Do you ever watch a commercial for a skincare product where the gorgeous model serenely applies lotion to her face in a spotless bathroom? Yeah. . .my life is nothing like that and I’m willing to bet yours isn’t either. Instead of calmly spreading cream on my face, I spend my mornings running around, smoothie in hand, trying to wrestle three toddlers into their carseats. If I’m lucky I get to put on chapstick before I leave the house.
As a professional organizer, I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out a way to simplify my morning and evening skin care routines while staying organized. I’ve bought different dividers and separators for my many lotions, creams and makeup—none of which have completely solved my problem. Although these products do help a little, it was still too hard to keep my bathroom neat if I were ever rushing through my morning. If I misplaced my mascara one morning, I would waste time the next day searching for it.
Finally, I stumbled upon a product that actually works—caddies!
These little marvels of organization have allowed me to easily separate my morning routine products from my evening routine products. When it comes time to get ready for the day, I simply pull out my caddy, set it on the counter, and the rest flows naturally. I label each caddie so I don't even need to think about which one to grab. As a bonus, the caddies are clear, so I find that it's almost impossible to make a disorganized mess of my makeup or creams. As long as I throw an item back in the caddy, it will be easy to find the next day.
If you don't have a deep drawer like I do, you should be able to put your caddies under the sink. Some rearranging may be necessary, but totally worth it!
All of my products are sorted into five categories:
1. Products I use every morning
2. Products I use every evening
3. Makeup I use occasionally, like for a big night out
4. A backstock of extra lotions, makeup remover, sunscreen, etc.
5. Oral care e.g. whiteners, extra floss, mouthwash, toothpaste.
These categories work perfectly for me. I don't like to have a ton of backstock because I feel like it's more clutter than convenient. You may need to try a variety of categories that work best for you. Don't try to squeeze in too many items. This is meant to transform your routine from overwhelming to doable. If you don't use a product daily or weekly, move it to backstock or another drawer altogether.
I also love that, thanks to these caddies, I can now take a quick glance to see if I've used everything. No more accidentally forgetting the deodorant or skipping mascara. I’m even reminded to use that eye cream that somehow continued to get pushed to the back of the drawer. Want to take it up a notch? If you use the same item for morning and evening (I don't, but maybe you use lip balm all day, everyday) go ahead and invest in a second one. This way, there will be no need to move items between caddies—everything you need will be in one place. Plus you’ll have to replace the product less frequently.
Ready to get your routine organized? Here are the exact caddies I used. I think they are a great size, but you can see links to a couple other alternatives I've found here. If you do choose to buy through these links, you can feel good about knowing you’ve supported a small business, and your favorite professional organizer :).
I would love to hear from you if you decide to try this method! Feel free to DM me on Instagram@eversoorganizedor FacebookEver So Organized. I've used these caddies for a couple months now, but I’ve loved them from day one.
