Marshalls Find - Swivel Storage Caddy for $6.99

This was posted on my other blog (for budget fashionistas!) at www.girlonabudget.com, but since it IS makeup related, reposted it here as well. :)

I use large pencil/pen cups from Staples & Office Depot to store my lipglosses, because they are cheap and they are the perfect height for my lipglosses, not too tall, and not too short. But i've been running out of space since I have so many lipglosses and found this little gem at the Marshall's by my work. It's a swivel storage caddy for only $6.99. I imagine it's really for pens and the like, but I thought this was great to store my lipglosses that do not have a home, and great for pretty much anything such as mascaras, makeup brushes, makeup pencils, etc.
What sold me was the swivel base, I like that it spins for easy access to my lipglosses when I am trying to pick a color. For all you artists, you can definitely decorate this and make it unique, in case the stark white is too plain; the all white matches my makeup room decor, so I am rolling with it.
They definitely have awesome finds at Marshall's. I also got a chic earring rack for $10 from there too (which will be in a separate post soon!)

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[Storage Solution]- 60 Tube Lipstick Organizer

So part of my storage series, is of course storing and organizing my all-time favorite....lipsticks! Check out the video above to see it in action. If you have been a long time reader of my blog from way back in the day, you'll remember I used to store my lipsticks using a few acrylic lipstick holders and a clear storage case with clear dividers: CLICK HERE and HERE to see my older posts on these lipstick holders.

I eventually ran out of space and invested in a 60 tube lipstick holder with a tester row from www.azardisplays.com (which I will be using to hold my most frequently used lipsticks so it's easy to reach for). This particular lipstick holder is $12.50 on the actual site, it's also available on eBay, but there are a few sellers that are charging double with shipping (almost $40!), and I only paid like $24.80 total including tax and shipping buying it straight from the site. I love that it stores all my lipsticks, and I even had room to store my NYX Round Lipsticks, as well as other lippies from Avon, Revlon, etc.

It fits many brands, even fat lipstick tubes like my Avon one fit perfectly. It even held my lipglosses nicely. You can even store MAC lipsticks that are still IN the box (such as backups you bought) in this holder and it still fits!

It is not completely flat at the bottom, so if you are looking for something completely flat, then I suggest getting lipstick holders that are similar to my older lippie storages, the tiered acrylic holders, because the tester row is designed to hang off of a bathroom counter, table, or a vanity. You can still place them on a table top if you can't hang them off the edge of something, it will just be slanted but it's still sturdy, so if you don't mind that it slants on a flat surface, it works just as a great.

Because these have a deeper well than my old one, I am able to store them upside down without them wobbling around (since MAC lipsticks have a rounded top they move around when stored upside down), and it allows me to easily see the lipstick shades. It even fits my MAC backups that are still in boxes!

Old lipstick storage box:

 Previous lipstick holder (which held 24 lipsticks):

Holds lipglosses nicely too!

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[Storage]- Ring Organizer Tray from Michaels

Since I have been on a storage kick, I thought id also share this nifty ring organizer tray I found at Michaels craft store for $7.99, but Michaels always has 40% off coupons, etc so you can even nab it at a cheaper price. I love accessories, so I have an eclectic mix of rings, necklaces, and bracelets; and I used to just store all my rings in one big drawer and found it hard to find a certain ring sometimes since they were all pretty much just jumbled together. So I thought id get one of these ring trays to keep things more organized and make it easier to choose a ring to wear.

It's the same type of display trays you see at flea markets, or stores, has velvet cushioned rows that snugly hold onto your rings. The only con about this tray is that if you have larger banded rings, they will not fit, so you would have to store them separately. But I like that it stores a majority of my rings, at least the ones I usually wear the most.

They also have display holders for bracelets and necklaces too at Michaels.

This is how I used to store my rings, sorta just dumped it in a drawer:

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[Storage Idea]- Circo Hearts Storage Container

After Christmas last year, hubs and I went to Target to stock up on Christmas decorations since they are the usual 75% off, and came across these Circo Hearts Storage Containers. These are really storage for a little girls room (as the Circo brand caters to kids), however I thought they were cute to store some of my "most reached for items" when I get ready in the morning because they are deep and big enough to store a lot! Not to mention it makes it easy to have everything in one spot.

They have different sizes (like a longer, rectangular shaped one), and they are really cheap, I think I got each one for like $2.50 or $2.99, and they have them with lids as well but I opted not to have a lid. They are made out of plastic, similar to other storage containers, and it has a clear see-thru bottom.

