what I would consider spendy. But, as you can see, I don’t have a lot of makeup and what I have I use.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. If you’re not into heavy foundation this stuff is great. I recommend the foundation primer as well because the tinted moisturizer seems to look better with it on. I’ve experimented with drug stores brands of tinted moisturizer before but never found one that worked this well. If you have a cheap drugstore find let me know in the comments.

Too Faced – Eye Shadow Collection. This could be called eye shadow for dummies. The kit has three sets of three shadows that work together for three different looks. The kicker is that it comes with instructions cards for each of the three looks. This collection is a bit sparkly so if I were working in an office I would have gone with the Natural Eye Neutral Eye kit.

Extra Attention For My Eyebrows

My other minimalist makeup secret: I get my eyebrows tinted. I don’t have a lot of eyebrow. Comes with the territory of not having a lot of body hair. So while it’s nice to not have to shave my legs that often, it’s a drag not having prominent brows to shape my face. I tried for a number of years to fill them out a little with powders and liners but it was a hassle and never looked natural.

A few years ago I discovered eyebrow tinting when I was getting my measly brows threaded. I haven’t looked back. If I had to choose I would toss the makeup all together for the nice defined arches my Esthetician gives me. Here’s a before and after. Excuse my pasty face in the after shot. I had the flu over the weekend. It wasn’t pretty but I’m now back on solid food.

brows without tint
I have eyebrows!

After a lot of trial and error (and wasted money!) through my teens and early 20’s, I feel like I have finally figured out what works for me on the makeup front.

Less really is more

I don’t cover up blemishes any more. Instead, I give them some air and patience. I get my brows done every six weeks if I can but sometimes it’s more like 2-3 months. If I’m looking extra tired or my skin is looking sallow I don’t reach for more makeup. Instead, I try to get more sleep, eat more vegetables and drink a lot of water.

When I got married in 2007 I found an inexpensive make-up artist for the big day. She asked me to look through magazines before our consultation for makeup looks. I tried but there really wasn’t much that caught my eye. It was all very heavy handed. I just wanted to look like a better version of me. After a test run with false eye lashes (not for me!) we settled on some neutral colours.

On the big day I woke up to find a zit on my nose. Such is life.

wedding day pimples rock!

Of course, truly minimalist makeup would be none at all. But I’m into every day minimalism, the kind that anyone I know could apply to an area of their life. It’s not about eliminiating everything but making it simpler with less stuff.

Okay, tell me your makeup finds and gems! Link back to websites if you can.

Here are a few more posts on simplifying beauty and health routines:

 

  • Hi Rachel,

    Thanks very much for sharing. It’s not so easy to find people who are not so into makeup & talk about it nowadays.

    I share your no-eyebrow concern, so I totally love your brow tint tips.

    The fact that I have been an outdoor person has spared me from wearing makeup. People just don’t expect me to wear anything but sweat & sunkissed cheeks. Yet after all these years of outdoor venture, the face shows how I messed with the glorious sun – spots & fine lines are all out now!

    So, as a lady in my late 30s, I suppose I can put some makeup to make myself feeling a bit more “fresh” without the guilt of using makeup. That’s how I found your page.

    One thing different is that: I can’t do contact lenses unless it is a really big day, but I can’t walk out without my glasses neither. And I have do super short & sparse Asian eye lashes. Do you think it is good to skip all eye makeup altogether? Sometimes I find it pointless to spend all efforts on my eyes, then cover them with glasses. Or, do you have any good suggestion on minimal eye makeup behind glasses?
    I tried tight lining my upper lashes, but they smuge very easily & it takes forever to remove them. Any recommendation for this?

    Please do share. Thanks.

  • Hi, I really liked your post!
    First of all let me just say that even without tinting your eyebrows, you still look good!

