When I started really, really getting into makeup a few years back - I soon realised that much better, bigger storage than my makeup bag was needed and quickly invested in some clear acrylic drawers from good ol' Muji. At the time, this was the much-hyped-about way of storing your 'bigger than average, but not mahoosive' makeup collection and up until recently, worked perfectly well for me. It housed the entirety of my makeup collection (aside from things like eyeliners and lipliners which I keep in a little pen pot) and I really liked it. I still do really like it, but in the past few months I've come to the realisation that I kinda need something a tad more on the large side of things. I still wanted to use my Muji storage stack to hold the main amount of my makeup, but I needed something to house the what I deem the 'leftovers'. The things I use less frequently, or aren't using right now, the backups and the new products that need to be 'Tried and Tested'. I also fancied perhaps finding something which could perhaps hold the rest of (or at least some of) my general beauty bumf too - skincare, haircare, bodycare, nails - you get the gist. I really liked the idea of having a piece of furniture which could put the majority of my stash in one place, as opposed to having things here, there and everywhere. That's when I remembered the IKEA Alex 9 Drawers. These are iconic in the online beauty community for being 'The One' to go for when wanting to house a heck of a lot of beauty-based stuff, in one place, without taking up too much room. I'd wondered about them in the past but it was only recently that I felt investing in them would be justified. All in all, I've got a fair share of stuff, my collection over time only seems to be growing and I can visualise the IKEA Alex as being the kind of thing which would see me through. So, eventually, a purchase was made and now that it's all fully assembled and organised (or at least as organised as it can be for now) here's my little tour of it all...
In the very top drawer, I have allocated space for MAKEUP. I have a lot of makeup - and I mean a lot of it. And as I mentioned earlier, it had gotten to the point where I needed to differentiate between my 'everyday' items and my 'leftovers' which I was not using as regularly - whether it be due to the season/time of year or simply switching things up - and also for the new-in pieces that I'm testing out. So that's exactly what I did! In the very first of the five smaller drawers I now hold all of my 'leftover' makeup. I bought a set of each of the Periea 3 Frosted Plastic Drawer Dividers - one in the Small, one in the Medium and one in the Large - and I am so happy I did as they are perfect for organising and dividing up the drawers - especially the ones holding smaller bits 'n' bobs like makeup. In his first drawer I have two of the smaller ones at the back - one for 'Base' products, one for 'Eyes' - and a large one at the front containing all my lesser-used 'Lip' Products.
Moving onto the second drawer down - this contains all my PALETTES. Once again, it's the same principle - everything in here is lesser-used, at least right now. Much like the above drawer, I have divided it up into three categories - a small container for my 'Base' Palettes, a medium one for my 'Finishing' Palettes (contour and highlight palettes for example) and a large one at the back for my Eyeshadow Palettes. Of course, the eye section is the most filled-up, as I have a bit of an obsession with eyeshadow palettes (who doesn't?) and I'm sure over time, if I invest in some of the classic large palettes, I will re-organise this drawer (or maybe have to extend it to the next one, who knows...)
Lastly for everything makeup-wise, the third drawer down is currently assigned to all the 'NEW-IN' ITEMS which are - you guessed it - new additions to my stash and I am currently testing out - or wanting to - and most likely going to blog about too in the very near future. I also think I will be using this drawer to store my 'BACK-UPS' which are ready and waiting to spring into action when my current version is all used up. Currently, there's not much in this drawer at all - but you know that it won't stay that way for long...
Next up, we have the fourth drawer down which I have allocated to LASHES. Seeing how a few years back, I was rather terrified of the whole false lashes thang and could never even picture myself wearing (let along applying) a set on myself, nowadays I have quite the collection and actually rather enjoy rocking a pair on a night out or special occasion. Yes, I may still not be great at putting them on, but still. When I first started filling up this drawer, I quickly realised how I am a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to my lashes. Of all the brands, Eylure is definitely my favourite. I love the Cheryl 'Girls Night Out' Lashes - so much so I have two sets - and also the Fleur De Force Lashes in general is just all kinds of awesome. I basically have every style she has released - kinda obsessed. Other than that, the Ardell Demi Wispies Lashes are really, really great (again, I have two pairs of them currently in my stash) and also a set from Tanya Burr Cosmetics which I tried out ages ago and are actually rather good considering the bargainous price.
Finally, for the smaller drawers, I have my NAILS section. I love all things nails (and not just because I am a trained Nail Tech) and while I have my actual nail polish collection in my bedroom (which you find various posts on here) I was very eager to have a drawer dedicated to my other bits 'n' bobs which are more the tools that are behind it all. So inside here I again have one of the same drawer dividers that I mentioned earlier - mainly to ensure there are no accidental spillages/leakages from the products inside. To the right of that, I have my two Manicure and Pedicure tool sets that I picked up from Primark earlier this year and then right at the very back I have an old French Manicure set which I like to keep just incase I fancy going for a classic look on my nails and also some old, old False Nails and Nail Wraps - again from Primark - that I bought years ago and don't really reach for, but like to hang onto just incase. Cause isn't that just what we all tend to do? #HoardersForLife.
Moving onto the larger drawers in this cabinet and first up is the BATH AND BODY drawer and I have to say that this is probably one of my favourites - doesn't it just look so visually appealing? I wanted to use this drawer to store all of the unopened products which I will be making a beeline for as soon as I am in need of a replacement. At the front I have used an old cardboard box from a gift set I had to store some of the smaller items and then surrounding that I have my larger products which are yet to be opened (or possibly are opened, but are not really at risk of leaking everywhere). Then, at the very back, I have another drawer divider holding some more smaller items like hand creams and miniature body creams and also a couple of larger ones too. Of course, there's the usual brand in here like Zoella Beauty, Soap and Glory and also a couple of Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Lotions too.
Following on from that, I have my HAIRCARE section which is looking rather empty at the moment to be honest. The most of my hair 'stuff' still resides at the top of my wardrobe because I like to have it on hand and again - because the majority of it is opened and I just don't wanna risk making a hell of a mess - yanno? But nevertheless, I have got some proper goodies in there - including some hair masks (like my BLEACH London Reincarnation Mask which I love), a root touch-up which I like to keep on hand for if/when I need it and a few minis that I've received as part of Christmas gift sets over the past couple of years. It's a small stash, but at least I've got plenty of space for if I need it at some point!
Then, for the second-to-last drawer - it's kinda a bit of a MISH-MASH DRAWER. The first contains a big cosmetics bag which itself holds a whole host of other cosmetic bags. You still with me? They all used to be scattered around various places in my bedroom, but I thought it'd make much more sense to have them gathered together and what better way than in one of these drawers, eh? I also keep the remaining of the infamous drawer dividers that I keep bangin' on about. And, last but certainly by no means least - in the very bottom drawer I have my EMPTIES. Like I've said at the very start of this post, I wanted to utilise this storage space not only for all my current products and all of my new-in things, I also really wanted a space wholly allocated for everything that I've finished to the very last drop and am keeping, ready and waiting till the next Empties post rolls round. Cause that's what you do when you're a blogger...
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