I don’t consider myself a pack rat. Far from it, actually. I’m more likely to hastily get rid of something and then regret it later. But for some reason, when it comes to makeup, I’ve become a hoarder. So this past Sunday, I decided to get organized!

I love our master bathroom. It was a big decision for us to go ahead and renovate…to recap, our master bathroom was originally a kitchen for the upstairs apartment. Our house used to be divided into two residences, but is now combined into one. About a year and a half ago, we decided to forgo the kitchen renovation and instead create a complete master suite.

We had our vanity custom made for the space, and as lovely as it is, it was becoming a source of stress for me every time I opened my makeup drawer. Here’s how it was looking…

Yikes! That’s embarrassing! But after giving my makeup brushes a good cleaning, I decided it was time to tackle the drawer of doom. So with just an hour and a half and a few organizational tools, I was able to turn this mess into an attractive, organized space. Here’s how!

1. Clean Out – Take everything out and start sorting. Throw out anything out of date, anything you don’t use, anything you don’t want. In the photos below it may look like I have a lot, but I actually threw away more than I kept!

2. Insert Your Organizers – I found a couple of adjustable bamboo organizers and used 3M mounting tape on the bottoms to make sure they don’t slide around. I considered going with the more popular acrylic style, but opted for wood to hide the inevitable spills and stains.

Because I’m an Ipsy subscriber, I have a lot of pouches and bags. The small pouches are great for keeping makeup or other personals in your purse, or for traveling, so I definitely wanted to keep those on hand.

If you’re a girl, you probably use a lot of bobby pins. Charles often laughs at the strange places he finds bobby pins all over the house. No matter how many I have, I never stop losing them. Anyone else have this problem? Anyway, I keep mine in a shot glass that I got when I was in Paris. This makes them easy to grab and then put back at the end of the day.

3. Organize – It’s really just about finding what works best for you. For me, I like to separate my makeup into the different steps that I take in my routine…moisturizers, then concealers, then foundations, then powders, then eyes, then lips, then hair.

I really don’t have a lot of go-to beauty products. Because I subscribe to Ipsy, I have a constant supply of new products to try.  But here are just a few of my favorite products:

• Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo – I only wash my hair every 3-4 days, so this product is a life saver.
• It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara Primer – This actually makes a huge difference versus just applying mascara.
• Sally Hansen Miracle Gel – For years I got a gel manicure every 3 weeks. But with a tight self-employed budget, Sally is a great substitute.
• It Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette – I have a lot of neutral eye shadows, but I could definitely get by with just this palette for the rest of my life.

See, easy as 1-2-3!

What are your favorite beauty products? How do you keep your makeup organized?