    Personally, I go make-up-less a lot during the weekend and such and it’s great! And although I do need to simplify my make up bag, I don’t use it much. And when I do use stuff it’s always the same few items. I don’t have a set make up per se: I like having fun with it and changing it up a bit otherwise I get bored and would rather not wear any. Mostly because when you get home tired at night after being out late, I don’t want to spend time in the bathroom, I just want to go to sleep!

    Hope that will make you guys consider going make-up-less at least one day a week!

  • I just found your blog today and I’m loving it. I’m new to minimizing and living a simple life but everything about it just feels right to me. I love this post as many of the minimal blogs I’ve read are by men and this is a non-issue for them.
    I share your everyday face of mascara and maybe some eyeliner and like you, I need brow definition. I used to pay every six weeks for them to be dyed at a salon but now I do it myself. I mix the tint, apply vasilene around the brow and set the timer. It costs less and I no longer have the hassle of making appointments and getting to the appointment. Doing it myself just works better for me!

  • So glad to know there are others out there! I’m all for ditching everything but lemon & vinegar for the house… but when it comes to my “lady potions” (as my hubby calls them), I had a much harder time going minimal. Isn’t tinted moisturizer the greatest? My makeup is about the same as yours… but over all I still have way too many bottles in my bathroom. :p A little at a time!

  • While I do commend all women for making minimal life work(which I am in the process of trying to do) I could never give up my makeup. Not only do I have hundreds of dollars into it, work in the cosmetics industry, it gives me pure joy! I can be having the worst day and a little trip to the bathroom has me looking bright excited and happy. I wear 4 eyeshadows most days, tinting my brows would never give them the definition and statement that I like. I wish my makeup bag could look like that but I have a bigger bag just for lipsticks in my car purse than that. Maybe I am just a little too made-up but I love a full face!!

  • Pingback: Getting Organized: #GetButtonedUp Challenge wrap-up | JenSpends.com

  • Thank you for the recommendations! I believe that makeup is one of those things that you should invest in to get a high quality product, but it’s frightening when you don’t know where to start and don’t have the money to waste. I really value articles like this. I think EcoTools brushes are great and drugstore mascara is fine, but other than that I haven’t really found a “cheap” makeup product that I’m happy with.

  • You look stunning in your wedding shot Rachel – truly stunning….
    Eyebrows are my biggest indulgence. I get them waxed every 4 weeks, and this has become even more so important since having my hair cut off. As for make-up – it’s been a battle for me over the years. Never really got to grips with it, Probably because I’ve never been that interested. My make-up bag is very similar to yours, mascara, foundation, smokey eye kit (dark grey shadow and a smudger/eyeliner) and a lipgloss (oh and a touche eclat). I rarely wear it in the daytime, but am trying to remember too – as I’m getting older I need to wear it really – I’m starting to scare kids on the playground. I run many mornings straight after the school drop so I don’t shower till after that, and I’m not going to be doing make-up to redo it an hour or so after!
    Also I don’t buy make-up, it gets replaced every 12 months. It tends to get bought for me for my birthday by my Big Sis and close female friends (after all they’re the ones who have to look at me and suffer!)…

    • OH just remembered my amazing transformation item! My make-up rarely changes, if I go out at night I may wear a touch more…but that’s it. Then I discovered false eyelashes. Now they don’t sound very minimal but they are amazing! One simple action of applying them can make a really bland look suddenly become much more glamorous… They also are a steal at Home Bargains for £1.99 for two-pairs (which can be used again and again)… Also rather entertaining for the Kids to watch me apply them!

    • Thanks, Jo. Agreed on the eyebrows. It is a splurge but it save me time (less make-up to put on) and I like how I look with a nicely shaped, and visible, brow. Services over stuff 🙂

  • I never got into wearing makeup, I never wanted to be one of those women who couldn’t go to the mailbox without it on. I have an olive complexion and darker coloring so I can get away with it (I hope). If it’s a really special occasion I’ll wear some Bare Minerals foundation and bronzer, that’s it. The only beauty regime I really follow is that I pluck my eyebrows regularly- they’d be bushy little caterpillars otherwise.

