How do you organize your makeup? Where do you keep it? What’s your system like?
I use three 10-drawer rolling carts for the majority of my storage, but I also use the few drawers I have in my bathroom, too – plus the entire countertop, of course!
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Just like EVERYONE else, I use the Office Depot 10-drawer black, white and gray drawers. I’m on the verge of already needing another one because I have SO much makeup. But it sure does work wonders!
How did I not know about this cart? I just looked at it online and it looks so much nicer than the 7 drawer Sterilite thing I just bought! How tall are the drawers? Can you stand lipstick up in them?
I have it in the rainbow color. and yes you can stand up lipsticks but only in the top drawer. 🙂 hope this helped. 🙂
Does anyone know where I can get the 10-drawer rolling cart in Canada? I cannot seem to find it anywhere here and I have checked online and I cant find anyone who will ship it to Canada? Please Help!!! 🙂
I was starting to feel bad about using the entire counter top until I read that just now! Most of my stuff is in bathroom drawers, counter top, and some caboodles. Not very organized really.
http://www.youtube.com/user/tattoor0ckstar#p/u/15/NO73-aNlPxw
Wow, I’m so jealous of your vanity space with that huge mirror and all those drawers!!!
A three drawer organizer, tray on top for nail lacquers, train case, removers and brush cleaner on the bathroom counter along with other stuff, little Hello Kitty pail for brushes plus a clear cube-y container for other brushes (think Sephora brush display). I think that’s it, ha. Three ten-drawer carts can hold a massive amount of makeup.. You lucky girl, you!
i use this ikea fira organizer that is sadly no longer available. i painted the drawers white and wallpapered the outer edges so it looks chic. my palettes are stored in a section of my book shelf that is specifically for CD’s. my perfume is sitting in there as well.
I use plastic pencil cases for each category (lips, eyeshadows, face) and then i have a little makeup bug i take with me 🙂
i organize my makeup with these bins from target but i have been buying tons of more makeup i need a new way to organize my makeup. if anyone has any good tips please let me know.
Well there are a ton of makeup collection videos on youtube, that have good storage ideas, just type in ‘makeup collection video’
I have 5 very organized traincases.
Ikea Fira! <3
As much as I love the way out-on-display makeup organization looks, I have a very curious toddler so I must keep my makeup out of reach. I have a drawer in the bathroom that he stays out of, some cubbies under the bathroom sink, and a big locked train case in my bedroom on my dresser. Someday i hope to have those wheeled shelved carts my makeup gurus have, if they make lockable ones lol
Those basic white three drawer organizers you can get at target or walmart. I just looked at them and noticed that ones a little smaller than the other and they have different handles. How weird.
They’re pretty good but they’re not tall enough for me to put blushes and powders standing up straight so that bothers me. I REALLY want one of those grey 10 drawer organizers that you have but I don’t think I have enough makeup for that yet :(. And I also can’t afford it, I’d rather spend the $80 on more makeup 🙂
Also inside the drawers I use $1 plastic trays from Walmart, they come in long and really wide sizes
if you still havent gotten one of those, they have them for 40 to 50 bucks on amazon!
I have a pretty big desk drawer organizer I got @ staples sitting on top of a 3 drawer unit that houses my most used makeup and the drawers have all my hair stuff the rest of my makeup is in my case(caboodle like).
I’m planning on getting a new chest of drawers and putting my makeup, lotion, brushes, and perfumes into the top 2 drawers and sharing the rest of the space with my husband!
i use plastic drawers and i put it in a cabinet filled with only makeup and hair stuff. There’s doors so every thing looks neat when shut.
I have lipsticks organized on a foam block, so they can have the label up. A container for MUFE Aqua creams, another container for odds and ends, one palette for face, and five for eyeshadow. Brushes and Liners are in two cups on the counter, as are foundations. I just updated my collection here!
http://thepaintedmask.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/my-current-collectionorganization/
My grandma left me this small sewing table I always played with as a kid, there’s one big drawer, a basket drawer and three small drawers with compartments that are perfect for make-up!
Mine is still in transition…
Half is in my room on a book shelf and the other half is still in my bathroom.
