I am someone who thrives in an organized environment. Ever since I was a little girl, I was always very neat, tidy, and organized. I love having a space for everything and making sure everything is in it's place. Of course I can always let my space get a little messy but there's something so special about an organized, perfected space. 

My home doesn't look like something out of The Home Edit (even though I wish it did) but I try to keep things as organized as possible. I live with my mom and sister, and storage is very limited in our home so things aren't as perfect as I'd like but I have my ways. 

For the home itself, I don't necessarily use any of the following items. For the kitchen, we have plenty of cabinet space and everything has it's place. Our linen closet is filled with towels, sheets, blankets, and a few other miscellaneous items like back up hand soaps and tissues... plus our Crock Pot. In our living room, we recently converted an empty corner (it was dead space) into a storage area with the addition of a gorgeous folding screen. 

The items I'm going to talk about are how I organize the items in my room. My closet is small so I utilize the space under my bed for my out of season clothes and other items like sorority memorabilia that I don't want to display and don't want to get rid of.

My closet holds my clothes, shoes and some handbags but everything else has it's space... and these are five must-haves for organizing your belongings in a small space. 

Stoney Clover Pouches

Trays

Command Hooks

Drawers & Shelves 

Decorative Boxes and Baskets

The best storage system for a small space? Decorative boxes and wicker baskets! I have Kate Spade boxes that hold chargers, phone and iPad cases along with bunch of random stuff that I need to throw out... so I'm using this as a reminder. I have a larger basket next to the boxes that I used to use as a hamper but then figured I could use the built in hamper in my bathroom, so now I store my weighted blanket in it! You can also use baskets to store hair products, makeup, bags, really anything! I'm considering getting another basket for the corner of my room, or even my closet just to throw stuff into... but sometimes the more storage I have, the more stuff I collect.

My room is fairly large, it's probably larger than the master bedroom, and I have it filled. Sometimes I get self-conscious that I'm a hoarder or that my room looks like a store but as long as I go throw my belongings every few months and clear out space, I'm usually good. Also, the key to not feeling cluttered is to make storage easy! It's definitely possible so I hope this post helped a bit.

What are your favorite storage solutions?

xoxo
B

My dad's side of the family is very neat. It was always a running joke that my aunt and grandma were obsessed with cleaning; I hadn't sat on my grandma's couch for perhaps the first 20 years of my life. She used to use plastic slipcovers to protect the white couch and I never walked in the house with shoes on.

That being said, I have always really enjoyed a neat, clean space. There is something very calming about organizing your space or clearing out clutter. When quarantine hit, I knew that my neat freak was going to kick in because if I am going to be spending a lot of time in my house, it needs to be in tip-top shape.

Whenever I am anxious, even if it's late at night, cleaning and organizing really calms my mind. I feel incredibly at ease and accomplished when I finish cleaning my room or decluttering a space. It's one of my favorite things ever.

One of the areas I knew I wanted to clear out were my Ikea Alex drawers that I use for my beauty collection. I have five drawers: nails, makeup, skincare/haircare, palettes and backups. I recently decluttered my makeup drawer so I decided to tackle skincare/haircare, backup, and nail drawer. Right now, I have published the skincare & backup drawer so that's what I'm going to be sharing today!

I will try to do other organization and cleaning posts because I already have done my bathroom cabinets, my closet and under my bed--the bed was the hardest and I didn't take any photos so we'll see).



I hope you enjoy these videos and stay tuned for the nail drawer video soon :)

I've always been an organized person and you would know that if you've been a reader of Royally Pink for a while. I've highlighted my obsession with planners in the Royally Planned series and have also spoken about how I'm trying to experiment with digital planning.

As much as I love technology, I have never been someone who can digitally plan. I like the feeling of writing things down and checking something off the to-do list. I could never get the hang of planning on my phone or computer.

However, that changed slightly when I started using a digital editorial calendar. It changed how I viewed planning because I couldn't find a written system that worked.



When I was looking for a way to track my budget, I tried a few different notebooks and apps but nothing worked quite like a Google spreadsheet. This opened up an entirely new world for me and I started to realize that Google Suite had everything I could ever want or need.  I am an Apple girl through and through but the Google Suite is so easy to use, syncs to your Gmail and you can access it everywhere. I have all the apps on my phone: Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets... it's just a no brainer.

After my budget, I started making spreadsheets for virtually anything I could think of.

Wishlist

I have a wishlist document where I list everything that I'm lusting after. I have the document split into a regular wishlist and then a luxury wishlist. It makes keeping track of everything I want a little easier and I feel better after I get it out of my head and onto paper. I know this sounds kind of stupid but every day I find something new I want so it's better to write it all down and stop thinking about it.

