10 Easy Ways to Eliminate Your Beauty Junk Drawer
Make room in your bathroom or control an overstuffed makeup bag with these unexpected (and affordable!) storage solutions.
By Amber Kallor
Put It All in a Planter
Try stashing your cache of hairbrushes or your extensive lip gloss collection in a container traditionally used for flowers. Editorial assistant Talie Tebbi suspends this metal, lace-inspired version on her wall (instead of from the ceiling) using a picture hanger to make everything easy to reach. "It prevents delicate things, like powder compacts, from sliding around in a messy drawer," she says.
$5, Ikea.com
Divide and Conquer
Instead of carrying multiple tubes, makeup artist Kristofer Buckle consolidates his lipstick collection by cutting a quarter of an inch off the top of each bullet with a butter knife and pressing the colors into separate spaces in a pill case (
like this weekly medication organizer, $7). Or fill the morning, noon, evening and bed compartments in one of the removable daily slots with your must-have lipstick shade, cream blush, concealer and cream eyeshadow. Then pop this personalized makeup prescription out of the tray and slip it into your purse for midday touch-ups.
Try a Turntable
No longer reserved for that industrial-size bottle of olive oil or jar of gourmet mustard, a lazy Susan makes sense of the space under your bathroom sink just as well as it does your kitchen cabinets. This adjustable two-tiered version makes room for items tall (cans of hairspray) and short (tubs of face cream), and the spinning action means neither will get pushed to the back. Plus, two trays on top ensure even small things like bottles of nail polish or lipstick won't get lost.
$20, OXO.com
Photo: Courtesy of The Container Store
Swipe This Solution from Your Entertainment Center
We spotted this idea on the YouTube channel of Elle Fowler (better known as
AllThatGlitters21). She says the slim slots in this acrylic DVD holder are the perfect fit for the multiple
MAC palettes she uses in her beauty tutorials. Keep this clear rack on your bookshelf or lay it face up in your vanity drawer for easy access to all your eyeshadow kits.
$10, ContainerStore.com
Photo: Courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond
Hang It Up
If your cache of makeup and hair products is just as impressive as your shoe collection, try stashing everything from mousse to mascara in the 24 pockets of this over-the-door organizer normally used for heels and flats. The deep pockets are a great fit for storing tools like your curling iron, and the clear vinyl guarantees you can easily spot your go-to concealer.
$15, BedBathAndBeyond.com
Photo: Courtesy of Organize.com
Go Heavy-Duty
You might find a chest of small translucent drawers like this one next to the nuts and bolts at the hardware store, but it's a convenient way to store more glamorous things like lipstick and single eyeshadows, says makeup artist Mathew Nigara. Label each drawer with a stick-on tab to make finding (and putting away) your daily essentials even easier.
$18.50, Organize.com
For a more feminine organizer, opt for a Lucite jewelry box (like this one from Organize.com, $89) with felt-lined drawers that prevent fragile palettes from sliding.
Photo: Courtesy of The Container Store
Roll It Up
Nigara also says a cushy jewelry roll (like the vibrant velvet versions at left) offers your eyeshadow quad and bronzer extra protection in your carry-on—so they arrive at your destination in one piece. The long zippered pocket (traditionally used for necklaces and watches) is a good place to store brushes and prevent bristles from getting crushed in transit.
$15, ContainerStore.com
Photo: Courtesy of Rubbermaid
Swap Out Your Silverware
Keep makeup brushes used on different areas of your face (eyes, cheeks, lips) in separate slots—just as you would knives and forks—with this clear Rubbermaid cutlery tray. The seven long and slim compartments are also good for storing eyeliners and lip pencils. Plus, dishwasher-safe plastic makes removing any leftover makeup residue a cinch.
$5, Sears.com
To keep brushes closer at hand and on display, Fowler recommends sticking them, bristles up, in this
spinning caddy from Pampered Chef ($18.50). Or try filling a small fishbowl with colorful gravel and wedging your brushes' handles between the pebbles.
Photo: Courtesy of Angela's Garden
Wedge a Bag into Tight Areas
Make the most of the awkward, unused space between your toilet and sink with this soft and durable garden tote. Store your blow-dryer or set of hot rollers in the main compartment and stick your brushes and styling products in the six outside pockets.
$30, Angelas-Garden.com
Spice Up Your Polish Collection
Keep your rainbow of nail colors contained and replace bulky bins with a more streamlined spice rack. This one designed by
Lori Greiner takes up about the same amount of room as a cereal box, but the shelves slide out and swivel so you can see and reach all your polishes without having to dig. Plus, this two-piece set holds up to 64 bottles.
$19 for two, QVC.com
Next: Make space with 13 mini beauty miracles
Published 02/29/2012
