UNIQUE JEWELLERY STORAGE

 URBAN OUTFITTERS WHITE ANTELOPE TRINKET HOLDER 

I'm constantly looking for ways to both store and display my rather extensive jewellery collection (H&M is my favourite place for jewellery - both inexpensive and very pretty) and I hit the jackpot recently in Urban Outfitters with this white ceramic dish with an antelope head to hang things from. I tried to get a link for you all because I got this in the sale for a couple of pounds, but it has sold out. But, on the plus side they have multiple other variations of these 'trinket holders'.

I really like this to just sit on top of my IKEA Alex unit which holds all my beauty and makeup bits, and it just looks really clean and chic I guess. Although not the biggest of storage methods, it definitely makes an impact and is unique to anything I have. I like the fact that you can lay things in the base and then hang rings or small necklaces from the ears and horns (are they called horns?! Don't quote me on that...). I just generally like the aesthetics of this holder, it is so simple, and ugh, there are just no words. 

This purchase has definitely made me want to branch out a bit more with my storage - perhaps I'll turn to Pinterest for some inspiration.

5 STEPS TO AN ORGANISED WARDROBE

Recently I began to notice my (cheap and cheerful Argos) wardrobe was becoming a little crowded, unorganised, and just dull looking, and I decided it was time to sort things out - making mental notes as I went along of things I could compile into a post on how to keep your wardrobe looking fresh. Hold your horses, it's a lengthy one.

STEP 1: CLEAR OUT:
For some, this might be the most boring and time-consuming step, but for me, I think it really is what gets you motivated for the whole organising process. Now, clear up some floor space, and empty your entire wardrobe, Everything. All the hangers, the clothes, the folded (read: screwed) clothing at the bottom, get them out.

STEP 2: SORTING YOUR STASH:
For the hoarders among us, this might be a difficult step, but it basically consists of three piles: Keep, Unsure, and Get Rid. Go through all the clothing you just emptied, and place the things you definitely want to keep (so you can't imagine a life without these pieces, or you wear them all the time) into the 'keep' pile. For the unsure, put the ones you are sitting on the fence about, and we'll revisit them soon.
As for the 'get rid' pile, basically this is a stack of clothes that either don't fit, gather dust at the back of your wardrobe, or just don't fit your style anymore. This can be distributed among younger siblings, charity shops, or friends. You'll be surprised with how much space you'll free up during this step. Now, for the 'unsure', go through again and really think about how often you wear the items, then you will probably end up disposing a few more. A little tip I got from ViviannaDoesMakeup was to put the ones you are still unsure about out of reach, then if you forgot about them for months, they can go, and if you found yourself relocating the hidden pile for a certain item - keep it.

STEP 3: OPTIMISING YOUR SPACE:
This step might require some DIY, but trust me when I say it's worth it. I actually recruited my dad and his toolbox and together we inserted another rail onto my wardrobe. It was placed near the bottom so I could hang skirts, shorts and jeans/trousers on it - leaving enough room for jackets, dresses and tops on the first original hanger. I also put my hats, scarves (in the patterned hat box), and most worn shoes on top of my wardrobe to free up some more space.

STEP 4: REFILLING:
Here's the part that I enjoyed quite a bit. Basically, this is where you put everything you just got out the wardrobe and decided you should keep, back in your wardrobe. I went for a black to white organisation, with the coloured items being placed on the end (there wasn't as many of those being a monochrome lover). On the bottom rail, I went from skirts, to shorts, then to jeans and trousers.

STEP 5: REPLENISHING: 
I imagine that this'll be the most loved step of them all, as it involves looking through your newly organised stash of clothes and deciding which items you are lacking in your collection. Make a note of them, and then set some money aside and go and treat yourself to those items. I noticed that I am missing jumpers (which I'll definitely be getting as the weather changes), some flat boots, a coat, and some ripped jeans, as well as noticing I am lacking dramatically in the jewellery department.

So, although a lengthy post, I hope I've inspired you to get organised and as the seasons change, what better time to give your wardrobe some loving.

2014 BEAUTY BASED RESOLUTIONS

Every blogger and their mothers have most certainly came up with a list of New Year's Resolutions which revolve around beauty related tasks, and the majority of them have posted about theirs. Today is my turn, in which I am discussing the 5 things I plan to do this year, and at the end of December I will be reviewing my progress.

#1: Buy New Storage
I have well and truly outgrown the current storage for my makeup, and I have already planned and started a spending ban which will be taking place in order for me to buy the IKEA Alex 9 Drawer Unit which I will be using to store all things beauty; hair care, skincare, makeup, and even a little body care. We'll see how the saving goes, as I'm sure a post will come shortly after if I manage to buy the cliche blogger chest of drawers.

#2: Buy a Cleansing Balm
Notice that the first 2 resolutions involve me spending money - oops. But, ever since I got into the blogging world, I have been lusting after the glorious invention which is the cleansing balm. And my goal is to jump onto that bandwagon this year, and really give my face some cleansing balm TLC. Whether I go for the Emma Hardie, the Clinique, or another brand offering, I hope to buy one which I will get on with well.

#3: Stay Hydrated
Now, I think this one is one most of the lists I have seen so far, but I think we could all work a little harder on how much we have to drink each day. I have been working on having as many glasses of water that I can during the day, and I definitely feel more hydrated by doing so. Lets see how long I can keep it up.

#4 Wear Lighter Coverage
This is the one that I am worried I won't keep up. I have bad skin, and so I love my Revlon Colorstay but I am trying to branch into lighter coverage, at least once a week. I just bought the Rimmel Match Perfection and at a first glance it is really nice, so we shall see how this goes. Maybe I will go for light coverage base, with a higher coverage concealer.