    • Good eyebrows do so much for shaping the face and making you look alert. I notice such a difference when I get mine tinted. Lucky you that you were born with a lot of eyebrow 🙂

  • I’m a HUGE fan of Bare Escentuals…the foundation, powdered eyeliner, eyebrow tint, blush, and mineral veil (finisher) cost me about $100 and last me for an entire YEAR!! I’ve given up mascara; i have darker lashes without it (my theory is the stuff was actually STRIPPING the my natural color out!) Another thing you just HAVE to try is Shae Butter as a facial moisturiser…it has evened out my skin tone to the point that I don’t need NEARLY as much powdered foundation. COMPLETELY, 100% natural, Shae Butter…with no other ingredients…$8 for a container. Just a dab worked into different spots on your face, and it feels like VELVET all day….LOVE!!

  • What beautiful pictures of you, Rachel!!! I love love loved to see you in your wedding dress with your veil and all. Gorgeous, and so peaceful.

    I like how your makeup kit includes budget items like your mascara, which is supposed to be one of the best, despite its low cost.

    As I age, I find that my makeup gets less minimalist. One thing I’ve added is eyeshadow base, which helps keep the eyeliner from transferring to my upper eyelids. I also am a convert to Revlon ColorStay eyeliner brush — because it really does stay. (Got this trick from my daughter’s musical theater class.)

    Take care,
    Amy

    • Thanks for your kind comments and sharing your recommends, Amy. I think I’ll be revisiting my make-up needs in the years to come. One thing I don’t have is heavy enough make-up for being on camera. I was interviewed a while back and my minimalist make-up just gets washed out by the lights and video. I’ve been working on speaking opportunities and I’ll need a bit more than this to look awake at them!

  • I became lazy so my make-up is really minimalistic:
    Erno Laszlo Shake it, a pinkish Diorblush for my cheeks, Clinique Eyebrowpencil and MAC lipstick “Syrup”.
    Since I wear glasses, I skip the whole eyemakeup-thingy.

    Shake-it it fabulous – one bottle lasts almost 2 years (thanks to the alcohol I have no worries using it for that amount of time) and since my skin is really oily (I need absolutely no moisturizer), it works perfectly for me. And evens my skintone.

    MAC’s Syrup is about 3 or even 5(!) years old, but it does not have the stingy smell other old lippies have, so I keep it til the tube is empty.

    Blush and eyybrow-pencil are the staple-ingredients for me when it comes to basic-make-up.

    You look great! Back then and today!

  • I can understand trying to use the least-toxic cosmetics you can find and afford, especially for things you are rubbing into your face or putting on your lips…but what’s the danger with mascara? I mean, it doesn’t go into your eyes (okay, a few little flecks here and there– but not more than regular air grit). It seems more external –literally peripheral– and hence less of a concern than other products. Yes, eyes are delicate, but they’ve also evolved to keep dust, grime, etc. out. This is a sincere question– what’s the danger associated with regular mascara?

    • Thanks for the link to the Tarte products. They could be a good replacement for Laura Mercier as they don’t contain parabens or pthalates. When I am next in a city with a Sephora I will try them out.

  • Oh… I felt almost sick when I read about your MAC spending spree – I did it too, by getting sucked into the $50 makeup application deal: you pay $50 to get your makeup professionally done, but then you get a $50 credit towards products in the store. When you realize they used at least half a dozen products (and wow, you look amazing! better get ’em all, even though you can’t afford them!), it quickly adds up. A vain fool and her money are soon parted.

    I did this twice for weddings I was a bridesmaid in, and guess what? It’s been 6 years since my second bridesmaid stint, and most of those products are sitting collecting dust. I know I should get rid of them, but I keep telling myself I’ll use them someday – it’s hard to part with a $20 pot of eye shadow that’s only been used 5 or 6 times.

    Oh, MAC… marketing genius.

