Whether your makeup and skincare collection is large or small, keeping it organised and accessible can be a challenge, to say the least! While taking the time to go through all of your skincare and makeup seems like a pretty laborious task, here at Nesta we’ve put together some helpful tips and advice for getting through the makeup organising process quickly and easily.
Do a clear-out and figure out what needs to go
The first (and probably the least fun) part of organising your makeup and skincare is to go through all of your products and tools and discard any that are broken or past their prime. Look for the time limit indicated on the package. It will either say 3M, 6M, 12M or 24M. Most makeup needs to be discarded after a year, with the exception of powdered products and nail varnishes. Skincare products can last longer, but be sure to check all products and if you’re unsure of its age. Mascara and liquid eyeliner can harbour harmful bacteria if they are used past their use-by date. Most sun creams are ineffective and don’t offer protection past the year mark either.
Sort and Separate
When you have discarded all products past their prime, it’s time to sort and separate! If there are unopened products that you’re unlikely to use and they are in-date, check to see if friends or family would like them. Any remaining products should be separated into categories — skin-care versus beauty. Then subcategories together, like lipsticks/lip products, foundations/concealers, moisturizers, etc. Once you have categorised, make note of the size of your products. Do you have a lot of large bottles and bulkier items? Or do you have smaller products and lots of tools such as brushes, tweezers, etc.? This will help you in selecting the right type of storage.
Invest in some clear acrylic make-up drawers and storage
Clear acrylic make-up drawers and storage are an ideal way to store makeup. It’s easy to store by category (i.e. keep your concealers in one drawer and mascaras and eyeliners in another), plus they’re also very-budget friendly. You can get various different sizes and options in stores like Penneys and TK Maxx, and it’s a good idea to invest in a variety of sizes to suit different products.
If you have a lot of makeup and skincare, especially bigger items like eyeshadow palettes that won’t fit in some of the clear plastic smaller drawers, invest in an Ikea Alex 9 drawers set or something similar. These drawers are shallow and long, which means your make-up products won’t get buried. Add some dividers to each drawer if you want to store different product categories. Be sure to label each drawer so that you can find your products easily.
Keep frequently used products all together in an easy to access spot
Make sure that the products you use every day like your go-to foundation, mascara and lipstick and your skincare products for morning and night are stored all together. Somewhere where you can see them clearly is best. An acrylic makeup carousel is a great option for storing products that you regularly use. It keeps them neat and ensures that the vertical storage ensures that they don’t take up too much space on your make-up table or in your bathroom.
Get creative when it comes to storage
Some sustainable ways to store your makeup, is by using old glass candle jars and jam jars can be great for storing brushes and lip glosses. You can get creative and add pretty designs to them, or wrap them in different coloured ribbons. Another great storage hack is to repurpose an old spice rack from the kitchen to store foundations. You can separate foundations out at certain levels — heavy coverage ones at the top level, medium coverage ones on the middle level and lighter coverage ones, along with face primers on the bottom. That way when you’re getting ready, you can see all of your foundation options easily.
Pinterest also has hundreds of useful ideas, tips and tricks for make-up storage and is well worth checking out.
Seeing all your make-up and skincare products will make them more accessible. You’re also likely to save some money as you rediscover your unused and unopened products. What’s more, you’ll save time each morning knowing exactly where all your products are. Organising your beauty products is a win-win situation so what are you waiting for? Let’s get organising!
