You Asked: And I'm Not Makin' This Up!

A reader recently wrote and asked how I handle storing all my makeup supplies...

Brittany asked:

Hi Jen!

I absolutely love reading your blog. Your home is so organized, it makes me giddy! I love reading about all your projects and plan on trying some of them in my own home, whenever I get one! lol. I was wondering..how do you organize your make-up? I'm constantly trying to find the best way-baskets, bins, a bag...I'd really like to see how you keep all your make-up organized. Thanks for your time!

Brittany

Although I dream that someday my makeup storage could be a lot more oooh la la inspiring, like this:

or this:

or even able to use the genius idea of a cutlery organizer to corral all my goodies:

image courtesy of Centsational Girl

The matter of the fact is that I once again, I learned that less is more and have been trying to live more simplified.  I realized that I had WAY too many products.  Many that I never touched.  Mainly because the colors weren't right or because they were old and outdated.  I found that with the exception of eye shadow, I used the same makeup supplies each and every day.

So I tossed EVERYTHING that I didn't use.  Which was more than I care to admit or share, but let's just say, it was an eye opening experience.

Now, all of the makeup that I use, resides in this one, very pretty pink makeup bag.

   

What's inside?  Just the basics to make this gal feel a tad bit glam.

Face powder, blush, three eye shadows, floss, concealer, complexion makeup, eye roller, liquid lipstick, eye liner, mascara, tweezers, nail clippers, and brush applicators.  That's it!

I used to struggle keeping everything in a makeup bag for one reason only, and that was that my brushes wouldn't hold up and would make a huge powdery mess.  So I switched out the old damaged brushes and invested in some eco versions, that also solve the storage problem!

   

The brushes all have a slot inside this handy carrying case, and the face brush also compacts right inside to keep it not only from dusting the contents of the makeup bag, but ensuring a longer life expectancy!  I can't gush about these babies enough, they are oh so soft and feel magical each day!

The brush pack can be found here and the retractable brush can be found here.

And when not in use, they are very compact and toss nicely right inside the makeup bag!

And that's it!  The bag can easily go with me everywhere.  From the car to vacation and even from bathroom to bathroom.

A couple of other really quick random bathroom/makeup storage ideas I have done, just to add a little more interest to this post...

Think outside the normal toothbrush holder when corralling your toothbrushes on the counter, I really adore this pencil cup for ours:

And a larger white vase never gets tired, and is great for those random beauty supplies like deodorant, cleansers, spray conditioner, scrubbers, etc...

Find an extra bin or basket to store extra rolled up washcloths or hand towels and toss extra soaps in a pretty bowl or dish:

And lastly, before I switched to the makeup bag concept, I tossed my makeup brushes in a vase filled with pebbles.... worked pretty slick!

Any other tips for Brittany?  How do you all corral all of your beautifying goods?  Which frankly I am sure none of us really need since we are all truly beautiful without any makeup at all!

P.S.  Wondering how to take care of your brushes and how long to keep your makeup?  Check out this oldie post here!  And to see how I store my mani and pedi supplies, click here!