Makeup Organization Tips

Last week I took a lot of time to sort and reorganize many parts of our closet. A huge part of the process is the act of emptying out drawers and cabinets, purging down anything that is no longer used and giving everything a good cleaning. Then, of course, putting it back in a way that makes sense to your daily life/routine. One thing I realized during the process is that I am not always the best about purging down my makeup or cleaning my brushes, so I thought I would share the steps I took to give my beauty routine some fresh life.

My makeup was previously being stored in a combination of places, but the primary items I use each day were stuffed into a cosmetic bag. Everything from my makeup brushes to bobby pins to powders, it was becoming a powdery cluster that I would rummage through each morning. My goal last week was to get everything sorted down, cleaned and organized back into my vanity drawers.


STEP 1: COLLECT/SORT

The first step was to gather, collect and sort every last makeup item I owned and used. I found it easiest to dump it out and go through it on a solid, clean surface. I used this and this as a guide when determining what to keep, as makeup can go bad over time (and harbor gross bacteria). It was time to say farewell to anything that was outdated or never being used.


STEP 2: CLEAN

It is time to tap your inner Danny Tanner and clean your makeup and tools. Brushes are especially important to keep clean, as you use them daily to apply the makeup to your skin. Not cleaning your brushes can cause breakouts, and again, cause you to apply bacteria to your eyes, skin and lips. I am guilty of not doing this nearly enough. In fact, I can't remember the last time I actually cleaned my brushes and it made me feel all yucky inside when I realized how long it has been.

There are a variety of ways to clean your brushes; mild baby soap, castile soap and oils are the most gentle ways to preserve your brush bristles. You can also invest in special brush cleaners from the beauty department, however, there are many inexpensive and DIY versions you can make at home. I opted to try some castile soap slightly diluted with warm water.

I mixed the water and castile soap in a shallow dish, and lightly swirled the brushes in the cleaning solution.

This removed majority of the makeup from the brushes, to remove the remainder I used the rough side of an old cutting mat. I simply placed the mat in the bottom of the sink, ran a small amount of clean water and rubbed the brush over the mat until the water rinsed clean.

Brushes should dry at a downward angle to prevent the water from settling up inside of the bristles and to avoid water pudding inside of the brush handle. I just rolled a wash rag to prop the back ends up the brushes up while drying.

I also took the time to wipe down all of the dusty makeup packaging and the inside of my cosmetic bag. What better than a makeup face cleansing wipe?

For really caked on makeup, I used eye makeup remover.

STEP 3: ORGANIZE/STORE

I love using acrylic organizers for makeup because they are extremely simple to keep clean. They allow me to keep makeup divided by type, and everything is nice and easy to see and access. I have a main drawer for my most commonly used items, and the second drawer holds specialty items, lotions and duplicates.

Brushes should be stored with bristles upright to preserve their life span.

STEP 4: MARK IT

When I was sorting, I didn't know when most of the items were purchased to know if they were expired or not. It was just a guessing game that I wanted to prevent next time around. I added a Sharpie marker to my makeup drawer which now allows me to mark any new makeup with the purchase date.


STEP 5: KNOW YOUR STUFF

Using my phone, I quickly snapped a photo of the name/brand/color of each of my favorite cosmetic items. I then added the photos to a special album on my phone's camera roll titled Makeup Details. So many times I have been out shopping and become overwhelmed with the choices and have a hard time recalling my favorite colors and shades. Or, I forget to write down the specific type and see it on sale. By saving all of the details on my phone in a single image, I will always have access to my favs and be prepared come shopping day.

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I was so impressed with how soft my brushes felt the first day I used them after taking the time to clean them and I am not makin' that up. I now keep a small cloth in my vanity drawer to wipe down my brushes after each use, and plan to add washing them to my monthly cleaning routine. Hopefully, taking a few minutes to organize, purge, clean and document my daily makeup products will save me a little time, sanity and prevent potential bacterial infections and break-outs. And because I thought it was funny and so true....

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