Makeup Collection, Storage & Organization

Today I thought I'd share my makeup collection and how I store all of it! I have a fairly good size collection, but it's not all for me. I freelance a little bit and do makeup for a few weddings and proms each year. I mean, I use most of it on myself, but the freelancing helps justify my addiction love for makeup :) On an everyday basis I just wear a BB cream, concealer, bronzer/blush, mascara, eyebrows, and lips. But, on a rare occasion (like a weekend) that I have time to play, I'll sit at my vanity and take a bunch of products out and go to town! Also - disclaimer, this is a collection over a span of the last 3-4 years. I've been trying to use up a lot of it lately and only buy what I'm running out of.. #operationpurgeALLthethings! That being said, come on in!

This is the view of my bathroom from the door.. 

I keep all my makeup in the middle vanity area. The long drawer above my seat, the small drawer to the right and the big mirrored cupboard in the middle. 

I keep my small mirror and my brushes on the counter top. I used to keep a LOT more there but in my effort to live a less cluttered life, I moved everything else into the drawers and cupboards. I'm loving it! It's much easier to wipe my counter tops every day and it only takes a few seconds to take things out and put them away when I'm done with it. The brush holders I picked up from my local dollar store and please excuse my dirty brushes.. they'll be getting a nice deep cleaning soon!

Then in the small drawer to the right of my seat, I keep smaller eyeshadow palettes. I've got some Kat Von D, Too Faced, Tarte, Anastasia Beverly Hills.. eyeshadow is my weakness, and this isn't all of it. :) 

The long drawer above my seat holds my primers, concealer, face powders, bronzer, blush, single eyeshadows, eyebrow products, highlighters, eyeliners, annnnd mascaras. Oofta- that was more than I thought it held! Ha! I'm in this drawer every day, for sure. 

The cupboard in the middle holds my lip products, foundations, a few blushes, face powders and large eyeshadow/face palettes. 

I organize my larger eyeshadow palettes with letter/mail organizers. It's really nice because they're all separated and I can see everything. The way I stored them before, they were all just sitting on top of each other and it wasn't allowing me to use a palette I hadn't used in awhile.. I just used the same thing all the time because it was on top! This is way better for my larger collection. 

The middle shelf holds bigger blushes/highlighters/face powders that don't fit in my other drawer, some extra concealers, highlighters, and then my foundations and facial sprays. A lot of this is mainly used in my kit for weddings but I just keep it all here for now.

Last but not least, the bottom shelf holds my lip products! I know it's a lot.. But I have to have quite a variety for all my brides, bridesmaids, and prom attendees! They're slightly organized by color, type and finish. 

That's it! I was recently thinking of separating out the makeup I use ONLY in my kit (darker shades, things that aren't fit for my skin type, etc.) and keeping my every day makeup in my bathroom. I'm undecided.. the thought recently came to me when I got hit with my organization bug. We'll see! I'll keep ya posted. :) I hope you enjoyed seeing my makeup collection, storage and organization. If you have any questions on a product you might have seen (do I like it, what is it, etc.) - just leave a comment below! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!! TGIF. I caught a nasty cold this week but I think I'm on the upside. Good way to start off the weekend!

Let's get into some favorites...

I got these slippers for Christmas and have worn them every. day. since then. They're so comfy and cozy! Definitely a favorite for sure. There's very limited sizes available in this color but if you're interested, they're here.

Shortly after Christmas, this jacket was on sale.. and it looked so comfy, I had to buy it. Do we see a pattern here? I enjoy being comfy. :) And actually, it's still on sale! Grab it while it's hot!

My next favorite might be my MOST favorite.  I'm obsessed. Little backstory - I have extremely oily skin. I mean, if I use a really moisturizing product, I'll need to blot/powder my face within an hour or less.  On an everyday basis, I typically like to just wear a BB cream or tinted moisturizer. Enter Covergirl clean matte BB cream. It keeps me matte for about 5 hours before I'm too shiny and need to blot! If you're oily, you NEED to check this product out! I'd say it's light-medium coverage. Bonus: it's only 5-7 dollars at Target or your local drugstore!

Next up, my beloved dishwasher.. You know you're a real adult when you get excited about a new dishwasher! #amiright? I used to basically handwash all our dishes before putting them in our old dishwasher - that's how bad of a job it did. It wasn't even worth it to put the dishes in there! So we set out on a hunt and I LOVE what we ended up getting! It's a KitchenAid, it has a bunch of fancy features, I can't even name them all. Just know that it washes the dishes very well :) That's the whole point, right!? This one here is similar, but maybe not the exact same? I'm not sure - we went through a local seller in our town and the price was definitely different. But if you're interested, check out KitchenAid for sure!!

Well, that's about it! I hope you have a great weekend - I believe I'll have a post up on Monday either about our weekend OR my makeup collection/storage so make sure to check back! 

What's Up Wednesday

This is my first link-up! Let's get started..

1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:

I like to plan our meals two weeks in advance so here's a little peak at what we have going on this week... It's usually easy things I can put together without too much effort. I'm no chef. :) 

2. WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

This past weekend when my maternal grandmother turned 99 years old! NINETY... NINE... That's a lot of years. And I tell you what, if I make it to 99, I hope I'm HALF as positive as she is. She fell about a week before her birthday and she still just says 'it could be worse'. And she says she wants to make it to 100! What a woman. 

