August 23, 2011

the Muse’s Bisley Media Cabinet and Ikea Helmer Stash Back by Popular Demand

I always get questions about how I stash my goodies…

It’s a chore.

But here are some images, back by popular demand, of how I store some of my goodies!

Check it!

Here’s my Ikea Helmer (these images are old so many of the products you see here may not be around anymore) which I store palettes in, piggies, and larger items. I’ve since purchased three more Helmers as I find they are great budget friendly storage units plus they are small enough to fit anywhere and still look neat and organized.

One of my prized makeup storage units is the Bisley I purchased from the Container Store. These are very expensive units but I was able to get one with a 20% coupon which helped lighten the costly price tag. I keep telling myself at some point I’ll buy another one but the Helmers are so much more cost friendly!

This isn’t even half of my stash, I fear it’s way larger but I thought I’d revisit some of these old photos as people are always curious how I am storing products and most of them I try to fit into units like these when possible. But honestly, alot of my makeup is also on shelves, on my vanity, etc….

How do you store your makeup?

Do you own a Helmer or a Bisley?

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

  • Tammie

    I have a Helmer, but that Bisley looks amazing! However the Helmer is good enough for me as I don’t have quite the collection you do…however I think in the nearish future I’ll probably picking up another one as mine is starting to fill up.

    • the Muse

      the helmer’s are AWESOME tammie and so friendly on the wallet ;-D! but putting them together is a bitch!

      • Tammie

        Yes I love it 🙂 I found a certain way I can put these Daiso boxes in there so I can separate it nicely too so they are wonderfully organized (although the bottom 3 are for nail polish and not as full or organized….).

        Aww too bad I don’t live in NYC, I’d make any new Helmers you get for you! I actually thought it was FUN! Well, time consuming but fun xD;;; *is a freak*

          • Tammie

            I dunno about AWESOME, more like CRAZY haha.

            It was a PITA and I enjoyed it hahaha, THAT is why I am crazy.

  • Courtney

    I have a giant train case for most of my makeup. I store nail polish in rubbermaid bins (the shoebox sized-ones) and extra of haircare, skincare, etc. in one of those too. I try to go through my makeup every 3-4 months or so and get rid of anything I haven’t used in those 3-4 months or give it away to my mom (she doesnt mind my germs). I also throw out old stuff that may have gone bad. This way I can make room for new stuff without my husband freaking out (again) that my beauty products are overtaking our bedroom and bathroom.

    • the Muse

      I used to store all my essentials in a train case court ;-D I throw it out as well or I gift it. I try to rotate as much as I can. I normally label my products with a small label machine I have ;-D

  • Rose

    OMG. I love seeing people’s makeup collections and yours is by far the most impressive I’ve ever seen! The next time my boyfriend goes on about how I have too much makeup, I’m showing him these photos 😉

    • amanda

      lmao im in the same boat….all i hear from my boyfriend is “why do u need all of this makeup” or “stop buying makeup u have enough”

  • SusanT

    I bow to you, Muse! Beautifully organized & you’ve surpassed me in terms of your collection! Well done!

    (*Suse clapping*)

  • Tracy

    I bought this little 6-drawer organizer which has been a gem. Different sized drawers are available, not too costly, sturdy & super-easy to put together. I put some no-slip drawer lining in the bottom of each drawer. Love being able to roll it around when I need to. Needing more room though, those helmers look quite nice!

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000784556

    • the Muse

      tracy I love that unit but it’s a bit too bulky for me that’s why I like the helmer, so small ;D

  • SatelliteDreamer

    I use Vika Alex drawers (2) for my stash, which I thought was huge, until I saw yours!

    You are so organized, it’s unreal! I love how everything is in boxes, and lined up so nicely.

    • the Muse

      I LOVE those satellite! they are so nice, very elegant for the price! aw shucks thanks ;D!

  • Kris

    Ho-Lee CHIZZ, you have a lot of stuff! I love your storage cabinet though. VERY good idea. Methinks I may need to get one meself.

    • the Muse

      kris it’s a great one ;-D fab for not only storing makeup but any smaller accessories too ;-D

  • jillann

    Do you pay any attention to the big hoopla lately about makeup expiring? You know, eye shadows a year, mascara 3 months…?

