Beauty Organizers

1. Set up a makeup vanity. If you like to do your makeup using the bathroom mirror and store your products in there, be careful. The moisture in the bathroom can affect the formula or your products or cause them to expire more quickly. We recommend setting up a makeup station in your bedroom, even if it is just a desk with a mirror and makeup organizer placed on top.
2. Out with the old. Are you still holding onto that Maybelline dream matte mousse from 2008 or that foundation you know is 2 shades too dark for you? The first step to makeup organization is cleaning out the products that you do not use or have expired.

Most products have a Period After Opening (PAO) symbol that will indicate if it has expired. It looks like a tiny open jar with a number followed by an ‘m’ on it which stands for how many months after opening it is safe to use the product. Typically, pressed powders like bronzer and blush last longer (1-2 years) than liquid products like foundation or concealer (6-12 months). Because mascara is applied to a sensitive area and the dipping of the applicator back into the tube facilitates bacterial contamination, the PAO is much shorter (3-6 months).

• Change in color, smell, or consistency is a good indicator is a product has gone bad and should be tossed.
• Makeup brushes can last many years if they are good quality and taken care of properly. Reusable makeup sponges should be washed after every use and replaced at least every 3 months.
• If you purchased the wrong shade or you don’t love the formula, it might work for someone else. Give it to a friend or donate it to a local women’s shelter!
3. Sort it out. If you have a large makeup collection, sift through and separate it into two piles- special occasion items and everyday favorites. You will want to keep your holy grail products accessible and not let them get lost amongst the rest.
4. Find the right makeup organizer(s). Makeup organizers come in different sizes, configurations, and materials. Black wood might look chic, but clear, plastic organizers allow you to see everything to find exactly what you’re looking for. Consider what part of your collection is the largest: if you love palettes, opt for an organizer with large drawers or if you’re a lipstick addict, get a rotating tower specifically to hold lippies. You may be able to fit your whole collection in one organizer, or have a freestanding container on top with the essentials and store the rest in a bin divided drawer.
5. Get organized. The right system of organization depends on your collection and what is most efficient for you.
• For a small collection: You may sort by application area (face, eyes, lips) or size and shape (compacts, bottles, long tubes/pencils).
• For a large collection: You may have enough makeup to have a designated section for each type of product- down to separating lip liners, liquid lips, lipsticks, and glosses (if you don’t know the difference between these items, don’t worry about it).
• No matter the size of your collection, achieve maximum efficiency in the morning by arranging your makeup in the order of the steps in your routine. There is no single “correct” order to apply your makeup in, so follow the flow of your personal routine.

• Keep seperate holders for clean and dirty brushes. After using a brush, put it in the designated “dirty” container to keep the clean ones clean.
• Place your makeup organizer on the same side of your vanity as your dominant hand for easy access. The mirror should be on the opposite side.
• Keep makeup remover on hand with cotton pads and q-tips in a decorative container (we all make mistakes!) and a cute mini trash can nearby to keep the space tidy.
• Eyeshadow palettes can take up a lot of unnecessary space if you only use a couple shades from each- depot your favorite colors and keep them together in a magnetic palette with your essentials.
• Sometimes, the packaging of a product is prettier than the makeup application itself. You didn’t spend $60 on that rose petal highlighter for it to sit inside a drawer- display attractive novelty products together on a decorative tray where they can be seen.

Hayley from Hayley Joeann

Jill from Kentucky Makeup Junkie

Abigail from A Little Leopard

Shelsea from Shelsea Sanchez