Messy makeup drawer?
To organizing expert Linda Koopersmith, there is one overriding principle when it comes to cosmetics: Don’t buy more than you need. Then don’t be afraid to use what you have.
“Makeup has a shelf life. If you don’t use it, it will go bad like spoiled food,” she says. “If you wouldn’t eat moldy bread, why would you put bad mascara on your eyes?”
To make it easier to know what you have and to find products quickly, there is nothing like a well-organized cache of supplies. And Koopersmith, owner of Beverly Hills Organizer and former resident organizer on the television show “Clean House,” literally wrote the book on it: “The Beverly Hills Organizer’s Home Organizing Bible: A Pro’s Answers to Your Organizing Prayers.”
“I’ve redone someone’s bathroom and cosmetics area many times over the past 20 years, from studios to mansions,” she says.
When she starts on this kind of project, her favorite spot for one-stop shopping is the Container Store. “Drawer organizers work wonders,” she says.
“Blow dryers and curling irons can be stored in wall-mounted organizers,” she says. “I like to use bathroom étagères behind the toilet. You can gain precious space there.”
Koopersmith prefers that the étagères have doors, but open shelving can work too. If you use the latter, she recommends putting the products in baskets on the shelves to reduce clutter.
“Also, if you have a fair amount of cosmetics, but you don’t have drawer space, consider a small tackle box with compartments,” she says. “You can keep it under your sink and pull it out daily to apply your makeup. You can also cover a table and make a lovely vanity, if space permits. You can use space under the table for storage and bins with drawers for your products.” Setting up a vanity like this in the bedroom will keep products away from bathroom humidity.
Drawer organizers help, whether you have a vanity or are stuck with bathroom cabinets. Koopersmith suggests starting by using a newspaper page as a pattern. Cut the page to fit inside a drawer and note the drawer’s depth. Then take the paper pattern to a store that sells drawer organizers. Lay the paper on the floor and fit containers atop it like puzzle pieces, so you see exactly what will fit.
“Keep in mind if you need space for long utensils, or you might need little spaces for your sharpeners,” she says. She also recommends “helper shelves” that make use of vertical space under cabinets and expandable shelving that goes around pipes. Many kitchen organizers can also be used for the bathroom.
“After you’ve organized, when you take your makeup out and put it on the counter … there’s nothing in the way,” Koopersmith says. “It’s like living in a luxury hotel.”
