BBHQ May Task - Beauty Collection

This is my current updated collection. ***Warning, makeup overload ahead!!!***

Beauty Bloggers Headquarters task for this month is about our beauty collection. I have a ridiculous amount of beauty products but I'm sure you've seen bigger collection. I don't really like to show them off because quite honestly, I'm a little embarrassed. I didn't collect all these products overnight. I've accumulated them within the past 3 years and I have way more than what I need but the fact that I love playing with makeup, enjoy blogging, and doing reviews to help others, this had become a pretty serious (an expensive) hobby of mine. 99% of the makeup/products featured on my blog were purchased with my own money. A very small portion were gifted by family/friends or provided by the company for review purposes.

At least half of the products that I've purchased, I got during a sale, used coupons, purchased at discount stores, and looked out for clearance items. I won't be listing everything that I own. There's just way to much stuff. I'll let the pictures speak for itself. I guess the only time I make an exception and pay full price is if there's something unique about a product, if it is limited edition, it never goes on sale, or if I cannot find a cheaper alternative.


Where do you keep your collection?

• In a corner of my bedroom. Because I have such limited space, I stacked a lot of things on top of each other. 

What furniture or organizers do you use? (brand names and website links help)

• A small computer desk. My sister-in-law wanted to get rid of her old computer desk and I asked her if I could have it. I actually like it. It's not fancy but it's practical. I particularly like the glass and the keyboard slide also allows for more storage.
• A wall shelf, purchased at Target. It's inexpensive, easy to assemble, sturdy, can store a lot of stuff, and you can mount it just about anywhere.
• 3 drawer organizer. I believe I bought it from Target. It's been so long. It's made of metal so it's quite sturdy. There's a lot of room to store plenty of makeup.
• 3 tier baskets - TJ Maxx and Wal-Mart
• Pencil holders - office supply store. 
• Coffee mugs.
• lipstick holder - the Container Store.
• Plastic containers, plastic stackable organizers. Those can be found at just about any store and are fairly inexpensive. 
• Jewelry organizer - TJ Maxx, Marshalls. Those also come in handy for lipsticks and blushes. 
• Boxes...I save a lot of boxes from all shape and size and re-use them for organization. Anything from chocolate boxes, to jewelry boxes, perfume boxes, packaging boxes, shoe boxes, etc...Anything that I know can hold makeup or nail polishes I save. 

Here's a glance at how my desk looks (when it's clean, lol)

I purchased the red pencil holder at Office Depot (I think). This thing holds all of my lipglosses, lip pencils, and pencil lipsticks. It also rotates on its own.

The white plastic rotating organizer was purchased from Wal-Mart. It's not the best quality but never broke on me and I've had it for a few years. I store shorter items under there such as creams, powder, deluxe beauty samples, q-tips, cotton rounds.

Top basket: makeup remover, moisturizer, eye cream, facial serum, facial spray.
Middle basket: BB Creams, foundations, face primer
Bottom basket: Beauty samples

Top basket: liquid liners, pencil liners, glitter liners, eyeshadow pencils.
Middle basket: tweezers, small scissors, eyelash curlers, cuticle removers, top coat, base coats, nail polish thinner.
Bottom basket: nail file and buffer, nail clipper, cuticle pusher, box cutter, flash light.

This wall shelf holds: skincare, lotions, nail polish removers, soaps, disinfecting wipes, alcohol, eyeshadow palettes, and whatever else I can put on it.

This 3 drawer organizer holds: single eyeshadows, eyeshadow pigments, eyeshadow palettes, tissues, paper towels, and some random stuff.

Do you have a cataloging system? If so, can you share your secret?

• I wished I was this organized. My system is what I call "an organized mess" lol. It's all over the place and on top of each other but surprisingly I know where I put everything. 

Collection Overview (I'm only going to list the brand. I'm sure I'm forgetting some)

Skincare: Lancome, Boscia, Clarins, Origins, Mario Badescu, Lush, Missha, Aveeno, Raw Skincare, theBalm, Murad, Sephora

Foundation/Powder: Lancome, Too Faced, Missha, Revlon, Motives, Estee Lauder, Physicians Formula

Concealers: NYX, Murad, Hard Candy, Revlon

Blushes: MAC, Milani, NYX, ELF, Tarte, Philosophy, Femme Couture, Sephora + Pantone, Josie Maran, Physicians Formula, Sally Hansen

Bronzers/Highlighters: Tarte, Wet N Wild, NARS, Illamasqua, MAC, Physicians Formula, Philosophy, Josie Maran

Eyeliners/gel liners/pencil liners: Physicians Formula, Urban Decay, MAC, Make Up Forever, Stila, Rimmel, Prestige, Hard Candy, Cargo, Tarte, Kat Von D, Smashbox, Ulta, Sephora + Pantone

