10 years into blogging and I have accumulated quite the ’stash’ of makeup, beauty products, hair care tools and samples that overwhelm me on the daily. To know me in person is to know I always have a product for you to try, should you want it. However, I am guilty of keeping tons and tons for myself to try and use, and sadly, these products have taken over my bathroom. I was in need of some serious bathroom vanity organization and always felt overwhelmed by the tactics of Marie Kondo and the like… fearing that not only do these methods take too much time, but that I don’t want to throw away a perfectly good product!
So although I was certainly in need of editing and throwing away products, I mostly focused on the organization of them, allowing me to better see what I have and what I can easily reach for. Organizing my bathroom vanity took a total of 3 hours spread across 2 days, which felt like the right amount of time investment to make my life cleaner and morning easier every day.
Bathroom Vanity Organization: The Before
EEEeeekkkk! The ‘before’ photos are a tragic mess of cardboard boxes and airplane dopp kits holding all my products, making it hideous and incredibly inefficient to weed through. Although the ‘after’ isn’t exactly pinterest-perfect (and I’m convinced most of those closets/vanities/pantries are fake anyway) it’s one BEAUTIFUL FAR CRY from where I started. I could have opted for white bins or drawers to see even less clutter, but I actually think being able to SEE and visualize what is in each bin, along with the names is what is most helpful.
Bathroom Vanity Organization: The After
The only thing missing from this picture is another drawer where I keep my everyday makeup permanently in a travel bag. I travel so much that it’s never worth taking out and packing up again, so I keep them handy in another location. My hair brushes and tools are in that drawer too, and although its not perfectly organized, it suits me fine.
It’s actually shocking that I’ve lived in such squalor for 2 years… it was like my dirty little secret. But now I’m so proud of what my bathroom vanity looks like I open them several times a day just to take revel in my work.
Honestly, I don’t think you need to buy a book to teach you how to organize. You just need a lot of stackable drawers, labels, and maybe this tall makeup lazy susan thing and things will transform before your eyes. The great thing about this was that I bought everything on Amazon and it came in ONE DAY, so if you get into a sudden fit of organization like I did (nesting already?) you can get almost instant gratification!