What to Buy : Organizing Makeup

Whether you wear a lot or a little, you still need to figure out the best way to store it. Laying flat or standing up or in a box; there is no right way to do it – it is just a matter of figuring out what works best in the space that you have available. If you are looking to tackle your make-up at home, check out some of our top make-up organizing product picks to help you tackle the job in style.  

Happy Organizing!

Tiered Mirror Tray (Pottery Barn)

If you like to keep your makeup out and on display, this is a pretty option to make it a center piece of your space – the ultimate beautification station!

Alex Drawer Unit (Ikea)

If drawer space is at a premium, you can use countertop products like this white drawer unit which can hold and hide many of your essentials all the plain sight. 

Lori Greiner Deluxe Cosmetic Organizer (Amazon)

This deluxe cosmetic organizer has a compartment for just about everything so even the most sophisticated makeup gal will be able to contain her supplies. 

Luxe Acrylic Drawer Inserts (Container Store)

If you have drawer space to spare, these luxe acrylic drawer inserts are a beautiful way to keep things neat and tidy. 

Assorted Drawer Inserts (Amazon)

A more affordable but equally effective drawer insert option to sort and organize your makeup for an easy “get ready” routine. 

Space Saving Pods (Container Store)

If space is at a premium, these pods are amazing for storing items in cabinets and/or on walls. We even fashioned our own small beauty storage piece and blogged about it here. 

If you want to keep reading about makeup, here is our post on when to toss makeup and, if you are in the shopping mood, we wrote here about how to store big toys.

Ask the Expert: Insurance Broker

From buying homes to working with accountants and drafting wills and everything in between, adulting can be hard so we thought why not make it a little easier. This series taps into the knowledge of the professionals who help with all of these tasks to get their tips and advice on how to work with them most efficiently.

Monica Liang-Allen

Company: World Insurance Associates, LLC in New York City

Occupation: Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Professional

What do you do for your clients?

I help protect your business, home, employees and more through advisement and placement of different insurance products and coverage.

What should clients be prepared to discuss when they meet with you?

If they have current insurance, a copy of their policies would be great as I can then advise if they are properly protected through detailed review of the coverage and exclusions in their policies. If they are a new start-up business with no insurance at all, an initial phone call to gather information would be sufficient and then a follow-up appointment, if needed.

How can a client best organize themselves before the meeting to be most efficient with your time?

It really depends on the kind of business that it is and what industry they are in. Every business is different. Copies of their insurance policies (not Certificates) would be best.

And, for new business start-ups, I generally ask some very basic questions based off an intake/questionnaire that I have (read intake here). I don’t necessarily ask all of the questions in every meeting because some may not be relevant.

In terms of paperwork, what should they prepare before the meeting?

Just copies of current insurance policies, financial statements (P&L and Balance Sheet), copies of sample contracts they have with their clients. For homeowners, copies of their homeowners/umbrella/auto and valuables policies would be great as a starting point.

Tips for Organized Travel with Kids : The Carry-on

Source: Mercer & Green / Photo by Mia McDonald

We have shared our tips for organized travels with kids in the past and now we are sharing our tips for organizing your kid’s carry-on bag. Once they are old enough, you can task them with the “heavy lifting” and make sure it is not just beanie babies and lollipops that make it in the backpack. 

Happy Organized Travels! 

Carry-on for Kids

Once you little traveler is old enough to bring their own bag, work with them to pack their own carry-on that is full of tricks to make the whole experience go much smoother. 

• Pack a full change of clothes, a swimsuit, sunhat and sunscreen just in case your luggage is lost and you still want to hit the beach before it arrives. 

• Outside of the toys that you know will be a hit on the plane, try packing a few new surprises to keep your child entertained. We really love magnetic games like the ones from The Purple Cow (so pieces can’t be lost) and new marker sets and pads of papers so you have supplies for the duration of the trip. 

• We all know that snacks are key to keeping children entertained but outside of the normal healthy items you typically give them, try having a few “forbidden” items in case you need reinforcements. 

• As an alternate to iPads and other screen devices, we pack headphones and audible books on CDs for older children to help keep them entertained during the flight or even on the beach if they are tired of playing in the sand.

Carry-on for Baby + Me

Here are a few tips if you are sharing a carry-on with your littlest one. 