    • It is marketing genius. And they sell you on the investment in the brushes and how it all goes together. Hey, some people really will buy it and use it but not me. I’ve never been a big make-up person. Should have known better.

      My 2 cents: Pass the stuff you don’t use onto a friend. The money is long gone and it’s now just taking up space.

  • I use chapstick sometimes. I bought eye liner, mascara and some tinted powder a few days before my wedding almost 4 years ago, the powder ended up giving me hives so I just wore eyeliner and mascara to the wedding. I threw them out a long time ago because I didn’t ever use them. I have allergies to all sorts of things so most make up I avoid because of the ingredients. I’m going to look into the tinted moisturizers though they sound like they could be good.

    • Amy – I am allergic to a lot of creams and cosmetics myself. It’s one of the reasons I don’t use a lot of daily skin care products. I get rashes and more pimples the more I wash my face with different cleansers and toners. I’ve never had a problem with the Laura Mercier products. I only use them twice a week and wash my face of them before bed.

  • Well, the bad news is that your foundation and primer contain parabens and other nasties. The mascara isn’t so great, either, and it’s right on your eyes! We don’t use mainstream commercial cleaning products or cosmetics, and that includes makeup. Anything I can’t make myself I get from Etsy (reading ingredients carefully). Mineral makeups are multitaskers — I have a brown mineral eyeshadow that does shadow, liner and mascara. I just have a few brushes and use one of them to “paint” the shadow (mixing with water) onto my lashes. It’s not as dramatic as regular mascaras, but I’m blonde and it still does the trick. Mineral foundation works as concealer, too — you just dab on a bit of extra powder where needed. Oh, and I mixed a bit of mineral blush with my lip balm the other day and made a tinted gloss…the bottom line for me is foundation, a few shadows that do the whole eye, blush and lip balm (homemade).

    • Elin – thanks for your comments. One of my goals in 2012 is to reduce our exposure to chemicals and other toxins from our household cleaners and toiletries. I’ll be doing more reading about this this year.

  • Thanks for the recommendation on the tinted moisturizer. I checked Laura Mercier out on EWG and her scores are fairly good.

    I have dry skin and on special occasions will wear mineral makeup. However, I have to use tons of moisturizer first and in the winter it still looks dry. In the summer, I’ve found I can’t put the mineral makeup on over sunscreen (I use mineral sunscreen) because they are both matte-fying. Sometimes sticking to natural products is frustrating.

    I would never give up my Clinique mascara (high impact and lash primer). Every time I’ve tried a different kind (expensive or cheap) I’ve thrown it out. It’s the only thing I wear every day!

    • Clinique mascara: I tried it years ago and loved it. The thing that turned me off it was the cost per use. It didn’t seem to last very long for daily use and was 3-4 x the cost of my drugstore brand. That said, I keep reading that mascaras should be tossed every few months. I keep mine for 6 months – shame on me!

  • I love your blog and couldn’t agree more on the makeup thing. It takes me two minutes every day to apply my makeup. I use Bare Minerals foundation and bronzer, mascara, and eyeliner on my top lid. That’s it! Oh–I do wash my face and use a moisturizer. My best friend literally takes 40 minutes to do her makeup and it makes me crazy when I have to witness it (or wait for her!). Less is SO much more! Thanks for the great post!

    • Another vote for Bare Minerals!

      40 minute face: eek. Couldn’t fit that into my life right now. I’d have to give up making myself a real breakfast every morning. Your friend is committed.

  • Too funny, I also ended up at the MAC counter when I got my first ‘real job’. I can not remember what I spent, but $200 seems about right.

    I am currently trying to shift my products over to Dr. Hauschka, as I believe in their natural philosophy. I currently use their cover stick (which I found from a male actor friend of mine). I also use their almond scrub (cleansing clean) as an exfoliator. But based on the comments from a previous post I have started to ‘wash’ my face with castor oil and almond oil (which I already used as body moisturizer) and have to say that I am pleasantly surprised at how great it has been for my skin.