#5: Keep Up a Body Care Routine
Since all the Soap & Glory goodies arrived under my tree for me this Christmas, and then I somehow bought even more in the sales, I have been really enjoying taking the time to use a scrub a few days a week, and use a body butter/lotion daily. I want to keep this up throughout the year, as my skin is looking and feeling so much nicer after putting the effort in.

What are your beauty resolutions this year?

 

 

My New Makeup Storage/My Collection

Hi guys!

As a beauty blogger, my makeup collection is rapidly increasing, through PR samples, or just purely my growing obsession for all things beauty related. This means, I am outgrowing my storage space, and MUJI nor Ikea Alex units are within my small teenage budget, and so I was holding on for a long time until I found something that I could add to when my collection grows or that would keep me going for a long time.

The 2 units I actually found were in WHSmiths, each £14.99 or 2 for £22.50 (Buy one get one half price!), and are amazing quality and have enormous amounts of space. They match with the monochrome w/ purple theme of my room too, so just an extra bonus! - what a ramble of an intro, grab a cuppa, because at this rate this post is going to be a long one! I also used the DSLR today, so the pictures are super good quality - yay!

So, this is the makeup storage area. It makes my collection look a lot more condensed than it actually is (until you open a drawer!), and looks very tidy. I have some fake Ikea flowers in an Ikea vase for decoration, and my 'Tatty Teddy' sits on the other end, to fill some space. I have all my brushes on top. The purple cups are from Instore/Poundstretcher and one contains the eye brushes and one contains face brushes. The cup in the middle is from the range and contains my Real Techniques brushes (only 4 so far, but soon to expand), and also some cleaned mascara wands for eyebrow combs.

In the very first drawer, you can see that I have all of my lipglosses. This I have some MUA, Sheercover, A 'Cocktail Kiss' which I have hardly ever used, a mini Urban Decay one, and some others too.

The next drawer along holds all of my GOSH Soft 'n' Shine lip balms at the back (I have 8) and then at the front you see my 2 Anatomicals lip balm/glosses, and then a GOSH Lip Marker, and then my 3 Balm-Stain/chubby stick items, 2 MUA one Revlon - which is soon to grow too! By the end of this post, I think my makeup collection is destined to triple...

As you all most definitely know, I have an addiction of some sort to lipbalms. This isn't even all of my collection of lipbalms, but it is most of them. I have some staples in there like 2 Vaselines (the Rosy Lips one is further back) and also an SPF one, by UltraLip/UltraSun.

So,  this is my lipstick drawer. At the front I have my Sleek Pout Polish and an ELF lip colour, and 2 Rimmel lip liners. Then at the front row, I have my 5 Rimmel lipsticks which I love, and then you see some MUA, quite a few Avon, and some other brands like Natural Collection and Sally Hansen.

Here you can see that this drawer is the home to by cream and powder blushes, along with a Sleek Face Form somewhere, and a GOSH Giant Sun Powder, which I am not a fan of. But I have my favourites there, and I am really loving the creams when the weather is like it is at the moment. I also have a few of the MUA Powder blushes as they are just bargainous.

So onto one of the most full up drawers, the face products. In a little cardboard thing (from a simple moisturiser wrapped in paper haha), I have my concealers. I don't actually have that many, but my favourites are the Collection Lasting Perfection ones and a SheerCover duo I have. I also have my powders, and then some primers at the back but I rarely use them, because they are mostly silicone based and that doesn't work with my skin. I then have some other bits 'n' bobs at the back which aren't very well loved to be honest.

I'm a mascara hoarder. That's the best way I can explain this. I have 2 minis in the back, which are hard to see, so that gives me a grand total of 8 mascaras, why... I don't know. I can't help it. Even if I don't like one I still have it tucked away in this drawer - the worst thing is, I threw a couple away a few weeks back. I'm sorry. I shall not buy a new one until at least 2 have ran out.

Primers and liners. I have the Dainty Doll Frankie Girl eyeshadow base at the back, and then the MUA eye primer. The rest is a stash of liners, though I barely ever use them. Saying that, I do want to purchase some more of the MUA Extreme 3 in 1 contour liners, as they are really nice and are only £1.50 a pop.

 I once got sent a huge batch of eye serums and creams, and I have 4 of them in here, still waiting to be used more than just a small time for reviewing purposes. I also have a moisturiser there which I never use and also a mini Clarins facial SPF/Moisturiser to try.

Shadows. Mono's or duo's live in here. I have some favourites like my ELF 'Pebble' one, and my Rimmel ones, and an old friend which is a simple duo from NYC. I like to wear shadow most days, and this way I can see lots of them which allows me to try out more of them. I also really like the MUA ones which are bargainous at £1 each.

Miscellaneous (is that spelt right?!) drawer. Everyone needs one. I normally keep my H&M beauty blender dupe in here, but it was elsewhere when the picture was taken. I have cotton pads and Q-Tips and then some blotting sheets, nail files, and then some sharpeners for pencils. This drawer is a necessity - I always have these things lying around and now they are controlled and condensed into a drawer. 

The final drawer (at last!), contains all of my eye palettes and larger quads.I have the well loved Naked 2 palette on display there, and then my MUA dupe. I also have 2 SheerCover palettes which I love. I also have 2 GOSH quads in there somewhere and some random ones too. This is one of the drawers which I really love, as I love palettes, for a grab and go look. 

So, that is my makeup collection, and this post literally has taken me 3 days to write! So I will be back with my next post soon, and hopefully I won't keep you waiting for as long!

Bye, 

Lauren x

My large advertiser this month is www.thebestmakeupproducts.com if you are interested in advertising on this blog visit the Sponsor and Advertisers page on my blog.