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At this time of year, I’m all about organizing because I have to “switch” lives for a couple of months while I’m at school. Transitioning from my house to dorm life is very hectic and overwhelming, I’m writing this blog post right now to calm my nerves (I’ve started trying to decide what shoes to bring to school. ugh.) Today, for the #BloggersBTS link up that Hannah and I are doing, I thought it would be interesting to show how I keep my makeup stored and organized since the week’s theme is organization! You might be asking yourself: “Okay, Gabby, what does this have to do with school?” Well…. it’s actually something that I think people seriously overlook when they’re organizing everything else!

It’s pretty simple, actually. I feel so much more relaxed in the morning when my vanity is functional and everything is easy to reach/neatly in it’s place! You don’t want a frantic first day of school because your favorite mascara fell behind your desk, sink, mirror, etc. It’s just as important as organizing your desk; don’t add extra stress to your first day because your area to primp is a mess! You’re gonna look flawless and I’m just saving you about 10 minutes 🙂

I used to be obsessed with my makeup collection a couple of years ago and perfected the way I liked to store my makeup! At home, I have a much bigger make up collection which I’ve neglected the past few weeks. Keep reading to see how I take my vanity from scary to a more acceptable (and much more conducive to actually doing my makeup) set up:

 

Organize with me!

As you can see, I had a lot of crap on my vanity that didn’t have anything to do with makeup at all! I’m packing for college and a lot of “I’m not really sure what this is” goes on my vanity for quick access and so I don’t forget about it! Now, that I’ve done a lot of organizing for packing and I’ve thrown some things away, I can finally put these things where they belong! After, I’ve done all of that, I completely clear off my vanity so that I can dust it off and wipe it down.

1. I love this 3-drawer container from at Home. The sleek, clear style is absolutely fabulous. I also really love that I can see what makeup is in each container; it helps me not forget about certain products. Find a similar one here.

2. This compartmentalized makeup organizer is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond! I love it because it has the perfect separations for lipstick, makeup tools, and my everyday basics that I need to have easy access too. It really matches with the 3 drawer container and I love the way it looks! I also take this set up to college with me because it’s compact and fits all the makeup I need.

3. My vanity is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond as well and is made out of black painted wood {similar}! It’s done really well for the past few years and I love it! The only thing that bothers me is that it easily collects dust! I remedy that with a Swiffer duster! ** I totally skipped this, but you also might want to think about wiping your mirror down. Mine gets smudgy from moving it!**

4. Your brushes don’t have to be in a boring plastic container. Spice up your vanity with a super cute mirrored glass vase from at Home/Garden Ridge. Add some marbles to the jar to keep the brushes straight up! It adds a glam look to my vanity and it looks really good!

5. My vanity obviously needs to be functional, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be cute, too! I add perfume and nail polish bottles to my vanity as decorative pieces and it doesn’t hurt it helps remind me to use them too! Also, you might see my DIY Framed Instagram Square Display–I made a post about it a while back! I love the way it all comes together.

Here are some up close pictures of my makeup storage!

 

 

As you can see, I keep my makeup separated into three different sections of the three different drawers: eyeshadow, eyeliners, and primers; foundation, bronzer, and blush; and mascaras/lipgloss. I have more makeup that I keep in the drawers of the vanity, but these are my most used products and the makeup I take with with me to college!

How do you store your makeup at home? How does it transition to your dorm/apartment on campus? Let me know in the comments or on twitter (@theswirlblog)!