Product Storage: You've got 700 Hairsprays. Now What?

This last week has been a whirlwind. Not only did we list our house for sale, but we had 3 showings AND an open house within 30 hours of listing. As a product junkie, its an understatement to say that a few things had to be tidied up. But I wondered: How will I ever hide/display all of my endless beauty paraphernalia so people don’t walk out of the house wondering if a mad scientist lives here?

In my next few entries, I’ll share some cheap, cute, and/or creative solutions I came up with to make being a product junkie live-able AND conducive to selling a home:

To start, here is my home spa room on the lower level of the house, home to a zillion skin care products:Image

Baskets? Sure, they're cute... but not so creative OR cheap (typically). I needed lots of them in this case, and these little guys came CHEAP in packs of 4 or 5 from Ikea. If I did it again though, I might go with THESE which my mom loves for her office storage. I love how clean they look and IKEA has the best prices for the quality (2-packs in varying sizes for $6.99).

The silver metal case on the shelf is really the AWESOME find in this post. It's from a store called Harbor Freight Tools. Baskets from Ikea, and one of the Aluminum cases I got at Harbor Freight

Baskets from Ikea, and one of the Aluminum cases I got at Harbor Freight

Those who know me may think it’s weird for me to be randomly shopping in this dollar-store-version of a Home Depot, but I resent spending big bucks on utilitarian items. I look at it this way: the more I save here, the more I can spend on skincare and handbags. Right??

Anyway, this aluminum case is perfect to store and travel with makeup, paint/paintbrushes, skincare, and tools too -if you’re into that kind of thing!-  and comes with adjustable dividers and a shoulder strap. Style-wise, it could be a cousin of my expensive Sephora Brand Aluminum makeup kit. It doesn’t feel as high quality as others, but you just can’t beat the price- I actually bought 4! Harbor Freight also offers ‘20% off one item’ coupons, so if you’re stocking up, sign up for their mailing list.

This brings up a good point (if I do say so myself): when you’re looking for a solution, try to think outside the box, or at least try not to default to the most convenient solution.

Here's what I mean: in a casual google search just now, a metal 36" ruler at Dick Blick is $11.25. Then there's our friend Ace, who carries one for $4.49.Image

Of course, sometimes you get what you pay for, and there are always exceptions.

Many times, makeup and skin care supply/storage can often be found where you're not looking for it: in the kitchen section of a store or maybe the Dollar Spot at Target. You could even re-purpose that collection of fabulous boxes you accumulated when you were on that Louis Vuitton kick (oh, maybe that was just me) but you get the idea...IMG_1174

So the next time you're looking for a storage solution or a new supply, look around and see what you can re-purpose, and keep your eyes open for the less-likely solution. Getting creative may just make your life easier without spending all of your shopping money!