How to Organize Your Make-Up

Although I am not a huge make-up person, for some reason I tend to be a make-up hoarder.   What can I say?  Everything always looks so pretty in the store and I am a sucker for cute packaging.  Anyways, since this is my month for bathroom organizing I thought that it would be a good time to go through and organize all of my make-up as well.

With the busyness of day to day life, I usually only have time to put on the "basics" but I do have quite a bit of other make-up that I like to use for special occasions or if I actually have a bit of extra time {okay, that last part never actually happens}.  To make things easier for me, I decided to organize my make-up into two different categories - ones that I will use on a regular basis and ones that I will less frequently. Regardless of how you want to organize your own make-up, there are a few simple steps that you can follow:

STEP ONE

Toss anything that is expired or smells funny.  I just did a visit to Sephora a couple of weeks ago and here is what I was told for the shelf life of make-up: 

• Concealer: Up to 12 months  
• Powder: 2 years 
• Foundation: 12 months for water-based; 18 months for oil based
• Pencil Eye Liner: up to 3 years  
• Lip Liner: up to 3 years
• Eye Shadow: up to 3 years 
• Mascara: 4-6 months
•  Lipstick - 2-3 years {shorter in hot climates}.  

**NOTE: Recommendations for shelf like due vary from source to source so use this as an approximation only.

STEP TWO

Go through everything and toss what you don't like or are no longer wear.  Try the shades out to make sure that you like them on you rather than just in the packaging!

STEP THREE

Decide how you want to store your makeup.  This is the fun part!  Kitchen utensil organizers, spice racks, or a small bins and baskets are great for storing make-up in a drawer.  Here are a few simple ideas that I found...

{Ikea organizer: source}

{More Ikea Drawer Organizers: source}

{Kitchen Drawer Organizer: source}

If you are short on drawer space but still like this method of organizing, look for acrylic or other drawer systems that can be stored on your countertop.

{source}

This magnetic make-up board from Liz Marie Blog is another fun option.  You could also try a smaller version and mount it on the inside of your cupboard doors.

For me, I like to store my make-up in a portable make-up bag.  This way, I can easily pack up for weekend getaways, trips to the pool, or times that I put my make-up on in the car {yes, I sometimes put my make-up on in the car but only when Dave is driving!}.  I have had a lot of different make-up bags in the past but my all-time favorite is this Lay-N-Go bag that I use now.

It packs up nice and compact but actually holds a lot more make-up than I was expecting.  I love how it lays flat so I can find everything instead of trying to rummage through a make-up bag.

I typically store my brushes in this glass container at home but I can always throw a few into the bag as well if I am taking off somewhere. {I will be posting about How to Clean Your Brushes tomorrow}.

I like to have my countertops fairly clear of clutter so I store everything in a basket underneath the sink.  It's easy to pull out and cleans up nice and quick!

My other less used makeup is stored in this jewellery organizer that I found at Home Sense.

So how do you like to organize your make-up? I would love to hear your ideas!

This post is part of my Household Organization Diet series.  You can join in anytime - just start with these two posts here and here.  If you are looking for past projects, you can find them all on my Pinterest board}.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

I linked up with Tip Junkie, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring, Under the Table and Dreaming, Project Inspire, The Frugal Girls, Tidy Mom, The 36th Avenue, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Stone Gable, Lil Luna, Savvy Southern Style, Not Just a Housewife, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Home Stories A to Z, Today's Creative Blog, Alderberry Hill, Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, I Heart Naptime, Cheerios and Lattes, Funky Junk and Tatertots and Jello.