The Beauty Cabinet

I used to be one of those girls with mountains of beauty paraphernalia. I wasn't/am not high maintenance. I just felt the need to have a plethora of products. Plus, it's all of those little lotions/perfumes/body sprays/etc. that you always acquire as gifts. Once during a move in college, I packed two 30 gallon rubbermaid totes and a liquor box full of beauty loot. Ridiculous, huh?

I had about 30 bottles of perfume, two extra bags of make-up, about 5 face washes and 15 other face routine products. I also had about 30 bottles/containers/tubes of hair products, about 3 extra sets of shampoo and conditioner, and 5 sticks of deodorant. I was deathly afraid of running out of deodorant in college. I often walked a couple miles a day with a thirty pound backpack in a) the sweltering southern heat and humidity, or b) the sub zero temperature wearing a large parka that caused the mid section to, um, sparkle profusely. Yes, a girl had to have a stock pile of deo. I also guesstimate about 20 miscellaneous items.

On top of this I had about 10 curling irons/straighteners, and 4 sets of hot rollers/curlers. This in addition to my 2 blowdryers (and I hate blowdryers!), set of velcro curlers, and about a dozen brushes/combs/picks. I also had a container of hair thingys (rubberbands, headbands, clips, bobby pins, etc) that I had already dwindled.

All of the above doesn't include the necessities such as toothpaste, mouthwash, contact lens solutions, and about 5 toothbrushes (hey, I have a thing for clean teeth!), and several extra q-tips, cotton balls, sponges, etc.

Again, not high maintenance, just (apparently) always prepared. I always wanted to try new stuff and often switched out my shampoo and conditioner because I'd get bored. Besides, I just didn't go buy all of this stuff one day. Most of it were those gifty items that emerge around Christmas, and consequently, my birthday. And, I'd been collecting since I was about13.

However, a couple of years ago, I changed my "keep-ten-of-everything-on-hand" ways. I finally put all of my beauty booty together and further organized (because we are talking about ME here, so it was already organized!) it to be, better than the shelves at Target. I had more than I could need or use. I pulled out the everyday products and put them easily accessible in my bathroom and on my vanity. The others I stored categorically in the cabinets. And, (gasp!) I quit buying! I bought only necessities as the old ones ran out, but otherwise shopped from my personal store beneath the bathroom sink.

Talk about saving money. I didn't buy products for a year!

When J and I moved into our house, I again took inventory. This time I decided it was time to dismiss many of the extras that I hadn't used [since I was thirteen] in awhile. I narrowed down to one blowdryer (since I've gotten better at not dropping them in the toilet), two curling irons, and only a few varieties of brushes, etc.

I also tossed makeup that mostly likely should have been tossed when I got a driver's license. I also organized the leftovers and kept extras separate, and I'm still using them, thanks to all the freebies from Clinique. I still have a back-up box that I can mostly likely dispose of since I'm not longer in college and don't need all possibilities on hand for the next themed mixer/date party/event.

I put all the travel sized items in categories in an extra drawer to be used as needed (which I've been going through at rapid speed, refer to my last few weekends of postings!). I also made a basket of goodies and necessities to keep in our guest bath for guests' use. Furthermore, I packed up all the goodies that had plenty of use left in them, just not for me (hair products that didn't work, perfume that I was over or never liked, etc) and passed them along to friends who could.

I'm proud to say that I'm down to just one bathroom with well organized and everyday goodies in little baskets and it's all stuff that I use. I still have a container of extra items that I pull from, and a drawer of travel sized goodies, but that are being used.

Now, you might be wondering why I spent a whole post talking about my beauty products. It actually hasn't nothing to do with my actually caring about the products. It's all about the neatness and organization! Everyone knows I get a high off of cleaning and organizing. This was such a fun project. [Proceed to laugh, point, and make fun now!]

Although I've always been orderly, neat, and organized, I've decided that I no longer need a stockpile of beauty items. Now, I also completely use items before moving onto new stuff. I'm proud to say I've still not had to buy many products!

Now that I'm did a beauty product makeover on myself, I suppose it's time to move to Ta's bathroom and do the same!