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How do you organize your makeup collection?


How do you organize your makeup collection? Share pictures if you have ’em! 🙂

I have a few rolling carts with pull out drawers that I use for brands I don’t access as often (in the living room), and then I use an Ikea Besta system to house brands and products I access often (which has a home in my office).  Just to field anticipated questions – I am not planning to show my makeup “collection” (which is more like the Temptalia Archives than my personal collection these days) at this time.

Thanks to Johanna for today’s question!

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62 Comments

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shelly Avatar

My collection/setup is here…
http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/k46rOfxx25T6SCmC

Drawer inserts from The Container Store, pen(cil) cups were purchased at K-Mart (I got them for a steal — about $1.50 each). I’ve had the dresser my entire life. My mother built it for me, I think, not too long after I was born. It was repainted silver a few years ago (originally, it was white with some decals on it).

Jessi Avatar

I have a plastic rolling cart with drawers. I currently only need one! And hopefully won’t ever need more than that. When I do I think I should worry about my spending habits, haha.

Celina Avatar

Oh 🙁 I’m sad that you won’t be showing the Temptalia Archives at this time, call me crazy but I used to play your old video several times because you not only shot it in such an easy to understand / amazing way, it constantly inspired me to maintain my own collection and not let it get out of hand. And it was strangely soothing too, you’re such a different beauty blogger from most people on youtube, I have a ton of respect for you and how you view your work, you treat it so professionally and “matter of fact”, so so refreshing 🙂

My collection is poorly organised, it’s rather tragic! But you know, a work in progress 🙂

Laurel Avatar

I use the Hayworth vanity and lingerie chest from Pier 1 (the same one Tiffany D has). It holds everything nicely, the only bad thing is that the drawers are a weird size and most organizers don’t fit in them. I found that silverware organizers work the best in them.

Callin Avatar

I have the vanity too, it is amazing! I keep pressed cosmetics in the drawer so the cat won’t knock them off and break them and all my powders are in bins on top.

Lisa DuMond Avatar

I found tin pails in so many different colours– dark salmon, white, grass, and unfinished tin. They went from the size of a coffee to a wash pail. At a dollar apiece, I almost bought out the store! Now they line my vanity, divided into lipglosses, eyeliners, primers, etc. Good thing because my Nars had started to take up all the space in the single drawer!

If anyone wants to see this crazy, crowded, colorful mess, let me know.

Theresa Avatar

Aww I would love to see your updated collection! I loved your last collection video. I know you probably don’t want the negative comments that comes with collection videos. Honestly, I love watching those videos because 1) I’m curious and 2) I’m OCD and love to look out for different storage ideas. It’ll be great if you do a collection video but just disable comments! 🙂

Edelmc Avatar

Did you remove the collection videos because of negative comments? I honestly don’t understand why some people would watch you tube videos of things they are not interested in just to respond with hurtful comments. I think they are disgraceful. Actually I think I feel sorry for them cause they must have too much time on their hands and they don’t have enjoyable hobbies like collecting make up! Personally I love all the videos you do. Loved the tip of using water ( I use fix +) and a 182 brush to buff foundation on that I saw on one of your videos recently. It makes my face and body foundation look air brushed and I am so happy to have learned that tip! Keep up the good work x

Christine Avatar

Once I decided that I was not going to do future collection videos, I decided to remove old ones, too. I just find it causes more trouble overall – I’m not even a collector any more, because I don’t buy to collect, I buy to review, but I don’t think that’s something that is clear. We’ll see – it’s not a decision that’s irreversible, but for now, I think it’s best.

Thank you!

CupK8 Avatar

Right now I have a drawer in my bathroom rolling cart devoted to it, plus some makeup in my carry case for when I go to the theat-uh (yay stage makeup). It’s a hot mess, though, so I’d argue it’s not organized. I have to do some of that this summer.

Nadia A. Avatar

Unfortunately, I do not have a vanity table. Therefore my dresser top serves as my makeup area/vanity table (without the luxury of a bench or chair that I can sit on). On my dresser top, I store my makeup brushes. I also have two Deflecto stackable cubes (like Makeup by Tiffany D has) to store items that I reach for daily (concealer, eyeshadow primer, eyeliners, mascaras, and lipglosses). Next to my dresser, I have an IKEA Alex 9 drawer unit whiches houses the rest of my makeup.

