How do you organize/store your nail polish? Share your storage ideas!
I use clear shoe box storage containers from The Container Store! I like to organize by brand and then by color.
Thanks to Kelsey for today’s question! Got a question idea? Submit yours here.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
i have a thin shelf at the wall!! there i store all of my nail polish in a row. i organize them by brand and then by colour!
I have a handmade ceramic bowl that a friend who goes to my art studio made for me. She made a set and I keep brushes and lipsticks in the other two.
I have a 3 drawer unit that I store them in. Except my OPI, these are thrown into a box at the moment! I keep the same brands together, but they are not organized by color. I do use color wheels for swatches that are swatched by color. But my collection is getting out of control 🙁
I feel you… i just got the Essie winter collection and when i went to put it away i was thinking to myself “do you really really need 10 shades of red and 20 of pink?” lol i concluded that i do 🙂
I have a very pretty pink and gold box that came from a fragrance gift set I purchased awhile back. I don’t own a ton of nail polishes I have maybe 25-30. So they fit nicely in one box.
Mine are in a shoebox for now.
I only have about 30 but they are currently in a pretty white box with black flowers on it, from the Container Store, and then on a book shelf that I reserve for all my makeup and beauty products.
I have six white little metal cabinets (Ikea Atran), hung next to one another on a wall of my “studio”. Polishes are organized by color and, when I run out of space I usually place single brands (the ones whose bottles fit, like Illamasqua, Zoya, Models Own or Barielle) into the door shelves, organized by colour (within the brand). I like the idea of a white cabinet, because colors stand out against it. The last time I ran out of space, before adding the last two Atrans (sadly, there’s no way I could add other cabinets on that wall), I thought about using the Helmer I own and where I store printing paper, stationery and things like that, but I cannot stand the idea of seeing my polishes from above, just the cap and not the color. Few things make me happy like opening my cabinets and seeing the stretch of multicolored and multi-shaped bottles packed like sardines on the shelves.
How many polishes can you fit in each Atran cabinet? I use a Helmer now, but I too like the idea of seeing the colors rather than the tops of bottles.
Hi Laura, my stash is about 560 and they all fit nicely (with lots of space still available, plus I’ve hardly used the door shelves) in the six Atrans. I’d say about 100 if you want to keep a strict organization by color or brand, but more if you fill up every space available.
I love you right now! This is exactly what i need for my polishes!
Ikea Helmer Drawers = LOVE. I organise by brand but not by colour.
Mine used to be in cheap IKEA plastic drawers, organized by brand first and then by colors; they were relatively easy to navigate. Since I’ve moved for university, they sit in a largeeee make-up bag, and it is a pain in the derrière to find a color!
I just moved so right now they are in plastic boxes from Ikea. But I do have a Helmer, so they are all going in there soon. I organize by brand and color, and also by round and square bottles. Oh, and did I mention I have too many? Haha..
I have a special devided box where i keep all my 250 nail polishes 🙂
I separated a drawer in my closet for that….I know it’s not the best place for it, but I’m still thinking where to keep 166 nail polishes! AH! I’m getting crazy!
Voted for you 😉
I always find what I’m looking fore here in your blog and I think you’re really dedicated.
Thank you, Eleonora!
I use bins from walmart the come in twos and i love them for my makeup in general. They are in my Ikea vanity 🙂 My nail polish is organized by brand then color and if i bought it in a set i keep those together.
I use these acrylic spinning racks I found online http://www.polishgalore.com/2010/08/polish-organizing-and-stuff.html – then it’s sorted alphabetically by brand and then in a rough color organization by ROY G BIV.
i thought i was anal about my things you beat me 🙂
WHERE DID YOU GET THIS ACRYLIC ORGANIZER??? I need it!!!!! Please do tell!
I bought them off her eBay site but you can get them directly from the seller here: http://www.queensupplies.com/
I have small wire baskets ($1 @ Target) that I keep my polish in. These baskets are kept in a dresser with deep drawers that I keep in my bathroom. I don’t keep the polish out because I think that the fluctuation in bathroom humidity can affect polish even if it’s a closed bottle.
I first used plastic make up bags but they kept falling and leaking so I now use plastic organizers but I think I am going to put those organizers in plastic containers.
Oh and I also organize by brand but not by color. 😀 Maybe that will be my next step. 🙂
I have this huge, round Nina Ricci box that I got when I purchased some sort of box set from her. Before that, I kept my polish in a L.A.M.B. box from THAT perfume box set. See a trend? LOL
LOL! I have about 3 big boxes from perfume sets (L.A.M.B. included) and one plastic box. 😛
I now store all (76) of my China Glaze in two China Glaze displays. The Rainbow of Hope display, and the Awakening display. I got them from work (Sally’s) since we were just going to toss them!
Thats a great idea. Resourceful.
A Helmer from Ikea. It’s perfect for NP and quite capacious.
…..organize?
4 drawers in a rolling cart, just organized enough to keep them upright.
I ordered those acrylic wall shelves like they have at the mani/pedi shops from a beauty supply site. I have like 200 polishes and this way they’re all visible at once — I have them mounted behind my bedroom door (which is usually open) so nobody sees them except me. I used to store them in my dresser drawers but I couldn’t really see what I had so I like this system much better, also takes up far less room.
I have mine in a couple of shoe boxes at the moment. I organise them by colour, not so much by brand. I still keep all my Chanel ones together though.
It’s funny you asked this today because i just reorganized mine! They are currently in shoeboxes but i am searching for a nice hanging rack to put them on… that may be a new project for the boy!
I just store them in two plastic containers. But I am looking for something else to store them. I just cant find a seller with a rotating nail polish rack. So I am waiting to see if I find something else I like that can hold many nail polishes.
I have them all dumped into a rubbermaid bin. I sort of have them grouped by brand but there are so many so they are mostly chaotic and I can’t ever find what I’m looking for. I should count them one day. I think I might have around 200. Maybe more. The little baby bottles add up too I guess. So messy! I definitely take more care of my eyeshadows. I don’t wear polish very often because of my job so they get forgotten.
Mine are in a few plastic shoe organizer boxes that I got at Canadian Tire. They’re not separated by colour, brand, etc. yet because I’m still deciding which system to use.
no clue-maybe bins.
May seem a little strange, but i keep mine in the fridge…it makes them last soo much longer, i swear!
in a GWP bag from the body shop lol
I don’t really have too much because I get my nails done, it’s all for my toes!
I use spice racks from The Container Store. They are clear plastic and have three levels/tiers. I can fit about 50 onto each one, and I can see everything easily. Love it 🙂
Since my collection isn’t extensive, I keep my polish in a wicker basket underneath my bathroom sink.