Bookshelf: My MAC eyeshadow palettes are on a folder divider thing. My NARS stuff is in a shoe box lid with a homemade slanted-cardboard divider thing. My lipsticks are in a lipstick organizer (square dividers).
Bathroom (Small mini plastic drawer): It has everything else – lipliners, eyeliner, other eyeshadows not in palettes, lipgloss, etc. My foundation is on the countertop usually.
Everything I own is in two Ikea cabinets mounted to the bathroom wall, a few things on top, eyeshadow palettes are in an Ikea desktop organizer, and the stuff I use regularly (foundation, brushes, primers) are on the counter. But I need something new for my nail polishes. They don’t fit in the cabinets anymore.
On a table in my room.
With vases, cups, plastic baskits and a snack trey that has 3 sections but its all a hot mess !
I am so jealous everyone has one of those 10 drawers rolly cart, I just could not find one in Vancouver(Canada). I am planning to go to Washington and bring one home..!
You can buy them on amazon.com too!
Hullo! Have you asked the people who worked at that store? I wasn’t able to find the cart here at first(winnipeg) because they moved it away from the organizer and into the “furniture” section, I almost walked right on by it.
I have a closet full of make up and use a storage system I bought at Target. The bathroom counter houses mostly for creams and make is stored in clear bags and custom cases. The important thing is to keep everything clean and get rid of the old stuff to avoid clutter!
i just got the office depot 10 dreawer in pink today 🙂 and i’m LOVING IT!!!!
Did u get that from the staples web site. I have only seen the black/grey version on line.
Omg omg omg so jealous! Online! Or in the store?
We cannot get the Office Depot/Container Store drawer/container system in Europe. I really want one though. I have a 8-drawer IKEA dresser and I keep my makeup and cosmetics in there.
For months I’ve been looking for decent cosmetic storage!
I’m pretty fussy – I don’t like drawers because my make-up has to come with me to university and I would have one hell of a job getting it into the car!
The other week I stumbled across a brand of storage box called “Really useful boxes”( They have an english and American site). They come in a variety of sizes and whats good about these boxes is that you can buy divider trays which fit snuggly inside!
For exmaple a 35 litre box can hold 3 divider trays stacked on top of each other.The divider trays I have have 12 compartments, 6 large compartments and 16 smaller compartments.
And theyre great – It can be a bit of a hassle lifting out one tray to get to another and if you have to buy a few the price tag can be a little expensive (I brought 1 11 lite box, a 20 litre box and a 21 litre box and it came to around £40) but I have managed to overlook that.
The boxes are stackable and come in different colours. I just got some clear ones and have decorated them with acrylic rhinestones!
I think theyre great for anyone like me who needs portable make up storage that can fit into a relatively tiny car!
Just thought I would share this little review with you all! Hopefully it will help atleast one person!
I’ve got a single much-loved Caboodles train case (lace pattern :D) that fits all my makeup. I think it’s the “stylist” one – not the largest case the brand offers, but certainly the largest one on the shelf at Target the day I was there! 😛
I organize my makeup by category and put them in a pull-up drawer
I use my old tackle box that I used to store unused fishing hooks. I keep the hooks in an old shoebox in the garage now, and the tackle box (cleaned up and disinfected just in case) is used to store my most often used make up items.
I keep my make up brushes in a tin box, and my spare make up supplies in make up bags. I keep similar items in their own bags; e.g. foundations in one bag, eyeshadow pencils in another…
I’d like to use organizing drawers, but I use those for linen and clothes and socks. My room is small, and I have to prioritise. 😛 My make up is in all on a shelf by the bed.
Actually I don’t have too much make up (yet… hahaha ¬¬), so I keep it all in two boxes; one, the bigger, which has smaller boxes in it, is for face and eye products; the other, for lips products and some nail polishes.
But I’ll have to re-think how to organize it while my collection becomes bigger =)
i’ve got a small amount of products, so the storage it’s quite easy.
the products I share with my mom are in a closet. there we have: eye pencils, brow pencils and lip pencils in two round water glasses (old school Nutella’s glasses :D), next to them mascaras and all the products my mom uses and I lend from her.
my own products are in a high plastic box. they’re ordered by type so it’s easy to pick up one. the only things that aren’t in this box are some palettes, fix+ and my MUFE HD foundation which are next to the tap.
brushes are divided in face and eyes and are in two different brush holders.
i have another plastic box, smaller than the other, that I use for nailpolishes.