    • KT- Check out Cosmetics Database. I bought a couple Dr. Hauschka products, and they were no healthier/safer than the big brands.

      • Although I agree the database is an amazing resource, some of there ratings are not 100% accurate. For example, if something is labelled as fragrance, it it automatically given a high rating as fragrance generally means phthalates. Unfortunately European laws require that 100% natural essential oils are labelled as fragrance.
        I am not trying to down play the importance of such a resource, but sometimes the good guys can get painted with a bad brush.

    • It has been mentioned in the comments before, but a great book on make up etc. is ‘There’s Lead in your Lipstick’ by Gill Deacon. Not sure if it is available outside Canada, but totally worth the read – her opening statement says – Each morning we spritz, soak, and slather ourselves in 127 different chemicals, many of which are toxic.
      It is not a scare tactic book, but guides you on how to read products and choose accordingly.

    • Wasting $ at the MAC store seems to be a right of passage. 🙂

      I was interested to hear you talk about the Dr. Hauschka brand. My aunt gave me one of their face washing linens and cleansing milk as a gift at Christmas. I have an abominable skin care routine (read: almost nothing) so gave the cleansing milk a go the other night. Very nourishing and yet not greasy.

      Going to try out the oil wash soon. Great to hear more good feedback on it.

  • I used to have a large container FULL of make up…but that’s when I worked at cosmetic stores doing make up and also did make up for my HS theater company. Over the years I started paring down to where I wore pretty much nothing. I realized I didn’t like that extreme either. Now I have a small section worth of make up that can take me from a simple day look to a dramatic night look. I always keep, L’oreal double extend mascara, eye liner, two shades of eye shadow, blush, chapstick, and lip gloss. I use http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ (Skin Deep Cosmetics Database) to determine the safety of the products I use. It’s been hard to find products I like that work well and with my skin tone that are the least toxic, but I have found some, like blush from Bare Escentuals.

    Also, for you, you can find a good brow shadow to do it yourself. I do that time to time as I have very light brows too. And fake lashes are amazing for certain events! I suggest them for every wedding lol!

    • Could have been the lashes they put on but they just looked really fake on me. I have friends that wear them out and they look great and quite natural. Maybe I will give them another chance some day 🙂

  • There was a time when I wore no make-up, and didn’t even shave my legs. (ugh!). I am now 45. I have a small make up bag with a few items only. Kind of like–one of each thing. My view is, if it makes you happy, wear it. Minimalism is terrific until you feel starved in an area.

    • Minimalism is terrific until you feel starved in an area.

      Agreed. While this blog is called The Minimalist Mom is should really be titled, The Moderate Minimalist Mom (what a mouthful). I think a lot of people hear the word minimalism and get turned off immediately. They think they’ll have to go all or nothing and get rid of most of their possessions. While some people might go that far I am all about finding the sweet spot of less clutter for more time and space. This means I still have kitchen gadgets and there are far too many iPods in our home. But we’ve found a level of stuff that works for us. We don’t feel deprived and actually feel like we have more of what we actually want and need.

  • I don’t wear make-up every day, but I have three products: A concealer for my dark under-eyes, a tinted shea butter lip balm that I also use on my cheeks, and when I want to do a bit more, I add this brown, copper-sparkly eye pencil that I can also use on my brows, very lightly.
    I don’t bother with mascara anymore since it goes bad before I’ve used it three times, and starts to itch my eyes..

  • Chapstick and the occasional eyeliner, a light moisturizer (with SPF on sunny days), that’s it. In my twenties I had my eyelashes colored and loved it, but it became too expensive to keep it up.

    • I tried eyelash tinting and while it was good it didn’t give me enough of a boost to skip mascara all together. I also found it didn’t last as long as the eyebrow tinting.

  • It sounds like we have had a very similar experience with make-up. I have played around with using liquid and powder foundations (most recently, Bare Minerals original spf 15), I just don’t like them. I like how I look more “polished,” but I don’t like it enough to keep up with it. The tinted moisturizer thing sounds very appealing.

