Ask The Organizer: Managing Your Makeup

Thanks to Lucky Knitter, I have my first "Ask The Organizer" question. I invite anyone who would like advice or a helpful tip on a particular topic to send an email to wendy@functionalplaces.com, and I'll address it here in a future blog post. Feel free to include photos of your space or challenge.

Now, on to the knitter's dilemma - the makeup drawer. Organizing your makeup can be done fairly easily, and without spending a lot of money. Step one is to review your makeup collection, and sort it into categories. Put "like with like" - all of your lipsticks in one pile, foundations, eye shadows, nail polish, etc. Next, purge items that you haven't worn or that are expired. For ideas on makeup shelf life, visit http://beauty.about.com/od/makeuptrickstips/a/shelflife.htm. Essentially, mascaras are good for up to four months; concealer, foundations, cleansers, and nail polish will last a year; and eye shadow, lipsticks, lip liners, and powders will last longer.

Be sure to be honest with yourself. Are you really going to wear that "slightly too bold" red lipstick again? It can be hard to toss expensive products, but if you're not using them, they are just taking up valuable space. And unfortunately, letting them sit there won't get your money back. Avoid future impulse buys and make sure that you test colors before you buy them in the future.

Once you have pared down your makeup, the next step is to put things away in an easy-to-access place, so that you can quickly find what you are looking for when you are pressed for time (and not quite awake) in the morning. If you have a designated makeup drawer in your vanity, pick up an inexpensive drawer organizer with compartments. If the drawer is deep enough, try one that has multiple layers so that you can store your everyday items on top and special occasion items underneath. You can pick drawer organizers up anywhere - especially office supply stores or even Target.

If you don't have a makeup drawer, any type of caddy or container that will fit under your sink or on a shelf will do just fine. If you have sufficient counter top space and your bathroom is private, try a small "desktop" organizer to sort your everyday items so that they are in easy reach. This one is from The Container Store:

Finally, if you have extra items and do a lot of traveling, you can create a travel-only cosmetic case, pack it up, and you're ready to go at a moment's notice.

Remember to set limits for yourself and check expiration dates regularly.