Makeup and Beauty Storage- Ryman Acrylic 5-Drawer Storage



I recently put up a picture of my new mini storage on Instagram and everyone seemed to like it. I post frequently on Instagram (@Fashstyleliv) especially exclusive photos that never make it to the blog so you should be following me on there if you are not already. I can't imagine anyone not liking it because it is super cute. I purchased this mini acrylic storage from my local Ryman stationery store. I had no idea they had a wide array of lovely acrylic storage. Of course, they are meant to be for stationery but there is no rule that says it has to be exclusively used for that. I think this one is called the Acrylic 5-Drawer Storage Box.  It is so easy to find once you get in-store. I actually think it is also sold online if you don't have any Ryman close to you. As the name implies, it is a mini storage unit but it is so perfect for all my lip glosses and lip pencils. It has 5 mini drawers and it looks and feels so sturdy as expected from any thing made form acrylic material. It really reminds me of Muji Acrylic storage as they are both made from acrylic material. I spied a bigger unit in-store but I already have a lot of the bigger storage units from Muji.


I purchased this because I found that my lip pencils and lip glosses were rolling around in my main drawer which I didn't like. I wanted something really cute and compact so everything could have its own place. One thing about stacking makeup products in storage is that many  products are not visible. This meant that I was not using some products mainly because they seemed to hidden or invisible. Thankfully, those days are behind me and this storage unit just makes me so pleased.


In the first drawer I have all my Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Glosses which I am obsessed with. I had only three at some point and then I added two more shades because they were on offer in Sainsbury's. I found out that Sainsbury's makeup section is so cheap and I love to check them out whenever I am grocery shopping. The second drawer houses my Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils which you all know I love so much. I think I have majority of the shades that show up on my skin and I love them. I have a more stored else where but these are the shades that I currently reach for. I have no idea what happened to the picture of the third drawer but I store my Clinique Chubby Stick and NARS Mini Lip Pencils in there. I love me some Chubby Sticks especially on days when I cannot be bothered to look glam. They still add some understated chic look to my overall makeup.



The fourth drawer houses my Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers which are one of my favourite Liquid Lipsticks hybrid from the drug store. I store all the nude ones in here and I love reaching for them when I want a long lasting lippie. The fifth drawer also contains Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer but it houses the deeper or brighter colours. I love wearing some of these colours for summer and autumn.


I think this unit is also perfect for storing products you want to use or you are testing. I have not had any problems with it at all. It can also be used to store everyday makeup products so you can reach for them easily. The list is endless and I know I would be switching things up again when I rearrange my makeup collection. I even bought another one because I loved it so much. It retails for £7.99 which I think is a good price given the quality. That's pretty much all for today. What's your favourite way to store your makeup?...xx

What's in my Muji Drawer? (Update)


The last time these babies were featured in a post was when I showed you all my makeup collection and storage here, here, here and here. I have since switched things around as expected from anyone obsessed with anything beauty, makeup and blogging. I love giving my makeup station a makeover every now and then although I don't really do anything too drastic. I have been putting off buying more Muji Acryllic Storage drawers because it is tempting to attempt to fill them with more makeup when you purchase them. Anyway, I eventually got two more sets of drawers because I was finding it a little difficult to see all my makeup at a glance. I prefer to have everything in a single layer rather than stacked (if I can help it) so all my makeup have a chance of being used. I also did an overhaul of many beauty items which I wanted to give away and I now have products I know I cherish and would get a lot of use from. It still looks a little excessive for an average non-blogger but I don't think it's too bad for a regular blogger who loves makeup :-). Right, I need to stop blabbing and show you my updated Muji Drawers content. I am considering filming a makeup collection video so if you want to see my entire collection including my Muji drawer, then let me know.

 My Muji Drawers are from...well you guessed it...Muji Stores. I bought all but one of these drawers from the Muji counters in either Selfridges London and Trafford Centre Manchester. I got the last one from a stand alone Muji Store in London. I have two types of these drawers although they look similar. The first three are called the Wide acryllic drawers which have two set of drawers each. They retail for £10.95 which I is such incredible value because they are very sturdy. The second type I have is similar to the Wide Drawers but the top has a flip which is handy. This particular one is broken because I was careless however I have my vanity on top of it so I never really open it. I tried to fit my loved products all into the Muji drawers but it was not happening so I just fitted in as much as I could in here and the rest in my IKEA Desk drawer. I have two little towers made up of four drawers each.



