Closet Organization tips & tricks

(NOTE: ALL IMAGES ARE MINIMIZED HERE. CLICK ON THEM TO SEE A LARGER, MUCH CLEARER IMAGE)

First off, I think the title of this blog post is a little misleading. I dont actually have a closet.. I wish I did! I actually have a couple of cabinets which I try to stuff masses of clothes into. Much of my clothing isnt actually in my cabinets, such as my PJs, undergarments, stockings, leggings and socks. These all live in drawers under my bed, and will not be shown in this article.

Okay so let's get into it then.. 

The setup of my room is quite small, and I didnt get my cabinets built in, like i've been planning on for the past year. So for now.. this is the two cabinets that I have. Both are purchased in Bahrain. The tall one is from Home Centre from a few years ago and the little one was gifted to me by my parents the year after that.

On top of the little one, I have a box which I put a lot of my stuffed animals in. I have quite a few, so putting them on display can make my little room look cluttered. Only two are displayed, both teddy bears, and they live on my bed most of the time.

Inside the little cabinet that I have, I put all of my jackets, hoodies, jumpers, blazers, etc. My cardigans, however, are in my big cabinet with my tops, because I use them quite a bit. Note that all my hangers are one color. This makes your closet appear much more organized and uniform.

In the little shelf on top, I put my swimsuits in a rectangular cloth bin, which I bought from IKEA I think last year. Next to that, I keep my sweatpants, because it's much more practical to keep them close to their matching hoodies (which are hung below with the jackets). My belts are in that brown wooden bin, and it's just so practical to be able to pull it out, get what I want and push it back in.

In the next cabinet, it is divided into 3 parts, the top part, bottom part and middle part. In the middle part, I keep all my short dresses, cardigans and most of my tops. My long dresses and evening gowns are stored in my mom's dressing room, because I cant hang them in my own closet.

Below that, I keep my train case, which contains all my makeup, and a couple of cardboard storage boxes.The top box has some costumes and such, and the one under it has fabrics, lace, ribbons and some sewing things.

The top part has two storage boxes as well. The one on the right has some board games, badge-making tool, etc. and the one on the right contains packaging from my electronic-y stuff. Like my camera, phone, straightener etc. Wedged in the middle is a box that has one very poofy black punk-rocker dress, which I designed myself for a costume thing back in highschool.

This is the other side of my closet, and as you can see it is divided into four parts. The topmost shelf has a few boxes of photos and nick-knacks in them. That mirror-like bag is a BCBG bag which contains a bunch of different bags from stores which are big, so I wanted to hold on to them for when I need a good bag.

The second part is where I put all my t-shirts and sleeveless tops. On the right I put all my tshirts (as you can see I have quite a few!) and on the left I put the sleeveless T-shirts.

Below that, on the third shelf, I keep my jeans and pants folded, and my skirts as well. In front of them is a cloth bin, like the one I keep my swimsuits in, but this one contains plain tank tops and tube tops.

On the bottom most part, I keep a box with all my hats, a bin that has my short-shorts (I have just a few) and my yearbooks.

Another thing that I always keep organized is my dresser...

 It may look a little cluttered, but I have a system, believe me.

On the right side of the mirror, I hang all my long necklaces. Along the top, I hang all my headbands and on the left side of the mirror I hang all my badges, medals, etc.

I also keep a tray which hold all my perfumes, moisturizer, toner, hair products and things that I use on a daily basis. This tray is a red synthetic snakeskin which I bought somewhere in city center a few years ago.

Next to that I have a bracelet holder, which is completely crammed. I should really get another one, or find a better way of storing my bracelets, because I would really like to remove things from my dressing table top.

The purple box isn't always open, like you see here. Usually I like to keep it closed. In it I store all my rings, a couple of wrist watches, some pins, and on the bottom most layer, a necklace which I wear a lot. I like to keep this on my dressing table because it keeps me from throwing my jewelry and accessories everywhere at the end of a long tiring day.

The first drawer contains the majority of my jewelry. They are divided into parts using shoe boxes! The first shoe box (from the right) has my necklaces, either in the original box it came in or in small clear plastic boxes so I can see through them. The next has my earrings, which I keep saying I will buy a mesh stand for my studs but I keep forgetting, and the one after that has some bracelets, brooches, etc. The rest of this drawer is all jewelry that still has its original box, or sets which I do not want to separate.

