That which we call a beauty console by any other name would look and smell so sweet? Ok, so I’m not Shakespeare (clearly: because I don’t run around in pauper pants with feather pens) and it’s unclear whether he would appreciate the liberties I took in re-writing his famous Romeo & Juliet soliloquy, but I’m feeling poetic over my beauty console!

A beauty console is to a woman what a car is to a man: it must be displayed and showed off in all its glory.  The last several months I have been in the process of re-modeling my room and only recently have I have been able to put the decorative touches on it.  So I am excited to finally share some easy decorating tips for organizing your space.

One of the items that I wanted in my new room was a mirrored console that could be a carrier for my beauty and lifestyle products.  I am a huge fan of the branding and aesthetics of a product as much as I am of the products themselves.  (I buy nail polishes based on the cuteness of the bottle-don’t lie: you do it too!)  A perfume bottle can say a million words about the scent and the feeling you’ll have for it, a nail polish’s bottle displays the beauty of the color, and the shiny lipstick package creates an excitement for the way it’ll look on your lips!  So, here, I have set up a diagram of my beauty console and highlighted some of my favorite products.

 “Thames,” “Tea with the Queen,” ‘Primrose Hill Picnic” (from left to right)

1. Magazines: I love magazines: the smell, the sound of the page turning, the colorful pages, the imagery: everything.  Magazines are an important component of the console because they offer constant inspiration and we all need that these days!

2.  Jewelry: Keeping some jewelry out is a beautiful element and it helps you decide what to put on that day for a little glam: on my console is a Henri Bendel (henribendel.com) piece (seen in my other posts), and a more recent purchase from San Francisco store BeGood. (Check them out, their boutique features designers who give back.)

3. Cream and body wash: So the body wash should probably be in the bathroom, but the bottle is adorable and just has to be on the console!  These particular products are from a local San Francisco beauty company called Be.spoke and all their products are ‘handcrafted with love in San Francisco.’  The lotion and body wash are a Rosewood Palmrosa and Geranium scent.

4.  Make-up:  Essential to any girl’s beauty console is your go-to make-up items. Currently I have blush, liquid luminizer (sic), lip gloss, and lipstick on my console.  Blush: Bobbi Brown in ‘Peony,’ cream bronzer: Stila, Lip gloss: Bobbi Brown ‘Cosmic Pink,’ Lipstick: ‘ Yves Saint Laurent in Rouge Pur Couture number 19. (Can all be found at nordstom.com)

5. Nail polish: As I said, I love the way a bottle of nail polish looks and Butter London (can be found at henribendel.com), in particular, has a beautiful square bottle that offers a chic aesthetic, plus the names are super British (see earlier captions).

6.  Face Cream: Always apply before anything else!  Face cream is another must have and I have been using Chantecaille’s ‘Vital Essence’ for a couple years now (find at Nordstrom.com).  I may or may not have been convinced to buy it because the sales associate said Angelina Jolie uses it…whatever.

7.  Decorative candle: This candle is Ted Baker swag and it offers a lovely scent and color to the table!

8.  Perfume: This is an age old staple of a beauty console and is reminiscent of a woman from the 1920’s with her old fashion perfume bottle.    I’m using Jo Malone in ‘Orange Blossom.’  Also at nordstrom.com.

Happy beautifying!