                                                                     First Tower
First Drawer (Skincare): This is my skincare drawer which houses all the skincare I currently use. I try not to be too fussy or experimental with my skin so I stick to products I know have worked for me. Most of the products I am using are drugstore and I am well surprised at how efficient they are. My top skincare priority is to get rid of the hyper pigmentation I have on my face courtesy of my annoying acne from previous years and to continually prevent future acne. I always have La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo* and A.I*. in my skin care stash because they absolutely work for my skin. I have used them for years now and they have never let me down. I use my Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturiser which is another HG of mine and I have repurchased it countless times because I use it in the morning and night. I recently added the Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Enhancer* to my collection and I have been enjoying it as it acts as a glow enhancer and primer. Another dual purpose product I am enjoying is the Garnier Perfect Blur which is so good at priming the face and blurring my pores. I have also started taking care of my eyes now so I don't  have to worry too much when I am older. I have two eye creams for my under eye circles- the Boots Botanics Eye Roller gel for puffy eyes and Olay Deep Wrinkle Treatment for some fine lines under my eyes to prevent them from getting worse. It seriously works as I have noticed an improvement in one or two fine lines under my eyes.



Second Drawer (Primers): I recently did a post on my Primer collection which I would link here. I love primers and I can't remember when last I ever used any foundation without a primer. My skin is combination oily and if if don't use a primer, it just slides right off or gets super shiny. My favourite all-round primer is the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer and the Becca Rejuvenating Primer. I love the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer as a good drug store alternative. For mattifying my skin, I always opt for the Kiko Matt Base Corrector Primer ,Kuddy Cosmetics Mattifying Primer* and the Mary Kay Mattifying Primer. When my pores need to be well blurred for photos or filming, I opt for my silicone based primers including the Superdrug B.Prepared Primer and The Body Shop Instablur Primer.


Third Drawer (Foundation): It’s no secret that I am a foundation junkie and I have come to accept that my love for foundations can never be satisfied. I am forever on the haunt for the perfect foundation which always seems to be elusive. I have also refused to count how many foundations I have in my collection; I have more that don't fit into my Muj Drawers on the side ( don’t bother counting them...hehehe). I have featured my thoughts on my high end foundations here and drug store foundations here. To be fair, some of these foundations are on their last leg and I am just waiting to use them a few more times before they are finished e.g. Mary Kay Timewise Foundation and the Kuddy Cosmetics Mattifying Foundation. I love looking at the drawer and I have no idea why (it just looks pretty, no?). I have reignited my love for my Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation which has been amazing this spring. From L-R I have: Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation, Dior Star Foundation, Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation, Kuddy Cosmetics Foundation, By Terry Cover Expert Foundation, Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation and L’Oreal True Match foundation. Hidden at the top, I have Mary Kay Matte Timewear Foundation and Maybelline Fluid Touch Foundation. I plan to do a foundation post telling you all about my shades if you wish.



Fourth Drawer (Finishing Products):  I like how spacious and neat this drawer look and I can find all my products easily without stressing or making a mess. Here, I store all my finish products like Powders, Bronzers/Highlighters, HD Powders, etc. I can’t think of any product in here which is not used at least once a week. They are all functional and I love how versatile they are for various uses. I have two MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Dark and Medium Deep which is amazing for finishing off my makeup and giving me a flawless look. I also have two Collection Powders in Translucent and Warm Bronze. I use the Warm Bronze to put back some colour in my face when my foundation looks pale, dull, ashy or beigey (the worst of all). I use the translucent to set my under eye concealer and to mattify my face and it’s seriously amazing (and underrated). I also have the Kuddy Cosmetics HD Powder* which I always use on my T-zones before I head out of the door to prevent any unwanted shine. I also have my Chanel Les Beige Powder which I use for special occasions and when I am going to a really nice event. It’s always nice to just pull it out of my clutch as it is such a luxe product. Lastly, I have the Makeup Revolution Baked Bronzer (it’s really a golden highlighter which is seriously pigmented) and I love using this especially now that Spring and Summer is upon us.




                                                                Second Tower
First Drawer (Concealers): I never used to be a concealer girl; in fact I only had one or two concealers. However, when I discovered how amazing they were and how they reduced the amount of foundation I used, I was sold. Now, I classify myself as a borderline concealer junkie and I have a little collection here. I recently added some more L.A. Girl HD Concealers to my stash (more Fawn, Toffee and Cool Tan) and also some correctors (Yellow and Orange). I have decided to let go of how annoying the packaging is and concentrate on the content/product. Their quality is very comparable to many high end concealers. From L-R, I have NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Amande and Caramel, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, LA Girl Pro Concealers (Fawn, Toffee, Cool Tan, Toast, Yellow and Orange Corrector). At the inner top row, I have MAC Studio Finish Concealer, NYX Above and Beyond Concealer, Estee Lauder Stay in Place Concealer, Becca Dual Coverage Concealer. I also have some products that are not concealers in there but they are easier to reach for in this drawer. They include MAC Fluidline Eyeliner Gel in Dipdown, Super Drug Cream Eyeshadow and Mac Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Bronze.




