Cosmetic Bag Clutter

I decided I was fed up with my cosmetic bag the other day (and yes, some of you will laugh at this because I probably own less makeup than the average woman). 

Before

Anyway, I don't spend a lot of money on beauty products, but one of the things I splurge on (with a 20% off coupon, of course) is mineral makeup. I am very fair-skinned and have found it to be nice and light with a more believable skin tone match than traditional foundations. The problem with this nice powder makeup is that it gets everywhere, creating a pale orange dust.

It was time.

To get everything clean, I emptied out the bag for a trip through the dishwasher. I do this often with things that might not hold up in the washer (great for baseball caps!) but I am also aware this can void the dishwasher warranty and potentially cause a fire hazard.

I also grabbed a microfiber towel and used it to wipe the dust off everything in the bag. Here's a picture of everything laid out before it was cleaned:

That lineup includes two caps that no longer have a pencil to cover, two pairs of tweezers (don't like the angled ones!) and scissors, and most embarrassing, a contact lens in package from two prescriptions ago.

After

I took a few things out of the bag that I only use on occasion--the nail scissors, double-sided tape, hand lotion--and put other things back where they belong (safety pins in the sewing kit, etc.). I still debate about putting my razor in the shower.

Aside from the dishwasher cycle and a little extra time for photography, this process really only took 10 minutes. And after about 10 days of telling myself this needed to happen, it's good to have it cleared off my mental list. And, just for fun, I took a few extra minutes to look at the over-the-counter medications in my medicine cabinet and ended up throwing about half of them away. One expired in 2007. Eeek!

What do you use every day that could handle a good cleaning?

How May I Help You?

It dawned on me recently that I've so willingly shared my tips and advice here, but I've never taken the time to explain how I might also be able to help you organize your home or office.

I imagine that some readers will be incredibly motivated by what I share and know exactly how to apply it to their life. Others, I believe, might want some personalized service and to have me see their space to make recommendations. You have no idea how excited that would make me! I really am crazy about helping people make their lives simpler so that they have time to do the important stuff. (And yes, simpler means no crazy shopping lists for bins, shelving or label-makers!)

Here are a few of the ways that I can help you, should you have interest:

• Assess a certain area of your home/office (i.e. problem spot) and offer verbal or written suggestions on how to better organize it. 
• Physically assist you in organizing one or more spaces, providing motivation, ideas and labor. I promise this can be fun; many hands make light work.
• Guide you through setting up online bill pay or other paperless solutions.
• Help you find charitable or eco-friendly disposal options for things that you no longer want or need.
• Organize items and list them for sale on eBay, Craigslist, Freecycle, etc. or prepare for a yard sale or Mother's Mart.
• Any combination of the above, or feel free to ask if you have a need not suggested here.

Please feel free to contact me by making a comment or emailing me at christina (dot) alderfer (at) gmail (dot) com.