I remember when I first realised the importance of an organise makeup station setup. By simply grouping products together and storing them in a few clever ways made applying makeup quicker as I knew where everything was. It also made for a neater more aesthetically pleasing dressing table! Instead of spending money, clever makeup storage ideas are where it's at and as someone with a large makeup collection, I'm hopeful I can help with that!
Below I've compiled 10 unique ways of storing makeup. From dressing table to bathroom and even secret storage in your wardrobe - I've got you covered!
10 DIY Makeup Storage Ideas
1. Empty acrylic organiser to hold makeup palettes
You really can't get easier than this makeup storage idea! Simply take an acrylic makeup organiser, remove the drawers and use it to store your favourite makeup palettes! The above 2 drawer acrylic makeup organiser cost me only £6.65 from eBay (also comes with a separate organiser to use!) and stores around 5-8 makeup palettes without the drawers! You can also find large makeup drawer options for storing more larger palettes. No more stacking palettes or keeping them hidden away in a cluttered drawer! As for the drawer inserts that are removed I've found these are good for keeping inside drawers as drawer organiser/dividers or even in the bathroom to keep all your skincare essentials together and looking neat. This is only of my favourite DIY makeup hack ideas I've come up with!
2. Use plant pots, pen pots or toothbrush holders to store makeup brushes
This isn't so much of a DIY makeup hack but a suggestion of what makes a good makeup brush holder - basically a lot of things! My favourite makeup brush holders tend to be toothbrush holder, not the ones with the cut out holes for your toothbrush, but more the pot style holders. You can pick them up from most homeware sections in supermarkets and a lot of homeware stores. The good thing about them is they are well made, come is so many designs and are generally inexpensive - the above white with gold dots holder is from Asda/Walmart and only cost £3! I also love to use candle holders, again affordable and pen pots also work well! However, if you want to store a large amount of makeup brushes I highly recommend the Ikea Skurar plant pots (from £2.00). As they are quite tall I decided to fill mine part way with dry rice grains so my brushes can be seen above the rim of the plant pot and so they can stand up separately. My Ikea Skurar Plant Pots as Makeup Brush Holders DIY post is one of my most popular to date and I can see why! Such a practical yet pretty way to store your entire makeup brush collection.
3. Hold your makeup sponge in a wire egg cup
Another easy makeup storage hack here that makes total sense! With makeup sponges being more than popular right now I think we all have a few in our makeup collection. But I'm pretty sure we've all been storing them incorrectly, whether that it's our makeup bags harbouring bacteria or randomly on our desk where they can often roll off onto the floor! The solution - a humble egg cup! A wire egg cup is your best solution as it will allow your damp makeup sponge to breathe and dry without growing germs and thankfully they are cheap at only 99p (here) or for a copper set of 6 (£5.49 here). You would never expect something that lives in your kitchen cupboard to be so at home on your vanity table!
4. Organise makeup drawers with a cutlery tray
I'm all about re-purposing kitchen supplies it seems with these makeup storage DIYs. But again, this is another simple idea that will help keep everything in order, especially if you are prone to being messy. A simple cutlery insert (metal £3.29 here, £6.99 here, both Argos) will create perfect compartments in any drawer to hold mascara, pencil products and concealers to name but a few items. If your makeup drawers are looking messy then this is the hack you need to get on and sort them out. You won't regret it!
5. Create your own nail polish wall with Ikea Picture ledges
In my last home I created my own DIY nail polish wall. It took a lot of work, measuring and planning it and although it was worth creating a nail polish wall I wish I had of used Ikea Picture Ledges instead! These handy slimline shelves with a lipped front come in a range of lengths and colours and start at only £4.50. Perfect for creating a custom nail polish wall big or small that will be admired by anyone that sees it!
6. Show off your fragrance collection on a decorative mirror
Another easy makeup storage idea here that can be a lovely way to display perfumes. An A5-A4 sized framed mirror will do and I'd say the more ornate the better. These can be picked up from homeware stores or charity shops seem to sell quite a few antique mirrors that you can always spray if you don't like the colour or finish. As you will be laying the mirror flat you will want to remove any metal hangers or stands from the back of the frame first, but that's it! Super easy and it will instantly add something extra to your dressing table.
7. Store large makeup palettes in a letter holder or dish rack
Taking it back to storing eyeshadow palettes again, because I know how much of a pain they can be to store. If you have lots of large palettes, MAC custom palettes or possible Morphe palettes, and a large desk or a free space on top of your makeup drawer unit then I'd highly recommend considering using a wire dish rack! I know it sounds slightly crazy but think about it... it could store your entire makeup palette collection so they are all to hand and neatly organised. I personally don't own enough palette but for MUA or eyeshadow palettes lover this could be a game changer! For more modest collections using a letter holder can work in a similar way, holding quite a few larger palettes, especially if you find one that's open-ended.
8. Store your entire nail polish collection in a hang-up shoe organiser - even by colour/brand!
I know for a lot of nail polish lovers it's not about displaying your collection in any kind of way, but storing it. It's definitely a tricky one, especially if you have more than 50 nail polishes! Using an in-wardrobe shoe organiser means you can store groups of nail polishes together in multiple clear pockets - it just makes so much sense, right? You also have the option of storing it in a wardrobe with your clothes or on the back of a door if you paint your nails often. I currently store the bulk of my nail polishes on a few bookcase shelves so I'm now tempted to snap up an inexpensive pocket hanging organiser and organise them in this way instead. I think it would be so much easier to find the nail polish you want to go for and it's definitely a space spacing solution.
9. Store bath bombs or nail polish in a fruit/vegetable storage rack
Another large storage solution I thought of especially for storing bath bombs, toiletries or a large collection of nail polish is re-purposing a tiered vegetable rack! Even spraying it rose gold - how pretty would that look? Compared to drawer units a metal rack will stand the test of time, create a hopefully pretty display and save money! There are countless options and styles available, with quite a few inexpensive options on eBay here, and even counter-top ones can be found online. I really like this as a large storage solution idea and may just get one for all my shower/ bath products, spraying it rose gold of course.
10. Keep cotton pads dust and moisture-free in Kilner air-tight jars
Finally, if you are keeping cotton pads in your bathroom you may want to consider storing them in a cheap air-tight container, such as a Kilner jar. The reason for this? Germs and dust and not to mention condensation in the air being absorbed into your cotton pads. Plus taking them out of their plastic packaging and storing them in such a way will also look nicer on your bathroom shelf or window sill. You can even dress up the jar by adding a ribbon or spraying the lids of the jars rose gold - can you tell I'm copper obsessed? For my U.S makeup lovers Mason jars would be ideal for this purpose. A simple yet essential hack if you use cotton pads or balls regularly.
I hope I've provided you with lots of makeup storage ideas, that you can hopefully try out!
Let me know in the comment below your top makeup storage hack I've suggested!
Fee xo.
