COSMETIC ORGANIZERS
Cosmetic Organizers: Does this sound familiar?
You're frantically rummaging around in your drawer (or bin) in the bathroom desperately trying to find that perfect shade of lipstick. You hear the clock ticking and your spouse tapping his foot because he’s been ready 20 minutes ago. Darn it! Where is that Titanium Rose tube!!!
Just about every woman’s been in this position. We have piles of nail polish, mascara, tubes of lipstick and every color of eye shadow under the sun. We rummage around trying to find what we’re looking for.
The tips on this page will help you pare down to what you really need (give up on the neon orange lip gloss --- that doesn’t look good on anyone – trust me); clean out what you have (yes cosmetics have expiration dates just like milk); and organize what’s left in a way that will have you stress free and out the door so fast your husband will wonder what happened!
Additionally, you will find tips on the latest and greatest cosmetic organizers as well as how to re-purpose items you may already have in your home to keep your cosmetics organized and ready to use.
The basics are:
- Gather everything and put them all in one place
- Sort through everything
- Get rid of expired items
- Sort through what’s left
- Categorize remaining items
- Purchase anything needed for storing what’s left
- Organize the “keepers”
- Maintain and keep your cosmetics in shape
Here are my cosmetic organizer tips:
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #1
Gather everything in one place:
If your cosmetics are stored in more than one place (e.g. bathroom, bedroom, purse, etc.), gather them all together. I don’t recommend dumping them out on your bed as it can make a mess and ruin your bedspread and blankets. The kitchen table is the easiest place to do this and clean up any spills that may occur. You may want to put down some newspaper and/or paper towels on the table to protect the surface.
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #2
Sort through everything:
Put like things together --- lipsticks all in one pile, eye shadows in another, etc. You get the idea. This will help you go through one set of cosmetics at a time (it’s much easier that way).
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #3
Get rid of expired items:
As I said above, cosmetics (like milk and other products) have an expiration date. I know it’s good to be frugal, but it’s also good to be safe and conscious of health. Anything that is “past due” may not work as well. Changes in color and scent can also occur. The more times you open and use something, the more it can become exposed to bacteria and harmful germs. This is especially true if you have used a cosmetic item while you were sick (fever blister, pink eye, etc.). Throw these expired items out!
Also get rid of anything that is broken, leaking or is likely to spill in your drawer, purse, pocket (or any other place you stash it).
Get rid of EVERYTHING that is overly frosted or bright neon or primary crayon colors. These are NOT flattering on anyone (but you can’t convince 14 year old girls trying cosmetics for the first time of this – trust me!)
Cosmetic Shelf-life Information
As a guideline, here are the “typical” shelf-life expectancies of the typical cosmetic products:
- 2 years Face powder, Powdered Blush
- 1 to 1-1/2 years Foundation, Moisturizer, Lipstick
- 1 year Concealer, Pencils, Eye Cream, Eye Shadow
- 6 months to 1 year Cream Blushes
- 3 to 6 months Mascara
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #4
Categorize what’s left:
Tip #3 should have taken care of a BUNCH of the items. Now it’s time to evaluate what’s left. Most of us actually use only a few of the items in our drawer. If you’re not using it, don’t keep it! Unless you’re a cosmetic professional or an actor, dancer, theater person, you don’t need to keep that many items.
Look closely at what you have. Evaluate it. When was the last time you used it? If you haven’t used it in the last 3-6 months, it’s not worth keeping. Let go!! Don’t you feel better now? If not, give yourself some time. Change can be difficult.
Check online resources for tips on what colors look best with your skin tone and natural (be honest) hair color. Get rid of anything that doesn’t look good with your coloration.
If you have the time and money, go to a department store and have them perform a professional makeover. It’s fun and will allow you to see what works best for you and give you fresh cosmetics to start with.
You can further sort your makeup by type (all lipsticks together, all eye shadows together, etc.).
You can also sort by season (spring colors, summer colors, fall colors, winter colors).
You can also sort it by which outfit(s) you tend to wear them with. For example, my ballroom dance clothing tends to be dark and rich colors and a little more flamboyant than what I wear with jeans to the grocery store.
Find a way to sort them that works for you and makes sense.
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #5
Purchase (or locate items you can repurpose) anything you feel would be needed to store the remaining cosmetics:
Here are a few tips:
- Travel case or roll
- Plastic tackle box
- Silverware drawer organizers
- Lucite boxes
- Coffee mugs or leftover mismatched dinnerware
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #6
Organize the “keepers."
By now, you should have a smaller collection of cosmetics that are the ones that you use the most and are most flattering. You have purchased or rounded up items to store them in. Put the cosmetics up according to the plan you decided on in Tip #4.
Cosmetic Organizer Tip #7
Maintain and keep your cosmetics in shape:
The best way to do this is to resist impulse buys and sales. Keep your cosmetics to a minimum. Get rid of expired and broken items right away. Put items back in their special place after each use.
These cosmetic organizer tips will keep your cosmetics clean, neat, organized and in tip top shape to help you look your beautiful best!
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