Makeup Minute How To: Store Your Makeup

I can only speak for myself but it seems that the more makeup I have, the more makeup I WANT! So, it makes sense that storage and organization becomes issues.

First and foremost, before organizing your makeup, make sure that you’re holding on to items that you really love. I know that we’re all prone to hoarding gorgeous colors or special packaging – and that’s okay. But if you don’t love it or it’s not useful to you, it’s a waste.  Try passing along what you don’t use to a friend, selling it on eBay (must be new) swapping it on Makeup Alley or donating it to a battered woman’s shelter (again, they usually accept new products only.)

Now that you’ve narrowed down your makeup to products that you use and/or products that you love, (hopefully there’s some overlap in those categories!), pull out all of the basics that you use every day, be it black eyeliner, translucent powder, your favorite lip gloss, etc. Put those in a makeup bag and store in a cool, dry and convenient place. If you can afford to have duplicates for your purse/car or office, even better.

Now, I have a lot of products that I like to keep on hand for everyday, so I use MAC’s Carry All Case for storage on my vanity, in addition to a sweet Paul & Joe printed makeup bag for the very basics.

If you have the luxury of a vanity or a dresser with some extra space, you may want to consider leaving some of your products out for ease of use (and let’s face it, it’s fun and girly to see them on display!), I dig the Large Acrylic Makeup Organizer from The Container Store:

The compartments let you stay organized and the plastic is super easy to clean in the case of any spills.

Hopefully, you’re not quite at the need-an-intervention stage like me, but if you’re truly at the point of excess, pick up one of these nifty Stor-n-Slide Underbed Boxes.

They’re enormous but allow you to keep things hidden from view, in space that would probably go to waste otherwise.

Do tell, what are your makeup storage solutions?