- How to know when to toss a piece of clothing
Usually, if I haven't used something for two seasons – for example, the last two summers - , I put it in a suitcase in my attic. Once a year, I look at what I have inside, and from there I either put things back in my closet or get rid of things I don't think I will use again. If you don't have the space to store the clothing, it's much better to donate it right away rather than let it hang in your closet taking up space.
Once everything is organized, continue with your shoes, underwear drawer, etc. When you finish, start creating outfits from pieces that might look good together. Take photos or write them down so you have some flattering outfits prepared for days when you are in a hurry.
Organize your vanity
The next step is to go to your bathroom or vanity and do exactly the same thing. Here I recommend that you have one makeup bag for the look you wear on weekdays, and another, bigger one where you can keep the products you use only on weekends, for special occasions, or for certain season.
My bathroom isn't very big, and as you can imagine, I have a ton of beauty products. And on top of that, I have all of the products that I'm testing to see how well they work… So if I didn't organize everything, my husband would kick me out of the bathroom J .
I have everything organized like this, and it works for me:
It doesn't make a lot of sense to have a lot of products out if they aren't things you use daily. So the first thing you have to do is take out all of your products and leave out only the ones you use every day, which are:
- Makeup remover
- Toner
- Eye cream
- Serum
- Day cream
- Night cream
Honestly, everything else just gets in your way.
I have a small wicker basket where I put all of the items listed above: it's the best way to keep the bottles organized so I don't have to look in my closet. Also, it makes it much easier to follow my daily beauty routine, because everything is right at hand. For example, I've put my nighttime hair treatment in this basket (I used to always forget to use it).
- Basket of specific treatments
Since I don't have drawers, in the bathroom cabinets I have wicker baskets a little larger than the one I mentioned above that I use to categorize products according to type. All of my products that are specific treatments – such as masks, exfoliators, etc, go in one basket. In another I put hair products, and I use a third for bobby pins, hair bands… I promise you this is the best way to have all of your “stock” in rigorous order.
I have a daytime makeup kit that is actually a small Bobbi Brown case that I love. It has two levels: in the top one, I have all of my shadows and the brushes I use most frequently (those for foundation, concealer, brows, and one for blending); in the bottom part I have all of my powders, bronzers, foundations, etc. I like this case so much that I'm thinking of buying another one so I can put all of my illuminators and nighttime shadows in it.
In another, much larger kit, I keep my seasonal shadows, darker powders, lipsticks I'm not currently using, and some back-up products. It is actually a professional makeup artist's case, but if you don't have one, you can simply use a bigger makeup bag. The idea is not to throw everything together. That way, you don't spend 10 minutes every morning looking for the lipstick that you wear every day, which you can't find because it's hidden between ten other lipsticks.
I think brushes are vital for applying makeup; that's why I have so many of them, and that's why I have a tall glass in my bathroom where I keep them all. That way they don't get in the way, and they are also decorative. Every Sunday I clean all of brushes so I don't have to think about cleaning them during the week.
Add your own organizational tips to mine to get things in order. Set aside one day this week and start organizing everything. This time, make two piles: one with products that are expired, broken, or that you don't like, and another with the products you aren't using now but will use in the future.
Clean out your bag, or, even better – indulge yourself and buy a new one – they're on sale! Clean each one of your products: the best way to do this is to use makeup remover wipes: everything will look like new. Finally, throw away everything you don't need anymore (guiltlessly).
You'll see that once you put your clothes and products in order, come Monday morning you'll not only know how to do your makeup, but you'll be in the mood to do your makeup, and you'll find everything easily...
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