Second Drawer (Contours/Bronzers): I think I should just rename this drawer to the Sleek Makeup drawer because majority of the products in here are from Sleek. I spoke about them here if you want to know about any particular product. Anyway, I have all my contours, little blushes and bronzers/highlighting in here. At the back, I have my Sleek Face Form and Sleek Corrector and Concealer Palette which I love. Next to it, is my Sleek Contour Kits in Medium and Dark and I had to get two because I prefer the highlighter in the Dark Kit. The one in the Medium kit does not look right on my skin. I also have a few Sleek Blushes in Rose Gold, Sahara and Peach. I love how small and compact they are. At the bottom, I have my Black Opal True Colour Foundation Stick in Suede Mocha (for contouring) and in Truly Topaz as a normal foundation which I am trying out. I love how all the product packaging are black as it just looks classy and well planned. I also have some brow kits in there including the Makeup Revolution Brow Kit and the Sleek Brow Kit and I love them both although I use the Sleek version more often.




Third Drawer (Blushers): I am not really a blush girl and I used to skip it for a really long time. However, I am now getting into the flow but not enough to go crazy. I have one of my favourite blush palettes from Kuddy Cosmetics called the Blush Crush Palette which I absolutely love because it has all the shades I ever need. However, I still went ahead to purchase more blushes because I love to try new products. I have three single blushes including Max Factor’s Creme Puff Blush in Gorgeous Berries, &Other Stories Blush in Pink Caddage, Essence Blush in Heat Wave (my spring fav) and two Black Opal Blushes in Cayenne and Whispering Petals. The Black Opal blushes are seriously pigmented and I have never used anything like them at all.




Fourth Drawer (Lip Products): I have always wanted a separate drawer to store my lip glosses because 1) The products look so colourful and pretty and 2) I can see all I have at a glance and use them accordingly. I am so pleased with this arrangement because I found it a lit bit difficult choosing what I wanted to use because they were all stacked on top of each other. I won’t go through all the products because that would be tedious. I have my Bourjois Color Bands Eyeshadows/Eyeliners, Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils, Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Glosses and Clinique Chubby Stick in Curvy Candy. At the back of the drawer; I have my NARS Mini Lip Pencils, Korres Lip Balm in Jasmine and Mini Clinique Chubby Lipsticks. I really love how colourful this drawer is and it’s also one of my favourite drawers.



I have the rest of my makeup in the drawer of IKEA Desk and backups in another small IKEA drawer under the desk. I am planning to film a proper Makeup Collection Video so stay tuned for that sooner than later. That’s it folks! What was your favourite drawer from my collection?  How do you store your makeup?..xx

Beauty/Makeup Storage- Vanity Mirror




One of my favourite posts to read is any post about makeup/beauty storage and vanity. I scour Pinterest every now and then, so I can just lust after pretty vanity/beauty tables and trust me, there are so many to lust after. I have shown my Makeup table/desk (here), my Makeup collection (here), my Muji storage (here), Makeup brush collection (here) and now there is a new addition to the gang- My New Vanity Mirror. My whole beauty "area" is quite small so I try to utilize all the space I have as effectively as I can. I bought this mirror back in October and it was a total bargain. I popped into Centre Court Wimbledon one bright and sunny Sunday after church and I usually love to window shop on Sundays. I was browsing through this shop on the first floor called Beautiful House Furniture and believe me, their furniture and other household items are just dreamy. They are so beautiful and if you love Pinterest, you would love this store. As much as I love pretty furniture, I am a bit hesitant about buying them just yet because I am still renting so I can't really go crazy furniture shopping until I have my own house. Anyway, I saw this on sale for £24.95 and I was so shocked because it was originally £60. I quickly snagged it (it was the only one left) because it is the perfect size for my room and fits really well with my IKEA Table. It also adds some character to my room because it has a vintagey feel to it and brightens the overall atmosphere.



This vanity storage comes with a mirror as you can see from the pictures and the mirror is not adjustable which is not too much of a problem but if you like to swivel your mirror then this may not be the one for you. It is painted white with a pure wood finish and it is not laminated or vinyl coated (or is lacquer? You know what I mean). One good thing about it is how easy it is to clean; I just use a damp cloth or furniture wipe and swipe across the surface and it looks clean. It has three drawers which is really cute and they come all the way out so you can clean them properly. They are not very deep so you can't store too may things inside. 



