Unburying Your Makeup Treasures

As I talked about in the last post, containing your makeup so you can easily get ready is important in reducing the chaos of your morning (or evening) routine.  If you can’t find the makeup easily, you become frustrated and may wind up reaching for the last resort makeup you have.  Your makeup should enhance how you look and give you a sense of confidence, not give you a sense of panic as you try and find what you are looking for.  The right containers for your lifestyle and storage space is important in how easily you get your makeup routine finished, so you can get on to more important things!

First, think about where you do your makeup.  Is it in the bathroom, on the bed as you watch TV (yes, I know people who do this), at a vanity in your bedroom, in the car, at the gym?  A combination of some of these?  This is important to establish where you do your makeup for the majority of you days.  Do you have limited drawer space in your bathroom?  Do you have limited counter space and keep it in drawers?  These are questions you need to ask before you invest in any makeup storage.  You may love the idea of a pretty tray with all your makeup in porcelain boxes for your bathroom, but if you have no counter space, this dream probably won’t come true!  Packing your makeup every day for the gym, only to unpack it at night doesn’t make sense either. 

Here are some container suggestions for different scenarios of storage situations:

Counters

 

An acrylic makeup organizer such as this makes it very easy to store your makeup and see what you have to work with.  If this look is a little to open for you, try a tray or mirror with jars, boxes or baskets.  You can have one for face products (fountains, concealers, blushes, powders), one for eye makeup (mascara, shadows, liners, pencils), one for lip products (liners, lipsticks, lip-glosses) and one for brushes.  These can be a beautiful way to decorate your counter-top as well as keep your makeup routine easy to do.

Drawers

  Drawer organizers are a fabulous way to contain your makeup in a drawer.  This picture here shows the drawer organizers for office supplies, yet this is a fabulous way to contain your makeup as well.  Keep like with like.  Similar to how you could use the containers on the counter, group face, lip, eye and brushes together as you see fit.  Purchase and/or use containers that are easy to wash.  Makeup gets messy, no matter how much of a neat freak you are.  I would avoid mesh containers only because the makeup mess can fall through the mesh openings and you not only have to clean the container, but the drawer as well.

Makeup bags

We have all been given or purchased a makeup bag that has no separation inside of it.  You wind up digging for what you are looking for or dumping out everything just to find your eyeliner!  Find a makeup bag that has dividers in it.  This one has slots for your brushes as well as different types of makeup as well.  Your eyes makeup can be up in one part and your face makeup in another. 

You can also use smaller bags inside a larger one.  This will allow you to group like with like and keep you from digging for what you need.

 

If you travel frequently, you may want to have one set of makeup for travel and one for home.  There is nothing worse than being away from home and not having what you need.  If you do use two sets, make sure you only purchase the smallest size available.  Makeup does expire, so if you are not going to use up what you have, you will be wasting money!

There are many other ways you may need to store your makeup.  Before anything, make sure you have sorted and purged as I recommended in my last post.  Replace when needed, toss expired makeup, and be careful when you purchase.  Not everyone looks good in blue eyeshadow!

 

For more tips on organizing, visit my website at:  www.afreshstartorganizing.net/tips. 

Also, you can subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter “Fresh Ideas for A Fresh Start” . Subscribe Now 

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Makeover your Makeup

Does your makeup seem as if it is multiplying behind your back?  Have you looked for an eyeliner (or eyeshadow, or lipstick)  in the depths of the drawer only to give up and purchase a new one.  Then, after you purchase it, you find what you are looking for. But now don’t know which is the new one and which one is the old?  Makeup, even drugstore brands, can be very expensive.  If you aren’t taking care of it in an organized manor, you are wasting money and putting you at risk for using expired makeup.  Now who wants to take a risk that their eyeshadow may turn their lids into tomatoes? 

