ORGANIZATION: Mini-Apartment Challenge Update - The "Vanity" Space

It's been a few weeks since the start of the Mini-Apartment challenge and at the time of writing, most of the superficial tasks and rearranging has been done to the best of my ability and without disrupting much of the items left behind by my twin sister (former owner of the room) before she moved out. I'll be detailing my experiences as well as document the spaces that have been given special attention and direction. 

First things first, the experience. I have to admit that this has put my minimalist mindset close to overdrive. With limited space and limited options to store things, I had to ensure two things: that my stuff all had a proper space and that it was readily accessible. The current set up is divided into areas:

1. The Closet
2. The "Vanity"
3. The Under the Bed drawers
4. The Bedside Drawer
5. The Drawers
6. The Work Desk 

For this post, I'm going to focus on the "Vanity" area, where most of my hygiene/maintenance products are kept. The Vanity is a re-purposed video cassette cabinet that my parents used to have to hold miscellaneous items along the relics known as video cassettes. It has a workable flat top, with a space between the top and the cabinets. The top is where all the beauty processes take shape with a small plastic drawer holding all the skincare I need and use on a daily basis along with ipsy samples I'm trying out. There's usually a glass mug in this area  where I keep all the used brushes separate from the rest of the bunch so I can wash them after coming home from work and before getting down to the evening tasks.

The Cabinet themselves are where I keep all my make-up tools, nail colors, zero-waste cleaning materials as well as refills for witch hazel, rose water and coconut oil products. I try to keep this area as neat and accessible as possible so when a spill or a stain comes around, I know where to find things. Other knick-knacks are stored there too, mostly packing cubes and ipsy bags that I enjoy.

That was actually the easiest part of this small makeover: finding places for everything in this one area. Knowing where things are found ensures that I will put it back where it belongs, keeping the room mostly decluttered. It also keeps the work desk and the bedroom separate from all the activities that take place on the vanity, keeping stains and liquids away from electronics or easily stained wood. If I need to grab the Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap, I know where to find it and where to store it. If I need to machine dry my clothes and need the dryer balls, I know where they are.

This has also forced me to examine what I truly use in my daily routine. Items and samples that are empty or I don't use are thrown away or offered to someone who may use them. To get as organized as it's seen here, I had to pare down a lot of items, and there's still more to go. I follow both the KonMari Method and decide if I truly use the items in 3 months.

I don't know when the next update will be but hopefully within two weeks of this one. Who knows? Maybe I'd change some things before then.

- SP

Update for November 12, 2018:

So in a very harried week, I forgot to post this and some minor changes have been happening. Also I had some pictures planned but had some issues fixing them up. Sorry about that!