Project Start Organizing My Makeup...

So my makeup was a disaster. My system was not working. So even though I didn't have an organization system planned out for my makeup and other products, I decided to lay out all of my makeup on the floor and get an idea of my categories and what kind of storage I will need when I change my system. 

I pulled out all my drawers and started to sort what was in each box and drawer, making sure that I checked out expiration dates on products and tossed them if that was what needed to be done.

I sorted out all my nail polish by brand...

Then I sorted out all my makeup products into categories, face makeup, lips, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, perfume samples, etc...

I also made categories for sunscreen, haircare, first aid, etc..

Look at all those empty drawers and boxes!

I also decided to take all of the lotion out of the bottom drawer of my jewelry armoire and store it with my other extra lotion... seriously no more lotion for me. I think I have enough to stay smooth for the rest of my life.

My perfume was okay on the tray, I love it there and there isn't a ton I can do to make it go faster, perfume takes a long time to use up! I will not be buying any perfume for myself anytime soon though!

Look how empty!

Also on my dresser, I have a cute little jewelry box that belonged to my grandma. I keep some important little treasures inside here..

Now, look at the mess I made....

Roxy was far from impressed...

All right! Now time for the organization part! I knew that I wanted to to store my nail polish away in a drawer, and decided that since my former lotion drawer was now empty, I figured why not use it for my nail polish collection and nail tools. I really like this system for now...but eventually would like to have my nail polish stored so I can view all the colors- but that is something for the future!

Next up, what I put in my plastic organizer... in the top drawer I placed all of my hair elastics, clips, and bobby pins.. they are organized inside jewelry boxes which worked out really well!

The next drawer is full of eyeshadow. Seriously how many do I need? No more. I just love eyeshadow....and it's easy to get it free which makes me just want more! =)

I also have a second drawer of eyeshadow unpictured, but it looks very similar, and just includes mascara and eyeliner as well.

Next is concealer and face products. All of those concealer sticks were free, so don't judge me! I have a few face masks in here, a setting spray and some other face products.

Here are some other face products, my foundations, my daily moisturizer, and my eye cream..

Then all my lip products and blush/bronzer products were combined into this one drawer.

Now my tower of drawers is back up and running with all new contents.

I also decided that the box I had been using as my daily makeup box will now be my "first aid/medicine" box. So far, I have bandaids, neosporian and my contacts/cases.

Closes nice and neatly to hide what is inside!

My makeup brushes and tools now can breathe and have their own space on top of my dresser

In my basket, I placed all my sunscreen and makeup remover- basically things that I use daily during the summer!

Looks good!

All my hair items are still all in this basket but needed some tidying up! Looks much better!

And all that lotion I mentioned? It's now in my closet with my other stockpile storage. Someday I'll use it all up...but until then I won't buy any! (Unless it's free....because then it's not really buying it right?!)

Just a recap...here are my nice new clean spaces!

So much better. At some point I will be changing this up to have my makeup in a non-plastic organizer. I would like to have a set of drawers to organize it in possibly....

Here are a few ideas of how I would eventually like organized my makeup and other products...

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The above is actually the same system the Kardashian sisters have...I absolutely love it, but it is super expensive...

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Once again, I love this vanity...but it is super expensive and way more space then I actually need.

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This is closer to what I am actually looking at getting...something that can hold quite a bit of product, but won't take up a TON of space...

I will keep you updated...but for now I'm happy my system is working a bit better! =)

How do you organize your makeup?

Donating the Clutter!

Do you donate used items to a particular charity? In my family we have always donated to the Salvation Army.

I love knowing that my used items are going to a place where people who really need them will get a chance to use them. For years I have been donating a variety of items; household items, clothing, jewelry, etc...  Only in the past year, I began attempting to sell some items on e-bay before donating them. Mostly clothes and a few other pricer items that I was happy to get a little bit of money back for.
If an item has not sold on e-bay I set it aside to donate.

Here is what I do with my donations...

In the picture above, among the other boxes and water cases you can see a paper bag from Bakers and a plastic bag from CVS (which has been replaced more recently with a few Walmart bags).

The paper bag holds all items that could potentially be sold on e-bay or donated to the Salvation Army. Any clothes, jewelry, household items go inside this bag. All food, personal, and items that could be donated to a shelter or friends and family go in this bag.

Food a personal items

Clothing and household items

Dog food to donate!

Earlier this year, I showed you how I planned on knowing which clothing items to donate- I placed a little tag on each item of clothing and after I wear the item, the tag comes off. Even though the year hasn't ended yet, I have been able to go through the majority of my winter clothes and ween them down. You know how you can just tell what you won't be wearing? Yeah, there were quite a few things in there that I knew I would never wear again, or that I have never worn and needed to get out! Valuable closet space was at risk!

When I am searching for donations I make a mess. I toss everything on the floor and just make piles everywhere. Yup, it is often a disaster.

After making a disaster, I sort my donation items from the items I'm keeping. Then I sort my donations by what I plan to sell and what I plan to send right to the Salvation Army. I take pictures of the items I want to sell and as soon as I have free time, I list them all on e-bay. It's always nice to make a little extra money!

Where do I store my donations? Right in my closet. I keep them inside the bags until I have a fairly full bag, then I bring it down into our basement where we keep our donations for the Salvation Army. When we have a big enough haul in the basement, we make a drop off.
As for my other donation items (personal items and food...) I'm unsure what my plan is yet. I definitely want to find an animal shelter for all the dog food I have to donate. I need to find a place to bring the food and personal items. Anyone in the RI area have any suggestions? I'm going to wait until I have a big enough haul because right now it's a little small, but I will hopefully be able to donate those items soon!

It honestly makes me feel great when I have a huge bag of clothing to give away to someone who will actually wear it. Often times we are so consumed with wanting endless items that we don't realize we are actually just holding onto items that we never use! I am all about getting rid of the excess and just keeping what I actually need.

My advice for sorting through your items?

• Be honest with yourself, do you really need it? No? Well toss it! Get it out of there!
• Think about the last time you wore or used the item, if it's been over a year, that baby should be long gone!
• Figure out an ideal number of that item you would like to have and attempt to stick to it. Do you really need 9 winter coats? Probably not, especially if you live in Florida. Keep things realistic.
• What good are household items in storage? If it's not out on display ask why. Is it an item that is a family heirloom? That's okay, but if it's a vase from Pier 1 that no longer matches your decor, send it to someone who will actually use it!

I personally love sorting and organizing my items, so if you are planning a sort through your clothes or whatever- enjoy it! Go get that clutter! =)