I realize that compared to the other ladies on here (and possibly compared to many of our readers) I have a very, very small stash. About two years ago I began to systematically weed out my cosmetic and toiletry collection, eliminating products that had been tested on animals. To an extent, this hasn't been all that difficult; a surprisingly large number of companies now claim to have moved away from in vivo testing (the use of entire living organisms to test chemical reactions and interactions). Upon further inspection however, making sense of the claims (and action statements) provided by some companies has proven to be both challenging and frustrating. Moreover, defending a love of (and the need to find) "cruelty-free" cosmetics against the insistent claim that "Everything was tested on animals at some point! You just shouldn't wear the stuff..." has been taxing. (Ignorance is more than bliss, readers!)
I know at some point I will undoubtedly feel the need to rant about "greenwashing", but for the time being let's just focus on some positives. :) If you're just getting your collection started and are overwhelmed at the thought of filling one, two or many Helmers, my current storage option may be right for you.
Ikea MALM Dressing table/Interdesign 3-tiered shelf organizer
Aside from polishes, I am a cosmetics collector and, for the time being, my collection is housed in IKEA's large MALM dressing table. As my cosmetic collection expands, I will no doubt feel the need to expand my storage, possibly ousting my precious polishes and relocating them to a new home. For the time being however, here they are, arranged in their rainbow-loving glory.
The Interdesign 3-tiered system upon which they sit is available in the US from The Container Store and in Canada from Solutions or Kitchen Stuff Plus. It is a clear, acrylic shelf organizer, designed to keep spice bottles neat and easily accessible in kitchen cupboards. Flip this over as I've done and you'll find that polish sits quite nicely inside it. (If you sit it up the right way on a counter, it will store 42, or twice as many as it does now).
My other polishes, topcoats, files, clippers, spacers etc. are currently stored, rather amusingly, in a recycled Happy Feet popcorn bucket that came out as part of a kids combo with the movie. (You'll soon learn that I'm more of a kid than most kids). It's sturdy, and has a handle for easy transport, which is great because I love doing my nails in front of the TV. And seriously, who doesn't think Mumble is totally adorable?!
Happy feet, indeed!
- mKat
I know at some point I will undoubtedly feel the need to rant about "greenwashing", but for the time being let's just focus on some positives. :) If you're just getting your collection started and are overwhelmed at the thought of filling one, two or many Helmers, my current storage option may be right for you.
Ikea MALM Dressing table/Interdesign 3-tiered shelf organizer
Aside from polishes, I am a cosmetics collector and, for the time being, my collection is housed in IKEA's large MALM dressing table. As my cosmetic collection expands, I will no doubt feel the need to expand my storage, possibly ousting my precious polishes and relocating them to a new home. For the time being however, here they are, arranged in their rainbow-loving glory.
The Interdesign 3-tiered system upon which they sit is available in the US from The Container Store and in Canada from Solutions or Kitchen Stuff Plus. It is a clear, acrylic shelf organizer, designed to keep spice bottles neat and easily accessible in kitchen cupboards. Flip this over as I've done and you'll find that polish sits quite nicely inside it. (If you sit it up the right way on a counter, it will store 42, or twice as many as it does now).
My other polishes, topcoats, files, clippers, spacers etc. are currently stored, rather amusingly, in a recycled Happy Feet popcorn bucket that came out as part of a kids combo with the movie. (You'll soon learn that I'm more of a kid than most kids). It's sturdy, and has a handle for easy transport, which is great because I love doing my nails in front of the TV. And seriously, who doesn't think Mumble is totally adorable?!
Happy feet, indeed!
- mKat