Here is a plan to makeover your makeup to guarantee you get your money’s worth:

1.  Start by pulling all your makeup out.  Look through your purse, your makeup bag, your drawers, and anywhere you may stash your makeup. 

2.  Sort through it.  Toss the obvious:  broken, empty, old (you know the eyeshadow you thought would make you look like Eva Longoria, but instead you looked like your 3 year old after playing unattended with your makeup, so you left it in the drawer, just in case).   Makeup does expire.  If you don’t remember, just be practical.  Can you even remember when you purchased it?  Do you think it is more than 6 months old?  More than a year?  Toss anything questionable.

3.  Group your makeup by type.   Lipsticks, lip liners, foundation, concealer, eye shadows, eyeliners, mascaras, blushes, powders, etc.   

4.  Evaluate.   With what is left, look at each category and truly think if you will ever really use it.  Do you want to try new things, but only use the same makeup every day?  If you really want to make a difference in how you do your makeup, consider having some makeup lessons from a professional.  One reason why what you buy may not look good is that it is not the right color for you.  Just because your friend looks amazing in a certain lipstick, does not mean it will look good on you.  Unless you are ready to take on Bobbi Brown as the queen of makeup, you may need a little assistance.

5.  Make a list of those items you need to replace.  If your mascara is over 3 months old, replace it.  If you are scraping the walls of your lip gloss, it is time for a new one. 

6.  Consider your storage area before purchasing containers.  Do you carry your makeup with you in a bag?  Do you keep it in a drawer in the bathroom?  Do you use a vanity or dresser and have it out? 

Next week I will give suggestions for containers and storage idea for your makeup.  Storing and containing your makeup should make it easier to get your makeup routine finished faster.  No more digging for buried treasure!

For more tips on organizing, visit my website at:  www.afreshstartorganizing.net/tips. 

Also, you can subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter “Fresh Ideas for A Fresh Start” . Subscribe Now 

And get daily tips delivered to you through Twitter.  Follow Me

Product Purging

How many of you have spent time and money purchasing the latest organizing products only to find they didn’t help?  Like those who spend money on the latest diet products and fitness equipment, we try and solve our problems with products.  The problem is that not every product works for every person.  We all have our own unique ways of organizing.  Before spending a lot of money on a product, you need to discern whether or not is is going to help. 

If you are an out of sight, out of mind person, a pretty container that you can’t see in is probably not the best purchase for you.  If you like to put stuff away and out of sight, then a clear container may drive you crazy.  Before purchasing any new organizing item, think about how it will work.  You can purchase a great filing system, but if you never go through the papers to be filed it is money down the drain. 

Before purchasing, ask yourself questions, such as:

• Who will use the product?  If kids, how easy is it to open and close? 
• What room will it go in?  Does it fit on the shelf you intended?  Is there enough wall space? 
• How often will it be used?  If often, then spending more money on a sturdy product will be a wise investment.
• Are you trying to put “lipstick on a pig”,  and make something you don’t like work or look better?  Will anything make you like it better or will you still wind up hating it in the long run?
• Are you duplicating a process?  Such as, are you using two calendars? 
• If you purchase one organizing item, will it require purchasing others?  Is there a domino effect that you aren’t willing to or able to invest in?
• Is it easy for you to use?  Will it help you to remember where you put things?
• Are you truly willing to make a change in your habit to use it?

The list could go on and on.  You need to be a cautious product purchaser.   A great organizing product is only valuable when in use.  Just because your sister swears by her PDA for scheduling, you may feel more comfortable with an old paper calender that just shows a month at a time.  If you aren’t going to use an organizing product, it is just clutter! 

If you have any questions as to whether or not a product will work for you, leave a comment.  We can work together to see if it will be a wise investment. 

For more tips on organizing, visit my website at:  www.afreshstartorganizing.net/tips. 

Also, you can subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter “Fresh Ideas for A Fresh Start” . Subscribe Now 

And get daily tips delivered to you through Twitter.  Follow Me