Emily Avatar

I keep mine in a few different makeup bags (one for eyeshadows, one for eyeliners, one for face and lip products, and a tin for my mascaras) inside of a bin in the shelving unit in my room.

Jan Avatar

I’m trying to minimize my “collection” by using things up. The best way to do this for me is to leave it all out in the open. I use Ikea Godmorgon trays on my countertop and fill them with my makeup. My goal is to have a fourth of the makeup I currently own so I can fit all of it into two makeup bags.

I see the pictures below with excessive amounts of makeup. That’s more than enough makeup for all the women in my family!

Kris Avatar

I honestly feel so much better about my growing obsession seeing that others have lots of dedicated space to makeup. My collection has grown from essentially a travel-sized bag to needing a serious case in a short amount of time. It’s outgrowing the case (a simple one, large open bottom with a moving top tier, one with deep wells, the other separating into two shallower levels, pretty standard, I think) and I’ve been thinking about getting some serious shelving space, provided my need to hoard doesn’t let up soon.

Gala Avatar

Got some acrylic drawers 🙂 LOVE them.
It makes everything visible and ordered, but takes more space than beforehead, where i’d just pile everything in boxes and pen holders on my makeup table

jgoreham Avatar

It’s all thrown into a makeup bag which hasn’t been big enough for a little while, and that bag is tossed into a toiletry/bathroom-ey bucket thing to catch the overflow (the bucket also isn’t big enough), and a bunch of stuff a friend just sent is still in a padded mailer on top of the whole hot mess. I need to do something about this :/ I get up a lot earlier than my husband so I don’t keep my makeup in my bedroom- I wouldn’t have enough light to work without disturbing him- everything’s next to the bathroom so when I’m done showering and moisturizing and whatever, I can pull it all in and put my face on in there. I need an organizational solution :/

Jill Avatar

I have everything in a big expandable case with latches. I try to keep brands grouped together. All my MAC eyeshadows have their own shelf, same with lip glosses, which are in order by brand. Brushes, pencils, eyeliners, sharpeners, are all together. The bigger items that won’t fit on a folding shelf are just in the deep bottom of the case.

I used to use an old school purple marble and hot pink Caboodle that I got when I was like 13 years old. I was BEYOND disappointed when the latch finally broke for good. 🙁

Sarah Avatar

I have a little acrylic divider that I got at the container store. And the a little one for my everyday face products and then 2 cups for my brushes. I keep it all out on my vanity

Emily O. Avatar

This was seriously something I wanted to ask..but now that I’m 4 hours from an IKEA I’m at odds. They are pseudo-haphazardly arranged in caboodles, tackle boxes ( as an anglophile that phrase makes me giggle), rubber maid three drawers. Since my Fun Times Companion builds race cars, I often end up with various tool organizers and sometimes use scrapbooking tools as well. However the lunatics have taken over the asylum and I’m majorly inconvenienced by the at least 8 storage containers I have to lug out to put a basic look together. Le Sigh. I feel rather ridiculous getting so irate over something so trivial but it’s an everyday messapalooza 🙁

CJ Avatar

My grandma left me an old-fashioned ‘sewing table’ which has a basket that slides out on the bottom, which I use for all the make-up I don’t use very often. There are four drawers I have divided into eye make-up, face, lips and top drawer which has a round thing that can be turned (originally for keeping buttons and needles) I keep things that don’t fit in the other categories. And then on the top, I keep the things I use daily. 🙂

Natalie Avatar

Because I have SO much stuff, and every vanity I saw was upwards of $800+ with not nearly the amount of storage I need, I had a huge elfa system I custom made at the Container Store. Inside of the huge mesh drawers, I have matching mesh cutlery/kitchen organizers (not elfa but matched exactly, color & all!) from the kitchen area of the Container Store. I broke down all my makeup beforehand, wrote down what I needed, and it all worked out perfectly! Now I have a custom vanity to do my makeup, and it’s so much easier to pack/unpack/find/put back things when I need them, since everything has its own place. In the end it was (shockingly) a few hundred dollars cheaper than any of the pre-made vanities I saw!

Selena Avatar

I bought an unfinished tall narrow 5 drawer lingerie chest. Bought plastic trays for the inside and viola…perfect storage.

