Vanity: Glamour or Functionality?

When you think of the word vanity what comes to mind? Glamour? Makeup? Beauty? For many of us, when we think of a vanity we think of a princess-like woman sitting down in her bathrobe to do her hair and put on her make-up for hours upon hours. But, when it comes down to it, a vanity is also a place where the majority of us throw our jewelry that we take off at the end of the night into a pile where it all gets tangled up, and leave our makeup brushes scatter all over the place. This isn't Glamour! So.. I'm going to give you a little insight into how to make your vanity chic, yet functional so that instead of a war zone, it becomes a place of ease and organization.

So, first things first... We need to contain it all in one place. That's what trays are for! It's no surprise that trays are the new 'in' thing when it comes to interiors. It's the perfect place to store all your miscellaneous stuff. So, here are some tray ideas.. and then we'll discuss how to organize the stuff you are going to put on the tray.

 

Important: you must figure out what you use everyday, and what desperately needs a place to go. Top 3 for the majority of us: Jewelry, Make-up,  Cotton Balls & Q-Tips.

Jewelry can be a pain. It has a tendency to always get itself into a knot, and for one earring to simply leave the other without any notice. To fix this problem, finding an organization system that works for you is key. Since many of us (myself included) don't want to take the time to put earrings back into a rack, and put necklaces into a jewelry box.. maybe try something like this... It's easy, you still can just throw your stuff in there when you're done with it, but the multiple layers leave room to avoid tangles, and keep the loose jewelry enclosed. You can even organize it based on what you wear the most and put that stuff at the top.You can find these cool little trays at the Container Store, or sometimes even at TJ Maxx and Homegoods. Plates work great too! They come in all shapes, sizes and patterns, and still leave a place for you to put your jewels.

Make-up is another problem. So many brushes, lip sticks, various eyeliners, and multiple mascaras depending on how voluptuous you want your eyelashes that day. What are we supposed to do with all of this stuff we use almost every day? Having a place to put it that's easy is the key to vanity organization. CONTAINERS are our best friend when it comes to organizing your vanity. They come in all shapes and sizes based on how many brushes you deem necessary. Just like with the jewelry,  having a particular place to quickly throw your stuff into when you're battling that morning rush will make all the difference. Try some of these organizing tricks!

Cotton Balls & Q-tips are a girls best friend when it comes to make-up. Those times when you are sprinting around your house in the morning and mistakenly somehow get mascara all over your cheek, it's nothing a little makeup remover and a cotton ball can't fix! That's why it is necessary we have these two key items at hand, in a convenient place. Once again, having a container or jar for these is the way to go! As mentioned above, cheap jars and containers can be found at the Container Store or even Ikea. 

Well, now that we know how we're organizing our vanity, we obviously need to make it cute. Adding a few feminine flowers or a scented candle, and picking jars and containers that fit your style will make getting ready in the morning that much more enjoyable. Even though no one wants to get up and go to work on Monday morning, at least you know you will come home to a cute & organized dresser, rather than a tornado of earrings and makeup brushes. Best part is, this quick fix can be done for less than $15! 

Written by: Nicole Noonan