How to Organize Makeup Drawer in 5 Easy Steps

This How to Organize Makeup Drawer post was updated in April 2020!

Having an organized makeup drawer is so important. It makes mornings easier and less stressed when you can find what you need! It also prevents you from misplacing items and having to replace it. I know it can be a hard process to figure how to actually do it, so here is how to organize your makeup drawer in 5 easy steps!

There are few things that make me happier than a perfectly organized home. Seriously.  Everything seems less chaotic and I feel less stressed and more happy!

We recently moved and getting my makeup drawer organized was high on the priority list. Our new bathroom had deeper but skinnier drawers so I had to pick up a few different organizers!

Please note: Paisley + Sparrow is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This post may include affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you shop using the links below at no additional cost to you.  

Thanks so much for supporting me and this blog!

A few very inexpensive plastic containers and about 30 minutes of my time has made a HUGE impact on my mornings.

I recently read that women spend on average $1,200 on makeup each year. Then when you factor in the multiple samples you get every time you order from Sephora (or any other beauty supply shop) it’s clear why these drawers can get so out of hand!

How to Organize Makeup Drawer in 5 Easy Steps

This is how my drawer started:

There are tons of different ways how to organize your makeup drawer depending on where you keep it but here is how I organize mine!

1. Buy trays for your drawer.

Make sure to measure your drawer to get the right ones. I use a variety of different ones.

I have this larger plastic organizer from Amazon for our old bathroom which is great for larger drawers!

For our new drawer I used 2 of these vertical palette organizers from Amazon, 2 organizer cups from Amazon for lipstick and eyeliner and 3 of these 3 section containers. None of these are very expensive but honestly small boxes or jars can be good if you don’t want to spend the money on trays.

You may need to try out a few different ones to figure out what works well for your drawer as well as your needs.

2. Take everything out of your drawer and go through all of your products.

I mean it. Every single thing. And then get one of the handy wipes and wipe down the drawer.

Wiping it is key because if it’s anything like mine it’s full of pigment from eyeshadow and blush. Then your products won’t get covered in dust and pigment when you put them back!

When you go through your products, ask yourself these questions: Is it old? Do I use it (I mean, actually  use it.)? Is it broken? Do I have multiple of one thing? Purge all of the things that you don’t use, is old or that you have multiples of.

Makeup does expire so if you can’t remember the last time you used it or when you actually bought it, throw it away and start fresh.

Here are some common expiration dates you should remember:

• Mascara – 3 months
• Liquid Eyeliner – 3-4 months
• Eyeshadow – 3-6 months
• Lipstick, Liner + Gladd – 1 – 1.5 years
• Foundation – 6 months to 1 year
• Blush + Powder – 2 years

One other thing to note is the expiration date starts when you open it, not when you buy it!

3. Put your trays in.

This is an easy one. 😉 You may need to leave out one or swap sizes but do the best you can.

Again, this can take some rearranging so try a few different ways out! It also can be helpful to just live with it a certain way for a week or two to see if you like it.

4. Put everything away!

Put like items together (eyeshadows together, foundations + concealers together, etc). I also have some hair stuff in this drawer as well.

You may need to stack items or put a few “non similar” items together but ideally keep like things together.

For example, you can put face primer, foundation and concealer together since those are all things you put on back to back (usually). It helps keep yourself organized when everything is together.

I stacked up one of my 3 section containers on top of another one since I didn’t have enough room for it all. I simply put items I don’t use daily (fancy hair clips, metallic shimmer eyeshadow and my not so favorite lipsticks) in the bottom row.

5. Put all of your brushes in jars.

Use old baby food jars, pesto jars, mason jars, empty candle jars…whatever you want! I love repurposing things for times like this. You don’t need to go buy fancy jars if you don’t want to – just shop your house!

So there you have it! A clean, organized make up drawer to make your mornings that much better.

Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to follow along on Instagram for even more fun!

Some of the most popular posts here are 4 easy tips for decorating your home, 7 tricks for new moms and 5 ways to find the joy again.

I hope you’ll stick around for a while!

xo

Jen