You know the Chinese New Year is near when I start panicking and doing mega spring cleaning of my house at every opportunity. I feel like the White Rabbit sometimes – no time! no time! Because we have but a couple of weeks more to go before we welcome in the Lunar New Year and I’m not even done yet. Sigh… Last weekend saw me tackling the madness that was my dressing table and I knew without a doubt that I needed some decent storage.
Dom over at Belle Demoiselle had previously picked up one of the now very popular clear acrylic storage boxes once, and when I last picked her brains about it, waxed lyrical about it. I knew however that I couldn’t deal with clear boxes. My mess, ostensibly in the open? Erm, not quite what I had in mind. I wanted my clutter hidden away, but neatly. Did that make sense? haha…
So one day while at Pavilion KL, I wandered into Muji. The popular items people usually get from Muji are the clear acrylic drawers but I wanted something different and towards the back of the store, I came upon what I was looking for. This is the PP A4 3 Drawer Unit (view it at Muji here) which is a fairly large set of 3 stacked drawers made of polypropylene. It was opaque which was just how I wanted it – my organized mess could go in there and my dresser would finally look neat! Here’s a sampling of what I put in my drawers 🙂
The 3 drawers are fairly deep and long but not overly so. It is just A4 sized as the name of the box implies. I really wanted somewhere to store my Meteorites Perles powders because they were sitting out in the open before this and gathering dust. So when I bought the storage drawers, I made sure they could fit the tins.
Yes, they fit! I read that the new Meteorites Perles du Paradis from Spring 2013 have a larger and higher box but I think there is sufficient space for it. Fits the Le Metier de Beauty Kaleidoscopes too, as you can see at back, with lots more space for the collections to grow 😉
I noticed that when I pulled out the drawers, the tins and boxes would slide about a bit, so I cut up a piece of non-slip backing I’d previously bought from Daiso to line the base and voila! No more sliding! Everything stays nicely in place.
In drawer 2 I put concealers, BB Creams and primers that I regularly use. The drawers come without dividers but it didn’t bother me. I had some leftover plastic dividers from Daiso that comes in very handy at times like this. Just get a pack from there and break off where you need and create your own dividers. Perfect!
Again, I placed the non slip backing on the base to stop things from sliding around and making a racket when you slide the drawer in and out.
I do have to make mention of the drawers – the sliding motion is super smooth and it doesn’t catch at all. It almost feels like its on rollers except of course, it isn’t. There is a little bit of plastic at the top so when you pull out the length of your drawer you can rest it against that bit and your drawer will not slip and crash to the floor. I liked the thought that went into it because I hate pulling out a drawer and then suddenly find I’ve pulled it all the way out. It is very sturdy and well made and although this is an expensive bit of plastic, I was very happy with how it felt and performed.
The last drawer houses my powders and powder foundations. As you can see, it is tall enough so powder compacts can stand on their side. Again, I inserted my own dividers and non-slip base and everything is, as they say, hunky dory!
Of course, I am not your regular girl so as you can see, 3 drawers only house my base makeup 😛 You could easily designate one drawer for your base makeup, one for color and another for lipsticks, if you like. I tested and most lipsticks can stand up quite easily in the drawer so you can use one of these divider things to create compartments, or place a simple box in there and stand your lipsticks up, and one on the side to lay your longer lipsticks or glosses.
This 3 drawer box houses lots and doesn’t have a very large footprint measuring W26 x D37 x H32.5cm. What I liked best is that the PP material is easy to clean, doesn’t scratch easily, is opaque and pliable so it isn’t brittle, has a nice tactile feel and shouldn’t break easily if you don’t drop it down a flight of stairs <- and why would you do that?! 😛
Mine sits comfortably on top of an Ikea Helmer (which is a story for another day 😛 ) but you should be able to sit it quite nicely on your dresser and still be able to put more stuff on top of it as I have haha!
