It’s no secret that women are suckers for grooming products. Heck, there’s an entire multi-billion dollar industry based on the simple concept that the fairer sex is always seeking the next best way to look better than ever. Sadly, this penchant for primping and the products that go with it has led to a mass epidemic of medicine cabinets and under-sink cupboards overflowing with makeup, hair products, nail treatments, and skin creams galore. And every time you have to go hunting for your nighttime moisturizer or your shiny red lipstick, you swear you’re going to take the time to organize everything. But each time you get around to it, you wind up dumping related items into buckets and sticking them in no-man’s-land at the back of the cabinet. However, there are a few tips that can make your organizational nightmare into an easily manageable undertaking. Just follow these simple steps to get the neat and tidy cabinets you see in the magazines.
1. De-clutter. The most important step in arranging your beauty cabinet is tossing old or unused items. Most makeup has a shelf-life of about three months, so if you can’t remember when you bought it, there’s a good chance it needs to go. You can also toss items that are nearly empty (keep a pad and pen handy to jot down oft-used products you’ll need to replace), those that you haven’t used in months, and whatever is outdated (as in the scrunchies you wore back in the ‘80s, when your hair was longer than shoulder-length and they might have been considered fashionable).
2. Invest in storage. Since you only plan to do this once, don’t skimp on the storage! Get quality bins and baskets that will stand the test of time and clean up pretty easily if subjected to spills. Buy different sizes of receptacles, but stick to one brand so they all fit together. And don’t forget to measure your space to ensure maximum usage.
3. Try a lazy susan. Deep cabinets can be a curse when you consider how many products get pushed to the back, never to reemerge. Instead of whipping out a flashlight or blindly groping amidst the dust bunnies and spiders back there, simply pick up a lazy susan to house larger items like hairspray, sunscreen, body lotion, and mud masks. That way, when you need them, all you have to do is give their platform a twirl to find what you’re looking for.
4. Categorize. Try to determine a rough estimate of how many bins (and what sizes) you’re going to need. Think about one large bin with separate compartments for makeup, one for face cream, one for body products, and so on. Compartmentalize as much as possible to keep things in order and prevent cross-contamination (powdered bronzer on your lotion bottle could end with a sticky mess on your face). If you’re really gung-ho, get some graphing paper and draw out a chart to establish where certain items will go.
5. Resist the urge to splurge. Once you have everything trimmed down and tidied up, you may feel an overwhelming desire to fill the empty spaces. But if you want to make the most of your hard work, shy away from purchasing more products you don’t need and won’t use. Stick to the basics and enjoy the ease of your organized beauty space!
Byline:
Carol Montrose writes for a website that specializes in audio books where you can find audio book reviews and read the latest industry news.
Wow excellent tips. Thanks for sharing.
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