Saturday 21 April 2012

IKEA Helmer

Earlier this week, I picked up the Ikea Helmer drawer unit, which is highly recommended by many beauty and nail blogs like Lipglossiping and Polish Police for storage.

Assembling the Helmer took just under an hour and was fairly straightforward, requiring only some basic tools like a screwdriver and hammer. I also used a pair of scissors and pliers to help fold down the metal tabs of the drawer panels. There are videos on Youtube that walk you through the process but I was able to figure it out by relying on the instruction sheet.

Compared to my Muji 6-drawer chests, the Helmer offers a bit more storage space. It is also easier to move around as it has wheels. The Helmer in its flat pack box from Ikea already weighs 13kg, so when completely filled up with products, it is probably too hefty for me to lift. However, it lacks the internal compartments that make the Muji drawers so handy, so you either have to purchase those separately or make your own. I usually make my own by re-using the cardboard boxes from mooks and beauty products.

In the top drawer are my Sleek i-Divine palettes, Blush By 3 palettes and blush singles, plus my Too Faced palettes. I re-used the packaging from the Paul & Joe mook to make dividers for the palettes. Towards the front, I have two small Muji plastic pots with my lipsticks and glosses by Rimmel, Tom Ford, Burberry, YSL, RMK and Paul & Joe.

I just picked up another two Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate lipsticks from FeelUnique.com which carries five shades from the spring 2012 collection.

The second drawer holds an assortment of palettes and blushes from RMK, Becca, Lancome, Clarins, Chantecaille, the Body Shop etc. In the upper right corner are two re-purposed Crabtree & Evelyn boxes holding my L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow duos, Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Colors and MAC Paint Pots.


In the drawer below are my Guerlain Meteorites, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks and other assorted face powders and blushes.

Below is the base makeup drawer containing foundations, primers and concealers. It is deep enough to hold the liquid foundation bottles by Za and Soap & Glory standing upright. I'll need to get dividers for this.

Another drawer holds a smattering of nail polishes from Essence, China Glaze, Dior and Nicole by OPI.

The bottom drawer holds the bulk of my nailpolishes from MAC, Catrice, OPI, Paul & Joe, Anna Sui, Lunasol, RMK, Deborah Lippman and Accessorize. The only lacquer in my collection that was too tall to fit was Bourjois One Seconde Nail Enamel.


The Accessorize nailpolishes, which have flat tops, are stored upside down so that it's easier to see the shades.

As there is no catch to prevent the drawers from pulling out completely from the frame, I always place one hand under the drawer when pulling it out just in case it falls. When fully filled up with nail polishes, the thin metal drawers are prone to bending, more so than the Muji drawers. The Muji drawers also make a much softer and smoother sliding sound as they are plastic, versus the metal-on-metal sound of the Helmer. It is not unbearably scratchy or squeaky as to be a dealbreaker, but it was one of the first things I noticed.

If you don't mind the self-assembly, the Helmer is definitely worthwhile considering if you're looking for storage options for your beauty stash. It retails for CHF40 (about S$55), versus S$69 in Singapore, US$40 in the US and £25 in the UK.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love storage post! Really impressed by your nailpolish collection, still working on mine :) x

Moni said...

so true, many bloggers hail to the helmer haha :D
Unfortunately it never fit under my vanity table.

But you got yourself plenty of stuff to fill in! And I am pleasantly surprised about your polish collection, did not know that :D!!

Furry Guy! said...

Is there room for anything else?? It looks full up!!

Haru said...

hi Moni,
My husband just looked at it and went, "OMG!" Haha :-) I seldom purchased nailpolishes in the past, but over the past couple of years thanks to the influence of friends like Kas, my collection has grown by leaps and bounds.

hi Parveen,
thanks! I need to be more diligent in using them though.

Jacqueline said...

Oh wow Haru! I have the Helmer too and it is the best thing for makeup storage. Unfortunately it is getting a little crowded, I think mine is due for a reorganization. Don't dare to do it with hubby in the house in case he finally sees the true amount of makeup I have :)

Zu said...

Hi Iris. Just curious, are you no longer staying in Singapore? Perhaps you've explained earlier but I must've missed the info. Totally envy you since you get the chance to buy makeup that are not available in Singapore! And your makeup collection, I envy that too!

Zu

Haru said...

hi Zu,
That's right, I moved to Switzerland some months ago. It's nice to have access to different brand here but to be honest, Singapore has a better range of brands and much lower prices too!

nefta.chan said...

I have the exact same drawer!
Although I prefer MUJI's plastic drawers a whole lot more!

plue said...

i'll be picking up a Helmer soon, need a good place to store my nail polishes and blushes.

My drawer is practically overflowing with those 2 items >.<