So this is my current and latest storage system and I’m really pleased with it. I managed to free up some space on my dresser (finally!) and its actually easier for me to see and pick out everything I need now with just one glance into the drawer. I had a different storage unit before this that had too many compartments and drawers so it got messy. Sometimes, less is more 😀
Do you use Muji storage boxes/drawers too? What would you put in this if you had it?
I picked mine up in store for RM109.90 and apparently, its currently on 10% discount (damn! I shouldn’t have been so hasty!) I’d used to read about people buying their beauty storage from Muji before this but I always thought Muji made only the acrylic boxes (because that’s what everyone used!) so I never bothered to look in there till now. I’m glad they didn’t else I’d still be on the hunt for a good storage option. Very happy with this one! 😀
Paris B
Muji PP A4 3 Drawer Unit Price: RM109.90 Availability: Muji stores (Currently at Pavilion KL and MidValley Megamall)
Wow nice! Finally found my solution, thanks to u! Ooohhh I love dat 10% discount too…..hehe
Haha glad to have helped and yes, I only just found out about the 10% discount! Not very much but a nice bit of savings nonetheless 😀
Ooohhhh! Right up my ally PB!! I am so into organizing and storage and cannot get enough of it! In my room I use a 9 drawer unit called Alex from Ikea. I had the perfect spot for it and it fit my needs too. And in these drawers I bought different shaped see through trays from Daiso to further organize my makeup. The storage unit you got from Muji certainly gives me ideas on what I can use to organize my girls’ art related items……
Ooh you got the Alex, Jacqui! I’d been eyeing that one for the longest time but never got it because it was always out of stock! Ended up with the Helmer which isn’t ideal but will do. There are loads of choices in Muji actually. They had some of those that came with dividers too, but I didn’t get them for makeup because it was too rigid. But for other purposes, it might come in useful 😀
I either use Muji or wooden drawers. I happily pay more for Muji, the quality is very good and they don’t look cheap. You seem to be very organized 🙂
Keyword is “seem to be” Claire! 😉 I try to be organized but it isn’t as easy as it is because I’m not a terribly neat person to start with haha! But nice storage boxes help! Its the first time I bought anything from Muji and you’re right, it doesn’t look cheap and tacky which is just as aesthetically important 🙂
I am so so so so tempted to get it (even until now), but at the same time i am not sure because of space constraint, sigh, life is so full of dilemma!
I got it precisely to solve my space constraint LOL! But then, I do have a lot more space than you do 😉 I love your Micke anyway!
I love your new makeup storage! This is perfect because I don’t want a clear drawer too. Like you, I want my mess hidden , hihihi.
haha great minds think alike! 😀 I didn’t think I could handle clear drawers because seeing my mess “floating” about on my dresser would kill me haha!
Looks good!! I like the idea of using a non slip base! Didn’t know you can find that, and the dividers from Daisho. Will look out for them! ^_^
Yes! I put non slip bases in all my drawers and it helps things stay in place. I used to buy them from Ikea – the Rationell kitchen drawer liners, but when I found mats that performed a similar function at Daiso (thinner and not as sticky but does the job) I pounced!
I had been looking into organising my desk lately; but I refuse to pay full price for Muji storage options (so them posting the CNY “deal” is timely :P). 10% is not much, but still better than nothing, I guess.
Conveniently enough, both Daiso and Muji stores in Midvalley are nearer to each other, so you can do it all on one floor in one place, haha.
Haha yes, definitely 10% is better than nothing. I wish I’d waited, but if I did, I might never have found out how useful it was 🙂 Thanks for the Daiso + Muji tip in MV. I didn’t know Daiso is open there! 0_0
The Daiso in MV is where the old food court upstairs is – it’s probably hidden from view coming from centre court (same row as the Feng Shui place), but it’s there. Daiso lovers might like that it’s TWO STOREYS.
Ohhh Ok, I know where that is then 🙂 Thanks, I’ll go browse the next time I’m in MV 😀
Bought myself something at MUJI – got the 10% discount and another RM10 off with VISA’s Prereward voucher (the event is downstairs outside Metrojaya).