Also....I went wedding dress shopping on Sunday, found one I am in love with (NOT this one), of course I won't post the one I love, that would be next year when I am actually married! LOL. But this is the dress my mom wanted me try on, and it was nice but it didn't wow me. :( 

I am still gonna try on a few more and see how those go. I realized that I suck at walking in heels. No joke. Since I am already tall, I am always in flats because wearing heels makes me feel like a giant, so hmmm maybe I can figure out a way to wear my chucks without mom knowing....HAHA, I kid, I kid!

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Makeup Storage//Soft MAC Carry All Case

The fiance and I recently moved to a new place earlier this year- and thus made it much easier for me to store my makeup with the extra space we have acquired; (he thinks it will give me an excuse to fill up the extra space with *gasp* more makeup which will then slowly start to seep to his office/gym room haha).

I know I have old random posts in regards to makeup storage, but this is my most recent way of organizing my makeup as of late, granted I hardly wear much makeup nowadays because I find myself to be too lazy to do any full on looks. But nonetheless, my makeup needs a home!

I know I am probably going to get a few questions as to where I got most of these organizers from, so I will list them down with each pic. :)

My vanity all clean (I don't remember where I got this actual vanity from, I get a lot of questions about this from older posts but my mom ordered it for me from Washington when they moved so I have no clue), but it's actually a child's vanity and I can sit in it fine, you would never think it's a child's vanity.

 

My lipgloss holders and MAC eyeshadow palette holder- The "lipgloss holders" are actually pen cup holders I bought from Staples. The one on the left is much bigger and it's a clear acrylic cup that you can personalize and add a picture (chose the one with me and bubs in hopes that he'll continue to support my makeup addiction! Ha!). I put all my dazzleglasses and tinted lipglasses in these babies and they fit all of them! The clear acrylic holder that houses my makeup palettes is actually a DVD holder (flipped sideways) that I got from the Container Store. They fit perfectly in it. Some of my palettes are also in my new soft case since those are the ones I frequently use.

My plastic drawers- These hold my other misc. eyeshadows, blushes, etc. I believe I got these at Walmart or Target, and they are real cheap too! The Hello Kitty Brush Holder on top I bought when MAC came out with the Hello Kitty collection, I now use it to house my Urban Decay eyeliners (which I love!)

The "Rose Wall" (Lipstick holders & Clear Acrylic Drawers)- This is what I call my 'rose wall'. When we first moved bubs and I did some decorating, and I chose to have one little wall section of our bedroom to have a girly flair so I used an applique on the wall (easy to put on and remove) from Michael's. Goes great with our kitchen plates that have this design. Because this wall is the furthest from our window, I chose it to store my lipsticks (to prevent them from melting during California's hot summers). On the separate tray of lippies, I stored all the special/limited edition lipsticks (I noticed I buy two per collection!). These acrylic trays I got from Folica, and the other one from eBay. The clear acrylic drawers in the middle hold my MSF's, MAC eyeshadows and few holiday and concealer palettes. And of course, they are accompanied by old pics of bubs and I when we were younger! (Wedding slideshow pics possibly??? LOL)

 

I also recently bought the MAC Carry All Case (the soft one) as bubs already got me the hard train case for Christmas last year. I love this case. It's perfect for overnighters or weekend trips. Even though I have my other overnight bag, this one just seems to fit more stuff. Everything I need. It fits a stack of MAC makeup palettes, my moisturizer, my brush roll (not pictured), my Urban Decay Naked Palette, and has compartments for everything such as a few lipsticks, foundation, blushes, you name it. The only thing I wish it has was a handle on the top so I don't have to carry the shoulder strap all the time. But it has a nifty little mirror on the inside lid for your convenience. The problem carrying the other HARD case, is the fact that it's too heavy, which may not be ideal when you are running through the airport, or for small trips. The soft case just makes it easy to bring along since it's so light and big enough to hold everything.

 

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Storage: Lipstick Holder #2

Since I am a self-professed lipstick and lipgloss addict, I started running out of places to put some of my stash, so I decided to get a lipstick box from www.sharodan.com, which is a beauty supply site mainly for consultants (such as Mary Kay and Arbonne). Their site itself is not user friendly at the moment (as in some links don't work and you can't go back to the previous pages) but I think they are slowly but surely making their site easier to use. But for now you pretty just have to find your way around the site. You can always call or email them if you need additional assistance.

The reason I got an actual box, is because in case I ever need to travel and take multiple lipstick and glosses, I can do so with ease without having to worry about them falling out all over the place. It was around $18.90 with shipping (which to me is a lot for just plastic, but hey it does the job! LOL).

