Does your beauty routine take more time than it should because you have to wade through tons of products that aren't in any particular order? We've all been there, choosing to overstuff our makeup bags and bathroom cabinets and then complain when we can't find what we're looking for.
The beauty organising struggle is so real. It doesn't help when everyone seems to have immaculate #shelfies filled with gorgeous, unstained products that are definitely not expiry date.
You'd be surprised to know that organising your beauty products is much easier than you might think, in fact, you can probably place it a bit higher on your to-do list. It's well worth the time now as it'll save you much more when you know where everything is.
Keep scrolling to find out how to organise your beauty products and the surprise benefits it has for your skin health too.
1. Declutter Your Collection
This might be the hardest but most rewarding part of the process, the clearout. You have to be brutal here, as we both know that the dried-up tube of mascara you've been hoarding for years needs to go. Start by taking out all of your beauty products, including makeup, skin, body and hair. Then divide into a pile of products that you actually use and ones that you don't.
For all of these products, check what the Period After Opening time is on the back of the product. Expiry dates aren't always reliable, but the PAO is a great one to go by and your skin will thank you for it. Those dates are there for a reason. Keep your eye out for mascara, cream-based makeup and face serums/moisturisers as they tend to have shorter shelf lives.
Toss out the ones that have expired and recycle or re-use the packaging if you can. Top tip: If it's paining you to throw out scraps of moisturiser, use them as a foot cream.
2. Divide by Category
Once you've binned or given away what's no longer serving your beauty goals, it's time to divide. This step is really helpful for working out what you have. If you don't have many products, divide into piles for face, body, hair and miscellaneous. If you're all about the 10-step skincare routine life, then you can divide your products up into categories, so moisturiser, serums, eye products, lip makeup, etc.
That might be all you need to do for now, but if you're working with a big collection, you can use this as an opportunity to see if you're using all of these on a daily basis. You'll want to highlight the ones that you use most often, so when you start finding a home for them, these are the ones that will go at the front of the cabinet so you have easy access to them.
3. Curate Your Bathroom Cabinet
It's not only your favourite influencer who can have a solid top shelf. Once you have fewer products to work with, thanks to the big declutter, you can start to build the bathroom cabinet of your Insta daydreams.
First, get out the anti-bacterial wipes or alcohol and clean the packaging of all of your products. Why, you ask? I know they're probably grubby, and it will make the cabinet look nicer. Plus, hygiene is important.
You've already categorised your products, so you can design the shelves according to these. You can place products on shelves in the order of how you apply them, with the lightest formulas first. You can even shelf them in their product categories. The main goal here is that you don't have to be rummaging around when you're mid-routine, so think about what the easiest places for certain products will be.
If you're opting for style over function, then you can also curate your cabinet by organising by packaging style and shape, so tubs on one shelf, bottles on another. If you're really going for it, you can do it by colour too.
4. Invest in Storage
You've probably got most of your skincare and bath products sitting pretty in the bathroom cabinet now. The next step is to organise your makeup, haircare and any extras.
A simple caddy or shower shelf is a great option for the products you'll be using in the shower or bath, so you don't have to remember to take them in with you. If you're a product hoarder, operate a one-in, one-out system here. Only the products that you're currently using should be in the caddy.
The backups can go in a box or container that can live under your bed or wherever you have some space. Likewise, you can add in any skincare or makeup you're not currently using in this "extras" box. Think seasonal perfumes, beauty gifts and the really nice "for guests only" soap you've been collecting. For the everyday makeup and hair products, you might have room in your cabinet, but if not, see-through boxes are great so you can see everything you need.
When it comes to prettier products, who says they have to stay hidden in a cabinet? Keep regularly used hand creams, perfumes and other aesthetically pleasing products out on display, maybe on your dressing table or bedside cabinet.
Stuck on storage ideas? Keep scrolling to shop our favourite beauty storage solutions.
