How do you organize your makeup?

I organize a lot of my makeup by brand, then by formula, and if there’s a lot of a formula (like MAC Lipsticks), then I’ll organize by letter (As, Bs, etc.). I do keep staples out separated by type (e.g. highlighters with highlighters).

— Christine

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janine Avatar

I organize by type. I saw Tammy B’s set up and she recommended organizers at the container store. They are supposed to be for paper products but are large, inexpensive and work great. Lipsticks are according to shade- pink nude peach/ coral and red. I have 2 lipstick organizers.

So I keep palettes on top. And everything else is organized by type.

AB Avatar

By type, each in their own container: single eyeshadows, palettes, blush/face products, lipsticks and glosses, eyeliners and mascaras, brushes. The eyeliners, brushes and mascaras are each in vintage glasses or cups, the others are in small bins; I pick up the containers on travel for useful and decorate souvenirs.

Almost everything is on the bathroom countertop, or I’ll forget to use the items; this has helped me better manage my purchasing patterns.

Pearl Avatar

I used to have a spreadsheet but it’s been abandoned for a few years now.

I have everything displayed in clear acrylic organizers (byAlegory from Amazon).

For most of my makeup, I have a turnstile tower with wooden shelving in the back and a wall length mirror in the front. This is my favorite piece of furniture – stylish and functional. The shelving helps me keep my collection in check (yeah right. Only in theory, not in practice ?).

Everything is organized by product category (i.e. blush, eyeshadow quads, palettes, highlighters, bronzers, etc.) and gets one shelf. Within the category organizer(s), I alphabetize brand then product – for example, for eyeshadows, I’ll put Chanel first and alphabetize quads, then MAC alphabetized, then Tom Ford quads, then Viseart palettes.

On my vanity, I have a clear acrylic glam tray (Zahra x Trendmood) that holds all my daily staples as well as a few frosted glass brush holders.

Every Sunday, I wash my brushes and put products back into their spot and shop my stash for my look-of-the-week.

Backups (powder products only and brushes) go into clear plastic tubs with lids and are stored on closet shelving. LE lipsticks (in-use and backups) are stored in an acrylic organizer in fridge.

Nail polish is stored in clear acrylic organizers on closet shelving.

*brush drop*

Nancy T Avatar

Last time this question got asked, I was so much better organized than I am currently! My makeup area in my bedroom appears to have no rhythm or reason, but I actually *can* very easily locate whatever I want to use. Surprisingly! I obviously need another rotating lipstick tower, though. Better drawered storage than what I have currently, too. Someday….

Rachel R. Avatar

Face: By product type.

Blushes and highlighters: By product type and brand. Singles are depotted and put in magnetic palettes. Pre-made palettes are stacked on a shelf next to those.

Eyes: Eye products are by far the largest part of my huge collection. I organize by product type. Eye palettes get stacked by size/shape and whether they’re brights or neutrals. Singles and duos are depotted and sorted by color family into magnetic palettes.

Loose powders and pigments: Face and cheek products are sorted into drawers. Eyes are sorted by color family in small, clear, plastic tubs with labelled lids.

Lips: By product type. Lipsticks are by sub-categorized by brands. Lipliners are sorted by color.

Brushes and tools: By type into brush holders.

Nail polish: By color. Nail tools are in a basket.

Skincare: Cleanser and clay mask is in my bathroom. Moisturizer, toner, sunscreen, etc. are in a vanity drawer.

Karen Johnston Avatar

First by type each in their own drawer, blush, eyeshadow palettes, foundations and face powder, highlighters and bronzers, face and eye primers, mascara and brow products, single shadows, face palettes, concealers and misc.
Then, depending on the item, organized by brand (blush and single shadows) or shades (concealers, highlighters).
There is some overlap, currently my cream and liquid blushes share the foundation drawer and my face palettes share with high end cream and liquid shadows. Lipsticks and gloss are in a rotating tower and acrylic holder on top of my desk/vanity, as are all my brushes, setting and hydrating sprays, over sized palettes, brush cleaner, sponges, etc. It isn’t pretty but I know where everything is. The only thing I’d like to change is to be able to store everything that is on top into a cabinet of some sort that I can reach while doing my makeup.