• Along with all of the baby essentials – wipes, blankets, bottles, diapers, etc., pack an extra change of clothes, a pair of leggings in case of a cold plane, sanitizing wipes for the arm rests and tray table as well as some Infant/Children’s Tylenol. You don’t want to get stuck without medication should a fever come up suddenly. 

• For mom, bring an extra top in case of a spill, a swimsuit and cover-up so you can hit the beach immediately, clothing for a day should your luggage yet lost, any important electronic chargers and extra batteries for any devices you are carrying that may need them. 

For more travel advice when traveling with kids, check out our other post here and read our tips for Sara of Mercer & Green here.

Tips for Getting Organized (Part Two)

We have posted general tips for getting organized before and we will probably post about it again because who can't use a little help every once in a while? So...without further ado, here are some additional tips and tricks on simple ways to get yourself organized around the home. 

Command Center: Create a command center to house all of the paper and mail that comes into the home. At this stations, set up files for each member of the family so that you can house all of their important documents. (Click here for more information on paperwork management.)

Greetings & Salutations: Create a file with cards for all occasions so you are never caught empty handed again. I am a self-professed paper junkie so you may not need as many cards as I have at home but I do recommend buying cards when you see them and not just shopping when there is an immediate need. That way you aren’t in a bind next time an occasion comes up. 

Wrap it Up: Stop stressing about the never-ending cycle of gift purchasing and wrapping for birthdays by buying one fun gender neutral paper and then two colorful grosgrain ribbon options to jazz it up. Then use this paper throughout the year for birthdays and any other occasions that come up to eliminate some stress. We love using wrapping paper with stripes or geometric prints like this one or this one but any pattern will do! 

Go Bags: Always be prepared by having a couple of small toiletry bags packed with your essentials to pop into your purse, car glove compartment or gym bag as needed.  We like to include gum, extra hair ties, hand cream, a small mirror, lipstick or chapstick in our bag and bandaids for breaking in those new shoes, but you can really fill them with anything that you need regularly. And, if you have kids, check out our article on how to create one especially for them. 

What tricks do you have for staying organized?

If you are looking for more general tips on getting organized, please check out our other post here.  

Prepping Your New Home for Moving Day

One of our clients is moving into their new apartment this week and we all know that moving makes for stressful times. However, even after all of your bags are packed, there are a few things you should consider doing in your new home before the big move. Check out this list of items that may not be at the top of the list but should be! 

Pantry Prep: Clean your cabinets and pantry space and consider lining the shelves - particularly in pantry areas - to make cleaning up messes easy. You can use either paper or plastic liners - we like non-adhesive liners such as Plast-O-Mat Ribbed Shelf Liner and Con-Tact Premier Non-adhesive Shelf Liner.

Deep Cleaning: Consider doing a deep clean in your new home before the move. Unadorned and unfurnished rooms are a luxury that you only get once so take advantage of it either by cleaning yourself or hiring professionals. Additionally, this deep clean process should include any of the household appliances that aren’t being replaced.

• Dishwasher: Here (via ApartmentTherapy) is information on how to deep clean your dishwasher.
• Washer & Dryer: Click here (via ApartmentTherapy) for tips on how to maintain both machines.
• Oven: Follow these directions (via ApartmentTherapy) to clean your oven without harsh chemicals.

Clearing the Air: Literally clear the air in your new home by getting the ducts cleaned and changing out all of the filters in the house including the vent filter above the stove and the air filters in the heating/air conditioning. It is even worth it to check out the dryer vent to ensure it isn’t clogged. Lastly, if you have fireplaces, get the chimney cleaned so you are free and clear to enjoy fires in the upcoming fall/winter season. 

Privacy Please: By no means do you need to buy curtains for every room of your home before you move but it is important to remember that you may want some privacy for your first night in your new home. To that end, it is a good idea to source window treatments for some key rooms - even a tension rod and some fabric will do - to help guarantee that you can function in your home and get a good nights sleep without the feeling of being on display. 

Keep it Handy: Set up an appointment a week or so after move-in with a local handyman (consider finding someone via Thumbtack or TaskRabbit if they operate in your local area) to hang pictures, shelves or make small repairs. This will help inspire you to unpack a little faster and will ensure that small tasks that pop up get taken care of sooner rather than later. 

Do you have any other tips to share regarding prepping your home for move-in day?