| | | | | | | IOPE — of all the times to overhaul your cushion refill design, right after I'd invested in the limited edition case for a giveaway?! |
Normally I don't lose sleep over how my collection is arranged, since a trusty spreadsheet logs everything for me — but lately my home office has been swallowed up by half-opened deliveries, scattered photography gear, and an ever-multiplying pile of packing supplies that appears to be reproducing in every crevice.
I'm meticulous about recording my purchases (that spreadsheet again, bless it), yet I consistently overlook logging items that arrive as gifts — whether from pals or as freebies tucked inside store orders.
Inside this article
- The outcome: a peek into my home office and a freshly organized collection
- Forgotten treasures pulled from the depths: "Ooh, I should really try this!"
- A tour through storage wonderland: drawers, shelves, the fridge, and my bathroom vanity
- Remaining items on my task list
Once I weeded through the whole lot and extracted every empty, carton, and reject, I was stunned at how compact it all became — I've got no clue what a typical beauty blogger's collection looks like in size, but stacked against those jaw-dropping collection tours online, mine is positively miniature! Hats off to the spreadsheet for keeping me grounded, even if it can't showcase the gorgeous packaging. Bring on the photos! Quick heads-up: this blog contains both affiliate and non-affiliate links; clicking the former prior to purchasing may chip in a small commission toward keeping this site running. Full disclosure lives at the bottom of the post! #receipts
The outcome: a peek into my home office and a freshly disciplined collection
Below is a snapshot of my office captured while photographing the products that usually reside on my bathroom sink — in other words, the items I reach for often enough to earn counter space.
This room boasts three windows, yet bafflingly they never seem to pour in enough daylight for photography (seriously — three of them!), so I've picked up some budget-friendly softbox lights (these from Amazon) to ease the frustration of chasing a decent shot. At least on the lighting front. Why does photography always feel like a battle, honestly.
| | | | | | | My entire collection lives in the upper-left cabinet and the rolling drawer unit. |
Beneath the desk I keep assorted photography supplies, including a DIY cherry wood board I rely on for Instagram shots like this one, alongside a tidy props box — finally gathered into a single spot instead of hiding in every corner of my office, sliding under my feet, ambushing me mid-photo as I twist into awkward positions, and generally testing my patience.
Forgotten treasures pulled from the depths: "Wait, I should actually use this!"
Mizon Pink Spot Treatment, Etude House Eye Base, Lorac Eyeshadow Palette
| | | | | | | Let the pink powder rest undisturbed and it will layer correctly. |
The Mizon Acence Blemish Out Pink Spot powder is actually a re-buy — I've sampled other pink spot solutions (including this Ciracle one), yet Mizon still reigns supreme. My first bottle ran out ages ago, and you can find my full thoughts here: Mizon Acence Blemish Out Pink Spot Review. Luckily my routine already includes regular actives (azelaic acid and BHA) that nip budding blemishes in the bud, but I genuinely felt the absence of this product and grabbed a replacement. Where to find it: Amazon | eBay | Jolse | RoseRoseShop | TesterKorea
Get ready for plenty of unintentional smoky eye moments ahead.
IOPE Air Cushion Refill, Too Cool for School Mascara, Tatcha Blotting Papers, Lalavesi Skin Primer
| | | | | | | Cute packaging isn't usually my thing, but Dinoplatz absolutely nails it. |
I'm perpetually searching for cushion pairings, which is how I ended up with this IOPE Air Cushion XP in M13 refill from… somewhere or other. Probably a buying service haul or an 11st order. That's actually why I picked up that purple/green duochrome limited edition IOPE case in the opening image of this post. Snagging just the refill inserts and slotting them into a compatible case is an approach I'd suggest over splashing out on an unfamiliar cushion — refills usually run $10-15, which stings less if the result falls flat.
