Bathroom Zen: 7 Ways to Declutter Your Vanity & Bathroom Counter by Barbara Brock

Have your number of lotions, perfumes, cosmetics taken over your vanity or bathroom counter? The quantity of products on display are in the eye of the beholder, amount of space, how many users, eye appeal and lack of knowledge of "how to edit." Too many items do clutter the brain and you get confused, so I do suggest limiting cosmetics to what you use. Here are some tips for organizing your vanity and bathroom counter:

• Separate Products By Categories: Skin-care products, cosmetics and perfumes. I organize by individual cosmetic items. Each category including makeup brushes, eyeshadows, blushes, foundation and moisturizer have their own container. Grouping eyeshadows by color makes for less confusion and you can see what you have and don’t have.

• No Mixing of His and Hers: Just as two people should have separate closets or designated spaces.

• Clean It Up: Keeping a clean counter speaks to the soul and is calming. While cleaning, wipe the bottles and jars.

• Use Organizing Containers: Put all cosmetics into some type of makeup organizer, container or makeup tray. Fit the container to the item. I suggest using anything tall like tall silver cups, bud vases or even pencil cups.

• Avoid Items That Don’t Belong: Dirt, scattered items, coffee cups (or other drinking glasses) all make this beauty and personal care area look cluttered. Be sure to remove these items daily.

• Freshen Up Look of Vanity: My No. 1 rule is to clean the counter. Have a photograph of a loved one in a frame who makes you smile. Bring in fragrant flowers.

• Best Way to Declutter: Edit your existing makeup. Separate cosmetics in like kind. Remove “older products,” “very little left” products and “too many of the same kind of products.” Set out all of your container items. Replace the edited cosmetic items into containers. Doing this twice a year will improve your mood.

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