How to Organize Makeup in 4 Steps

For the best makeup organization process, begin with clean and sorted products. Here are five steps to prepare for organizing makeup brushes and products:

1. 1. Gather all your makeup. Start organizing your makeup by clearing out your drawers, makeup bags, cosmetic cases, storage containers, and shelves. Remove all your beauty products and spread them out on a flat surface so you can see everything at once.
2. 2. Sort your makeup by product type. Create distinct piles for your lip liners, foundations, concealers, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, makeup brushes, and more. Separate out nail polishes, perfumes, moisturizers, and skincare products.
3. 3. Clean your products. After sorting your products, clean and sanitize your makeup. Over time, makeup products gather dirt and dust, so wipe down the outside of your products with a disinfecting wipe or damp cloth and sanitize your makeup.
4. 4. Clean your makeup brushes and sponges. To clean your makeup brushes and makeup sponges, run these makeup tools under lukewarm water and clean them with a gentle liquid soap. Once all the makeup washes out of the cosmetic brush or makeup sponge, squeeze the excess water and dry the products on a paper towel.
5. 5. Declutter unnecessary items. Go through each pile and determine which products you use and which you don’t need. Throw out or recycle any products that are empty, broken, or past the makeup expiration date.

Whether you store your makeup in a bathroom drawer, on a vanity countertop, or in a separate makeup container, you can use these ideas and hacks to sort and categorize your makeup collection:

1. 1. Decide where to store your makeup. Before selecting a cosmetic organizer, consider where you plan on keeping your makeup. If you plan on storing your makeup on a countertop, consider utilizing vertical storage solutions to maximize the number of products you can store. A rotating makeup organizer or storage case with stackable shelves works well for bathroom counters or vanity tables with minimal storage space. To save space in drawers, opt for drawer organizers or flat storage trays with dividers for separating different types of products into distinct compartments.
2. 2. Choose storage organizers. Makeup organizers come in different sizes, shapes, and materials. Plastic or clear acrylic organizers are a great option because you can see through the containers and easily find your makeup products. You can also create your own DIY makeup storage organizers with mason jars. Leave the jars open for easy access to your different beauty products. Mason jars work great as makeup brush holders since the brushes can stand upright in the jar. Old candle jars are another option for makeup brush storage.
3. 3. Identify and separate the products essential to your daily routine. When organizing your makeup setup, prioritize the products and tools you use in your daily beauty routine. Placing your favorite products toward the front of your makeup drawer or counter space makes for easy access. As you organize the products that comprise your daily makeup routine, separate and organize your products by type.
4. 4. Separate remaining products by type. Categorize your products and tools into three main categories: face, lip, and eyes. Place all your face products—including foundations, concealers, blushes, bronzers, and highlighters—in one container and all your eye products, such as mascara, eyeliners, and eyeshadow palettes, in another. Then gather your lip products—lip liners, lip glosses, lipsticks, and lip balms—and place them in their own container.

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