  • PeaceLovePanic

    your collection is to die for…you should do a blog sale! lol it will clear room for all the new goodies you will be getting this coming season!

  • anna

    I’m so jealous right now I don’t know if I want to beat you up and take all those precious items or become besties with you so I can go to your house everyday and just sit near all those beauties. Lol. But really that’s seriously one of the most impressive stashes I’ve seen.

    Will you be taking more recent pics of your collection? I feel like ooohing and ahhhing a little more. Lol

    • the Muse

      ha anna thanks! I don’t have any recent pics sadly but maybe when I have some extra time I’ll do one ;-D!

  • Cj

    so… much… makeup… *faints*

    😛 I got a tall chest like those from the Ikea Malm collection. It has 6 drawers and I barely have the first 3 filled lol

    • the Muse

      cj you know I’m willing to share with you ;-D! I have to look up the malm collection now!

        • the Muse

          I wish I had some extra room for one of the larger malms! i love those ;-D maybe in my extra bedroom closet haha…more makeup storage!!!!!! ;D

  • tiny

    You know, if you ever decide to destash any of your stuff I’d be more than happy to give it a good home. 😉 😉 lmao! *hey, it was worth a shot!*

  • Sarah

    Love it! And my boyfriend says I have too much with my one puny little train case…stupid being on a makeup budget! Color me impresssed! (For some reason “Tickle Me Elmo” came to mind when I typed that….)

  • BooBooNinja

    Why do you keep your makeup in their original boxes?
    (curious…)
    Glorious collection, by the way.

  • Anitacska

    Wow, love your stash! I wish I could have drawer units like yours, but I simply have nowhere to put one. My bedroom is tiny. 🙁 So my stash is all over the place. Some of it is in 3 and 6 drawer units on top of my chest of drawers (where I keep my clothes), some in boxes under the chests, some in drawers with the clothes, some in my bedside table drawer and a LOT of them in bags inside my cupboard. It’s a real pain, although I have a catalogue, so I do know what’s where, but finding things still takes time. Maybe I should stop buying make up…. Lol, crazy idea that!

    • the Muse

      anita how about a closet? these will fit perfectly on the bottom floor of a closet ;-D!

  • Tina

    That was just…beautiful. LOL. Sorry.

    I really love how organized you are! And you keep so many things in their boxes. So lovely. 🙂 I saw a drawer tower at Ikea for 40 bucks but I better see it in person before buying it online. haha…

    Thank you for your storage inspiration! 🙂

    • the Muse

      hehe thanks tina! ;-D it’s always a good idea to see in person as sometimes u order online and get it and proceed to be disappointed :-/ my pleasure!

  • Quinctia

    Wow, I don’t even know how you figure out what to wear on a given day! I have enough trouble digging a certain lipstick or eyeliner out of the bottom partition of my train case. I end up having to pull out all the ones of a certain packaging usually.

    I want to make grabby hands at the UD lipsticks, ha. I have one, but I can’t justify buying them full price, so I am limited to when I can manage to buy them discounted.

  • Jessi

    I have a Helmer (completely) full of nail polish and keep my makeup in a random plastic Sterilite storage drawer thingy from Walmart. It isn’t the most elegant solution but it works okay. I love how everything fits so perfectly in the Bisley! Some day I’ll upgrade to one of those…

    • the Muse

      jessi I so want another one of the bisley but they are so costly le sigh! I have alot of those sterllite drawers too! my mac shadows are stored in them ;-D

  • Littlecreek

    Your collection is like going to a store. 🙂 You should see mine. It fits in one makeup bag (approx 4″ x 6″ x 6″) lol. I do depot everything I buy and put it metal tins to save space. But it’s not even a fraction of yours! That collection is truly a thing of wonder.

    • the Muse

      littlecreek I wish I could depot but I have some sort of aversion to it ;-D would save SO much space!

  • Jayne

    Ooooh, Muse.

    Oh. Muse.

    There are not words, but if you could see how close my jaw is to the floor, it would speak for itself. My jealousy knows no bounds.

  • Geek in Heels

    GET. OUT. As an organizational freak, I am LOVING your collection AND the way you chose to store it. I also love that you keep the original boxes too!