One of the drawers is quite big compared to the others (it's in the middle) and the two at the side are a little bit smaller. I have not really decided what I should put into these drawers yet but I popped in some beauty and makeup samples I need to try in the bigger drawer and Q-tips and Lancome sample lipsticks in the other two. One of my favourite features of this vanity is the small shelf on it; well it's not really a shelf but I use it to store a few things. I have two small flower vases and faux flowers on each side of the vanity mirror which you may have seen on this blog many times. On top of this shelf, I have put my little souvenirs I bought from Paris (Tour de Eiffel and Arc de Triumph) and Switzerland (A cute smiling cow toothpick holder). They make me so happy and remind me of how lovely my holidays were. I also have my Kuddy Cosmetics Hand Cream and my Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm because I use them every night before bed. That's it really! I hope you enjoyed this quick lil' post and I would catch up in my next. What are your favourite Pinterest vanity/dressing table inspirations?

My Makeup Collection, Organisation and Storage Ideas



Sometime last week I shared with you all on  What was in my mini Muji Drawers towers and you can pop over here to have a read in case you missed it. I also promised to show you the rest of my makeup collection and storage. As mentioned in that post, I love reading makeup collection and storage posts and watching them on YouTube. I am not going to put any disclaimer saying I hope you don’t think I am bragging about my makeup collection. First things first, I don’t even think I have a lot of makeup to actually file in that disclaimer anyway. Although my collection may be slightly larger than the average non-blogger; I think it’s a decent amount and I update it as often as possibly throwing out/giving out what I don’t use often and making space for new ones. Ramble over let’s dive in.




I store majority of my makeup on my IKEA Micke Desk which I proudly assembled myself. It also acts as my desk where I do some work and blogging and to be fair, it is getting a little crowded. At the far end, I have my makeup brushes and some flowers (fake ones) which I put altogether in an old shoe box and I think it looks more organised this way. My brush holders are actually bathroom tooth brush cups which I purchased from Sainsbury's for only 40p say what!! I love it and sadly, I never saw it again. I like to store my brushes according to their brand and functionality. All my Real Techniques Brushes are in one brush holder, all Nanshy Face Brushes* are in another and then I have my Wilko Brushes and unbranded ones from Ebay in another. I put all my eyebrushes together and they are from various brands including Lancôme, Nanshy*, ELF, Wilko, etc and I love them all. The fake flowers are from Wilko and the vase is from Sainsbury's I think. I rotate the flowers depending on how I feel as I have yellow ones somewhere else in my room.



To the right of the shoe boxes,  I have my Muji Drawers which I have already spoke about here so I won't go into them in detail again. Essentially, there are four drawers which I stacked on top of each other and they store my Skincare, Primers, Foundation and Concealers and Powders/Blushes/Bronzers.  I just love the organisation and it means I can see everything I have and they all get a chance to be used which is brilliant.




On top of the Muji drawers, I have another Acrylic storage unit which I think may have been the very first storage unit I bought many moons ago. It has 12 slots for lipsticks various smaller compartments for other makeup and an open space somewhere in the middle and I store majority of the lipsticks I use often in here. The front row has my high end lipsticks which include MAC lipsticks, Clinique, Estee Lauder and Illamasqua. At the back, I have my Tara Orekelewa Eyeshadow duos (review here which is a really random place to store them but I have since switched it. In the middle, I have other lipsticks and lip balms and lacquer which are mainly drug store but very good quality and they include Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet (review here), Rimmel Apocalips (review here), Revlon, L'Oreal, etc. I also have my mascaras which I reach for everyday including samples from Chanel and YSL and Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara*(review here). In the smaller compartments at the end, I have my eyeliners and lip liners from various brands including L’Oreal and MAC.



Next to the Muji Drawers, I have a small plate/glassware where I keep all my high end samples so I can see them and use them. They just look so pretty and I am a fool for miniature beauty items and some of the items include Lancome Dream Tone Serum, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum and Eye Cream, Estee Lauder Time Zone eye cream, Bobbi Brown Moisturisers, etc and I use them when I feel my skin needs a little pamper. At the corner, I store my pens and other random stationery which I grab when I need because I still prefer to write sometimes rather than type away on my computer.


