June 10, 2010

Makeup Storage Ikea Helmer Drawer Review

If you follow me on Twitter you might remember my tweet about putting together my Ikea Helmer Drawer Unit. Happy days it was quick and painless.

Wanna see the results?

I purchased a Bisley a year or so ago from the Container Store and felt like it was one of my best investments as it holds so much in such a little space. Honestly, I’d rather not think about the amount of money I invested in it but I will say it’s a damn fine piece of storage. I’d love to indulge in another but the price puts me off (see my Bisley post here).

Now the Helmer unit is WAY cheaper at $39.99 and has some great pros and cons. One thing I love is the drawers are deeper so stashing away makeup in boxes is easy (yes, I tend to keep boxes alot). The unit is a tad wider and taller than my Bisley which I’m not keen on but it still manages to be small while allowing for ALOT of storage. It has six drawers total.

Compared to the Bisley the Helmer is a bit flimsy as the unit isn’t as hardcore as the Bisley which is heavier and has substantial weight behind it. The Bisley also comes fully assembled where as the Helmer has quite a bit of putting together to do. If you aren’t too handy girl special you may find yourself dialing up the boyfriend, husband, or guy friend to come help.

I like that the Bisley comes with some great compartment and dividers however these are $9.99-$12.99 each. Helmer doesn’t have any specific extras you can purchase so you can always just buy a desk or kitchen drawer organizer to tuck into each drawer to separate but the fit won’t be as nice as the Bisley ones.

Sorry lots of nitpicking and general ranty here and there but I will say at under $40 bucks the Helmer is a really nifty little piece to purchase. It’s affordable enough to buy two or three to stash all your goodies in plus it takes less than no space to store so you can tuck it in a closet under your desk, etc….

Available from Ikea.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • LINDARRAGNAR

    oh jeezus 😀 i love your stash muse

    ( i am so jealous)

    i keep my makeup in trays because the boxes are easier to see that way.

  • Phyrra

    Haha! My girlfriend Lea put my Helmer together for me. I bought it for my nail polish and it’s that white/cream color like yours. I LOVE it. It’s fantastic.

  • jkim

    heading out to ikea as we speak!!!

    p.s. i like that you still keep things in their boxes. i thought i was crazy for keeping all my stuff still packed away, but it is a lot easier than having to pull each compact out to see what color it is.

    • the Muse

      LOL jean I do that too much, keeping boxes a passion of mine 😀

  • CucumPear

    Which kind of storage unit to get really depends on what you want to store, IMO. The Helmer is great for nail polish, but I have an older dc’d IKEA unit with some deep and some shallow drawers for my make-up. Spending lots of money on dividers and such sucks, so I organise my Helmer by covering tissue boxes in pretty paper, they look cute and fit almost perfectly.
    I have to admit to having an unhealthy obsession with IKEA, about 90% of my furniture was purchased there and I love assembling it. I remember happily sitting on the floor with my bits o’Helmer and thinking “I’m totally bending metal!”

    • the Muse

      LMAO cucumpear totally the same feeling, I pretended I was superman 😀

  • electronicfly

    /me drools at all the pretty things

    /me turns to green eyed monster

    T.T

  • Melissa

    I have 6 helmers for my jewelry supplies stash. I also have 6 3 drawer rubbermaids from target (the big ones) and 10 scrap book drawer units plus all the drawers in my jewelers desk. I like the Helmers better and agree good bang for buck. I store my make up in my bathroom draws, a 3 cube thing, under the cabinet, a paint brush spinner,and in the linen closet. 🙂

      • Melissa

        I doubt my makeup skincare stash is bigger oh btw I did add most of it up in a rounded sort of way by category I came up with around $5k. So i didn’t adjust my renters insurance lol. My business inventory insurance policy is for over six figures but it covers finished pieces and supplies.

        • the Muse

          LOL melissa never considered upping my housing insurance to cover my stash LOL!

  • Jennifer

    I’ve been planning on picking one up on my next Ikea trip for my ever growing polish stash 😉

  • Becky

    I couldn’t be more envious of your collection! How do you use all that makeup? those pigments….WOW! good organizing too!