Eyeshadow pencils: NYX, Rimmel, Urban Decay, Sephora, Milani

Cream Eyeshadows: Estee Lauder, Benefit, Maybelline, MAC, Chanel, Illamasqua, Lush

Single eyeshadows: MAC, Milani, NYX, Wet N Wild, NARS, Essence, Urban Decay, Sephora, Revlon, Icing, Estee Lauder, Sugar Pill, Prestige, L'Oreal

Eyeshadow Pigments: MAC, ELF, Ulta, Pure Luxe

Eyeshadow palettes: Urban Decay, MAC, Bare Mineral, Lorac, ELF, Too Faced, theBalm, NYX, Wet N Wild, Coastal Scents, Kat Von D, Kroma Beauty, Estee Lauder, Essence, Profusion, CoverGirl, Philosophy, Inglot

Lipsticks: MAC, NARS, Revlon, Rimmel, Urban Decay, Milani, NYX, Boots No7, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Wet N Wild, Femme Couture, N.Y.C, H&M, Dior, Illamasqua, Estee Lauder, Motives, Guerlain, YSL, Shiseido, Missha, Kat Von D, Sonia Kashuk, Lancome, Napoleon Perdis, Make Up Forever, CoverGirl, Essence

Lipglosses: NYX, MAC, Philosophy, Revlon, Hourglass, Illamasqua, Wet N Wild, L'Oreal, Dots, Milani, Femme Couture, Josie Maran, Rimmel, Essence, Golden Rose, Lorac, Jordana

Lip Color/Stain: Chanel, Revlon, Hard Candy, Stila, NYX, Maybelline, Ulta

Nail polishes: OPI, China Glaze, Essie, Orly, Color Club, Finger Paints, Sinful Colors, ICING, Claire's, A England, Zoya, Barielle, MAC, Ulta, Milani, NYX, Deborah Lippmann, Butter London, Chanel, L'Oreal, Wet N Wild, Sally Hansen, Revlon, Pure Ice, Hard Candy, Illamasqua, CoverGirl, Anise, Borghese, Confetti, Essence, Kleancolor, Love&Beauty, Layla, Nicole by OPI, Spoiled, theBalm, Piggy Polish, Rue Beaute, Born Pretty Store, H&M, Bongo, Nails Inc, Nina Ultra Pro, Missha, Sephora by OPI, Savina


How do you keep it organized? By brand, color, type, etc.

• For the most part, my products are arranged by type first, and maybe brand if I have a lot of the same product of that particular brand. Nail polishes is a perfect example. I try to keep them all by brand and not by color. 
• Everything that is sitting on top of the desk are products I'm likely to use often so I try to keep them within reach that way I don't waste my time looking for them when I'm getting ready.

My hidden stash of nail polish. Oh yeah those are Christmas ornament organizer plastic containers and shoe boxes.

Do you have any special displays for your favorite items?

• I don't really have a specific place where I especially display my favorite products. However, because I have an insane amount of nail polishes, I use a nail polish rack to store my favorite nail polishes and I prefer to keep the rest hidden in boxes/containers.

When you get new items, where do they go?

• They are either lying at my desk or in a designated box. I try to put them somewhere I can see them so that I don't forget about them. 

For Fun, share your top 5 FAVORITE items in your beautiful collection :)

It's hard to pick only 5 products but for me a favorite is something I would never get tired of and something that is indispensable.

• MAC 217 blending brush. I cannot live without this brush. It's perfect for a flawless blending. 
• Sedona Lace 928 flat top face brush. Love the pink/black packaging. It's soft, affordable, and makes my face look flawless! 
• Urban Decay Primer Potion (original). I never knew what I was missing out until I tried this. 
• Physicians Formula Eye Booster Ultra Black. I've repurchased this liner over and over again. It's the best drugstore eyeliner. I love the fine brush tip, how easily the product flows, and the pigmentation. It's not waterproof but as long as you don't rub your eyes or cry, it will stay on all day. 
• The Balm Jovi face palette. I love a few palettes; however, this one would be my top choice if I had to only pick one. Reason is it's got the complete package and the quality to go with it.

And here's the rest of the pictures...There's so much makeup that I had to put them into collages. You may click on the picture if you wish to enlarge.

MAC and high-end lipsticks on left. On the right: MAC blushes, drugstore/random blushes, small eyeshadow palettes, drugstore lipsticks

I'm surprised at how much stuff I can store on the keyboard slide. 

This is everything (dissected) that goes on the keyboard slide. I have two trays that are stacked with a smaller tray within. 

Most of the stuff under my desk are nail polishes and nail related stuff. Some of my polishes have to be stored in cardboard/shoe boxes for now. 

Yep, had to use shoe boxes

Whew...**Faints**  I hope this post didn't hurt your eyes. Sorry, like I said, I wasn't kidding when I mentioned that my stuff are all over the place and on top of each other. If you have any questions, let me know.