Youtube + Podcast Calendar

When I was trying to figure out how I wanted to lay out a content calendar for my Youtube and Podcast, I knew that my blogging editorial calendar was not going to work. I decided to download a monthly calendar, input it into Google doc and have a sheet for each month. I also have a separate sheet for future video and podcast ideas. It makes things simple, organized, and easy to access on the go.

Freelancing

Last year I started to take my freelance writing seriously and wow, did it really take off. I was so happy with all my writing but was a little overwhelmed because I didn't know how to keep track of everything. I wanted a place to keep track of my pitches, when I sent them through, who I sent them too and if they were accepted or rejected. It has helped me so much and I'm able to be so much more productive.

Royally Pink

Aside from the editorial calendar, I have found so many other ways to utilize Google Docs for my blog. I track my analytics, my top posts of the year and sponsored posts. I have a Royally Pink folder in my Google Drive and it's so easy to access everything and keep it organized... which is sort of the theme of this post.

So that's that! The Google Suite/Drive is my best friend and has been keeping me sane for the past few months. If you need a digital organization system, I highly recommend experimenting with Google Docs. It's also a great way to back up your work -- I write all my articles in Google docs and it's easy to share, download, and back up in case something happens to my computer.

Do you use Google Drive/Docs? What are your thoughts? 
xoxo
B

July means one thing in my book and that's buying planners to use starting in August. This year, I had no qualms about what planner I was picking.

It was time to go back to my roots.

That's right, from the title of this blog you know what's coming.

Lilly Pulitzer planners are back in my life.

It's been a solid 4 years since I had one and I just knew the time was right. I've loved my Henri Bendel planners for the past few years, and I attempted a Kate Spade one last year (my work bag was stolen in October and my KS planner was in it, so I didn't fully use it)

My reasons for going back to Lilly are simple.

I needed some color back in my life.



While the Henri Bendel planners are sophiscated and chic and have gorgeous fashion illustrated designs, I've been in a Lilly Pulitzer mood and I had to satisfy that feeling with a planner.

I wasn't too keen on the Kate Spade planners this year, Henri doesn't release theirs until the Fall and I was just ready to see what Lilly had to offer.

I did change things up a bit and got a medium agenda instead of a large. Not being in school and having my Louis Vuitton MM Agenda at home, I don't use the 'on the go' planner as much as I have in the past. I knew that if I didn't like the medium planner I could just return it and go back to my classic Large.

That wasn't the case and I really love the medium size. *Granted I haven't used it much yet but so far, it seems like it'll be fine.





The layout is pretty much the same as before so nothing has changed there. The designs were very Lilly like and I was alternating between the one I picked up, Light Pascha Pink Aquadesiac and Nauti Navy Flamiagno. I decided that if I was going to get a Lilly planner, I was going full Lilly!







We'll see what happens when Henri Bendel releases their planners -- I've been loving HB lately and I have such a weakness for the covers. However, I really like the fact that I Lilly has a lot of space in each day; HB has very little space and then a page for notes. I think it'll be good to change things up and see how I like it.

Also, Lilly comes with stickers. Does it get much better than that?

What are you planning with for the 2018-2019 year?

*PS: Isn't it WILD that we're halfway through the year?
xoxo
B

Let me start off this post by saying I don't recommend anyone taking financial advice from me. I am not the smartest at managing my money and I have a shopping addiction. I have gotten so much better and continue to do better with my finances daily.

However, what I think you should take my advice on when it comes to organizing your finances. I've tried many ways to organize myself in terms of money in the past but I finally found a way that really works for me.

Most recently, I tried having a budget journal, using a May Designs notebook and then a few inserts in my Louis Vuitton PM Agenda. I got bored of both of those and switched over to only digital organization.

I have a lot of credit card bills and two student loans, so I pay a lot of bills on a monthly basis. I also have a lot of monthly bills for subscription services that are on autopay so I needed a way to remember the dates the money gets taken out of my account.

I was so disorganized at one point that I was getting overdrafted on a weekly basis. I think I finally got most of my finances worked out.

Forget the apps, forget the planners -- I have found my way.

How I Organized

I made an Excel sheet that shows the current balance on all my credit cards, the date that the bill is due, and how much I will pay this month.

That way, I can see the total amount of bills I'm paying this month and how much money I have left over.