Whee!
Excellent deals! Thanks for sharing the extra voucher tip!
I love this post 🙂 Your drawers looks so organised. I visited Muji at Mid Valley recently and they only had clear drawers. Maybe I missed the opaque drawers. I agree with you on preferring to have my mess hidden. LOL. Thanks for the tips on the non-slip base and dividers from Daiso. I never even knew they sold them over there and I will keep this in mind when I need one as well.
Hi Victoria, Yep, the clear drawers are so popular they are kept at the front of the store while these are kept at the back maybe because they are more bulky. Daiso is a treasure trove of discovery! Never know what we may find in there 😀
we have a couple of the larger ones for clothes storage. The beauty of these drawers is that you can stack them with different heights and re-arrange if you feel like moving your furniture around the room from time to time (which my husband does… arrrghh). Mini makeovers using the same piece of furnitures, if you know what i mean. 🙂
Also, we have bright walls (yellow and blue) in the house. When the white-ish drawers are placed against the walls they sort of look a little out of place. So we slot in yellow/blue sheets (those thin, hard glossy ones you get from art supply store) in front of each drawer to sort of “mute” the white out a little. 🙂
When my collection has grown that renders the need to have separate drawers of their own, I will definitely use these muji drawers (maybe smaller size… haha). And your non-slip base is genius! 🙂
I tried so many of these boxes and trays and in the end, they just aren’t sturdy enough. They’re usually do their plastic jiggles after some time 🙁 So I think you know the rest of the story, I made my own.
I’m still thinking of getting an Alex to keep less used items. Hide them away under my vanity table. We’ll see 🙂 I’m a bit anal when it comes to colour coordinating too. That’s why clear acrylic is my solution. I actually use a cute scarf to cover it when I’m not using it. Looks really neat!
I like the Alex, I think its super sleek! I have had a lot of luck with plastic storage I guess. The one I have from years and years ago is still nice and sturdy and not shaky at all! Maybe the fact that it was a toolbox to start played a part haha! Well this one from Muji looks good thus far – good to know you found an option in building one! Must have been a fun endeavour 🙂
Wow~ Very organised indeed! 😀 Muji should give you a complimentary 3 drawer unit for recommending it to all of us here 😉
I usually re-use those empty tea boxes, perfume boxes and such as the dividers 😛 anyhow, yours much tidier though 😀
hahaha I wish eh? 😀 But good things should be shared and better still, discounts! I use the lids of boxes etc as trays too! Its cost effective (free!) and environmentally friendly 😀
LOL! Yes yes! Discounts! I hope I could still get hold of it this weekend at the megamall 😀
Yes indeed! Lids of boxes! 😀
Ah, I’ve been searching for spacious yet space-saving storage boxes (or drawers) for my makeup. The ones that have been mentioned are mostly clear acrylic and they scratched easily, plus really expensive. I actually heard they costs about RM400+. Egad! I’m still a student and spending that amount on storage drawers ain’t worth it. So glad to know that I can actually get one at around RM100.
Thanks for sharing.
XOXO
Hi Joy, yep I too started looking at the acrylic storage for my dresser top when everyone started talking about it but I too found it hard to put the money down for it. The fact is, it will scratch and I have concerns about it being brittle although the quality could be very good, it’s hard to say. Still, this is a very much more affordable option that works well (was looking out for my own pockets too!) 😀
Oooh I like the dividers. Daiso you say? I’m on it! I’m currently using old styrofoam cutouts as dividers but they aren’t sturdy enough and often topple over. Nice Muji drawers. Like that it’s opaque too. I prefer opaque drawers. Can hide the mess inside and still look neat on the outside! 😛
Yep, Daiso has different options. I have these which are hard plastic and they have those in very light material, like corrugated board but plastic. I have both but I find the plastic ones better as they are stiffer and hold their compartments better. The other one is a bit too light.
i use similar drawer too but it’s not as organized as urs.. LOL
Yay high 5! 😉 get these dividers. They are cheap and do an excellent job!