My hooded, oily lids have a nasty habit of silently dissolving my mascara and depositing it beneath my eyes, guaranteeing a perpetually disheveled appearance. Rude. I'd sworn off mascara entirely until I stumbled across tubing formulas, and Blinc has been my steadfast pick ever since. Word is the Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Escalator mascara is also a tubing type, so once my Blinc hits the 3-month mark, I'll be putting this one through its paces.
The Tatcha Aburatorigami Blotting Sheets were tossed into my box by a friend during a group order, and although my track record with Tatcha hasn't been stellar, the buzz around these sheets is undeniable. The Lalavesi Akma Base in Y2 was meant to be a decant from Tracy, except she shipped me the full bottle — oops! I've already given it a quick test, but since I wear makeup so seldom, I really ought to dig it out and give it a proper trial.
Acwell Bubble-Free Cleanser, Camellia Hair Oil, Ginseng Exfoliant, History of Whoo Balm
| | | | | | | That History of Whoo balm set has been catching my eye since last winter. |
The Acwell Bubble Free pH Balancing Cleanser had been on my wishlist for ages, and Tracy graciously shared a decant. A friend drowning in Memebox boxes passed along the La Bellona Camellia Oleifera Oil Clinic hair treatment and Derma House Peeling Gel with Coenzyme Q10 and Ginseng, knowing that my thick hair guzzles product and that I'm a sucker for Hanbang (traditional Korean herbal medicine) aromas — ginseng included.
A tour through storage wonderland: drawers, shelves, the fridge, and my bathroom vanity
My shower lineup and bathroom counter contents
The left side holds my bath and body stash: shampoos, conditioners, body wash, scalp spray, BHA body spray, and the like. The right side features the products that occupy our sink (a single corner when they're not strewn about) along with the AHA my husband applies to spot-treat his CCs. All on his own accord. So proud.
| | | | | | | Just visible behind the Su:m37 cleansing water is a hefty box of facial cottons. |
Several of these have been reviewed already — the Su:m37 Skin Saver cleansing water, the Glossier Milky Jelly cleanser, the Cremorlab T.E.N Cremor Gel Oil, the Mizon AHA/BHA toner, the Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, my Curology azelaic acid + niacinamide Rx, the now-discontinued Beauty of Joseon cream, and the Goodal Mild Protect Natural Filter SPF50+ PA+++ sunscreen.
Regular readers will know I don't rotate through every single one simultaneously, but they all earn a spot in my skincare rotation and get plenty of mileage. The bulk of the unreviewed items belong to my Winter is Coming: Plotting My K-Beauty Skincare Routine for Colder Weather autumn lineup, which will round out as temperatures drop.
Masks, Cosmetics, and Gadgets
Is anyone else guilty of upcycling TesterKorea boxes for storage? Because that fluted plastic is unbeatable. In any case, that Hyundai Mall carton houses all my sheet masks, minus a few boxed ones in the cabinet, while the bottom shelf holds my nerd gear — research materials, pH testing supplies, decanting tools, and so on. The rolling drawers are home to non-sheet masks, samples and decants, beauty tools, and makeup.
| | | | | | | Two boxes of pH strips, yes — because one set always mysteriously vanishes on me. |
I also captured the drawer interiors; I moved my skincare out of these drawers and into the cabinet since it's far simpler to swing open a door and survey everything at a glance than to yank open a drawer and rummage around.
| | | | | | | Left: lip colors. Right: eye products and the handful of palettes I own. |
By beauty blogger standards, my makeup collection is modest — partly because I rarely wear it (I work remotely) and partly because I'm hopelessly clumsy with application. My everyday routine boils down to base, polished brows, a bold lip, and bare lids. I can't wait to hone my skills with that Lorac palette, though!