This is her and I at my wedding in 2015. She still kisses my cheek each time I visit her. :)

3: WHAT I'M LOVING:

I am loving all the warm weather we've been having lately! We live in Minnesota and it's been in the mid 30's the past couple of weeks. That may sound cold to some but when the temperatures fell into the -30 range in December, 35 feels tropical!!

4: WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO:

My husband Randy joined the volunteer fire department in our town and their training requires 180 hours in a classroom.. so he's doing that usually 3 times a week for a few hours at a time. And while he's there, I'm usually at home organizing ALL THE THINGS. I got hit with a major 'purge everything I don't need' bug when the new year struck! I'm enjoying the process a lot. Like probably more than I should enjoy something like that. I love having a de-cluttered space to live and work in; it just allows my mind to think freely! #nerdstatus 

5: WHAT I’M DREADING:

There's a real possibility I may need to have one of my teeth pulled.. I've previously had TWO root canals performed on said tooth. Let's just say, the darn tooth doesn't want to let it go. :( I really really really hope I do NOT have to have it pulled because a) pain and b) that's expensive. But if I do, I'm dreading it already.

This is me:

6: WHAT I’M WORKING ON:

Like I said before, cleaning and organizing and purging all the things in my house. We've already donated about 6 or 7 bags of clothes and miscellaneous items. I think we've thrown out equal amounts of bags. Yikes!

7: WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT:

Our brand spanking new, FREE, vacuum!!! Story time.. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to start researching new vacuums. The one we had was just not cutting it and was a huge pain to drag around. I found one I liked, HERE. It's cordless, small, converts to a handheld; all good things! So I went ahead and ordered it (on sale) and chose to pick it up in the store since I'd be headed that way in a couple of days. I picked it up, brought it home, used it EVERY day since then. But after a few days of use, I realized that Target never charged my debit card for the purchase. So, trying to be a good person, I called them and made them aware of the issue. They told me I'd have to bring the item back to the store so they could charge my card. Well, Target is not exactly two blocks down the street for me. It's a good 40-45 minute drive. I asked if they could do anything for me over the phone, the lady told me to hang on while she checked. I waited and when she came back, here's what she said... "You can just keep it and we won't charge you". WHAT????!?!!!!? A few hundred dollars in my pocket and a brand new vacuum?? Make my freaking day!!!! And seriously - I love this vacuum. I can cart it anywhere and it's just so easy to use! I don't think I have the exact one pictured below, but it's close. 

8: WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING:

I just finished re-watching One Tree Hill. Now I'm alternating between re-watching Gossip Girl and Friends. I've already seen all 3 of those series more than a few times... What can I say? I'm a creature of habit. I know what I like so I stick with it. :) 

9: WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:

Right now, Gossip Girl. :) Chuck is... well, Chuck. And also, dreamy. #sigh

10: WHAT I’M WEARING:

My new Northface jacket that will definitely be mentioned in my Friday Favorites, jeans, and slippers.. And I'm just now asking myself why I still have jeans on. I've been home for a couple hours now. I need to get my priorities straight and whip out my pajama pants!

11: WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND:

Friday night we have a 'winter warm-up' to attend. It's put on by our local American Legion and you basically go and try a whole bunch of different wines and beers. I personally don't drink (not pregnant, just don't enjoy it), but I like to go and enjoy mingling with everyone! Saturday should be pretty low-key. Randy has fire training all day so I'll probably be (you guessed it) organizing and cleaning the house. We'll likely go to Saturday night mass and we have nothing on the agenda for Sunday! Whoo! 

12. WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

I'm headed on a vacation next month, whoot whoot! But I'm also bummed because Randy can't join me due to fire training. Boooo! Oh well, there will be other times.

13. WHAT ELSE IS NEW:

Ummm, we got a new dishwasher last month? It may also make its way into the Friday Favorites post... It's that good.

BONUS QUESTION - WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE BACHELOR?

I'd have to go with... Sean Lowe. He just had all his priorities straight and was so sweet and considerate to all the ladies. I also read his book in one sitting if that tells you anything. I'd highly recommend it if you're into the Bachelor; he gives some interesting viewpoints about what all goes down on those shows!

Whoo! We made it! I can't wait for next month. :) 

Why a blog?

I've always loved writing. I enjoy the typing, the words, the grammar and all that comes with it. I was always that annoying girl correcting peoples' spelling and grammar. :) So when I first had this idea to start a blog, it seemed like a good fit. I made Youtube videos awhile ago but it didn't stick. And for the longest time, I've needed that creative outlet but I didn't know where to go to let it out. I think I've found it! The content on my blog will be a lot about my life and thoughts with a little beauty mixed in; at least that's the plan I have for now. I'm not saying my posts will always be perfect or interesting, but this is where I'd like to let my thoughts out and also document my life for the future. I'll never have THIS day again and I know that one day I'll look back and forget it all. At least with this blog, I'll remember pieces. Welcome to my life!