Floating glass shelves are used to create a DIY vanity

How To Organize Makeup On A Budget

Knowing makeup organization tips are a must after you build up your makeup collection. Some are insanely expensive, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Learning how to organize makeup on a budget can give you an organized vanity that looks great for less than half the price of expensive makeup organizers. 

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Organize Makeup Samples

If you were an Ipsy Glam Bag subscriber, or still are, you know how quickly samples can accumulate. You have to test them before deciding if they’ve earned a spot on your vanity, too. However, there are many ways to organize makeup samples to clear the clutter on your vanity.

Large Vase

Pick up a vase, but not the style with a narrow opening. Instead, you want a vase that looks like a large cup. Then, put your beauty samples that you’re not using inside. 

Old Ipsy Bags

If you’re trying to figure out what to do with your old Ipsy bags, this is a great way to use them! Put the samples you haven’t tried yet in Ipsy bags and try them as you get to them. Makeup keeps for quite a while when stored properly, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it expiring. 

An Accent Bowl

Keep the mini makeup samples you use within easy reach by storing them in an open accent bowl. You can pick up an accent bowl at a local thrift store, or forget the fancy bowl. Instead, you can grab a glass bowl out of your cabinet. Most dollar stores also sell dishes. 

Any Container Will Work

Any container with an opening you can reach into will work for storing small makeup samples. Grab an old planter and paint it. If you only have a few sample-sized makeup products, put them in your favorite coffee mug. Head to the Dollar Tree and pick up a glass bowl or container. You can even use gift bags for this!

How To Organize Makeup Brushes

Organizing makeup brushes on a budget requires a tiny bit more, though. You can’t exactly toss them in a cereal bowl and call it a day. However, there are a few things around the house that you can use, or some cheap things you can pick up. 

Organize Makeup Brushes In Glasses

Grab a few glasses from your kitchen cabinet. They don’t have to be glass or fancy. Use them to store your makeup brushes. They’re the perfect height! 

Desk Organizers

The desk organizers designed for pens are also the perfect height for makeup brushes. You can pick these up at any office supply store and most dollar stores. They are ideal for keeping makeup brushes upright so you can see them and quickly grab what you need. 

Organize Makeup Brushes On A Budget With Small Fabric Or Plastic Baskets

After you use an eyeshadow brush for cream eyeshadow, you can use it on powder eyeshadow. It’s also recommended that you clean your beauty blender after every use. Pick up some thin, long fabric or plastic baskets to toss your dirty brushes in until you wash them. 

Stackable Drawers

Organizing makeup brushes in stackable drawers is an ideal way to make your vanity look neat and organized. You can select plastic Sterilite drawers or upgrade to acrylic drawers. Shopping at dollar stores or mass retailers like Target can help you find great deals on stackable drawers to organize makeup brushes. 

Our Picks

Sorbus Stackable Acrylic Drawers

Acrylic Makeup Organizer

How To Organize Makeup Palettes

Makeup palettes take up a lot of space on your vanity. To keep everything neat and organized, you can organize or store your makeup in several ways. 

Stack Them Like Books

You can organize makeup palettes without purchasing a single thing. Until it’s in the budget to buy organizers, consider simply stacking them like you would if you were to lay books on their side. 

Small Baskets

Use wire or plastic baskets to store your large makeup palettes. Store your pallets upright to fit in the basket. This can save space and make your vanity look more organized. 

Use A Dish Drainer

If you’re in a pinch, pick up a wire dish drainer. The wire ones will look more modern than the plastic ones, but you can also use a plastic one. Dish drainers are the ideal size for organizing large makeup palettes. 

Eyeliner Storage

When you have more than one eyeliner, which most of us do, you must store them properly. Makeup organizations can ensure you can find all your favorite products when needed, instead of sorting through a drawer for half an hour. These eyeliner storage tips will help you do just that. 

If you have liquid eyeliner pens, you must always store them upside down. When choosing a storage method, consider the products you own. 

Gel Pen Organizer

If you have a lot of eyeliners, consider picking up a gel pen organizer book. These books include elastic strips that keep your eyeliner in place. You can use them to store any liquid eyeliner except for pots. 

