Show Off: Eyeshadow Organization & Storage

After reading your answers to today’s question: how do you organize your eyeshadows? I really think we need to come together and SHOW OFF. (OK, you do it, I’m still in desperate need of a depotting party!) Share your wickedly detailed spreadsheets, photos of your ultra-organized eyeshadows, bask in the awesomeness that is organized beauty!

Share your photos/spreadsheet either by linking to the image/file or you can email me directly at submit@temptalia.com, and I’ll upload it and include it in the post!

My collection/stash can be found under Temptalia’s Collection. It was last updated about June 2009, I believe, so I’m about due for another update, but gotta depot first!

See readers’ storage solutions for their eyeshadows!

How cool are Madame B Fatale’s DIY palettes? I love the creativity! You can check out her post on how to make your own while you’re at it!

I love how you can see everything when you want to with Claudia‘s storage system!

Emily’s got TWELVE, count ’em, TWELVE sexy, eyeshadow-filled palettes to drool over. Closed… opened… and then the pinks palette up-close! Check out her palette post for close-ups and breakdowns of what’s in ’em!

Jill keeps her stash organized in palettes and drawer organizers! I see another reader who has handily removed the insert in their MAC palettes for added space!  Check out those eyeshadow labels inside!

Danielle uses Make Up For Ever palettes to store all of her pretties… whew! Drool…

Christina keeps it neat and organized in MAC palettes!

Kelly stores all her pretty eyeshadow pots in drawers! (Psst, you should check out her nail polish stash, too.)

To be updated as photos come in!

How I Organized My Nail Polishes

Earlier this week, I asked readers how they organize their nail polish to get some input on how to organize mine! Surprisingly, the majority of these polishes are from awhile ago – I go in phases with nail polish; I buy bottle after bottle for a few weeks, but then nothing for months.

Anyway, I’ve always just stored them upright in plastic “shoe box” containers from The Container Store, but there’s never been any organization within that method beyond keeping them in one place!  (Sometimes, I hate The Container Store, and sometimes, I love it…)

The stash was kind of growing out of control, so I figured it was time to think about actually organizing it with some method to the madness — I ended up going for by brand, and then by color. I don’t have enough polishes to start micro-organizing (e.g. further organizing by finish) quite yet. Even with what seemed like a healthy amount of polishes, I ended up mixing brands within the same container!

I love, love The Container Store’s Clear Storage Boxes – I use them for EVERYTHING. I have like 20 shoe-box sized containers, lots of the sweater boxes… They’re just really affordable, easy-to-use, and they all stack together, which is something I like. I like the shoe-box size for polishes because they’re just high enough to fit even the taller polishes (I think Dolce & Gabbana is the tallest brand I have), but not so tall that you feel like you’re wasting space.

One thing I noticed is that usually there is a little gap of space on the side, since the polishes don’t fit perfectly snug in them. I’m going to have to pick up a few rolls of non-skid material to lay underneath the polishes so they stay in place better.  In the meanwhile, I put some bubblewrap in the gaps to keep everything in place ’til I get the non-skid stuff in.  Otherwise, I’m satisfied with the solution!

P.S. – I know others enjoy Ikea’s Helmers, but I just found it so cheap-feeling, way too wobbly, and doesn’t really go with anything in my house, so that just wasn’t a viable option for me. (But trust, I love me some Ikea — a TON of my furniture is from there–huge fan of the Expedit series!   This particular piece just wasn’t for me.)

See how it all turned out…

YAY, organization!

All Zoya

All China Glaze

All China Glaze

All China Glaze

Various high-end: Dior, Chanel, MAC, Lippmann, Estee Lauder, Dolce & Gabbana; then Borghese

A few more China Glazes, mostly OPI

Barielle, Dashing Diva, Duri, Essie

Orly, SpaRitual

Ikea’s Helmer ($39.99) is a drawer unit with casters. It has six pull-out drawers, and it is an easy and cost-efficient way to store the majority of your makeup and beauty essentials. I know that a lot of ladies love to store their nail polish in these as well. I prefer the silver color, though it does come in red and white, too. The only downside to the Helmer unit is that the drawers aren’t tall enough to store my body products. (Also, these are misleading in size — they look VERY tiny, but they will store a lot of your bobs and bits!)

The Container Store’s Pandan Pencil Holder ($12.99) are neat ways to store your makeup brushes, eyeliners, and lip liners. They keep everything upright and on display for easy access. Pencil holders, in general, are excellent as brush holders. I like these woven ones for something a little more elegant. I’ve also used wire/mesh holders in the past, too, which is a more industrial/office look.

The Container Store’s Elfa White Dresser ($160.72) is a neat way to get some drawer unit storage into any area you might want your makeup to be stored at, whether it’s the bathroom or the bedroom (or your living room!). I really like that there is a tabletop, so you could place your brush holders and palettes on top, too!

I do find that these look nicer than traditional plastic (think Sterilite) drawers, though I will admit elfa is a bit pricey. Elfa products do go on sale regularly, so if you wait around, you might see 20-30% off!

The Container Store’s Underbed Storage ($10.99) is a really easy way to store your seasonal products or products you just don’t use very often. Like shoes, I often store products like self-tanners and spray tans in these storage units and slide them under my bed until I need them.

The Container Store’s EVA Jewelry Holder ($14.99) consists of a foam holder with compartments that can easily be used to store your favorite pigment samples and the like. As a bonus, maybe some of the jewelry buffs here will find it a practical way to store their baubles!

Drawer Organizers like The Container Store’s Sueded Drawer Organizers (14.99 to $19.99) make for a stylish storage solution for those who have drawer room to spare (or are looking to better utilize their drawer space). These are about 4″ tall and 14″ deep, so be sure to measure your drawers before you buy! These also come in Tweed, Bristol, Bamboo, and Silk fabrics to suit your personal preference.