ROAD TEST: ‘I transformed the way I organised my makeup, thanks to this ONE THING.’

You know when you’re getting ready with friends, and you realise how wildly different your routines are from each other?  

That happens every now and then when a pal uses foundation, mascara and bronzer, then says they’re ready while slicking on their lip balm as the last step. 

Meanwhile, I’m looking at them fearfully while I explain I’ve only just finished prepping my skin. 

But then, the pal will generally sip on a prosecco and watch me with fascination as I apply all my "steps", asking a million questions about what everything does. I always feel a bit chuffed when this happens, because I’m not the most useful human when it comes to information, but which eyeshadow colour would best suit you? 

Oh, you KNOW I got you. 

That pal clearly isn’t a Youbie though. Because Youbies generally LOVE a solid routine and Youbies LOVE a product collection. 

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A post shared by KELLY LEE 😝 (@kelly_mccarren)

Just look at the booming beauty sales, Instagram Reels content and #shelfie tags; our collections are getting bigger and better than ever, and we’re not sorry about it. 

We saw a huge shift in general interest in beauty last year during the initial lockdown. 

Many people couldn’t treat themselves to a night out, or look forward to a holiday. There wasn’t much point in buying a new dress, but there was something we could have fun with and splurge on: beauty. 

Many of us now have drawers overflowing with sheet masks, serums spilling off cramped shelves, and all our mugs are being used to house lip liners, mascara wands and makeup brushes… or is that just me? Not many beauty lovers have ample storage to house our addiction, so have I got a hot hack for you. 

Enter the not-so-humble (this one is fancy and spesh af) makeup case. I got my hands on the Justine Hollywood Vanity Mirror Makeup Case with LED, so boujee, from AMR (Australia’s fastest growing online hair and beauty store).

Image: Supplied.

I'm wondering how the heck I managed my beauty collection before bringing this sweet baby home.

So bare with me, but yep: I’m suggesting you use your bathroom storage space for your skincare/bodycare/haircare, and then invest in a good quality makeup case for all the other fun stuff for your face, just like this one.

I mean LOOK AT THAT FOLDAWAY STORAGE.

Image: Supplied.

This frees up a bunch of space in your bathroom and makes ‘doing your face’ astronomically easier. It's so good, any beauty lover would be into it, not just makeup artists hauling around their collection for clients! 

Here’s exactly how this Justine Hollywood Vanity Mirror Makeup Case from AMR has made life easier and better (and is guaranteed to improve yours too).

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• Lighting hits differently at different times; I like to move easily and find the window with the best light (yeah, I’m THAT kind of gal and proud of it). This nifty makeup case also has inbuilt LED lighting too, so even on the grimmest of gloomy days, your jawline will be blended.

• Got a friend in a beauty emergency? No dramas, just grab your kit like you’re a real life MUA and sort that sad situation out in a jiffy. 

• Don’t want your pesky sister touching your things? Easy, just slide this under the bed and tell her your supplies are low. Let's hope she'll buy that story.

• Going away for the night or a weekend? Your face is already packed doll. Just add in your skincare, a toothbrush and some deodorant and you can head on your merry way.

• If your SO has used the bathroom to… well, empty their bowels, you really don’t want to be stuck in there doing your face while marinating in that. Having your makeup portable completely mitigates this offensive stage in a relationship you will definitely hit at some stage.  

I could go on... so I absolutely will. 

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• Next: this beauty is rose gold, which in my opinion is the best colour in the world. I already have a bunch of my homewares and most loved items in this shade, so it fits into my home beautifully, and is now eyed off by friends who visit our place. You BET I leave it out so they see it.

• It’s functional AND pretty. Sadly, the same can’t be said about me at 32. (You have my permission to laugh). 

• There’s a USB charging port in it, so you can get your phone juiced up while face painting. How fun is that?

• The LED lights make putting on makeup super helpful, plus you kinda feel like a model or professional MUA sitting in front of them. 

• The lighting has 4 strength levels and you can choose if you want warm, neutral or cool. This is SO good when the weather is playing you because you could (as a pretty basic example) diffuse sad outside cool lighting with a hit of LED warmth. 

• It’s roomy. Boy, is she roomy. You can fit way more in the case than I’ve shown, I was trying to make the imagery at least half ‘aesthetic’, when in real life it will be brimming with about double this amount of makeup with the size of these compartments, and still happily fold away effortlessly.

When I first unpacked it, the cats thought I'd got it for them and started the adopt the makeup case as their own. Absolutely not. But honestly, LOOK AT HER! She loves it! 

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So before you try and cram your latest beauty haul in your already groaning bathroom shelves, consider an alternative storage solution for your sanity and inner organisational zen. This makeup case from AMR fit the equivalent of 3 shelves of makeup in it (STUNNING) and takes up a fraction of the space. 

I feel like Marie Kondo would be super proud of this hack. 

Now, excuse me while I go open my makeup case, turn on the lights and pretend I’m a famous YouTuber walking my fans through my incredibly wobbly winger eyeliner routine. 

You can buy the Justine Hollywood Vanity Mirror Makeup Case with LED from AMR here.

Feature: Supplied.