"How to Organize Your Cosmetics Drawer"

Do you open a certain drawer in your bathroom (you know the one), and say, “Will somebody PLEASE save me from myself?”

For most of us, buying makeup is a hit or miss affair and it doesn’t take long before you’ve got ten different tubes of lipstick, a rainbow of eyeshadows, eyeliners and mascara, nail polish, moisturizers, cleansers...the list goes on and on.

Here are some ideas for organizing cosmetics so you can find what you need for every day wear, and then what you need for special occasions.

Throw Out Old Cosmetics

The first thing you have to do is empty out your cosmetic drawer(s) and separate out old makeup that is well past its prime. Old makeup is a haven for bacteria and health experts suggest replacing cosmetics regularly. Contamination occurs mostly through the eyes lips and fingers, so eye makeup in particular, such as eyeshadow and mascara, are susceptible to bacteria.

Basic makeup replacement schedule:

Mascara: replace every three months
Moisturizers: replace every six months
Foundations: replace every year if you use a sponge to apply (or less than that if you use your fingers)
Eye and lip pencils: replace every year if you use a sharpener and don’t wet with saliva or water
Powders: replace every year Lipstick and lip balm: replace every two years
Contacts lenses and colored contact lenses: replace according to the manufacturer wear schedule. Disposable contacts are usually good for a couple of weeks and extended wear contact lenses can last up to a month. Don’t’ continue to wear contacts past their expiry.

Organize Infrequent Use Cosmetics

Pull out the skin care products, and makeup you use on a daily basis and set aside. Go through what’s left and separate lipsticks, powders and blushes, skin creams, nail polish, and so on into separate containers.

You can find inexpensive clear acrylic storage containers or plastic baskets that are ideal for this purpose. Store these infrequently used but still good cosmetics in a cool dry place, preferably not in the bathroom. A plastic drawer unit in your closet for example works well. Label your containers on the top and sides.

Organize Daily Use Cosmetics

The trick to keeping your cosmetics drawer under control is to only keep items in there that you use on a daily basis. Instead of grouping them into like categories like lipsticks, nail polish and blush, organize daily use cosmetics by function. Put the skin and foundation products together, the eye color products together, and the lips and cheeks products together. These groupings roughly correspond to the order you put your face on in the morning.

For example, you can organize daily use cosmetics in three clear plastic cosmetic bags. First, your skin and foundation kit includes your moisturizer, foundation and concealer, pressed or loose powder.

Next, your eye makeup kit includes everything you need to do your eyes, including tweezers, eyelash curler, eyeshadow and eyeliner, and mascara.

Lastly, a lips and cheeks kit includes your favorite lipstick and lipgloss, lip liner, lip moisturizer, and powder or cream blush. The same principle applies to your daily hair kit, nail kit, and so on.

With your day to day cosmetics organized this way, you can really do a five minute face without rummaging around for various tubes, creams, bushes, and applicators.

Off-the-shelf cosmetic organizers include clear acrylic trays divided into small compartments, counter top caddies, and drawer organizers with sliding trays to double up on the storage space available. If you have some counter space to work with, mini drawers work well too.

About the author:

Leanne Tremblay is a successful freelance writer and publisher of several web sites. She has written numerous articles on fashion and beauty tips, and publishes a web site dedicated to colored contact lenses such as Acuvue colored contacts and FreshLook Colorblends. Leanne also writes articles on a wide variety of topics, including internet phone services and outdoor living.

Browse all the latest brands and colors at CoastalContacts.com.

Please note: contact lenses, even if worn for cosmetic reasons, are medical devices that should be worn under the prescription, direction, and supervision of an eye care professional.