Makeup Wars Best Ways to Organize Your Makeup

ByCordelia


Makeup Wars Best Ways to Organize Your Makeup

Happy Monday! This Makeup Wars Monday we’re discussing our Best Ways to Organize Your Makeup. I’ve got quite a makeup collection, so I’ve got a lot of storage options to show you. Unfortunately I took these pictures an hour after I got back from the Makeup Show Orlando Sunday night, so my vanity is a wreck. I also have to go through all my drawers and reorganize again. However, this will give you some great ideas.

PR + purchased by me.

Please keep in mind that I am a beauty blogger and I am not your average makeup lover, so my collection is ginormous (and I know there are many collections larger than mine).

How to Make a Makeup Brush Holder for Under $10
See how to make a brush holder for under $10.

In the past I’ve made my own brush holders for under $10 with decorator sand and a glass vase. This was great for a long time until I outgrew it. It’s a nice, fun way to customize your brush holder if you don’t own a ton of brushes. Since I no longer use it for brushes, I have it on my dresser with just the sand in it for decoration because I love purple and it’s cute. You could potentially use it as an incense holder if you wanted to burn incense, or to hold those fragrance sticks, too. I still feel this is one of the best ways to organize your makeup brushes for under $10.

Binders are great for organizing makeup samples

I use 3 ring binders with card holders to store and organize my makeup sample baggies. I have a TON of these. These are so great for organizing your makeup sample baggies.

Best Ways to Organize Lipsticks

This is one of my 3 types of lipstick organizers. I also have clear acrylic lipstick organizers, and bamboo lipstick organizers. Unfortunately they’re all too tall for my 10 drawer organizers.

Phyrra's Vanity

This is my vanity, which is a wreck currently since I just got back from TMS Orlando and packed in a whirlwind. On top of the vanity itself is an e.l.f. large brush holder that holds a ton of my brushes. Next to it is a square decorator vase from Michael’s that has clear glass stones in it to make the bottom tall enough for the brushes. I’ve got two more e.l.f. large brush holders – one is filled with eyeliner pencils and pens, lip pencils and lip liners. The other one is full of makeup brushes. I’ve got another square vase for makeup brushes. I’ve got a round silver container for mascaras. On the shelf of the vanity I’ve got a 3 drawer separator for makeup, as well as a 3 tier lipstick holder and the rest needs to be organized. On the right side of  my vanity is a 10 drawer organizer. On the left side of my vanity  there are 2 of the 10 drawer shelf organizers, and just past that is 1 helmer.

Ways to Create Storage For Your Makeup Vanity

This is the 10 drawer organizer to the right of my vanity. The drawers are fine as long as you don’t overload them. Mine were overloaded until I got the eDiva Princess and the sherrieblossom icebox skinny. Now I just need to go through the drawers and reorganize them. They’re not very easy to put organizing strips or panels into, which I dislike. You can’t fit nail polish into them. They are one of the best ways for me to organize my eyeshadow pigments. They’re too tall for my acrylic lipstick organizers. Thankfully I’ll have several empty drawers once I finish reorganizing.

Ways to Store Makeup Brushes, Eyeliners, Lip Pencils, Mascaras

This is the top of the 10 drawer storage unit on the right side of my vanity. I’ve got 2 large e.l.f. brush holders up here, a bamboo storage organizer for my shadow pencils, my Luminess Air Airbrush machine, glo Minerals brush cleanser, Model in a Bottle, a square black brush holder, and a silver round storage holder for my mascaras.

Best Ways to Organize Beauty Products

These are the two 10 drawer organizers to the left of my vanity. Again, I need to organize the drawers as I was able to move a lot of products out of their jumbled mess in the drawers and into organized compartments in the Princess and the Icebox Skinny. I like that these have the option to be on wheels or to skip the wheels. The wheels make it easier to move them from room to room if I need to move them, but I rarely do. I don’t like the tops because I wish they were flat. The bars sticking up get in the way and are annoying.

eDiva Princess and the sherrieblossom Icebox Skinny Makeup Organizers

On the left we have the eDiva Princess and on the right the sherrieblossom Icebox Skinny. Both have their advantages. I need to reorganize the Princess because it’s got space not being utilized currently. I just finished organizing the Icebox Skinny. Expect a video on it this week.

ediva Princess is a great makeup organizer

This is the eDiva princess, which I need to reorganize and fill. The bottom layer can hold nail polish, but it’s the only drawer deep enough to. I choose to store lipsticks in there. The bottom drawer has my Urban Decay, Too Faced, NARS, Morgana Cryptoria etc lipsticks. The drawer above has a lot of my Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lip tars and Fyrinnae Lip Lustres. Above that are my Darling Girl Lip products, Silk Naturals, Venomous Cosmetics Glosses, MAC Glosses. Above that I have Milani, Jesse’s Girl and Nyx. The top two drawers are makeup palettes.

