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How to Organize Your Makeup

How to Organize Your Makeup

When you have an extensive makeup collection, it’s never easy to get started organizing everything. It may even seem like a monumental task, depending on how much makeup you own. However, organizing your makeup can be beneficial, not just for the appearance of it, but for its effects on your entire makeup application routine.

In this article, we’ll be discussing the importance of organizing your makeup so you can find everything you need as easily as possible. We’ll also be giving you a complete step-by-step guide to help you get started decluttering and arranging your makeup in a way that perfectly fits your life.

Why Is Makeup Organization Important?

Organizing your makeup is incredibly helpful when it comes to easy location and application of your makeup; once you know where everything is, you won’t have to spend time searching for any one particular item underneath a mound of other makeup items.

You’ll also be able to apply your makeup faster, and the process of organizing your makeup can help you get rid of items that you don’t even use anymore.

Additionally, certain makeup items like brushes and foundations need to be stored in specific ways to ensure that they stay in good condition for as long as possible. Organizing your makeup can help you put certain items in their correct storage positions, maintaining their longevity.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Organized With Your Makeup

makeup brushes in organizer

This step-by-step guide can help point you in the right direction for decluttering your makeup collection and organizing everything that’s important.

Evaluate Your Collection

The first step in organizing your makeup is to take stock of your entire collection. You should be pulling out every eyeshadow palette, blush, foundation, and makeup item that you own. Spread it out in front of you so you can reach each piece easily.

Check each item for signs of expiration and swatch as much makeup as possible on your hand. This will help you eliminate items that need to be thrown away because they can no longer be used, don’t suit your style anymore, or are so similar in color you can go without one or the other.

Keep in mind that used mascara wands can be cleaned and donated to wildlife rescue efforts, so if you find yourself with a lot of unneeded spoolies on your hands, you don’t necessarily have to throw them away.

Clean Your Makeup

You should wipe off the packaging of every product wherever possible. Apply a little bit of warm water onto a cloth and wipe the outside of the makeup items, removing old makeup stains or dust. Make sure not to soak the packaging or you risk getting water into your makeup, ruining it.

You may also want to clean off the area where you had previously been keeping your makeup. It is easy for dust and makeup stains to build up in these areas, especially if this is the first time you are doing a major makeup collection overhaul.

Don’t forget to properly clean your brushes and remove any trace of old makeup from the bristles, as this will leave them much more effective during makeup application and likely to last longer.

Sort by Item

After you’ve gotten rid of the unneeded makeup items and cleaned everything up, so they look brand new, it’s time to sort all of your makeup by item. Once you have your makeup arranged into separate piles, you can organize them further by sorting by type or color, if you so choose.

It may seem like a lot of work, but this type of organization makes it very easy to find and locate specific items in the long run.

Decide on Strategic Storage Areas

In general, makeup brushes should be stored upright, and all of your makeup should be stored in a cool, dry area away from lots of humidity and sunlight; cool, dry conditions will allow your makeup to stay fresh for longer and can prevent any instances of mold or bacteria starting to grow on your makeup.

It is a good idea to keep the same types of makeup items in piles together, for example, using one shelf to store only eyeshadow palettes and another to store all lotions and creams. Wherever you decide to store the items, they should be within easy reach, and you should try to put the items you use the most at the front of the storage area so you don’t have to rummage around the organized area every morning looking for your favorite lipstick.

Utilize Makeup Organizers

If you don’t want to stack your makeup items on a shelf or place them in drawers, you can always purchase a trendy makeup organizer to help you out in your decluttering efforts.

A good quality makeup organizer can give you a place to store your palettes upright or an area to store all of your lipsticks and lotions in order. Some makeup organizers are even large enough to do all of these things and more.

When choosing a makeup organizer, be sure that it will fit on your counter or in your room and that the material is of a durable quality. The last thing you want is for all of your makeup to be beautifully arranged and have the organizer come crashing down around you.

Our write-up on the best makeup organizers available today can help you make your decision on one of these helpful items.

Add Accessories

Once all of your makeup is organized in a shelf, drawer, vanity, or designated makeup organizer, you can spice up the area with some accessories.

Add a lighted mirror to help with close-up makeup application or a small strand of string lights to give your makeup area some charm. You may even want to add labels onto specific drawers to help you remember where everything is stored.

Whatever you decide to add to your area of organized makeup, you should be sure that it adds style and personality to the area in addition to making your daily makeup application routine that much more enjoyable.

How Do You Organize a Lot of Makeup in a Small Area?

So, let’s say that you want to organize your makeup, but your apartment or room is limited in places to store your entire makeup collection. When it comes to small areas, organizing your makeup can actually help save space because you will be getting rid of items you don’t need.

If you don’t have room to set up designated drawers or a makeup organizer, you may want to consider creating your own makeup organizer out of items from around the home. This approach is also great for any DIY enthusiasts or someone on a budget.

Additionally, you can make the most of your space by storing lotions and other unopened makeup items in your closet or in a hanging organizer, as this will keep them out of the way until it is time to bring them into your main organized makeup area.

A Word of Advice on Makeup Hoarding

You may be guilty of makeup hoarding without even knowing it, as it’s easy to get carried away with product purchases and constantly adding to your makeup collection. However, purchasing more makeup than you can use both makes organizing your stash of items harder and can definitely be felt in your wallet. And, when you go to throw away makeup items, you may feel a need to keep them because you spent money on them, not because you’re ever actually planning on using them.

If you want your makeup items to stay organized, you should make sure to throw away any makeup you don’t need and try to limit yourself from purchasing too much makeup. This doesn’t mean stopping yourself from enjoying new makeup purchases, but it does mean asking yourself seriously if you need a new eyeshadow palette when you already have three unopened at home.

Write a list of all the products you want to buy and hold off on new purchases until you have saved enough money or hit a designated checkpoint in your life. You should also keep in mind what you already have when out and about shopping, as this can stop you from impulse purchasing unneeded makeup items.

Also, try and make an effort to use up all of your old makeup before purchasing anything new, as this can help stop making waste and make the most out of your purchases.

Exercising mindfulness when it comes to purchasing and storing your makeup will allow you to keep your collection more organized and can help you save money. It’s a win-win!

Decluttered Makeup for Easy Application

organized vanity table

While getting organized with your makeup can seem like an overwhelming task, it can actually save you time in the long run. Decluttering your makeup collection and organizing items by type or usage frequency will allow you to make each application quick and easy, and won’t leave you rooting through piles of eyeshadow for the perfect color.

As soon as you get your makeup organized, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without such simplicity!