Sarah Avatar

It’s kind of a hodge podge of a mess. I have some acrylic organizers, but not enough. I’m at least able to organize my bullet lipsticks by brand and my liquid lips by brand in makeup bags (I used to subscribe to Ipsy so I use those bags A LOT for organization). Brow products are in their own bag, mascaras are in their own bag. Eyeshadow palettes are stacked flat and organized by size (so my Morphe palettes are at the bottom, and my smaller Sugarpill quads are on top).

Once my partner and I have moved into our house I’m going to double down on decluttering and organizing. He offered to start building me shelves and containers so I can have my own beauty corner. 🙂 Small goals!

Silvia Avatar

One thing I enjoy doing and do often! Grab a pillow and your cup of tea if you care to read this. Lol! I have these two IKEA shelves on each side of my sink in medium brown reddish colored wood don’t know what they are called but very functional thanks IKEA. One for me/one for my daughter but she finished college and moved out with boyfriend, while cleaning her shelves she jokingly told me to fill it up and I had no idea I would do so very, very quickly so I have those two shelves totally filled. They have three glass dividers and each has three drawers and I also have tons of stuff under my white sink.
I bought these really nice acrylics trays at Ross just flat organizers some with dividers/some without I prefer this way as I can always use my own organizer as needed instead of those that hold like a few lipsticks since I own much more. On the top shelves I have my eyeshadow palettes on both shelves both sides. On middle shelves I have my blushes and on bottom my lipsticks and glosses. I sort them by size and season blushes, highliters, contour, bronzers they fit better and more this way. On the free space I have left on the side of my eyeshadow palettes i have my everyday bronzer, loose powder, makeup sponges, under eye concealers in a cute used to be round candle holder. In a small glass jars Q-tips. On another thin tall glass for tequila shots with my name on it in leather my neighbor brought from Guadalajara my tweezers. I have these two small plastic square containers holding my favorite seasonal lipsticks they each fit 4-5 but I have tons more in two thin plastic plain organizers in bottom shelves lots of lipsticks!
My blushes and highliters on second shelves nothing fancy just by sizes, squares followed in row by square, samexwith highliters. Big ones I just place loosely on top at the very end of shelves. I’m always looking for the cutest container I can find because is my beauty items that belong there! Makes perfect sense to me. Oh, I have these cute owl mugs where I place on the smallest one given by my daughter my eye brushes all together since they are small. On my owl coffee mugs I gather each type of blush for face a heavy one dense, lighter one, the highliter brush, one small to diffuse some color out if way too much went on my cheeks by accident. Kano Uky brush on its own. Random tea tin from Traders Joe’s coconut green tea with lemongrass & ginger to be exact love the tropical color in this can so I have there my color mascaras. The black and browns on another container and a couple of washed cleaned ones to separate clumps in the tray. Oh! I also love the Apple white clean looking boxes from family iPhones to organize there my Colourpop super shocks and other round eyeshadow containers. So handy and hygienic looking clean those iPhone boxes so convenient. I find my stash easily is super well organized.
On bottom of sink I keep my hair stuff, body powder, deodorant, hair color kits, etc. skin care, body sponges, some extra foundations. The ones I’m currently using are in a cute yellow cardboard think it was free m Clinique some gift long time ago in square container by my sink on top as well as my spf and primers when I remember to use them. On drawers shower caps, pads for pms, tampons, hair rollers, blow dryers, bunch of makeup bags, mirrors, square face towels, Ah! Some dupes of favorite makeup items of course! Samples and small soaps from trips, and stuff.
Ok. now you may grab your coffee to wake up! Lol! I love rearranging these things and placing them in the cutest flower boxes, containers I can get my hands on and cheap and pretty does it! Need to visit the container store and go crazy there. 🙂
Oh! Forgot! On top of shelves up visible I have cleaned candle holders see through and have my bunch of eye liners separate by brand, glittered ones, etc. On the other shelve on top I use the same clear round containers for my liquid lipsticks and glosses! All sealed items don’t want a fly landing on a brush or anything yuck! Now that Summer is here they’ll be entering the house hate them flies! Lol!

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