I could possibly take out the X in the bottom drawer and see if my acrylic lipstick holders would fit inside and hold the lipsticks without being too tall.

The Sherrieblossom Icebox Skinny is great for makeup organization and storage

This is the sherrieblossom Icebox Skinny. The top drawer is amazing for storing tall things like foundation and my airbrush makeup is up there. The drawer below that is holding all of my Sugarpill. Below that I have a good chunk of my Silk Naturals collection. Below that I have my Fyrinnae. The drawer below that is a lot of my Urban Decay. The lowest drawer are some of my palettes.

The ikea helmer is great for storing nail polish and makeup

This is my single ikea helmer, which is GREAT for storing nail polish. It holds my entire nail polish collection. I really should get a second one but I’ve been fighting it. Instead I just create a swap box of polish. I personally think that the helmer is AMAZING for storing your polish! I don’t have a single bottle of polish that’s too tall to be in mine. And it holds so much polish! It’s awesome. One of my best purchases ever. I have recommended this over and over again to friends as the best way to organize their nail polish collection.

The 3 ring binders and baseball card holders are really nice and inexpensive ways to store makeup sample baggies. You can choose to organize by brand (using dividers to separate them), or organize by color. Both are really great.

I can’t rave enough about the e.l.f. large makeup brush holders. I own 3 and I’ll probably buy a 4th sometime soon. I like that they’re simple and sleek, and they hold so much! You could also customize them by painting them if you don’t like the plain black, though I personally adore it.

I have a love hate relationship with the 3 10 drawer organizers that I have. I love them because they hold a lot of stuff and don’t take up a lot of space. They flank my vanity nicely. However, I wish I had been able to find a vanity with that storage built into it. I should really repaint all 3 of them to match. I do hate that if the drawers are overloaded they slip off their track and I have to put them back on. I’ve  never had anything spill out,  but it does make noise. These are still the best ways that I’ve found to store my massive amounts of makeup. I think overall, I just feel that they look cheap compared to my Princess and Icebox Skinny.

The eDiva Princess is sturdy, but I find myself wishing that the drawers were taller and had better ways to organize them. The X in the shelves is not as useful as a multiple L shapes. I am able to store some of my lipsticks standing up, but they do fall over. My pencils, glosses, etc have to lay down. It does work nicely for palettes.

The sherrieblossom Icebox Skinny has a great top section with a flip lid that can hold so much stuff it amazes me. It holds palettes nicely. I love the L shape dividers that make it easy to section off eyeshadows or pigments. I wish the base and sides were thicker.Both the eDiva Princess and the sherrieblossm Icebox Skinny would be able to hold your average person’s makeup collection.

Storage Devices

So these are the ways that I organize my makeup, beauty products, brushes and tools.

Zuca Pro Artist Bag

The Zuca Pro Artist Bag is on my wish list!

 

How do you organize? See how the rest of the Makeup Wars Bloggers keep things organized!

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Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

68 Comments

  1. I have the 3 IKEA Helmers for my nail polish collection. Then for my makeup I have 1 IKEA Alex and 3 Melmers from Michael’s. I’m just thinking about getting another Alex because it’s just all over the place. I love acrylic beauty boxes as well. I use the Cosmocube which I purchased at Sephora and the Cosmocube brush holder for my liquid lippies and lip pencils. I think it’s an awesome way to find the colors faster. Thanks for sharing your storage!

  2. Love this! So hard to organize when you love trying all the things, but this helps loads! 🙂

  3. I’m so glad this popped up! I really need this because my makeup bag is getting overloaded and it’s annoying when I want to find something quickly or I’m in the car lol!

  4. This makeup collection is crazy to see being that I’m a makeup minimalist with one single makeup pouch that holds it all. Does one need to wear much makeup on a daily basis? What about natural beauty?

  5. I am considering a MElmer for my nail polishes. Not the prettiest display, but good for keeping nail polishes “fresh” and organizing.

  6. I love your idea for the sample shadows its a great idea. I am so excited my husband bought me a Malm dressing table and 2 six drawers Alex’s for Mother’s day so hopefully I will be able to find all my stuff easier. Thank you for sharing!!

  7. oooh! I LOVE this! I am going to have to show my husband your stash so he won’t think that I “don’t need to get any more cosmetics”. I buy thrift store make up bags and have them color coded so I know what color families I have stashed inside but that only gets me so far. I love your colored drawer cabinets. So organized! Thanks for some great ideas!

  8. Pingback: Sherrieblossom ICEbOX Skinny Review | Phyrra | Beauty for the Bold

  9. *faint* I have my nail polish fairly organized considering how large it is, but my make-up (maybe a 1/20th of yours) is a mess. I’ll check out some of these!

