Makeup Organization and Storage Solutions

 

If you're a makeup junkie like me you have tons of products with limited space for storage. What is a girl to do? Throw away products you love? Stop buying new products? Never! The key is to get organized and store your makeup so that you maximize space. Here are some tips I've found that have really helped me:

 

Buy cute containers: Containers like the ones above from the Container Store (I know, they have pictures of shoes and clothes in them but they would work great for makeup too!) are great for organizing and storing your makeup. If you can see what products you have you'll be more likely to use them! These are cute enough to keep out on your counter tops (if the man or roommate in your life doesn't mind).

 

Go through your makeup and organize it: I have all of my eye products in one container and all of my face stuff in another. If you have more products and need more drawers you can break it up further by eyeshadows, eyeliners and mascaras, foundations, tinted moisturizers and bb creams,  blushes and bronzers, lip products, primers, etc. There are endless possibilities as long as you know where stuff is located.

 

Put your brushes in a cute container too: Don't forget about your brushes. I have mine stored in a decorative metal cup my mom gave me with the brush heads sticking out. It makes it really easy to find the brush I'm looking for and keeps them all in the same place. I also don't worry about them getting dirty or bent in a bag somewhere.

 

 

Check your inventory every 3-6 months: I go through my stuff more frequently than every 3-6 months, but find the amount of time that works best for you. I check over my products to see what I'm low on, get rid of what I haven't been using that I probably wont and check for items that have dried out, are expired or stopped working correctly. This lets me maximize my storage space and helps me get rid of old products that I'm not using anymore. My good friend, Kate recently got me the Once Opened Beauty Expiration Kit and it's really opened by eyes to how long I hold onto products well after they should be tossed. I don't know about you, but I don't want an infection because I held onto a product for too long -- not worth the risk!

 

What do you do to keep your makeup organized? Let us know if you try any of the tips above!

 

 

Quick Tips to Keep Organized While Planning a Wedding (or any event for that matter)

Staying organized while planning a wedding (or any event for that matter) is crucial. Not only for your sanity and stress level, but for the safety of those around you. I've always been an organized person, but planning one of the biggest events of my life has caused me to be a little more organized than usual. Here are some quick tips I've found to be useful along the way that can be applied to many more life events than just weddings.

1.  Make a planning binder. This will ensure all of your vendor contracts, contact lists, lists of lists, etc. will be easily accessible in one place. Separate each section with a new tab and keep everything clearly labeled. Yes, it will be a lot of work upfront but once you get organized you'll be able to rest easy. I've divided mine by vendor (including vendor contacts, our contracts and other important info), a to-do list that I keep updated every time a task is complete, budget (very important), guest list, and family and friend contact sheets. Organize it in a way that make sense to you (and whoever else has to use it) and you'll be amazed how much your stress level will plummet once you know you've got it all in one place. 

2. Put everything in Google Docs. Yes, seriously. You know that binder I just talked about? What if you leave it somewhere? What if you update a document and forget to reprint the new copy? All of your  planning documents will be available anywhere and you can access them from any device and share them with anyone. The documents will be updated automatically (by you and anyone you share them with) so you'll always have access to the latest copy without having to carry around a flash drive. 

3. Create a inspiration board in Pinterest. This will be the easiest way to organize all your ideas in one place. You can find ideas from others and re-pin these to your boards. You can also create pins from blogs, websites and other sources of inspiration so you can easily access these all in one place. When I started planning the wedding I just had one general wedding board on my Pinterest page. That quickly changed and I now have different pages for the cake, flowers, wedding makeup, reception decor, etc. It is an easy way to check back at what inspired me to keep me on track with all of the planning. 

4. Over communicate. NEVER and I mean never assume that you're on the same page with anyone (including the bridal party) when planning. You'd hate to think you told someone one thing and in reality they heard something different. Is something really important to you? Make sure everyone helping out knows! I'd rather get 500 reminders about something than hear it once and forget it. I know other people that want to help feel the same! Don't feel bad about being clear about what you want, it's your day and it should go how you want it to.

5. Hire a planner. Or in my case find an amazing family friend (with tons of party planning experience) to keep you totally organized and stress-free on your big day. Luckily for me one of my mom's close friends organizes several events year round and has generously offered her time and expertise to keep the event coordinated and on schedule. I can't wait to hand these documents, binders, boards, etc. over to her on the big day so she can handle all issues that come up. I can't tell you how much better I feel knowing someone I trust is looking after things so I don't have to worry about it. 

Bonus: Just remember it's just one day! The wedding and your life together is the most important thing. Will things go wrong even with amazing organization and coordination? Unfortunately, yes. But before you freak out -- just remember, at the end of the day you get to marry the love of your life and that's ALL that matters. No one will notice the little mishaps anyways and they will just be funny stories to share later on. No go, get organized and enjoy this time with the one you love! 

Do you have any good organizational tips? Share them with us in the comments! 

Fashion: Tips for Organizing your Closet

If your like me you've got a lot of clothes and shoes with limited space. If things are not organized correctly, they take up more space than they should and you run the risk of not knowing what great items you already own. Here are some of my simple tips for organizing your closet: 

1. Buy better hangers: I used to have the cheap plastic hangers but they took up so much unnecessary space. My future mother-in-law gave Jay and I some thin felt hangers for Christmas last year and it's amazing how much more room we now have in our closets. Worth every penny. 

2. Organize your clothes by color and type: I can't say this enough. By organizing your closet by type -- tank tops, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve, sweaters, etc. -- you can easily see what you have available. I then organize each section by color so if I'm looking for a short sleeved black shirt I can find it right away. This also helped me see how many duplicates and similar items I had (oops) and lets you see what you're missing.

3. Go through your closet and drawers each season: This is a hard one for me that I need to get better at. By going through your closet and eliminating items you haven't worn in the past season you can get rid of a lot of unworn items to make room for new items you'll actually wear. Stop at each item and ask yourself "when did I last wear this?" if the answer is more than 6 months or you can't remember it's time to pitch it. 

4. Check items for stains, holes and other signs of wear: Fix items that you can to ensure continued use. If it's beyond repair it's time to toss it and replace it with a new item. It sometimes is hard to let go of your favorite sweater but think about how much better you'll look with a new one. 

5. Check items for fit: Try items you're unsure about on and ask yourself how you feel while wearing the item. Is it flattering? Does it make you feel good? If not don't let it take up unnecessary space in your closet. If you're waiting to lose some weight before you can wear the jeans that have been in the back of your closet for years it may be time to toss them and get a good pair that fit now. You want to invest in pieces that make you feel great. 

6. Make sure your clothes are facing the same way and are not inside out: This seems like a silly tip but it makes all of the difference. It can be a pain to set up your closet this way but when you're quickly searching for a shirt the last thing you want is to have it facing the wrong way or not have the right side out. It will make for quicker dressing, too! 

These are just a few tips I use to maximize the space in my closet to ensure I have a current wardrobe that I love. It not only eliminates clutter but makes picking out outfits much easier knowing everything in my closet fits great and is in good condition.

Do you have any tips for streamlining your closet? We'd love to hear them!