    • the Muse

      ha thanks geek! <3 you! I love keeping the boxes, I'm so damn anal lol! I hope you'll do a post about your makeup stash on your site, would love to read about it ;-D!

  • Torontostar

    Oh laaaawd! Can a makeup collection give you an orgasm?? Pardon me muse, but that is one freaking amaaaazeballs collection you got there and I love how organized it is.

  • tina

    i love how oraganized everyting is! can you lock your storage container?

  • Katherine

    What an amazing storage idea! And not only is your collection neat, organized (you keep a lot of your things in original boxes!) it’s quite impressive! Wowzer! I thought mine was huge! I currently have a two large rubbermaid plastic drawer towers (5 drawers) and several train cases. Still quite disorganized. Sometimes I will sit down and just root through what I do have because I have so much I forget what I have. Do you every do that too Muse? (probably not I bet you have a spreadsheet huh? :))

  • diane

    my jaw is to the floor looking at all your stuff & then i read it’s not even half!! soo lucky!!!! i never heard of these organizers but i am going to look into them- my room is a disaster right now LOL.

  • Kimber

    My stars and garters that is a fantastic collection!!!!

    Alas, I struggle with storage :(.

  • Eve

    Have you thought about selling some of the makeup you don’t use or only just swatched?

    • the Muse

      hi eve, the makeup is used by me so no, def wouldn’t sell used makeup.

  • LINDARRAGNAR

    loved it muse! Thanks for the suggestion was looking at the muji acrylic storage units but they were all sold out!! I will check out ikea!!

  • tee

    OMG… that’s what I call… big HUGE stash!!!

    amazingly organized stash too!

  • Ashley

    The Bisley looks better imo.
    I can’t believe this is only half or less than half of your stash though. I swear I’d faint if I saw it all or go dizzy. Very very dizzy!

    • the Muse

      ashley it really is but it’s too costly to buy another one sadly :-/

  • Andi

    omg…if i were lost in a deserted island and came upon this i would be like “TREASURE!!!!” XD lol you have an impressive amount of makeup

  • Christine

    your collection is like heaven! mine fits nicely into my vanity, which only has three drawers. Plus I store cosmetic bags and other stuff in there too *laughs*

    • the Muse

      I wish mine did christine :-/ I have some in my vanity but not all ;-D

  • Nadiar

    O_o woooow, gotta grabs some of yours (my devilish instinct) ,, this is quite embarrassing i think because, do you know Muse? i only have 2 lip gloss tubes, 3 lip balms, and that’s it!! i haven’t tried any beauty products such as lipstick, blush, even eye shadow! i’m 23 and haven’t tried any of ’em *duh gimme a break xP

    • the Muse

      you’re young nadiar ;-D you have plenty of time to acquire your stash heheh ;D

  • Melissa

    I use the helmers to store my gem stones, beads and other supplies for jewelry design. I have 9 of them and I’m thinking about picking up a couple more since I discovered my gem sorting trays fit well in them. For my make up I use some of the cubie deals from target they are called itso’s I think

  • Nia

    Oh, you are soo organized! I wish I was half as organized as you are.

    I do not have a Helmer, but something that looks like one and is made of wood and painted green.

    Love your pigments and palettes 🙂

  • Prairie Peg

    OMG! Seriously, OMG! Looking at your stash is like giving me permission to go out and expand mine! I have mine stored and sorted in all sorts of boxes and containers and it’s not nearly as huge as yours! 🙂 I thought I had a lot (my husband would sh*t if he saw these pictures! LOL!

  • Majick

    I think I may be humbled. ;-D

    My DH thinks I’m a hoarder so when he gets on me again I have some pics to show him I’m NORMAL! (yuk yuk yuk)

    I keep my stuff in the boxes for a while and then I’ll get tired of putting them in and out and the box gets all weird and then I toss it. It really protects the pallettes and cases I think. Also if I decide to return something I have the box. Not much goes back though.

    Right now all my stuff is everywhere and I’ve begun the slow process of going through everything. (with ADD this is very challenging). I’m really making a lot of progress and have been tossing stuff daily. Only one or two items at a time but for me this is big. When I get it all organized I will send pics of my stash. I love how neat your stuff is.

