We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
Hallie Gould knows a thing or two about beauty products. As the editor in chief of Byrdie, an online destination for all things skincare, hair, and makeup, her desk is a constant stream of beauty packages. “I probably receive about 100 products a month and keep 20ish on my desk at any given time,” she told us.
For many, getting to test all the latest products as they come out would be a dream scenario, but for many beauty editors, it’s a logistical nightmare. Serums, balms, and hair tools are stuffed in every nook and cranny of their desks, and that’s not even taking into account the mounting piles of products in their bathrooms.
Gould manages to keep a relatively low count in her Brooklyn apartment: “There are tons of products strewn around my room, under my bed, packed away in my closet (shameful but true), and then those I actually use in my bathroom,” she explains. “I’d estimate about 50 products or so, 25 of which I use on a regular cadence.” We had to ask: How do you organize it all?
Embrace the One-In-One-Out Philosophy
If I bring in a new product, I usually get rid of one I haven’t used in a while to make room. Every three months, I go through and really do a purge. I get rid of things I’ve had and never used, things I know I don’t like, and things taking up far too much space.
Test Before You Commit
Because my job very literally is to be surrounded by beauty products all day long, I make sure to try a product for a few days at my desk before deciding whether or not to take it home. It has to pass through a series of tests, the most important of which being, “Do I actually need this?” For example, I try to only take a moisturizer home when I’ve run out of it.
Organize According to Frequency of Use
I keep my hair and skincare products in the medicine cabinet above my sink and makeup in the drawer below. The makeup I use daily is stored in a big makeup case, and the items I use sparingly are kept in a few plastic organizers. Then, I have a bit of a junk drawer situation for body products and miscellaneous extras, including my blow-dryer and curling iron.
Shop the Only Products Gould Would Keep in Her Medicine Cabinet