The second drawer has some cotton balls, cotton rounds, cotton ear buds, baby wipes, makeup wipes, clothes wipes, nail tools, hairbands and spare buttons. The box to the left has should hold my straightener and my blow dryer, and (I don't know why, exactly) some key chains.

The third drawer contains all things random. That thing in the middle that's wrapped with acid-free tissue paper is a ceramic Spanish doll that my parents bought me from Spain when I was about 3 years old. I keep it safely in there until I find a safe place I can display it. The drawer also has some lint-roller refills, an empty plastic box (?), some guitar and camera straps, a small Bahraini flag, some sunglasses and wrist watches.

So that's how I organize my clothing and accessories.  Sorry if it seems a little cluttered. It really isn't, it's just that I have a lot of stuff in a little room. If I end up getting some closets built in, I'll definitely do an updated closet tour/organization tips post, but for now I have to settle with this!

Thank you for visiting cosmeticcraving and hope this helped you all! If there are any questions or requests, do not hesitate to ask! Hope to see you here again and don’t forget to follow if you haven’t already!

xx

All opinions are genuinely mine and 100% honest.

Soft kissable lips in less than 5 minutes!

Yesterday while I was on twitter, a girl complained of subconsciously peeling her lips until they bled. I recalled my days of being harsh on my lips, and since summer is on its way out and winter is on its way in, I thought this would be a great time to teach you a tip I learnt.

This trick will make your lips instantly softer, after which you can wear a lipstick and some gloss and you will be ready to go! Please note that I am not a professional, nor do I claim to be. This is simply something that I have tried and benefited from in the past. I have been doing this to my lips for a few years now, and I know that other people use this trick as well, such as Missglamorazzi, a YouTube beauty guru (her channel will be listed below).

YOU WILL NEED:

A towel

A cup of hot water

A lip balm

A disposable mascara wand (A hard toothbrush will work too)

DIRECTIONS:

1)      Apply a thick layer of lip balm, properly rubbing it into your skin. I use QV Lip Balm for dry skin. This has SPF 30 as well as UVA and UVB protection. Your lip balm doesn’t have to contain a sun protection factor or ultra violet rays protection for this process, but it is preferable for everyday use. This is simply the one I use here in sunny Bahrain.

2)      Dip the towel into the cup of hot water and squeeze the excess. Do be careful as the water can be very hot.

3)      Place the towel on your mouth directly on your lips and hold it in place until the towel becomes cool.

4)      Gently exfoliate your lips by rubbing the wand or toothbrush back and forth, or in a circular motion on each lip. I recommend you do this step in front of a mirror so you can see the areas where your lips need more attention.

5)      Once all the dead skin is removed, dispose of the mascara wand, wipe the remaining balm off your lips with the damp towel, and apply a fresh coat of lip balm. I usually like to use the QV again, but today I wanted something fruity so I used The Body Shop's Mango Peach Lip Balm.

6)      OPTIONAL STEP: apply a lipstick to complete this look.

Enjoy your gorgeous lips!

And please ignore the dumb look on my face in most of the photos! 

Missglamorazzi: http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi

You can also follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/AyshaTheGreat

Thank you for visiting cosmeticcraving and hope this helped you all! If there are any questions or requests, do not hesitate to ask! Hope to see you here again and don’t forget to follow if you haven’t already!

xx

Please note that these products were bought by me using my own money and were not sent to me by anyone for review. I am not affiliated with this brand in any way. All opinions are genuinely mine and 100% honest.

Always dress like you’re going to meet your worst enemy

The title of this post is a line I’ve basically read or heard everywhere. It’s a very good piece of advice because we always find ourselves being thrust into the worst scenarios possible when we least expect them. Take Murphy’s Law as an example: “The day you don’t wash your hair is the day you’ll run into your ex” Now I don’t really know why life works this way but more often than not this is how it works. You wake up in the worst mood possible most probably with an annoying alarm that won’t shut up and the snooze button just doesn’t give you enough nap times in between shrills. You crawl out of bed with a long day ahead and look yourself in the mirror and groan. You really don’t feel like dressing up or putting on any make up or anything so you reach for the comfiest pair of jeans and a graphic tee and you’re out the door. Little do you know that this is the one day that: 1- you run into your ex OR 2- end up on tv OR 3- feel completely insecure and ugly throughout your entire day and constantly compare yourself to all the pretty girls around you.

