4 Non-Stressful Tips to Organize Your Beauty Products

Sheena Yaitanes, the founder of Kosas, shares her laidback method for controlling the chaos (no prior Kondo experience required).

When it comes to organizing, everyone has a system — or lack thereof. Sheena Yaitanes, the founder of the Los Angeles-based clean makeup brand Kosas, is surrounded by palettes and stacks of products all day. Her 1920s-era home doubles as her workspace, testing lab and sometimes warehouse. “It’s filled with beauty products of all kinds that are in various stages of development,” she says. “There is makeup everywhere, even the kitchen counters!”

To stay organized (and sane) at home, Yaitanes — who doesn’t consider herself a naturally neat person — has come up with a system to sort her personal beauty products so she can find exactly what she needs to get ready in the mornings or fly out the door for meetings. As she reveals, her method is actually quite simple and calming but not at all Kondo-level. Ultimately her organizing style is an extension of her own personality, which ensures she’ll stick to it. Here, Yaitanes shares four tips that might bring a sense of (low-key) order to your life, too.

Keep things hidden, but accessible, in drawers.

“I have a vanity in my closet, and I keep everything there. It’s not much, because I only use Kosas products, and I’m always missing things because people like to come in there and take what they need! I keep my Tinted Face Oil on a tray on top of my vanity and the rest of my makeup in one small drawer. Drawers are the answer, whenever possible. Anything that is kept in the back of a cabinet is instantly forgotten. So: I organize things by drawer.”   

Put your everyday products on a pretty tray.

“I keep a few of my favorite skincare items, like toning sprays, essences, and face oils, on a tray in my bathroom because they feel like potions, and then it’s much easier to use the one I’m in the mood for.”   

Get creative with unexpected solutions.

“I use real paint brushes as makeup brushes. And tiny Tupperware containers to hold hair ties.”

Apply your system to other areas of your life.

“I strongly believe in the power of organization and controlled chaos, so I create a lot of systems and routines around myself. I keep a strict calendar for both my work and home lives, and I work playtime into that. It takes a lot of effort, but it makes me feel like I am really living on this earth.”

What other beauty organizing tips do you have? Leave us a comment: We’d love to hear!