Forget the dressing table, DIY instead.

I was saving up for a dressing table but instead I have just saved myself £££'s and a whole lot of space. I spent nothing on my new setup as I already had everything. A little bit of drilling and a few screws here and there and voila.

I was inspired by my mother-in-law who turned her TV unit into a dressing table which looks amazing, and now maybe I can inspire you.

Meet my new makeup station!

I used a vintage mirror that I got from a Charity shop years ago which is made from frosted and textured glass.

I used a cream wooden shelf from Ikea, here's how it fits in with the room.

I used some fairy lights from Paperchase for some jazzing.

I have the majority of my makeup on this shelf and some bits that I don't use are inside my bedside table.

The wicker pots are from Ikea, the big one holds all of my lipsticks and the small one has my pigments. I have put my brushes in a pen holder from Paperchase, and my favourite lipglosses are in a acrylic pot.

My face products along with some everyday items are in the basket and the paper suitcase holds even more makeup.

I have been saved, I can now put my bar chair underneath and sit down and relax whilst I put my makeup on. Perfect.

What other DIY options do you have for a dressing table / vanity area?

Earrings and Bangle Storage!

After showing you how I store my necklaces in my 'How to make the most of your closet space' post, many of you asked how and where I store the rest of my jewellery.

Here's how!


I have the Aspelund chest of drawers from Ikea which is actually quite special.

Once you pull the top drawer open, you are left with a secret drawer.

I have managed to squeeze all of my earrings inside. Again, I like that everything is concealed and out of sight.

I have used acrylic dividers from Muji for all of my earrings. They are mainly organised by colour and then style.

I have used odd boxes to store my rings and studs.

My bangles and bracelets are kept in this pretty floral hat box which I got from TK Maxx, it has strong handles on it which makes it easy for me to pull out when I need to.

How do you store your earrings and bangles?

Check my previous 'Storage' posts for more space saving ideas.

How to make the most of your closet space!

In this post I will be sharing some of my organisation tips to save space, firstly I removed the door of my closet so that my room appeared larger.


I accessorised with items and colours that were suited to my decor and style.

The first thing you need is thin hangers, wooden ones obviously look more beautiful but they are so chunky which means you can't squeeze as many clothes in.

As you can see behind my clothes I have hung my necklaces.

I have SO many necklaces and when they are on show they look very cluttered, and tucked away in a box they get tangled and I hardly wear them because I don't see them. I have hung them on tiny nails which is practical and inspiring for me as I can quickly associate them to the clothes I'm wearing.

I have put more nails on the side for different types of necklaces..

I have put bigger nails so that I can hang my hair tools for easy access, when doing this make sure you have the nail at a slant so that the tools wont fall off if you accidentally touch them.

I have put more nails right on the top for my hats.

Give me some nails and a hammer and I'm busy! :)

I have a small closet but I make the most of it. It's like a Mary Poppins closet, everything pops out, but the best thing is that everything has a place.

Do you have any space saving tips?

Make Up Storage

I have gone from cardboard box drawers, to acrylic storage and now this shabby mish mash of white wood which is a work in progress! This is the in between stage of hopefully an amazing storage system to follow.

Decisions decisions, should I organise by brand, size or usage? Well this time I did a bit of all of that.

I store my make up on top of my chest of drawers which isn't ideal but I'm making it work until I eventually get a distressed white wooden dressing table!

The main white wooden storage unit on the right is from Butlers, it was approx £35. In the top drawer I have my most used and favourite make up items. The bottom drawer has all of my brushes in it. In the left divider I have my palettes and foundations and brush cases next to it.

I got a fantastic divider from TK (J) Maxx, it was about £8 and has cute fabric detailing. Here I have stored my Mac lipglosses and blushes.

I have this cardboard suitcase from TK Maxx (£4) that holds all of my unloved makeup - see ya! I have stored my main lip products inside a rustic basket from TK Maxx (£4) and added a random silk flower to beautify it! :)

I stored most of my eye products inside this rustic box also from Butlers (£12), eyeliners are at the bottom and concealers and mascaras are on top!

How do you store your make up and what do you do with your clutter?

Lip Palette Idea

Remember when I did a DIY lipstick palette?

Well now, I took it a step further! I depotted all of the pans and put magnets on the back and arranged them in a Mac quad as it's much smaller. I updated some of the colours and now I have the perfect compact lip palette which is great for travelling!

Do you have a lip palette idea? Do share!

The Z Palette!

The Z Palette is something I have wanted for a while given my obsession with organisation. To make my collection "smaller" is what I am always trying to do. I am forever trying to squeeze as many eye shadows as I can into a palette and beautify my makeup storage.

The Z palette is available in 2 sizes, large and small.

Here's the large Z palette, I have my Urban Decay book of shadows on the left, with some Illamasqua, Mac and random other brands of eye shadows mixed together.


When closed it's a tiny bit larger than a standard Mac 15 eyeshadow palette.


However, when open the inner perimeters are roughly the same size as a Mac eyeshadow palette with the insert removed.

I can fit 26 Mac eyeshadows into a Mac palette (no insert) and 27 into a large Z palette. I have kept my Mac eye shadows in my Mac palette as the 1 extra isn't worth the move!


The smaller Z palette fits 9 Mac eyeshadows...


Points to consider:

The Good:

• The lid of the z palettes have a see through plastic lid which enables you to see what's inside.
• By depotting your make up you get to save plenty of space!
• You can fit 27 Mac eyeshadows into the large z palette, which is 1 more than you would fit into a Mac palette.
• The small z palette holds 9 Mac eyeshadows and great for travelling.
• As the z palettes don't have inserts you can fit any depotted size of products mixing and matching brands.
• The Z palettes are quite sturdy, with a magnetic closure.
• Available in 4 different colourways, zebra print, leopard print, pink and black.
  

The Bad:

• They are made out of cardboard and can get scruffy looking after general wear and tear.
• The large palette is extremely heavy even when empty, making it a 'no no' in my books for travelling. I understand that the magnet was made stronger which is why it's heavier as they had a problem with the previous style, but regardless I don't like how heavy it is.
• The inner perimeters of the large palette could have been a bit larger so that a few more Mac eyeshadows fit.
• I thought that I would have been able to fit my depotted book of shadows into the small z palette but it was too tight by about 1mm, which was a shame.
  

My final thoughts: I would recommend the small z palette as it's great for travelling, a decent weight and can fit 9 Mac eyeshadows and isn't that much larger than a Mac quad. My favourite colourway is the zebra print.
I would only recommend the large z palette for a way of organising your makeup at home and not for travelling due to how heavy it is.

Z palettes are available worldwide, find out more HERE.

UK prices: Large £14.99 & Small £8.99

Disclaimer: I was sent these products for review as I contacted them directly, I was not paid to blog about them and I am not affiliated with the brand. This is my honest opinion as always!