To avoid being caught in these dilemmas I recommend always looking your best no matter what. Now I’m not saying that you always have to put on your highest pair of heels or wear your little black dress everywhere but rather take little steps to make sure you look good and feel good. When you look good it reflects upon your mood and when you feel good then good things start to happen (or you at least avoid the bad things happening to you)

It’s all in your head!

So let’s say you’re up early and have to head to school or university and you really don’t feel like putting an effort into your outfit this one day. Before you head out that door add a little something to whatever you have on that you know for sure will make you feel better.

Examples:

· Put on your favorite necklace to spice up a plain top

· Add a belt to an otherwise boring dress

· Put on a headband or a bow or any sort of cute hair accessories you have

· Etc etc! You can always come up with whatever tickles your fancy and suits your personality and style!




(These are a couple of necklaces that can be found in forever21 that would work with example number 1)





(A couple of belt styles for example 2)



(A photo of Blair Waldorf wearing a bow for example 3)

If all else fails go to the cutest wedges or heels you have (make sure they’re comfy enough!) and start your day with a little bit of sass and a hips swish!

Girls often look at the other girls around them and in about 5 seconds are able to compare and analyze an entire outfit from the tip of their toes to the top of their head. If you’re dressed even a little bit less than what you would to look like this can take a big toll on your confidence level and the mood you’re in. I’m not saying looks are everything! Don’t get me wrong! It’s what’s under the skin that matters most of all but with a little bit of outside glam your head will be high up in the clouds and no one will be able to bring you down! To quote the amazing Eleanor Roosevelt “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”

Thank you for visiting cosmeticcraving and hope this helped you all! If there are any questions or requests, do not hesitate to ask! Hope to see you here again and don’t forget to follow if you haven’t already!

xx

Photos in this entry are NOT mine and only using them as reference, I'm not claiming ownership of them.
All opinions are my own and I'm not being paid to write any of these entries and also not affiliated with any companies/brands mentioned.

Beach lover's tip for sensitive acne prone skin

First of all, I have to apologize for posting this entry so late. If you read my previous blog post, you would know that I was planning on spending all day at the beach today.

If you know anything about me, you would know that I suffer from extremely sensitive acne-prone skin. I not only have a lot of acne marks, but some active acne as well. Adding insult to injury, I quite like the swimming in the sea or in pools, but the water burns so much that I can’t stay in for too long! (High levels of chlorine and salt burn my face). I’ve been trying to stay away from the sea, but since I can’t, I decided to try a little experiment!

I would try different products and oils on my face before going into the water, and see if it burnt or not.

Here are the results:

1)  1) Olive oil:

Highly available and accessible. I took a little bit onto the tips of my fingers and massaged it onto my face. Feels light, but a little too “oily” in my opinion, also has a slight scent which I find a little weird to have on my face. It helped prevent the burning sensation a little, but not all that much.

I’ll score this one a 3/5

2)   2) Morrocan Argan oil:

Same performance as the olive oil, but feels much lighter and not as greasy. I much prefer this product for my hair, but a lot of people use it on their face, body and hair! Not as readily available as olive oil, but you can find it at:

-Josie Maran Argan Oil $48
Available at JosieMaranCosmetics, Sephora stores and Sephora.com.
-Eden Allure Argan Oil $30
Available at EdenAllure.com

Score: 3.5/5

3)   3) Vaseline:

Lo and behold! We have a winner! Vaseline can be found in just about every drugstore or supermarket and its uses are various! I for one use it on my feet, on my knees and elbows, on old scabs to help them heal faster, and now, on my face! I took a pea-sized amount and massaged it onto my face. It feels a little thick at first, but no more than a regular sunscreen. It lasts much longer on my face and prevents the salt water from burning my acne and irritating them more.

Score: 4.5/5 (took off half a point for the feeling of it on my face, not gross.. but I’m a bit fussy!)

Thank you for visiting cosmeticcraving and hope this helped you all! If there are any questions or requests, do not hesitate to ask! Hope to see you here again and don’t forget to follow if you haven’t already!

xx