I live at home but do pay a little 'rent' to my mom monthly I also put all my balances at $0.00 for privacy reasons :)

In this document, I also have my monthly auto-pays but I will show you how I took it one step further with these expenses.

I update this document about twice a month, whenever I get paid, so I know exactly what needs to happen to stay on top of my bills.

It's that simple... no crazy spreadsheets or formulas or anything spectactular. It's one sheet, a few columns, and a broad overview while still being as detailed as I need.

One thing I do recommend is putting your excel document into Google Sheets so you can update in real time on your phone, or another computer. Sometimes I would need to make an adjustment and if I waited until I went home to edit it on my computer, I would forget and it just threw me off.

Having it in Google Sheets the past few weeks has been really helpful.

My Auto-Pay Bills

I've always had an extensive jewelry collection and storing it has always been an issue for me.



I've had every jewelry box under the sun, and even had a small mannequin stand to house all my pieces. However, nothing ever seemed good enough for me.

When I moved into this new apartment almost two years ago, I knew I wanted to be able to see all my jewelry so I could wear it all. I have a hard time using things I can't see. I also have a hard time wearing all my jewelry. I always go through phases where I don't want to wear certain types of jewelry. Right now, I can't stand wearing anything but rings and earrings... but I still want the option of knowing what I have in my collection.





When I moved in, I had the perfect idea. In my little shelving unit, where I house all of my lipsticks, I have the first shelf as my jewelry shelf.

My necklaces are divided amongst the metals; so I have silver hooks, rose gold hooks, and gold hooks. I love this type of organization because it makes everything so easy.

I have all my necklaces hung up on the side of the shelf, hanging on clear command hooks. My bracelets are in one jewelry dish while my rings are in a few others. (I have a lot of rings). My earrings lay in  4th jewelry dish, and this ensures that I can see all my pieces and have them go in and out of rotation.

It's not a really unique organization system but it works for me. Everything is seperated, on display, and gets used (when I'm in the mood). It's working for me for now!

Shop more trays and organization systems below:



How do you organize your jewelry to make sure everything is getting used?
xoxo
B

I haven't done an updated makeup storage post in years.

My original post was more of a review of the Alex Drawers from Ikea, which I still use but since I moved, the way I store my makeup has changed. Mostly because I have more space, and I have a lot more makeup.

With Spring being this week, I figured it was a great time to talk about organization. Organizing is one of my favorite things in the world. It calms me down and clears my mind.

I was super anxious over the weekend and felt like I needed to do something so I went through my closet, got rid of some things and reorganized it. I felt like a new person. That being said, I'm also planning to redo my room a little so once that is done, I'll do a little updated room tour.

Now, for the real reason we're here -- makeup.

My beauty bug has really subsided in recent months. Nothing was inspiring me, I wasn't wearing that much makeup and just wasn't feeling anything new. I'm also still going on my no buy, which I'll do another post on once it's over when Lent ends on March 29th.

However, in the past few weeks I've hit my beauty reset button so this is a perfect time to do this post!

Let's start with my lipsticks.




I have a shelving unit in the corner of my room, and store my lipsticks on a shelf there because I have too many. I keep my liquid lipsticks, glossse, chubby crayons, in a variety of different containers and empty candle holders.


On the other side of the shelf, I have all my perfumes, including mini samples that I get from Sephora orders.



Then, my regular lipsticks sit on a spinning tower on the cubby shelves that hold my handbags. This makes for easy access and adorable decor.



Now we move over to my desk area where one half is reserved for beauty stuff.

This little tray is a new addition to my desk because I felt like I needed something to contain the overflow of beauty stuff that was on my desk. It has been amazing for organizing myself and it acts as a little decor that I love.




Here, I keep the skincare I'm using, any supplments that I'm taking, and my makeup brushes. I also have some pretty makeup prodcuts like my Huda Beauty Foundation, my YSL Touche Eclat Blur and the Herbivorve Rose Spray.

I also have a little ring dish that my friend got me for Christmas that I keep lipgloss, pins, or hairties in as a touch of decor.


It's time for the big guy -- my Alex Ikea Drawers. Where I keep everything is the same as it was a few years ago, but what's on top has changed a bit.



I have an acrylic drawer set that I bought off of Amazon and it's amazing. I personally do not think you need an expensive Glambox or any other name brand acrylic drawer set -- Amazon is where it's at.

In there, I have my items spilt up into 6 sections:

• The first drawer is where I have my brow products and all my concealers. 
• The second drawer I have some random makeup products and then mascara
• The third drawer is filled with all kinds of random makeup products like lip balms, mini beauty blenders, and eyeshadow crayons.

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