    My usual routine is some brown eyeshadow, waterproof mascara, and blush, all found at Target. I always use an eyelash curler. On Shabbos and special occasions, I add a eyeliner and Lorac long-wearing lip color. It really stays on, and while I’ve tried the drugstore brands, this is one item that is worth the money. I also like to splurge on Stila eyeshadow. They have some great colors, and adding a golden shimmer to my usual brown eyeshadow is a simple way to get a little fancy. I get the Lorac and Stila things from Sephora.

  • I’m a fan of Bare Minerals. I have fair skin with some rosacea around my nose and chin so I don’t like to wear a lot of make up. It really does work as its shown to in the commercials. I dont need a lot to get pretty good coverage, it feels very light and doesn’t dry out my skin. I can use it as a concealer if I need or want more coverage. That and some mascara and maybe some cherry Chapstick and I’m done!

  • First of all I wanted to say I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and I’m so enjoying it! We were in Germany a few years back and by necessity had to live a minimal lifestyle with our two young children and we’ve never been happier! Once returning to the states (and to all our stuff) we’ve found ourself struggling but making baby-steps in the right direction!
    Okay so now the important stuff MAKEUP! I could have written your post, we have nearly the exact same history with makeup and daily routine now! I do use tinted moisturizer (stila) and I have the exact same eyebrow issues as you but have found a shadow and brush (stila) to fill them in rather nice, I’ve never had luck with this before. The TWO items I LOVE and want to mention are “highbeam” by benefit, a few dots on your cheek bone or brow bone adds A LOT to highlight and define (I use this with and without eyeshadow) and finally BLINC mascara is a must have for me now. It coats and lengthens lashes and comes off so easily when you wash.
    PS Also wanted to share another new found fav, natural sweet almond oil…I was leery at first but now I use this stuff liberally, espcially as a face moisturizer, it’s been fantastic for my dry skin! I read somewhere Jackie-O swore by it. 😉

    • Those are good recs! I have had good luck with Stila tinted moisturizer in the past. Also, Bath and Body has a lip balm with Sweet Almond Oil and Shea Butter. I love it and so do my kids because the Sweeat Almond Oil makes it smell (and taste) good. 🙂

    • Hi Allison – thanks for your comments. Nice to meet another once ex-pat. Thanks for sharing your favourites. I have now have a great resource if I ever need to beef up my make-up arsenal 🙂

  • Laura Mercier products really are worth the extra expense. The Aveeno tinted moisturizer, though, is a halfway decent substitute, although even the lightest one is a tad dark for my pasty white skin. Rubbing it in well just makes me look like I’ve got a little tan.

    My only must have product is mascara. My eyebrows are blond as are my eyelashes. I can live with the light brows, but mascara makes such a difference I have to use it to feel made up. I have a few other products in my bathroom (a little blush, eye shadow, lipstick), and those are reserved for special occasions.

    • I loved Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer until they changed their formula and they no longer have a shade that goes with my skin tone. Boo! Now, I actually combine two tinted moisturizers: Hope in a Tinted Moisturizer gives very even coverage, but Cover Fx Skin Tint is better with my skin tone. So, I mix the two with good results. I don’t think I could ever go back to regular foundation.

      My husband loves the natural look, so I rarely go beyond mascara and lip gloss. I use the bare minerals eye shadows and some eyeliner when I want to get fancy and bare minerals face color as blush.

      I like Buxom’s form of lip gloss but usually just smear on Bath and Body’s tinted lip balm since it does double duty and has a great minty smell.

    • Laura Mercier: I wouldn’t have parted with the $ for them if I hadn’t already seen/used the quality. Big difference with any of the drugstore brands I tried. Also, because I don’t use them daily they last a good while.

    • I use Aveeno tinted CC moisturizer and I really like it, but I’m now thinking about trying the Laura Mercier when I run out.

Comments are closed.