How to Start a Beauty Section in Your Bullet Journal

by Victoria Vallecorse

Published Aug 19, 2019

If you don’t already have an obsession with washi tape, intricate calligraphy and colorful pages of artistically drawn calendars, allow me to introduce you to the bullet journal, or BuJo for short.

With his best-selling book, The Bullet Journal Method, Brooklyn-based digital designer Ryder Carroll developed this concept of logging one’s life with a series of designed daily to-do lists as well as monthly logs and indexes to help people plan and reach their goals.

Today, these personalized and interactive journals have evolved to include hand-drawn illustrations and other decorative elements that systematize anything from your favorite quotes to your daily mood.

BuJo converts agree that the standard calendar or planner doesn’t inspire long-lasting organization. Designing a creative management system keeps you excited to track your life. It begins to serve as an aesthetic form of self-expression. Think of it as a “Marie Kondo” of your to-do list.

After binge watching our fair share of “Bullet Journal Set Up” videos on YouTube, we noticed a need for more pages dedicated to beauty-related topics. So, we illustrated our own unique journaling ideas for beauty lovers!

Record everything from wellness goals to wish lists with our beauty-themed bullet journal guide for getting your makeup and skincare in order! Recreate our illustrations, or use the following pages as inspiration for your future BuJo artwork!

Logging your wellness goals with interactive illustrations can be a fun way to stay on track! Instead of a basic checklist, we recommend creating a colorful spread complete with drawings that map out your monthly goals. For this spread, we were inspired by manicures. Draw five different colored nail polish bottles, leaving enough room to write your monthly goals within each bottle. Then, create an outline of a hand with unpainted fingernails. Once you have completed a task, fill in one of the nails with the corresponding polish color on which your goal was written to signify accomplishment. By the end of the month, all nails should be painted!

Most traditional bullet journals include a bucket list, so we thought why not create a couple pages filled with beauty-specific ambitions. Draw ten pairs of lips with enough space to write your text. Once you’ve completed one of your goals, shade in the lip print with your favorite colored marker. Consider adding some of our top beauty bucket list items listed above to your own bullet journal!

We also recommend logging your daily and nightly skincare routines every month. Some beauty routines are highly involved, so having a list will guide you through every step so you don’t miss a beat. Looking ahead to the future, this spread will help you keep track of previously used products, so you can easily refer back and make adjustments if necessary based on what works and what doesn’t.

Ever look back at pictures and want to repeat a specific makeup look that you’ve previously worn, but can’t remember how you created it? Makeup logs can help you out in these situations with weekly spreads that breakdown your daily looks. Label your log with the month and day range for a specific week. Simply create separate boxes dedicated to each day of the week as seen in Image #1, or get in touch with your artistic side by drawing a makeup bag in the center of the spread filled with products and separate the days with call out lines as seen in Image #2. No matter how you illustrate these pages, make sure that you list out each makeup item you use and include space for notes plus additional commentary.

Lastly, don’t forget to add a Beauty Wishlist to your journal. Fill the spread with bullet points of splurge-worthy products you’d like to try out for yourself or give to your friends and family. Be sure to treat yourself and check off once you’ve purchased!