I’m in the thinking stages of my next re-organize. I have 1 over flowing train case. 1 over flowing large make-up bag. 1 stuffed to the brim 3 drawer. And several items that need a home. Do they still sell the Office Depot 10 drawer?
My entire makeup collection fits into one of these Sterilite containers:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-3-Drawer-Mini-Organizer-Set-of-6/10877957
I don’t own very much makeup, and I don’t wear any on a daily basis. My thing is nail polish! I have a much larger 3 drawer cart for that collection.
I have a vanity. I have several of the black cases MAC Cosmetics sells, not the large train cases just the micro fiber soft train cases they sell at the MAC @ Macy’s and such. I have 4 of those. I have boxes from different perfume sets I have bought in the past, and I use those to keep things organized as well. I have 2 Benefit Lana bags also and a few things from Ikea that were for desk organizing but I use it for my MAC Pallets.
The bags themselves are organized with brands, each brand all together. Then there is the main bag which is the one that has my go to items I use all the time. I’m also a sample whore and mini make up collector so I have a small train case that goes with me where ever I go, full of mini or sample sizes of all the stuff I use and that goes with me daily wherever I go.
Did I mention I’m a capricorn and we are total anal and regimented and love order and organization?!
I am still a work in progress to get things the way I want them. I struggle trying to keep attractive storage containers that blend with the bathroom decor and also handle the large amount of work required. I have managed to keep most items in vanity drawrs and a large lennon closet that is right next to my vanity workstation. I did purchase various vintage glass toothpick holders, such as fenton carnival glass to use as storage for my eyeliner pencils. I use different ones for each type of liner. they are small and compact and work pretty well. I also use other carnival glass items to hold my makeup brushes. I have a morning kitchen next to my bathroom that I never use, I may expand into that for more storage space if I need it! I guess it is nice to have a big bath and bedroom area, and live alone!
I am sooo sorry, but what is a lennon closet?
Maybe she meant linen closet?
I have a 7 drawer Sterilite organizer in my bathroom where I keep my “currently in use” makeup. I swap out colors according to season so soon I’ll been lugging the big plastic bin full of my fall/winter stuff in there.
LOTS of Rubbermaid drawers, My armoure and my vanity table.
That wonderful Office Depot 10-drawer cart 🙂 And 2 traincases. I need another cart but I don’t think I have room in this lil apartment.
I don’t have much so I just have an acrylic tray. I tell myself not to get something new unless I get rid of something old…but I’ve been piling up a lot lately O_O
Christine, I would LOVE to see a video or pics of your set-up. You must have soooooo much. A walk-through would be cool.
Katie, Christina just recently posted a video. Check her youtube channel!
I keep it all in a pencil display tray I got from walmart. My mom always tells me that I have too much makeup and I should stop buying but honestly… it’s just a pencil tray full! She keeps hers in this giant ass basket!
I’ve taken over the cabinet, drawer and closet space in 2 bathrooms, plus the overflow is under my bed in Tupperware bins. I use Tupperware drawer systems wherever I can, but it’s out of control.
Well, I started off with a train case but since I started reading your site my collection has increased so much I have had to buy more storage containers. lol I have a 3 large drawer cart, a cylindrical container for my brushes, plastic boxes with dividers for my lipsticks and paint pots, and a large divided tray for my blushes, skin finishes, and powders. I want to get that 10 drawer cart next!
I’ve got an office organizer that’s roughly 12″x15″ and fits most of my make up with some creative packing thanks to my awesome skills in tetris. I could definitely use something bigger but I like how everything fits rights now, it helps me to keep only the things I’m using. I keep my palettes nearby the case and my lip glosses are in a pencil holder. In the bathroom I keep my various foundations in there and my everyday essentials – eyeliner, mascara.
I do have a train case for products that aren’t open or specifically for the fall/winter season or back-ups.
