Forgive me the length of time it took to gather myself mentally and health-wise, but that is one of the downsides of being the sole person behind a site - there is no one to pick up slack on off days. My cold is all gone, and I'm back in business!

I've been a bit obsessed recently with an image from the past. Backstage at the Spring/Summer 2011 Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week Argentina Group Show, I saw a makeup artist organize their lipsticks in a small palette reminiscent of an empty nail tip box, or paint palette without dividers.

The ease of use coupled with the aesthetic greatness had me reeling ever since. I wanted the same for myself, but with more dividers between each color, to prevent losing it after mixing colors at the edges too often. I haven't had luck - even with bead organizers, the containers are too tall or too wide, and end up being more bulky than comfortable, which was one of the original goals. My search is ongoing for that perfect product, but the search did find other clever ways to organize though.

You can:
Melt your lipsticks down into small containers and store them in VHS boxes (video)
Make an organizer for the actual lipsticks(video 1 video 2)
Melt into an empty lip palette (video)
You can even use a shotgun shell container (interesting!)
Add tabs to the front of lipsticks and swatch (genius!)
Or... into small jars (video)

I'm on a roll with these reviews y'all. Sooner or later (maybe before 2010 rounds the corner!) I will be up to date with all the posts I owe you!

I have been itchin' to review the Z Palette for a while now. It's a simple thing really, a magnetized case for your loose pans, etc. I finally got to purchase one while at the Artist Summit in Miami, and I haven't regretted the decision!

From the site:

"This exclusive custom palette is perfect for display and color comparison. Its outstanding sleek and clean design offers an open magnetic base to fit any size eye shadow, blush, bronzer, or even foundation! So you can keep all your favorites from all different makeup brands in one place. The compact finish is made of a high quality matte paper, which is easy to clean and is 70% recyclable. Best of all with its clear window you can see exactly what’s inside! Replace colors as often as you would like to your preference."