5 Creative Makeup Storage Solutions for the New Year

The start of a new year is always accompanied by a thirst for change. Most of us have lofty goals to transform our bodies, our attitudes and our worst habits. However, in our haste to make these drastic adjustments, we often lose sight of just how valuable smaller goals can be for our health and happiness.

A big part of feeling better about ourselves is improving the environment we live in. How can we do that? Organisation! Today, we’re going to look at some super easy makeup storage solutions to turn any overcrowded bedroom or bathroom into a more serene place to be.

Solution #1: Rehouse your makeup brushes

If you’re always losing your makeup brushes or just hate the way they end up scattered about your desk or vanity when you run out the door in the morning, we’ve got a cheap and easy storage solution for you. Simply wash out an old mason jar and turn it into a brush holder. Add ribbons, lace, stickers or other cute details to make your new brush holder a little more presentable. A pen holder from your local stationary store will also do the trick. Even a small vase (Or Ikea planter box) will do! For bigger containers, you can stop your brushes moving around too much by filling the first three inches or so with marbles or large beads.

Solution #2: Consolidate your nail polish stash

Once your nail polish stash grows too big to comfortably store on your desk, finding an alternative can be tricky. The cheapest and easiest nail polish storage solution is to purchase a small storage box from a discount variety store (usually they come with cute patterns on the outside). You can also use an old shoe box if necessary. Unfortunately, storing nail polish even in a shallow box means you can’t just grab your favourite colour at a glance. Solve this problem by painting a coloured dot of polish on the lid of each of your nail polishes. Don’t want to mark the lids? Dot a piece of sticky tape, then tape it to the lid.

Ladies with seriously huge nail polish collections might need to invest a little more and purchase a nail polish rack to attach to the wall (Try Ebay).

Solution #3: Bring in the big guns of makeup storage

If you read makeup or nail blogs, you’ll probably know that the Ikea Helmer drawer unit is raved about constantly. Why? Because it’s got six neat drawers you can use to organise anything from your lipsticks to your nail polishes. At $129 in the US, £25 in Great Britain and between $79-$129 in Australia, they’re not the cheapest solution, but well worth the investment for those who can afford it.

For a cheaper option, stake out your local discount and office supply stores for cheaper drawer units.

Solution #4: Think outside the square with wall storage

If you’ve got a really small bedroom or bathroom, the idea of fitting another piece of furniture in to house your makeup might be a bit daunting. Don’t worry – there are other options. Right now, magnetic makeup boards are a huge trend. To create a magnetic makeup board, purchase a cheap frame from a discount store along with a metal magnet board. Leave the board as is, spray paint it black or stick on cute wallpaper for decoration before fitting it into your frame. Attach it to the wall like any photo frame. To make your cosmetics stick, purchase magnetic strips from your local craft store and glue them to the back of your products. Voila, you’re done! Check out Pinterest for inspiration.

Solution #5: Improve your current storage solutions

For beauty lovers who already have some kind of makeup storage solution in place, the key to improving your set up is to compartmentalise. If you store all your makeup in a single drawer, for example, things are bound to shift around and get messy even when you’ve got loads of space. You can address this with a trip to Ikea, Target, Walmart – anywhere with basic storage and organisation ideas. Once there, remember to think outside the box. For instance, a cutlery separator can easily be transformed into a house for your lip glosses, lipsticks and lipliners and a desk organiser could potentially store all your eye shadows.

With these 5 makeup storage ideas, you’ll be able to consolidate your make up stash for a more organised bedroom and bathroom. Keeping a tidy living space is just one part of living a happier, healthier life in 2014.  Good luck!

Cover photo: beautynewbie.com