Bahahaha. I used to be a Tetris fanatic as well. I swear, I could pack the contents of an 18 wheeler into the trunk of my VW!
No lie, there’s been times in the past, that my husband will be trying to pack something, and I’ll just say “Let me do that, I can make it fit, because I play Tetris!” He laughs, but I make it fit.
I keep my makeup in train cases organized by brand; 3 for Dior, 2 for Chanel, 1 for Urban Decay, 1 for Mac, 2 for miscellaneous, 1 for samples. I have a separate one for lipsticks/glosses only. Nail polishes are kept in a 4 drawer rolling cart.
I wish I had enough makeup for a 10-drawer rolling cart! 🙂 I have a plastic 3-drawer organizer that sits on top of my dresser. Next to it I have a cup for brushes and a cup for lip glosses. The lip glosses cup is full now though, so I’m going to have to upgrade that to a bigger/second cup.
I always love to read everyones answers!
I reorged mine after Christines last collection video, and doing a bit of research. I keep most of my makeup in 2 small 3-drawer sterile organizer seperated per drawer by random eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras; random face (powders, primers, highliters etc), glosses, lipsticks. Then I have what looks like a pencil box (with movable deviders) for round single shadows mostly Bare Minerals shadows/blushes since I have a lot of those. Brushes go in a jar. Foundations sit in the bathroom right now since its summer and I’m not using too much heavy makeup. I have 2 palletes that just sit on top of everything since they have no belonging space! All this sits on my little vanity in the bedroom by the window (natural best lighting, bathroom is too yellow). It’s getting crowded and I’m thinking of getting something next to the vanity so I can put those there and keep the vanity top clear.
I’ve all ready filled 2 Caboodles circa 1989 and I am trying to not use too much counter space in our apartment bathroom. A vanity would be perfect. Or just another older Caboodle, not a big fan of the newer ones or the throwback ones, they just feel cheap.
I use the Vika Alex system from Ikea for my drawers. I have two of the desk height ones, with a Vika Amon desk top.
I keep all of my foundation/blush/powders in one drawer, in a drawer organizer. My eyeshadow palettes are on the desk top, in a file stand thingy. All of my loose eyeshadows and pigments are in another drawer, in a divider. My palettes that I don’t use often are in the next drawer down. All of my lipsticks and glosses are kept in one of the deeper drawers, in the 60 count organizers that you can get from ebay. I also made my own 88 count organizer out of a photo box. All of my nail stuff is in another deep drawer. The other drawers are all pretty random, empties, backups, bags, etc.
On the desktop, I have an acrylic organizer thingy, that I keep all of my eyeliners/mascaras/lipliners in. It has shallow compartments at the front, and that’s where I keep my paintpots and fluidlines. I use a couple of these things for my brushes: http://www.organize.com/acrylic-organizer-tubo-clear-umbra-reg.html They are awesome!! I use old candle jars for Qtips, sponges, and the like..
I have a wooden drawer unit thing that I keep on top of the desk, (also ikea) and all my eyelashes, and random other things go in there.
Luckily, we have a spare bedroom that I put the desk in. Military housing = Small Bedrooms and Bathrooms!! I made the room into pretty much a huge closet, with some dressers, and other organizers.
I use the three drawer organizers from Target. They come in cute colors and they’re stackable =)
I recently got a wooden “tea” box(for holding tea bags), which is quite large, and figured out its the PERFECT height to store all my nailpolish in… EVERY bottle fits, and considering how many different types of bottles nail polish comes in, I was pretty excited. Plus, I can organize them based on color as more than 1 fit in each “tea” section.
I have drawer organizers for my makeup, but it always seems to end up scattered on the top of the dresser.
I also use the Office Depot rolling cart/drawer thing in the grays but mine is doubled and half has 10 regular drawers and half has 5 deeper drawers. Then I have pretty drawer dividers that are fabric that I keep everything in. I keep buckets of nail polish, face products, and everything tall or big in the deeper drawers. It works out really nice!
