~ ORGANIZE your MAKEUP TABLE ~

There are as many ways to personalize your vanity as there are makeup items. Here are some ideas for all price ranges on how to make your makeup table organized, functional or just plain “pretty.”

Budget Junkies:

I highly recommend small storage systems like  STERILITE. They are affordable, stackable and you can separate your items for easy access and organization. These can be found online as well as many stores such as Target, Wal-mart, and Dollar General/Family Dollar stores.

* TIP – shelf liner can also be cut to size and placed in the drawers to keep items from sliding around so much;)

WIRE or MESH PENCIL HOLDERS are the perfect solution for the practical makeup lover who likes to display her brushes, eyeliner pencils, mascaras,  lipliners or even nail files for quick assessment and easy access. These handy items can be found in most dollar stores or office supply stores.

* TIP – The matching letter holders can be used to hold the large eyeshadow/blush/concealer palettes similar to what you may find at Coastal Scents.

BIG SPENDING DIVAS:

For you ladies who really want to create a pampered look on your makeup table, consider bathroom accessories to help you achieve the look. Yes!  BATHROOM ACCESSORIES 😉 Tumblers are great for holding q-tips and makeup brushes, eye/lip pencils and so much more. Toothbrush holders are great for brushes and liner pencils as well;) Mix or match for the perfect fit on your table.

Don’t forget the tissue holder, lotion dispenser ( nice for lotion, makeup remover, or antibacterial gel) and even the soapdish is a nice place to mix foundations, place false lashes you don’t want to lose or put your rings & earrings on after a long day. After all that, the wastebasket is a perfect addition to keep close by for used makeup wipes and disposable items.

You can find great deals on individual items at stores like TJ MAXX, AJ WRIGHT, MARSHALLS or sets at BED and BATH stores. So many styles and colors to choose from!

* TIP – if you use several lotion dispensers for different items, but sure to put a small sticker/label on the bottom so you don’t get antibacterial gel mixed up with eye makeup remover…OUCH! 😉

FOR EVERYONE:

Black ( or any color HAND TOWELS) are great for keeping on your table. First, they keep the table clean and second they are excellent for using to spot clean brushes between uses. Black or dark toned towels show less gunk but just keep in mind, makeup WILL stain these towels so buy some JUST FOR THE MAKEUP TABLE;) No using the guest towels!  You can find these anywhere depending on style and budget, and sometimes several in a pack. A couple should do just fine as one can be on the table when one is being washed.

* TIP – Be sure to wash towels every couple of days to keep dust, dirt, and bacteria from building up and causing your skin grief.

FLATWARE TRAYS are easy kept in the open or placed in drawers and offer a quick view and easy access to most any type of item from single shadows to liner pencils. So much variety  ( basket, mesh, plastic, etc) and found nearly anywhere.

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* TIP – this style (below) is excellent for holding skin care items like moisturizer bottles, toners, makeup remover, makeup sanitizing spray etc & make sure to wash these out every so often to keep dirt from building up in corners.

Finally, VOTIVE HOLDERS  are wonderful for keeping tweezers, nail clippers, eyelash glue, eye primer tubes, lip balm tube, mini-scissors or any other little small items you may have that often seem to have no place and get lost on a makeup table. Finally, an easy way to keep them visible! Votive holders can be as simple/cheap or lavish and stylish as you like. You can find them anywhere from super stylish ones at PIER ONE IMPORTS to more practical ones at Target stores. Prices vary. You can even create a personalized one with appliques ( found at craft stores)  and clear votive holders.

Hope you found these tips useful and please feel free to share some of your best organizing ideas!

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~ Seya TS-100 Traincase from YAZMO.COM, First Impression ~

I have been researching soft traincases for quite some time. I checked out ZUCA Pro Artist collection and decided that for as lovely as it seemed, a $300 investment just wasn’t necessary when I could get a basic case offering the same basic level of function for half the price. So, I decided to go with the SEYA TS-100 from Yazmo.com. Well, it arrived on Christmas Eve Day, and there were several things I took note of upon taking it out of the shipping box and seeing my purchase.