Ana Avatar

Unfortunately, I dont have space for a drawer/vanity for my makeup (which is what I really want). So, for now, my makeup is stored in a HUGE fishing tackle box (lol). I like it, because unlike cosmetics cases, the tackle box has dozens of little sized compartments where I can store lipsticks and liners. I have a small pink caboodle (throwback!) where I put my everyday makeup and that is what I use to either take into the bathroom or kitchen table (where I do my makeup) so I dont have to carry the big tackle box around. I actually like this system a little bit because every couple of days I go into my big tackle box and “shop” for makeup that I want to wear for the next couple of days and I switch it with what’s in the pink caboodle!

Ani_BEE Avatar

I have this jewelers cabinet for pigments and mineral eyesahdows.
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c34/ani_bee/makeup/?action=view&current=5drawerset.jpg

I have an old metal mini suitcase style contain from a mani-pedi I use to store my SFX items and eyelashes in.

I also upgraded to a secondhand Japonesque pro cabinet for everything else. First 8 images.
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c34/ani_bee/makeup/Case/

I try to keep to this format but my SFX items are out growning my 4″X6″X9″ metal case. >__< I might need to commandeer one of the pigment drawers for lashes if the boxes fit.

Valerie Avatar

Kris@ me too i feel better reading those comments. I have two cases: one really look like i bought this when I was in junior high (ok I think i was 15! :D) it is a blue plastic makeup case and the second one is a square metal case. both cases can no longer contain my makeup collection, as i have foundation and brushes laying around on my dresser and I have two makeup bag for nail polish and eyes and lips pencils. I should start thinking to buy something to hold everything but that will only give ammunition to my husband who think i’m having to much makeup! 😛

Chris25 Avatar

I did a blog post on this a few weeks ago. I have the Sterilite 7 Drawer Cart for the main collection, and the Staples 5 Drawer Cart for polishes and palettes.

Ashley Sarah Avatar

I don’t have much so its pretty easy. I have a make-up bag which I got my foundation, blushes, mascara and my most used eye shadows. Then my 2 Coastal Scents palettes and my other eye shadows sit in a cute box container I have which also the bag sits in.

Adrienne Avatar

Brushes and UD 24/7 liners are in vases with beads now if they’d only stay up straight they look so messy:(. All my makeup fits into a Mac carryall but that’s getting too full. Skincare and hair stuff is in top drawer bi keep my makeup in that carry all so it can be stored in bedroom and brought into bathroom when used

Adrienne Avatar

Also my nail polishes are in a little Italian designed chest that I got at hobby lobby im obsessed with boxes and chests like that. I hate plastic boxes so I’m trying to avoid getting those but I’m going to need some sort of drawer set soon.

Lauryn Avatar

I searched high and low for a good makeup storage solution. I got tired of little stacking boxes and crazy expensive “professional makeup train cases” like the Zuco etc.. I decided to expand my searches and came across the Plano 758 tackle box. Laugh if you will, but it works RIDICULOUSLY good.
here is my video i made on youtube after i filled mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpuoUlbfcdk

Dana Avatar

I basically have a bunch of drawer organizers stacked up on my dresser and large cups for my brushes. It’s kind of a mess and I’m very interested in what everyone else is doing because what I have now is just not working for me.

JoleneAL Avatar

Its suppose to be organized? (faints) j/k

I have mascara, brushes, pens/pencils in a 3 divider cup square box (I don’t know how to describe it!). I have a small, 3 drawer box for all my e/s and other odd shaped objects, like 2 ended brushes, and the rest scattered around the table. Organized I’m not, but I know where it all is when I reach for it!

Courtney Avatar

I got some of those big, plastic drawers from Target. I have one drawer for eyes, one for cheeks, one for foundations/concealers, one for lips, and one for nail polish.

I…um…also have a smaller, separate container for liners, shadow samples, and glitter…

Marta Avatar

My collection is not very big (I am planning to expand it on my next trip to the US in November yay!!!) so I got a DIY small metal suitcase (the one people normally use for screwdrivers and stuff like that) that is perfect and a nice contrast against all the girly stuff I have!! 😉

baragon11 Avatar

I have plastic rolling cabinets – my dilemma is always: should I put it all together by BRAND or put all all of the lippies, eyeshadows, etc. together?

Kathryn Avatar

My makeup is kind of all over the place, depending on how often I use it. I have a cosmetic bag with the things I use daily, and also things that will work for any occasion in case I need to grab it and go. Then I have a tray in the top drawer of my bathroom for newer things I’m trying out, or things that I use when I have time, but aren’t necessary. I have a kaboodle-type thing for makeup that I don’t want to throw away but don’t need easy access to. And finally, sitting on top of my counter I have palettes stacked.