The box itself is clear and comes with flexible and clear plastic dividers. The lipsticks fit with the styrofoam at the bottom of the box, however the lipglasses do not (boo!) BUT it DOES fit WITHOUT the styrofoam so that the box can completely close.

To see my previous post on another lipstick holder I got awhile back, CLICK HERE.

PREVIOUS LIPSTICK HOLDER:

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Storage: Drawers (and regarding email questions)...

So since the inbox has been backed up since December of last year, Erica is helping me answer some of the emails some of you have sent, so I apologize for the delayed response on some of them! But I wanted to mention that there is a search box and labels to the right and they are there for a reason! So if you ever wanna search for something, swatches, etc. feel free to look around to save you some time in case we can't answer your email(s) fast enough; usually you will find the answer. Also some people ask me about makeup shows, shipping from online companies, etc. and honestly I don't own these sites nor am I affiliated with them, therefore I highly suggest you ask THEM directly to ensure you get the best answer straight from the source.

My experience of course is solely my own with that site(s), so if your package arrived late, I don't know what to tell you other than to contact them to see why. I think it's weird when people email ME asking why their package is late since I got mine on time...lol. I am just trying to avoid having Erica sift through emails when the answer can clearly be found by doing your own research first, either by perusing this site or checking out product reviews. If you can't find your answer, then shoot us an email! Also if you wanted recommendations on colors to complement you, please include a clear pic of your face so that we can recommend appropriate colors/products. :)

Also, many of you leave comments with questions but there's no way to contact you, so be sure to leave an email or I will just reply in the comment box.

And to A, sorry if it came off the wrong way! There was no animosity at all, I was just speaking from my end, my experience with this product and just as a heads up to people who might want to buy it or use it, it might work better for them. Of course with makeup there's no right or wrong from a makeup artist's perspective, it's really just trial and error depending on what works for the client. So as much as you pointed out that it's dewy, for me personally, it was shiny. I am in no way under estimating you or your lesson from MAC. I hope all is good! :)

Anyway, I went to the Container Store last weekend and bought some clear drawers (they were on sale!) for about $9, and I like them because they are obviously "clean looking" since you can see right thru 'em which makes it easy for me to find things. I use it to store all my MSF's and MES's (Mineralized Skin Finishes and Mineralized Eye Shadows), as well as palettes, and some lipglasses.

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Storage: Lipstick Holder

Please pray for my mommy, dad called me last night to say she was in the hospital, apparently she has been having pains in her abdomen and they are still doing tests to see what might be causing it. They don't know if it's cysts on her ovaries or appendicitis. My mom called earlier and said she is ok but she sounded a bit tired, she said that they are just waiting for the test results, but I hope she is REALLY ok and not just saying she is so I don't worry, since I am a worry wart. My parents' health hasn't been all that great this year and I am really worried; even though they are considerably young still (they had me at 19 and 25), I know stress and just getting older has taken its toll...I just hope things get better.

On a lighter note, I got my Esca 24 lipstick holder from Folica.com. It holds 24 lipsticks all nice and neat, and I love how this is tiered so each row is elevated like stadium seating, rather than just flat rows. I like it so much I wanna order the other one they have that has a separate compartment for makeup removing rounds, q-tips, or cotton balls. They are both made out of sturdy acrylic, not cheap plastic. And the wells are deep enough to hold your lipsticks in place without falling over. It's around $14 (not including shipping, shipping is like an additional $6).

In case you are wondering, I actually had more MAC lipsticks than it holds, which is okay since I was planning on buying another one to also accommodate my NYX Round Lipsticks. I just wanted to buy one first to see how I like it before I committed to buying 2, and I love it! It makes it much easier to find my lipsticks, and when I have time I will label each 'well' so I know what color is what. I can't store the MAC lipsticks upside down since it's bullet shaped and the round tip of the tube wobbles in the well, but I have some round stickers I can use. :)

I will do the NYX swatches tonight (I promise!) I meant to do them tonight but I got sidetracked. :(











I also got this Rubbermaid Spacesaver "X-Cube" from Staples (some office supply stores have 'em), if you can't find it, Amazon.com has them too (it's a differnet brand but the exact same thing). They have an "X" shaped divider to separate things you can also store it on its side if you want. Right now I am storing my lipglosses and some of my NYX lipsticks until I get my other lipstick holder, but that box will be used for lipglosses and eyeliner pencils and the like...

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