Organize Your Makeup!

As a daily wearer of mascara only, I should barely be allowed to speak for the tidiness of makeup collections. But we all know that there’s no territory that I’m afraid too to tackle and preach about (preach!) so let’s dig into cosmetics for a minute. In my defense, I’ve worked with lots of makeup artists, fashionistas, and lovers of pretty faces. So here! We! Go!

1) Keep the stuff that you wear daily the most accessible. You don’t want that fave lipstick getting lost amongst the rest so it’s best to separate it out. Depending on your setup, you can use a makeup bag, drawer organizers, or fancy-shmancy displayed organizer to keep those daily-wears within arm’s reach.

2) Chuck old and crusty things while you’re at it. Did you know that makeup expires? Ya, it does. Unfortunately the products aren’t stamped with a date to give you context (it’s unclear why) but if you’ve had something for years, it should go. Get rid of all of the gross and crusty stuff too because it’s not amping up anyone’s collection.

3) Categorize and contain the backup or less-frequently-used stuff. Tempted to throw the rest into a drawer and call it a day? Fight the urge! If you don’t categorize your backup stuff, it’ll all get mixed and messy, i.e. worthless. Choose a system that works for you (daywear vs. nightwear, types of makeup together, dress up vs. bachelorette party, etc.) but make sure that there’s a system in place! Smack a label on it while you’re at it.

4) Start saying “no” to freebies that you don’t need. It’s really easy to collect lots of makeup and beauty samples that you don’t actually need. So if someone offers you makeup that simply isn’t the right shade for you or doesn’t seem necessary, say “no thanks!” Ultimately, this will protect you from having too much stuff and losing control of all the wonderful systems that you worked so hard to put into place.