Edelmc Avatar

I keep my stuff in a mac train case but I am running out of space. I keep my brushes and pencils in vases with beads but they never stand up straight- is there a certain size bead I should use? I am interested in getting a few of the muji drawers but haven’t seen photos of them with make up in. Dies anybody have photos they could post? Christine, I have watched some of your videos showing your stash and I nearly drool! Now if someone did a similar video with shoes (my other addiction is fashion) I would be in heaven!

Lee Avatar

I wish my was organized. I store my make-up in the bathroom (I know it’s a sin but it’s the only big mirror space I have) in a whole bunch of things.

Eyeshadows: mostly MAC palettes (10 total) in a drawer
Blushes, paintpots, fluidlines, a few random palettes: Sephora traincase
Pigments: container in drawer
Lipsticks: 50 lipstick box in linen closet
Random palettes, quads, blushes that don’t fit in traincase, eyeshadows I haven’t depotted yet: cute Liberty of London bin from Target stored in linen closet

But the best storage thing I have is an IKEA magnetic board with magnetic cups mounted right next to my mirror. I have a cup for Mac brushes, one for artist brushes, one for non-MAC brushes, one for lip pencils, one for eye pencils, a couple for random tools.

I got the idea from this blog post: http://www.mywomenstuff.com/2008/06/28/storage-idea-makeup-brushes-mascara-and-pencils/ It works great and keeps everything off my counter.

Jenny Avatar

Right now, I have little organization at all. All my makeup is in two train cases, one on my dresser and one on the floor. Lipsticks and other cream products are organized, but, other than my palettes, all powder products are piled in one of them. I am, however, redoing my bedroom, and part of that will be fabricating my very first vanity, which will have built in storage. And that will hold part of my collection and nail polish, which is scattered all over the house.

meme Avatar

I happen to live in a very tiny 50’s built beach cottage when they did not put in much storage at all. But for some reason the owner here built in a tall 6 shelf cupboard in the bathroom at some point. I am sure he thought, towels and such would be in it…nada. Mine is full of makeup! I have bins that I separate out foundations, eyes, cheeks, of course a general junk/over-flow area. Then I also have a rolling cart with 4 deep drawer in the bathroom – one of those Target purchases that I never took the wheels off of. Some few things are in my medicine cabinet over the bathroom sink and still more creams and potions are in the all linen closet. My nail polishes are a whole other thing. I keep them in Rubbermaid bins with attached hinged lids (in 2 sizes) not sold on Rubbermaid.com, they have a photo of them however. I get mine at Rite Aide. Those I keep in a cupboard that is in my living room that has a # of shelves in it and tends to never get any direct sun and stays cool living here at the beach.

Mariella Avatar

My makeup and skin care is sort of chaos. Fortunately, I’ve got my own bathroom but it’s small (it’s the ensuite and it’s an older home so it’s not like the huge ensuite bathrooms in newer homes). We’re going to be redoing my vanity (because we moved the doorway) so I should be getting some additional really nice drawers. Right now, the stuff I use regularly is in a large but not very deep (therefore more easily accessible) built in cabinet; stuff I use less often is in small drawers under the vanity counter and other stuff is stored all over the place, including in my daughter’s dresser (she moved out 2 years ago but her room is still “her room” but with my makeup encroaching on her space!)

eun Avatar

I put most of my makeup in an ikea helmer. brushes and pencil type stuff are put in some cups and I put them on the top of the helmer. and I keep a big tray on my chest which is right next to the m/u storage to keep anything that I pull out of the drawer because I know I am too lazy to put the stuff back in after each use lol So the tray basically ends up with my everyday stuff. Once the tray gets too full, I put everything back into the drawer and start afresh.

Tenaya Avatar

or me i use office organizers =) i dont have a ton! (like you christine OMG im soo jelly!) but 3 or 4 smaller organizers are enough for me. and i store my brushes in pencil holders =)

Carrie G Avatar

I have a 3 drawer thing in my closet. Bottom drawer is for all things face, eyes and brushes. Top is skincares and creams and middle is makeup remover. then i have a nice artistic ceramic disc/bowl with lip products and a great case for all eye pencils and mascaras

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