how do you organize

[rymorg2]

I'm looking to rearrange how I organize my makeup. Sooooo I was wondering how you organize yours! Tia!

[cclee00]

I was just thinking about this last week! With finally buying one of the Nude palettes, I prefer to keep a set together. So I prowled the internet looking for ideas, as all of my makeup is arranged pretty well except for the SN shadows, which were taking over a plastic drawer. I went to a craft store and bought two plastic organizer boxes, smallish size (5"x9"x1" or so). This kind had long lengthwise spaces with insertable dividers to create smaller rectangular spaces in any configuration. I unhinged the lids (with care this can be done without breaking them, so they can be put back on later) and arranged the shadows running the length of the long rows, resting on their sides. This way I can see the color through the clear plastic of the jar. I divided them roughly into a bright colors box and a neutrals box. I could get about 30 to a box, depending on the number of fullsize and GWP jars in each row. I filled both and had 10 or 15 left remaining out of the box.

Depending on the size of the box (and smaller and larger boxes exist, sometimes configurable or already divided), you can have different palettes or carry a few shadows for travel! This could be done with blushes and foundations too, depending on the depth of the box, and could make an excellent little kit for travel, which I what I plan to do when I get a few more boxes.

Overall, the majority of my makeup is kept in Sterilite plastic drawer sets (the kind with three drawers to a unit). I got three medium-sized ones and stacked them on top of one another on a cubicle-type shelf next to my vanity (after removing a couple of the shelves to make a column shelf). The top drawer holds brushes in two shallow drawer organizers, divided by eye brushes and face brushes. Next down is eyeliners in two organizers divided by neutrals and colors. Third is divided into eye primers and mascaras.

The fourth drawer is face primers, concealers, and foundations, as well as setting powder for liquid or cream foundations. Below that is a drawer divided between luminizers/highlighters and bronzers. The sixth drawer is all blushes, divided by pressed powder blushes (of which I have the most) and loose powder and cream blushes.

Next down is my SN shadows, in the new configuration described above - I could fit both plastic boxes and the leftovers into the drawer. Below that is mineral eyeshadows from other companies, as well as a divider containing all mineral eyeshadow sample baggies. The last drawer in this stack holds cream eyeshadows (not including SN) and a few small drugstore palettes.

Next to this stack of drawers is arranged my collection of eyeshadow palettes, the large kind. They are on their sides with the spines facing out like books. Finally, on my dresser I have a stack of two more of these drawer sets. These are for lippies, divided into a couple drawers for lipsticks and the remainder for glosses (including all SN), and the glosses are divided by color group - plum, peach/coral, red, pink, nude, clear/layering, and "unusual" (this includes golds or other "different" colors - Glacier, Swank, Champagne, and Jackpot all go in here).

By searching makeup organization online, I found some other good ideas, including keeping eyeshadows in a hanging jewelry organizer with all the many clear little pockets.

I obviously have a lot of makeup (my mother has so little it's quite comical in contrast!) and I've experimented with a number of different setups. I apologize for the super-long post, but I hope it's helpful in some way!

[rymorg2]

Thank you Caroline!

Right now I have Sterlite Drawers too, sitting on top of some white wood drawers but I want a way to organize my zillion shadows so that I can see them. So today I bought some clear acrylic drawer sets for them since they're prettier and nicer than Sterlite. Can't wait to get them!