   

To the right, I keep my jewellery all organised in my Jewellery case from Stackers which I have reviewed here and you can find more pictures onthere. Although this is not very practical, I keep my luxury nail polishes all from Lancome and Jacava in an acrylic storage unit from Balfour Hotels (I got it from TK Maxx). I really like the design of this storage unit as it is quite different from various ones I have tried but it is also a little heavy and takes up quite a bit of space because of its shape. In here I store all my Lancome Vernis in Love Nail Polishes (review here) which I love and I have some Lancome sample lipsticks which I received as Gifts with Purchase when I got these nail polishes and I think they are adorable. At the perimeter of the storage, I have random bits and bobs stored there ranging from hair care, nail care and some tools and my concealer backups.



I have a nice glass tray where I leave my earrings, rings and other bits and bobs I may have worn during the day and I have my favourite candle in there which I burn sometimes especially now that the weather is changing.Now to the interesting bit; most of my makeup used to live in my Micke Desk Drawer and they still do but I leave the ones I don’t reach for as often inside here although I am constantly reorganising as I love switching up my makeup storage/organisation. I always line the drawer with an old newspaper so I don’t stain the drawer with makeup and it looks much better and I always choose interesting and colourful pages in the newspaper (I love using old Stylist Newspapers for this). I partitioned the drawer with some Muji PP vanity cases which are brilliant and they cost only £1.95 each and I have four of them. They fit in nicely in the drawer. I also purchased Muji PP Slim case/box which is perfect for storing pencils and mascaras. 





Starting from L-R (Bottom row):
First Muji PP Case: I think this may be my favourite case because it looks so colourful. I store most of my drug store palettes here and I love it. I  can’t go through all my eyeshadows but some worth mentioning include the Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palettes in Iconic 3 and Smoky, Collection All About Eyes Palette, &Other Stories Brocade Aegean Palette, etc. I have some bronzers in here which I have converted to eyeshadow palettes because they are pretty ad long lasting and they are from Boots Seventeen and Milani.

Second Muji PP Case: Next to it, I store my bronzers and blushers and they are all amazing and well pigmented although I don’t use them every day. I have some Black Opal Blushes which are so lovely, &Other Stories Pink Caddage Blusher and some Bella Pierre minis which I got off Ebay and reserve for special occasions. I have this lovely blush which I got from a Magazine a long time ago (I think it was Shout Magazine!! I know, I know it's a magazine for teens but this blusher was too nice to pass up)and it’s so goooodd and sadly, I think it was just made for the magazine which is such a bummer.


In the Top Row (L-R) which seems a bit hidden:
First Muji PP Case:  I store the few high end eyeshadow palettes I have which and I don’t really own too many. Of course I have my MAC Custom Eyeshadow Palette which contains Cranberry, Sumptuous Green, Antiqued and Amber Lights. I also have a MAC Custom Duo Palette which I can’t be without as it contains my crease and brow bone colour (Cork and Rice Paper). Next to it is a limited edition MAC Eyeshadow Palette which was given to me by my lovely sister and the packaging is so lush. I have an Estee Lauder mini eyeshadow palette which  was a gift with purchase and a very pretty one at that. I have a Bobbi Brown Duo which I can’t remember the name now as it has cleaned off. I also have some drug store single and duo eyeshadows which I leave lurking around somewhere in the corner.

Second Muji PP Case: I have more lipsticks stored here and they are mainly drug store brands. I don’t think this is the best way to store them as it seems quite hidden away and I may reorganise it. The truth is many of the lipsticks here are not my everyday lipsticks which explains why they may seem hidden but I may get a transparent case for them so I can use them up. They are all mainly drug store lipsticks ranging from MUA, Makeup Revolution, No 7, Sally Hansen, etc.



The Long/slim Muji PP cases contain a mix of all mascaras, eyeliners, eye pencils, lip pencils and brow pencils. I try to keep the pencils including lip and eye/brow pencils separate and they stay in one of the cases while the other ones houses my mascaras and eyeliners including my little gel eyeliner from Maybelline. I have some space above which I like to keep spacious so I can reach for the products there easily. I have my Kuddy Blush Crush Palette* which is lovely and super pigmented. I have already hit pan  in one and I love them all. I also keep some of my Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes in there and I only have two at the moment and they are from the Monaco and Mediterranean edition. Wowwzas, that’s it folks. Can I just say a massive thank you for reading to the end? Here’s a squishy virtual hug for you. I store some other items in the other section of my room but they are mainly body care, hair care and the rest of my nail polishes.  I honestly don’t like writing long posts but I had so much info I had to leave in this post and I really did not want it to be a quick and dirty one; I wanted you to feel like you were in the room with me and I am hoping you have enjoyed and learned a thing or two about organising your makeup...See you in my next post...x

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