Lucky for me my boyfriend is a custom cabinet maker! My boyfriend hated going in my bathroom where I had my shadows spread out on the entire counter. He knew one day he would break one and I would not be happy. I asked him to make me something for the wall to save floor and counter space but keep the shadows visible. I now have a 3 ft long 1 ft high 2 inches off the wall display for my bathroom that houses all of my shadows. The shelves slant to prop the container kinda like the shadow displays at MAC. I can keep them organized by color, see exactly what I have and not forget I have something because it worked it ways to the bottom of the pile. I love it and its black and red too!
I am so. SO. SO. jealous. Jealous as can be! I want pics, Kristen Sue!! I DEMAND THEM!
That’s a GREAT idea! My boyfriend is an electrician, but he can do anything. We’re adding an addition onto our house and I think I just gave him a new project! He loves building things so this is a win-win situation. Thanks for the tip!
You’re assuming my makeup is organized! ROFL
……….organize?
Well I suppose I divide up my “commonly used” makeup into this 4-slot slider with eyes on top, then blushes, then foundation/concealers, then lips on bottom.
A big Snap-On toolbox in red. Gift from my mechanic hubby. Works well because when people come over like my sisters” they can’t just take from my stash w/o permission. 😉
I have 2 10 drawer carts from Office Depot for my makeup. I also have 1 helmer for my nail polish. I also have a hard makeup case that has extra makeup in it. I need to go through my makeup again and give away or sell the stuff I just never touch.
fishing tackleboxes. I need it portable as a MUA
I use a small traincase for all my face and eye stuff and then a few round takeout containers to hold all my lip products upright.
I have a scrapbook carrier (@ Michaels) that has an open center that’s divided, with slots and pockets around the outside perimeter (great for brushes, eyeliners, etc). It has two short handles for carrying. I just don’t have enough for the Office Depot drawers…yet.
I don’t have a lot of stuff.
I use a cardboard box. :X
These are what I use
http://www.azardisplays.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=123
They are rotating displays and then I buy I the peg boards for them which are made especially for lipsticks, some for mascara, and some for shadows etc.
http://www.azardisplays.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=125
I have them organized in my lovely dress table with 7 tables and an open slot for me to sit down in.
Christine has two opaque plastic containers that has two drawers each in her bathroom. She bought from Container Store. I have the same exact one (actually two). Those house my lipsticks, lipglosses, mascaras, paint pots, concealers, tweezer, eyelash curler. I also have two opaque larger containers and inside of each a double container kinda like a utensil container. One holds all my eyeshadows and the other holds, blushes, foundation, MSF and bronzer. My collection is small and I like it that way. I have three round pencil holders for brushes, eyeliners, lipliners and NYX jumbo pencils.
Wow am I the only person here who doesn’t organize makeup properly? Theyre scattered all over my desk along with other non-makeup stuff. Some of them are in a paper bag in the office (I do my major makeup and change of clothes there en route to a party so I don’t have to go home) and some in small mesh bags I carry around in my purse that consists of blush, brushes, 2 mac eyeshadows, bronzer, primer, powder, 2-3 lipsticks and my rosebud salve. Despite my lack of organizing, I am OC about cleaning my makeup brushes! It’s hard for me to organize my makeup since I always want EVERYTHING inside my bag since I’m rarely at home.
i have one of those big flat rubber made boxes that i store my under my bed for my products i am not currently using, for the ones i am currently using i keep in a mac liberty of london cosmetic bag i keep in my bathroom. i rotate my products pretty often, so the box under my bed works pretty well for me.
I pack 2 bags – one for light make up like natural colours eyeshadows, brown/orange cheek, brown lipstick and gloss.
Another for heavy make up – allot of lipsticks, gloss, cheeks, colourful palettes, etc.
So I know where to take if need go to out, take a light make up one.
If I go out in the evening, use light make up and add black eyeshadow make look good and sexy.
If travelling for wedding, take both bags – you need light for day out.
I organize my makeup in a couple ways. I have a huge vanity with a large areas for palettes and smaller places for liner/mascara/etc. It was pretty expensive at Pottery Barn Kids but it really gets all of my makeup stored, it’s huge. I keep all my lip products in a plastic sliding drawer from bed, bath, and beyond. I keep my everyday makeup in a silver box that I move from room to room so I can always have my makeup done. Moi!