Ikea’s Alex ($119.00) is my new storage solution for my nail polish. I stopped by Ikea earlier this week to investigate some potential storage solutions. I originally decided to finally grab some Helmers to control my nail polishes, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
See, every time I go to Ikea to buy the Helmer, I am completely put off by how flimsy it feels. Maybe the floor models are absolutely brutalized and feel less sturdy than newly assembled Helmers, but I just can’t convince myself to buy them. (I’m also not keen on the color selection–all of our furniture is black, with the exception of our office desks, which are beech). Enter in Alex, which was this six drawer unit on display next to the Helmer!
The Alex is actually a product series, and there are quite a few variations. I considered the taller versions for makeup storage, but I couldn’t commit because they only come in white–and for $119 a pop, I won’t compromise on color. I reckon that you could probably DIY some kind of paint job, though, if you’re creative enough 
Anyway, the six-drawer Alex that comes with casters does come in black.
There are three shorter drawers and three taller drawers. Since I expected to get Helmers, I didn’t bring any polishes with me for height tests. I crossed my fingers and hoped that some of the shorter bottles would fit.
AND THEY DID! AND ALL THAT WAS POLISH WAS ORGANIZED!
I think this unit would work for the majority of beauty buffs, both as makeup storage and/or nail polish storage. I will caution you that if your collection only consists of taller bottles (think China Glaze and OPI), you will only be able to use the bottom three drawers for storage. The top three drawers are too short (but they fit Chanel, Dior, Illamasqua, RBL, etc.). I was sad to learn that Essie is just a touch too tall to fit in the smaller drawers… like 2 millimeters too tall! Zoyas are also too tall. (Edited: It seems like Essies will fit with a little maneuvering – seems like you can’t have them right against the sides.)
It does seem to hold quite a bit of polish. I only have four drawers with polish, and none of them are completely filled. I didn’t count this time around (I will do more micro-organizing by color when I have more time), but last time I posted, I had 669. I would guesstimate that there are around 700-750 polishes in this at the moment.
For those with modest nail polish collections, this could easily work — the bottom drawers definitely hold enough (the bottom drawer looks like it’ll hold 17 [China Glaze] bottles across x 10 bottles deep for 170 bottles in total). The shorter drawers will work for shorter brands, if you have ‘em, but they can also hold makeup, hand creams, nail files, etc.
Ultimately, for me, I really love how sturdy the Alex is. It’s heavy without polish, and the drawers slide in and out with ease. I also love the look of the drawer unit: it’s sleek with clean lines and matches the rest of my furniture. It holds a good amount of nail polish, and there is some room for me to grow!
Organized chaos!
How I Organized My Nail Polish, Part 2
Over the weekend, I decided it was time to re-organize my nail polish stash and put it back to rights! (The last time I did this was almost exactly six months ago!) I’m still using the exact same method: Clear Storage Boxes from The Container Store–shoe box size. (I also use all of the various sizes of the clear storage boxes for *everything*!) I thought I’d share an update, since I know some of us enjoy a peek into each other’s stashes.
The way I started was by pulling bottles from one brand at a time, lined them all up, and then sorted them by color on the floor. After I’ve sorted by brand and color, I put each one (standing up) in the container. Depending on how full the container is, if there is any room for the polishes to slide around, I fold up a piece of bubble wrap and place it along the side. I also turn some bottles upside down to fit the last few remaining of the brand in the same box, too. I stack all of the filled containers on top of each other, about eight high (around four feet in height).
For brands that I don’t have too many shades of, then I try to combine them with similar-shaped bottles or brands. Barielle, Dashing Diva, and Duri have very, very similar bottle shapes, so I keep those together. I keep my higher-end polishes like Chanel and Dior together as well. I also keep base, fast drying, and top coats separate (along with other treatment products) in a separate container so I can easily access them as I need to.
I know that a lot of people have found Ikea Helmers to work well for storing nail polish, but I don’t have a good place for them in my apartment, and I don’t really dig the look and feel myself. Maybe one day when I have more room, I’ll be able to find a classier organization system! My dream is to have California Closets re-do a room and give it a freestanding beauty and makeup organization makeover…
MAC Eyeshadow Palettes: Permanent Eyeshadows (April 2010)
These are all the permanent MAC eyeshadows I have to-date. Over the past year, I’ve been working on increasing my permanent eyeshadow collection (although I’ve had many from over the years!), because I want to phase out my older limited edition shades from the looks I post on the blog. There are a few limited edition and discontinued shades in these palettes, but overall, they’re focused on the permanent range.
How I Organize…
- By color in rainbow order (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, Gray, Black)
- By undertone — e.g. blue-based purples are separate from red-based purples; cool neutrals from warmer neutrals
I have a tendency to buy PRO shades when I finally get around to visiting one, and so I’ve ended up with a few doubles! Boy, nothing makes you feel silly like buying the same shade twice!
MAC Eyeshadow Palettes: Limited Edition Eyeshadows (April 2010)
Here’s a round-up post of all of the palettes in one place Please keep in mind that I’ve been buying MAC since 2004 — it’s not like my collection grew overnight! The journey is there, and there’s a lot of fun to be had in taking that journey!
MAC Eyeshadow Palettes: My Browns, Neutrals, & Grays — Limited Edition
And that brings us to an end! Nine full palettes, plus four shades in the tenth palette, for a total of 139 limited edition eyeshadows! I do have several quads, holiday palettes, and the like that I haven’t depotted (and probably won’t).
What’s inside the palette… Keep Reading!
MAC Eyeshadow Palettes: My Purples — Limited Edition
I never realized I favored purples more than any other color. I would have thought green/teal.
What’s inside the palette… Keep Reading!