One – Two of the “pulls” were broken. Not “repairable” broken, but broken OFF. No way to glue, No way to configure and thus creating a huge pain in the arse when the purpose is to actually get the bag open. Now, a quick zip is a strange, time consuming effort to line up what’s left of the pull and manually push it along hoping the skin on my fingertips doesn’t get pinched trying to get the case open, or shut.

Two- No information on the bag. No warranty, no booklet, no accessory list, no nothing. Odd. Just odd. Heck, even my kids came home from the hospital with an owners manual ( ok, not exactly, but sort of…) so no paperwork at all just seemed strange. Not a big deal, but noted….

Three – No return label, so hoping that YAZMO.com doesn’t expect me to compensate for shipping back a damaged item. 

Four – The free brush set that was supposed to be included (on purchases over $99) , was not included. Maybe they were too busy to put it in, maybe they ran out and hoped I wouldn’t notice;)  Either way, something went wrong…

Five – Upon complete inspection, it seems some of the velcro attachable bags are missing. I assume the bags with velcro are supposed to come with the case, no?  I only received one but I have spoken with others who bought the case and they did receive several bags without making an additional purchase. They have also confirmed that the pulls can be weak and unreliable and break easily.

So, needless to say, it was a letdown on one of the things I looked forward to the most this Holiday. (Thank Goodness the Ham turned out great!) Maybe Yazmo.com thought I was on the naughty list and that’s why I got a deficient traincase? I always thought it was Santas final choice but you know, everyone is downsizing and outsourcing these days so you just never know –  but…I have sent a note to YAZMO.com and hope they are diligent about coming up with a reasonable solution to fix this situation, and soon. After all, I thought I was pretty good this year;) 

I am sure this is all one big isolated incident and that YAZMO.com will be happy to get it taken care of so I can give this case the proper review it deserves.

I will update, so stay tuned.

KristineMarie

UPDATE:

12/28/09

I just received an email reponse to my December 24th note to YAZMO explaining the defects and deficiencies. They told me to return the product for a refund. That’s it. No word of who is to pay for shipping this item, no apology for the defects or missing items…no nothing. One big headache and much time wasted for me. I sent a note back inquiring about who was to cover shipping costs and how I felt about their lack of courtesy and quality customer service, so we shall see what happens….

~ Budget Beauty Supplies ~

When it comes to money, many of us would rather spend less on basics so we can save for our splurges. Here are a few things I picked up from a DOLLAR store. You would be surprised how much you can save by shopping smart. A few bucks here and there adds up over time;)

So, here is a short list of some of the things I found on my last visit to the Dollar store:

Cotton Balls, Pads and Q Tips
Hand Sanitizer (2pack)
Cosmetic Sponges
Double pack mini spray bottles
Organizers (in 2 or 3 packs depending on size)
Travel sized bottles with pumps, caps or spray tops.
Assorted plastic jars ( some stackable) for loose powders, pigments, shadows etc.
Labels for plastic jars
Pencil Boxes for organizing smaller items in your kit
Tissue
Clear Lip gloss
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…and so much more. Stocking up for basic supplies for your personal/professional makeup kit is easy and inexpensive by simply visiting your local Dollar type stores. Just look around and find ways to save so you can splurge later;)

Kristine Marie

~ Affordable Makeup Storage Idea ~

Here is a quick, and CHEAP idea for storing Makeup Pallettes and Pencils etc… The letter organizer and both cups were each $1 at Dollar Tree Stores. They came in silver and black. The cups were rounded and squared. I chose the silver in the squares. They are lightweight but do the job well and keep things at an easy reach for me. Check them out here:

I think I will be picking up a few more. I will likely use one for clean pencils and one for pencils that need to be sanitized when I am in a hurry and don’t clean them before putting them back in the kit. You can also use the cups for hair combs and other things as well.

I have seen the same organizers in other places for $7 and up, so be sure to shop around!
Just remember – A penny saved is a penny toward more makeup! So, shop smart and enjoy!

Kristine Marie