My Makeup Battlestation's Progress

THE FRUITS OF MY LABOUR

Some of you might recall this post in which I had a list of things I wanted for my desk slash bedside table slash vanity (whew, that's a mouthful) now renamed 'The Battlestation'. It's been a few months since then and I am shaking my head at how easily I change my mind. I am so fickle when it comes to making plans! In fact, I only kept two of the items, and everything else had been switched up. I ended up returning my first desk to Officeworks because it was quite small and I had changed the floor plan (See? Fickle) for the bedroom so now there was more room on my side of the bed. I went for the IKEA Micke desk with the cupboard on the side. It has more room for me to store things and I love that there are two separate drawers, the smaller one for stationery, and the bigger one for all of my makeup.

You guys remember this post in which I left a tutorial to make drawer dividers out of foam core boards. That was one major project for the desk and I love it to this day. It's perfectly proportioned for everything

I bought a train case for the previous desk, and have now decided to sell it on eBay. It doesn't suit the decor that I have in mind. I found out that the legs to the chair I bought in the first place were slowly bending out of place. I'd rather avoid a concussion, thank you very much, so I returned it. I haven't gotten the coasters yet, though that isn't quite urgent. The only thing of significance I did get from Kmart was the hexagon mirror. I really like that mirror, it's cute and just the right size for the battlestation.

I wanted to show you guys the progress on my desk, to give you an idea of what I've been up to the last few days, and why I've been distant on all of my social media profiles. I can't help it, this vanity is taking up all of my time, and I keep ahh-ing and hmm-ing about it, changing things around here and there, and finding something else to use instead. I've got a budget so I can't go out and buy everything I've got my eyes on, so I have to upcycle as much stuff as I can. While working on my vanity I discovered that I was going for a predominantly gold and white scheme, with animal and plant accents. I love this look, it's not quite industrial, but it's also not so girly (why is gold always paired together with pink?!). I guess you could say that it's Kate Spade-esque? I realised this after spending hours on Pinterest scrolling for inspiration, though there's barely a hint of black on this vanity, I'll tell you that.

So far, I've upcycled a decent amount of stuff.  Look at these before and after photos, there's such a huge difference, right? I slammed the jar down onto the carpet to force out the candle, and as I was cleaning it, I noticed that the jar was coated, not coloured glass, and so I rubbed/scratched the paint off and it became clear and pristine. After a while of having it on my vanity, I decided I wanted a two toned effect with this jar, and spray-painted the inside gold, and the outside white. It is unfinished in this photo, but I've since fixed up the rim so that it isn't as blurred, and you can see the finished result in another photo down below. It's being used to hold my ever favourite Milani Amore Matte Lip Cremes, and rightly so, they're gorgeous.

I was using Export Aeresol Paint for the white colour, but then I realised that, compared to my White Knight Squirts can of gold paint, it was poorly pigmented, took forever to dry, and did not achieve an uniform and smooth texture. I gave up and went to Bunnings to pick up the White Knight Squirts in Gloss White. It is infinitely better than the crap I was using and only cost me $7.45 per can. I think the old spray can is affecting the consistency of this paint, because it keep sticking to the surface of whatever it's on, even if it feels completely dry. I'm contemplating putting something onto the bottom of the votive so that it doesn't stick anymore. I'm letting it dry for another day in hopes that it will help.

Speaking of rubbing/scratching paint off, I was trying to remove the labelling from their deluxe-sized bottle of the Maracuja oil, and nothing was working, be it nail polish remover, oil or even rubbing alcohol. Stupid me didn't think to consider the possibility of the glass bottle actually being coated the same way as the candle holder, so I scraped the purple off. It now matches the vanity!

I also did up an old milk bottle I used for my sister's Doctor Who-themed dessert table. It's amazing what a few spray cans of paint can do to breathe new life into old, boring things. I initially had a plain bottle on the table before realising it was boring, so I did a dipped effect with White Knight Squirts Spray Paint (They really need to change the name, 'squirts' just sounds so awkward!)

I picked up a set of metal hexagon trays from Kmart yesterday because it was on clearance for $4 (bargain!), and I was on the hunt for a tray to corral a bunch of things together. I started spray painting the main black one today, but it isn't finished. It needs another coat so I'll get right on that in the morning. In the first picture on this post, you can see two halves of a hexagon tray, one pink and one white. They're not going to remain on the vanity, it was used to get an idea of how the proper one will look when painted.

I also picked up a wooden box with a mint green lid that I wanted to spray paint white to match the decor. I decided against it because a little colour never hurt anybody and it brings a little bit of life to the desk. The body of the box was kept the way I bought it, so that it could bring together the chair and the mirror. I plan on getting an Eames replica chair when I get the chance.

My favourite thing so far is the gold puppy on the lid of the jar, it's absolutely adorable and brings up memories of collecting little toy dogs, and this little Afghan was actually one of those toys I collected!

I've also modified a wire basket that I picked up from Daiso last year. It had a handle on each side and it took a whole lot of strength and bitching for me to pry them off the basket. I had to use two pliers and an exposed flame on the stove to heat it up. My finger and thumb still bear the mark of the pliers when I slipped and accidentally clamped the appendages between the pliers. A lot of swearing ensued, I'll tell you that, because IT BLOODY HURT!

Obviously, it was worth it because it looks gorgeous now! It's sooooo shiny! It takes pride of place right under the mirror and holds all of my prettyful palettes. I want more palettes, by the way.

The battlestation isn't finished yet, hence why I haven't taken a photo of the whole thing. I'm contemplating getting an elephant to paint white for the table, but that's going to be put on hold until I have everything else set up. I can't wait to see the finished result!

Send along some pictures of your battlestations, I would love to see them!