    I do have most of my BE (except the shoebox full of straglers) in an antique machinist chest that my Father-in-law gave to me. At least something is organized… sort of. LOL

  • Chelsey

    OMG I think I just had a makeup orgasm looking at these pics. Your collection is soooo swoon-worthy! I’d rather shop at your house than Sephora lol. I so agree @ makeup storage being a chore. My collection is only like 1/3 of yours and it gives me headaches.

  • G

    Aren’t you worried about a lot of it going bad? That is like the same amount Pat McGrath carries around for work! I would probably donate a lot so it doesnt’ go bad and to waste.

    • the Muse

      hi g I actually address a few times before about how I’m rotating my stash constantly, giving some away, etc…plus I didn’t buy new products I wouldn’t have a blog to run haha so it’s kinda part of my “work” too

  • Chels

    WOW MUSE IMPRESSIVE 🙂 it would be great if you showed a collection of your bb creams/ asian products too haha i’m real curious about that one

  • Dawn

    I’m so envious after looking through your makeup stash!! Its extensive and so organised! I store my makeup in a small box about half the size of a shoebox..and I have a shelf in my cupboard where I house my skincare products(moisturisers,perfumes,masks..etc.)
    My bf complains that I have enough makeup and products to set up my own shop, but I disagree! He should check out yours..haha. 🙂

  • Mary the Muse militant

    Wow Muse, great stuff !
    I have the Ikea Helmer and I bought it because it was DIRT CHEAP !
    I got a white one but was so tempted with the lovely shiny red one.
    I meant to go back and get a red one but now you say they are discontinued 🙁
    I’ll go check the Ikeas in London in case. I really want a red one too.
    Love your new Bisley.
    You are going up in the world as I know how much the Bisleys are ! 🙂

    • the Muse

      oh gosh I’m terrified now mary I hope they don’t dice them here! bisleys are way more costly in the UK girl!

  • jillann

    I don’t know how you get dressed in the morning! I would sit in front of those treasure chests and never make a decision!

  • donna

    I need one of those for my sewing patterns! love how organized you are! are you a virgo? 🙂

  • Sarah

    Bisley… I’ve got Spaced on the brain (going to see Edgar Wright speak tonight!), so it puts me in mind of Tim Bisley/Simon Pegg <3

    • the Muse

      SPACED!! ahhhh! best show ever sarah ;-D enjoy the presentation/talk, jealous!

  • NeenaJ

    I bought an old fashioned library card catalog about 15 years ago and have been keeping my makeup stash in it ever since. I LOVE, LOVE it. It’s moved with me to 4 states even though it weighs enough to make 3 huge moving men cry (literally).

    My husband and I joke that when I die, I will be buried in it.

  • lilacrose

    Make make up collection grew so large that when I had my bathroom redone I had a wall unit constructed with drawers and shelves. Everything is tucked away in 8 huge drawers. My other bathroom is starting to fill up with other bits and pices, but is too small for a unit.

    • the Muse

      lila that’s not a bad idea, might redo my bathroom just for the extra storage lol!

  • Hannah

    *drules* oh sry let me just say AMAZING COLLTION AND ORGANIZATION!! where did you get the little black square containers inside??

  • AP

    O MY GOSH THAT IS SOME SERIOUS MAKEUP PORN! My life’s ambition is now to have a collection like yours. Not to be president or go to the moon, I want your makeup collection.

    I would LOVE to see all your makeup open so we can see all the delicious colors! And I would love to read a post of all your favorites throughout the years!

  • lily

    I LOVE your stash! I have a small, 8 drawer plastic organizer that fits all my makeup. I love it, and I’m glad that I have everything in one place right now, instead of in several makeup bags/drawers/cabinets. Love you muse!

    • the Muse

      love you back lily! tell me more about this 8 drawer…where you’d get it? I can always use another way to stash makeup ;D

  • Melissa

    Where did you get those amazing little black boxes/separators to put in the drawers?

  • Keri

    As soon as IKEA opens in St Louis, Helmer is on my list to have! Right now, I have 4 MUJI units – 1 3 drawer and 3 2 drawers. I love them, but they are stuffed to the gills and somewhat impractical for certain items. I’d love to go to a Helmer and use my MUJIs just for samples, hair ties, and lippies.