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  19. PrimeBeauty50 Well, they were the best I could find. I’m happy enough that I have 3, I just wish I could modify them.

  22. My makeup collection is just shamefull, as I have it all stuffed in cabinet drawers between TWO bathrooms, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to find anything. After I moved to Houston last YEAR, I haven’t had the motivation to even unpack 50% of my clothes. I need to really get on it, as it seems I’m going to be here for a while.

  24. I used to use the same 10 drawer units but they were just too light for the amount of stuff I had. I have no pretty much completely moved to Helmers for the drawer units and IKEA Expedit wall units for everything else. 
    I totally loved seeing a glimpse of your vanity. I really should post about my office but it is sooo messy!

  25. You totally rock! My husband saw this picture of your storage and said we are twinkies in keeping things together LOL. I totally love your blog!

  26. I love the idea of using a binder for samples. I have those little things in the weirdest places all over my room lol

  28. I love those 10-drawer rolling units! They are just the perfect size for makeup storage. Man, I want to try that Icebox unit!

  31. I need to purchase a house with more closet space to get my collection under control. :/

  32. Phyrra, I tend to use what I have (when possible). I use old glasses and creamer pitchers (the companion to the sugar bowl) for my brushes. I have a mixture of plastic and acrylic storage containers, but I’m still on the hunt for the best organizer.

  37. Marcia beauty info zone I’m glad you liked it! I just got home so late from Orlando I didn’t have time to clean and reorganize and I had packed in such a hurry that stuff was a mess :(.

  42. I have one of the 10 drawer units and it drives me crazy. I now have it in my computer room because everything, including paper, makes the drawers slip. They don’t stay up so it always looks messy. I’m not afraid of mess but this drives me nuts.
    I think I’ll rearrange the top of my Sherrieblossom Icebox to be open. It really would be great for all my foundation and then I’d actually be able to find them!
    Thank you for being willing to share this even if you didn’t clean. It makes me feel like your sister.

  44. I am beyond unorganized and it’s a shame! At some point I’d love to have a Zuca pro, as well.

  46. I need to make one of those brush holders because I am always running our of room. I have so many glass vases around here, just need the sand.

  50. I am lucky enough to have a linen closet, and most everything fits in there.  I use really useful boxes from Staples, as we had a pipe burst in our ceiling over the summer and they are water resistant.  Fortunately, the pipe was in our guest room so my collection was safe.  The boxes are big enough that I can place smaller organizers in them, I got a bunch from the Target $1 section and the Dollar store.  I have a box for brushes, foundation/primer/face color, eyeshadows, eyeliners/mascara, lip products, air brush supplies, nail colors, and nail supplies.  They’re nice because they stack and I can grab the whole box and go if needed.  They were a little pricey up front, but they’re so easy to use and keep organized or reorganize.  Plus they’re all pink!

  51. cinseven13 I’d love to be able to build my dream home. I want to make a dome home, since they can withstand hurricanes 🙂 It would be so much fun to plan!

  52. Phyrra cinseven13 we need to strike it rich and design our own rooms, complete with entire rooms devoted to makeup and hair!  I’d love a salon sink to make coloring easier and chair for haircuts too.

  54. cinseven13 Our problem is that there’s a door at the middle of the wall that leads to the master bathroom. I wish it was at the end of one wall, because it makes the way we can place the bed limited with where the doors (sliding glass doors) are located. But there’s no way I’d give up my king size bed!

  55. Phyrra cinseven13 I’d love a bedroom that size!  Mine’s only 11×14 and set up in a way the king sized bed can only fit one way or it blocks something (the closet, the baseboard heat, the windows), which means everything is a bit squishy.  I need a shorter husband so I could have a smaller bed, which would give me more space!!

  57. KellyLoganGould I still need to go through and reorganize those 10 drawers and fill in the ediva. Also, I need something like a Zuca, I swear.

  60. blushingnoir Yeah I love that top section on the Skinny! It’s awesome. there are a couple of things I’d change on the Skinny to make it better, but it’s still great.

  63. I’d love to have my brushes out like yours so I could see them.  All my things are tucked into the bathroom closet, which is far from ideal, but I don’t have any extra space for a vanity. 🙁

  64. I have the same 10 drawer organizers and I see we have the same problem of the drawers coming off the rack!! I would be so afraid to put something on top of it though because I find mine to sway!

  65. WOW the difference in the look/quality of the e-diva and ICEbOX is crazy!  The ICEbOX is definitely more worth the $$$, no contest.  I love how you organize your baggies, that’s so simple yet genius.  I seriously would have thrown them in a drawer before I saw this post.

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