How to Organize Your Vanity
If your vanity is hidden under a web of makeup, brushes, hair spray, and more, you’re not alone. The packaging of these hygiene and makeup products can have funky shapes and lots of potential to leak or get dirty if they’re not stored properly. Getting ready in the morning or unwinding in the evening should not be stressful processes. I get it! Sometimes you wake up late or don’t have the energy to go about your routine at the end of the day. This is made even harder if it feels like a chore to find everything you need. Organizing your vanity and bathroom counter will turn the process of putting on your makeup or overnight moisturizer from a struggle into a decompressing moment for yourself. Self-care is important, and you’ll feel the benefits so much more if you have an organized space where you can do it without the stress of having to dig for whatever you need.
As with any organizing project, always start by assessing what you have and determining if you need all of it. Most makeup and skincare products have a shelf life of 1 year - yes, really! If they are old, these products can breed bacteria and cause more harm than good. Sort your products by category and purge anything that is more than a year old.
Now we can get to organizing. My biggest tip when organizing your vanity is to take measurements! Drawers come in many shapes and sizes. Once you learn how much space you have to work with, find the right product for your inventory. We suggest clear acrylic organizers like these shallow ones or these deep ones, which allow you to see all of your product easily and are quick to clean out if anything spills or leaks. A little bit of dish soap and water will pick everything up without a problem.
If you have the drawer height I recommend that you stand your products up as much as possible. This will minimize the amount of leakage and you’ll really be able to see everything clearly. Another extra step you can take is lining up your product in the correct step order based on your unique skincare routine. Transferring this lineup into your drawer or cabinet will allow you to find your products easily and sequentially.
When picking out your organizers, one thing to keep in mind is the size of your products. A small travel deodorant won’t need nearly as much room as a palette or large bottle of foundation. Since you have purged your collection, you should now have a really clear idea of what you have so that you can make informed storage decisions.
Here are some suggestions for storage solutions that work nicely for different types of beauty and skincare products.
3-Section Acrylic Edge Stacking Bin - Use for compacts; blush, bronzer, and highlight can all have their own sections.
Luxe Acrylic 7-Section Divided Palette Insert - If you have lots of palettes, this is an absolute game changer.
Acrylic Stackable Drawer Organizers - Customize your drawer with some stackers! These are great for eye products (moisturizers, brightening creams, eyeliners, mascaras, and more).
Clear 7-Section Makeup Tray - This is my absolute favorite for face products. Put liquid foundations and concealers in the small sections and loose powders and compact foundation powders in the large sections.
For larger hair products like leave-in-conditioner or hair spray, it can be challenging to find the appropriate bins for your categories. Sorting your products by how you use them will help determine your categories. For example, wet hair products (leave-in conditioner, conditioning masks, color-depositing shampoo, etc.) will have one section, and dry hair products (hair spray, volumizing spray, dry shampoo, etc.) will have another. Some of my favorite bins to do this sorting are the Stak Bins from The Container Store. They even have removable dividers to further categorize your products!
While storing everything in a drawer or under the sink can keep the clutter out of sight, if you’re someone like me who likes to keep some things on the vanity counter, as decor pieces or for easy accessibility, it’s important to think about which products you’re okay with seeing every day. One thing I recommend for display is your brushes. I have every makeup brush imaginable so putting them all in a drawer doesn’t make sense. My favorite product for brush organization and display is the Stackers White Glass Cosmetics Organizer. It has three sections for different types of brushes, and an opening in the front for perfumes, setting sprays, or other tools like eyelash curlers.
I’ve been doing my makeup for as long as I can remember. I fell in love with the process and the confidence that it gives me when I’m done, even if it’s Halloween and I’ve just turned myself into a clown. If you’re anything like me and doing your makeup in the morning or skincare at night is your time to be with yourself and decompress, trust me when I say that having your space organized will help with the feeling of de-stressing immensely. Not only will you enjoy the process more, you’ll be able to take your time because you’re not going mad looking for things!
Of course, it’s always easier said than done. Every bathroom and vanity is different, so if you’re having trouble finding exactly what you need, we’re always happy to help. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have about the process and don’t hesitate to schedule a complimentary phone consultation!