  • Paloma

    omg. IF I were to ever take up robbing houses, yours would be the first one I’d hit up, then temptalia’s! lol cuz your guys’ stashes are….whoa.

    • Paloma

      btw, that’s a compliment, not a threat lol….I’m too lazy to rob houses hahhaa

      • the Muse

        lol paloma I hear ya 😀 no worries laughed at your original post sorry got too busy to answer *hugs*

  • Celazome

    That is quite a collection!

    How sturdy is the drawer? I’ve had some hit or miss purchases on at Ikea on how well they hold up (even though Ike stuff always looks good)

    • the Muse

      celazone not as sturdy as my bisley, bit flimsy as I said in the review 🙂 for $40 it isn’t heavy kinda thin metal

  • Dianna

    Great collection. I’m sooo jealous. Great idea with the Helmet cabinet. They’re a hazzle to assemble, I know. I got one that I use for cords, paper and stuff like that for the computer, printer, cameras. Maybe I should get another for makeup :).
    Anyway, you can actually get this kinda compartment you can put in the drawers, which gives you 5 smaller spaces instead of 1 big one. I have it in 2 of my drawers. If you wanna see a picture send me an email.
    Great site!! Just found it today.

    • the Muse

      hey dianna aw thanks cheers! 😀 yup def a great way to stash makeup! They are a little bit of a PITA to put together. 😀 def do it! it’s great for stashing makeup! Good idea on the compartments someone actually tweetpic’ed me some 😀

      Aw thanks!!!!! welcome! good to meet you!

  • Tina

    I am truly humbled by your make up collection. I bow to the master!

  • Kristina

    I need this! There’s no Ikea near me though and their shipping is insane!

    • the Muse

      I don’t think they actually ship this Kristina 🙁 try ebay hun!?

  • jonnie

    Hmm… for as much Ikea as I own (I’m another one who has 90% of her house Ikea) I never thought of this! I must get one for my makeup!

    Another awesome idea from the Muse.

    And yes, major stash envy here too!

  • Lisa

    Oh the make up porn! I keep telling myself to get another job just to pay for make up…That way I don’t feel so guilty every sale, every collection release…just basically every purchase. lol

  • Angela

    Oh jeez @ your collection. I don’t know whether to be in awe or envy.

  • Shannyn

    Oh thank god I’m not the only one who keeps the boxes! I was starting to think there was something wrong with me ><
    You have seriously just made my day!

  • pamela

    Muse~Thank you for the pics of your Helmers! I am ready for my first Helmers! The 5 organizers I am using now will be lovingly accepted by my two teen nieces! I have had these desktop, plastic, 3-sliding drawers each thingys for years! BUT, since the big divorce I’ve moved into smaller digs & realized I need to group my treasures and polishes together in one. Muse, YOU R AWESOME! I remembered you posted a while back about yours! Super fab pics! Thank you for that you do for us!!!

    • the Muse

      my pleasure pamela 😉 glad it helped. It’s really well worth it for makeup storage. thank YOU for visiting 🙂

  • york pa furniture

    I keep all my stuff in boxes too. I thought I was the crazy one!

  • Cookie

    Am I supposed to be keeping the boxes??!! After I decide it’s something that works/ doesn’t irritate me, I toss the box. In fact, I love that moment — it means it’s mine! But I never thought the box was important. Now I don’t have that much makeup and I use most everything. Don’t really have any LE. Should I start now??😳😳😳

    • Pamela

      Holy Moly! I have WAY too much makeup, but if I had to stash all that away in those cabinets, I;d NEVER know what to choose! Most would dry out before I got to them.

      One thing I hate are eye shadow pallets. I only want two or three eye shadows to use all the time. I have never spent money on one of them. I sure would like a small really nice storage that could be left on the bathroom counter though. One that would not show what’s inside it. Like maybe Waterford Chrystal with enough cuts in it, they wouldn’t show so much? Just dreaming of the perfect one..Or an enamel one with the right colors for my bathroom? Just for the makeup I usually use most every day.