Also — if anyone has figured out how to sharpen those limited edition Snow White eye pencils from Beauty People, please share the wisdom! They don't twist up like a mechanical pencil, but they're plastic too, so they don't appear sharpenable either? Utterly baffled, send help.
| | | | | | | Left: beauty tools — applicators, brushes, facial cottons, and foaming nets. Right: base products — cushions, powders, contour and highlighters, and concealer. |
Honestly, I've no idea how I've racked up so many makeup brushes given how seldom I do eye looks. I just published a review of the stunning Sulwhasoo peony cushion here: Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion #13 Review & Swatches — it served as the prize for an international giveaway on my Instagram.
| | | | | | | Sheet masks previously occupied the right side of this drawer, but rummaging through them was awkward, so they've moved to the shelf for quicker access! |
I'm a genuine fan of these single- or double-use mask capsules, particularly the clay mask varieties — since I rarely reach for them, a full size would mostly collect dust. Deluxe sample sizes in general are a personal weakness, and you can dig into why I often find them a smarter purchase (for me) here: K-Beauty & Portion Control: Why Sometimes Good Value Can Be a Bad Idea
| | | | | | | Right side: decants and samples I genuinely intend to use. Left side… we'll just leave that alone. |
Like most K-beauty enthusiasts, I've got a drawer brimming with sample guilt — the inevitable random sachets that arrive with orders and promptly vanish from memory. I rarely receive samples that I genuinely end up using, but trading decants with friends is a brilliant way to test products that don't come in sample sizes without committing to a full bottle.
The contents of my fridge (no joke)
| | | | | | | Yes, three backup jars of Joseon cream. I'm nearly finished with my current one, and winter is on its way. |
The Xai Cosmetics cream on the left will be tucked back into the fridge until I'm set to use it — I've had it since spring — and the Paula's Choice Vitamin C serum is an L-AA formula that requires protection from light and heat.
And last but not least, the heart of my skincare collection:
Inside my skincare cabinet
Since my in-laws are relocating, she handed over this petite cabinet to ease the storage crunch in our Victorian-era home. She probably envisioned a different purpose for it, but I pounced on it with grabby hands and commandeered it for skincare duty.
I couldn't put my finger on why every photo seemed crooked, until I clocked that both the cabinet and the house had shifted with age — there wasn't a single true line to be found!
| | | | | | | How on earth does this barely fill the cabinet?! Oh, right. Gulp. |
The top shelf stocks essences, serums, oils, creams, and the like, alongside a few items destined for giveaway. The middle shelf hosts products earmarked for near-future use plus my lineup of cleansers. The bottom shelf is split (by a few sheet mask boxes) into finished/emptied items awaiting review on the left, and body and hair care on the right.
Just look at all that breathing room! It's wild how much more sensible everything appears once it's neatly corralled in one spot instead of colonizing every flat surface and threatening to spill onto the floor. I refuse to disclose whether it was quite that dire pre-project, but I will confess that Dr. Mr. the Pear was gobsmacked to find he could now stroll from one end of my office to the other without risking life and limb.
Remaining items on my to-do list
I've still got two boxes left to tackle and… figure out. One is stuffed with gorgeous items I've finished (or retired, if they didn't suit me) yet whose packaging deserves to stick around. The other is a massive 25″ x 25″ box (originally housing my husband's charcoal grill!) brimming with empties, packaging from products I've unboxed but haven't reviewed yet, and items exiled to the discard heap.
Why haven't I cleared it out yet? Past experience has taught me that tossing things always comes back to haunt me — you'll be frantically digging through boxes hunting for some item to photograph, only to discover you trashed it just before you needed it. ARGH! Conquering that box and the pretties box is up next, but it'll have to wait for a day when my sore muscles and bruises have subsided.
Got a collection layout you'd like to show off, or a 'shelfie' worth sharing? Drop me a line on Facebook or Twitter — I'd love to hear from you!
Anything else you'd like to share in general? Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram at @snowwhiteandtheasianpear — I'd be thrilled to see it!
Warmest wishes,
-Cat
**Disclaimer: Every product showcased in this post was bought by me, or gifted by friends who happen to harbor equally alarming skincare collections. This blog includes both affiliate and non-affiliate links — clicking the former prior to shopping means this blog may earn a modest commission to help keep the lights on. For full details, please consult my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy.