I want to go to your place right now PB and just snoop around the contents of your Muji drawer! Well, I think I’ll be doing some organization soon! well I hope before the baby comes out? hahahah 😀 goodluck! I hope my baby boy doesn’t play with my makeup so I have to keep them well! 😛
You’d be welcome to come and poke around! Hehe… I think you’ll have your hands full once the little one arrives so better do your organizing now or erm… When he turns 18? Lol! 😉
Totally silly question Paris…. but do you know if we have Muji in Singapore? LOL. I swear I’ve seen that name everywhere but at the same time I’m not too sure. My desk has turned into a dressing table because of all my makeup piling up, this drawer looks super!
x Renee
Hey Renee, yes you have Muji at Paragon 😀 I used to browse in there before the store opened here but stuff were always too bulky to bring back. I’m sure you’ll find some nice solutions in there 😉
Hi there is Muji at Marina Square as well as at Bugis Junction. Ion Orchard etc 😉
Muji is finally in Malaysia! Wheeee~~~ No more longing when I see pretty but bulky items when I go overseas. I hope to visit their store in Midvalley soon.
I keep all of my skincare and make-up items inside my washroom cabinet (from Ikea) so I don’t need tier storage like this. I do have a small cosmetic box purchased from Daiso for my night skincare next to my bed.
I use the divider leftovers to make a make-up brush drying rack. When I don’t need it I just pull them apart and voila, space saving solution 🙂
P.S.: I love your new layout. It’s divine!
Hi Trah and think you for liking the new layout! Yes, Muji is finally here since last year but I’d never bought anything till now lol! I used to want to cart back everything from their store in Singapore but couldn’t! I think your divider-brush drying rack is genius! Do you lay them on the divider or how do you use it as a rack exactly? I’m really curious 😀
I don’t go out often during weekends so I didn’t know that Muji is here. I usually purchase their assorted dried tea leaves and flowers in Muji Singapore. Does Muji KL sell food and beverage items too?
I use the divider as a rack, here’s an example: http://i.imgur.com/meK6KA3.jpg
I made this because kabuki brush is hard to dry due to its short handle, using the divider makes it easier for me to adjust the length and dry all my brushes in one go 🙂
Ahhh that’s genius, Trah! I love the idea! 😀 😀 You can then dry it anywhere that has a nice wind so it dries more quickly 😀 I don’t remember seeing food at Muji KL (the one at Pavilion isn’t very big) but Daiso didn’t use to either and now they do, so maybe it’ll be a matter of time 😀
Good job, Paris! I keep thinking I need an IKEA Alex, but maybe something like this would be a great idea. It’s just that with the stuff I own, I might need a couple of these. Oh we’ll see. I don’t get Muji here so I’ll first have to figure out where I can find something remotely similar 🙂
Oh if you can get the Alex, get that! I wanted that from the start, but then realized I had no space in my room haha! This box only works well for those with small collections or for specialized items eg base makeup as mine is used for. For you, I think a set of shelves or a cupboard would be a much better bet! 😉
I bought a similar drawer from Popular and it’s only RM20 and loving it. But I think I need to check out the Muji one too. My makeups multiply easily and now I need another drawer to house them.
Ah Popular has some good selections too. I wasn’t happy with the quality though because I found the plastic a bit thin, but it does a good job at a small price 🙂
This actually looks a lot like IKEA’s Kupol storage units. Around the same price too, but Kupol is customisable with different sizes and can be attached to castors.
I had to google the ikea Kupol! Lol! From pictures, you are absolutely right. They look very similar. I haven’t been down to Ikea in ages! But next time I’m there I’ll be sure to take a look. These from Muji come in different sizes and some have dividers but I opted out of them and went for the one that was most value for money 😉