Tinted Mason Jars

Tinted mason jars have a beautiful aesthetic that many people love. You can usually find them in green or blue. This idea works well with farmhouse decor or any color scheme featuring blue or green accents. 

Pick Up A Pencil Case

Pencil cases are the perfect size for storing eyeliner. If you’re wondering how to organize eyeliner, keep this size in mind and head to Target. You can use a pencil case, basket, or anything else of this size to lay your eyeliner pencils in. 

How To Organize Lipstick

If you’re wondering how to organize lipstick, you’re not alone. Lipstick is a bit more challenging to manage. You can stand up the tubes in a glass like you can with eyeliner and lip gloss. However, these excellent organization tips will help you organize your tubes perfectly

Rotating Lipstick Organizer

These are a bit more expensive than other methods, but they are well worth it if you love lipstick tubes. Most can fit several tubes, so you won’t have to buy multiple organizers and can see every lipstick perfectly. 

Pick Up A Plastic Basket

Plastic baskets of various sizes can organize anything small, including lipstick tubes. If you have enough to fill the entire basket, they will all stay ideally in place. If not, consider picking up some hair curlers to put the tubes in so they don’t fall over. 

Candle Holders

If you only have a few lipstick tubes, it will be hard to justify picking up a rotating lipstick organizer. However, you can still find a way to keep your tubes within easy reach. If you have a candle holder around the house, use it to put your few tubes of lipstick in. 

Other Cool Ways To Organize Makeup On A Budget

There are quite a few things around the house that you can use to organize your makeup collection. I’m a big fan of not wasting things, so I always think it’s great when you can find things around the house to repurpose. 

Empty Glass Jars Or Cups

Most of our food, such as pasta sauce and jellies, comes in glass jars. Once those jars are empty, don’t toss them out just yet. You can use them to organize your makeup. Store eyeshadow singles, makeup samples, or other small products

Empty glass jars are great for storing cosmetics such as lip glosses, eyeliners, brow pencils, and makeup brushes. They are also great for cotton balls!

Ice Stick Trays To Store Small Palettes

Ice stick trays are the same size as ice cube trays, but they do not have a central line to form ice cubes. The larger space is perfect for storing small palettes, such as single blushes or small eyeshadow palettes. You can pick up more than one to store trial-size lip gloss. They’re stackable!

Silverware Trays Can Organize Multiple Things

The longer sections typically used for butter knives are perfect for makeup brushes. The smaller sections can be used for small brushes, brow gels, sample-size lip glosses, or eyeshadow singles. You can also use these for eyeliner!

Door Hanging Shoe Organizer

If you have one with clear pockets, it will be a great way to organize your makeup. You can store sample-sized makeup products, eyeliners, lip gloss, brow makeup, and more in these. They won’t work well for large palettes, though. 

Clear Out Some Drawer Space

Having a makeup drawer is a great idea. Pick up drawer organizers or make your own from cut cardboard. Old shoe boxes are made with thick cardboard, making them great for drawer dividers. You can use organizers to sort your makeup and keep specific items, such as lip liners. 

Shower Caddies

If you have an old shower category you aren’t using anymore, don’t let it go to waste. Instead, it can be used to store large bottles of skincare products. You can also use these for larger products, such as primer and foundation. 

Put An Old Cookie Jar To Use

Instead of letting an old cookie jar collect dust in the cabinet, use it on your vanity. You can use this to store sample-size products. Nail polish and cotton balls are also great ideas for a cookie jar. Anything small can fit inside the cookie jar, from eyeshadow singles to blush singles. 

Store Makeup On A Lazy Susan

Lazy susans are great for organizing anything, and I’m not just talking about the spices in your cabinet. You can use them to hold large bottles of makeup. Or, you can put all the glasses you have makeup stored in on the lazy susan to save space. 

In Conclusion

Once you start working on your makeup collection, it never seems to stop growing. You find out that you need silicone-based makeup in the summer and water-based makeup in the winter, for example. Your skincare needs change with each season. Over time, this adds up to a lot of products, so organizing makeup and skincare is essential to always find what you need.

Shopping on a budget? Check out the Deals of the Week section for incredible deals on your favorite makeup products and brands! 

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