5 Easy Steps to Organize Your Makeup Drawer and Keep It That Way

If you have a chaotic drawer full of makeup you don’t use everyday, there are some simple rules of thumb to help you pare it all down and put it in some kind of order.

Do you ever find yourself staring into your makeup drawer, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of products crammed inside? Or maybe you can never seem to find the specific eyeshadow palette or lipstick you’re looking for, leading to frustration and wasted time every morning.

If this sounds all too familiar, it’s time to take control of your makeup organization. Maintaining a well-organized makeup drawer doesn’t have to be a struggle. With a few simple strategies and a little effort, you can transform your cosmetics chaos into a beautifully curated space that makes your daily beauty routine a breeze.

You just need a few practical tips and tricks to help you declutter, arrange, and maintain an organized makeup drawer that will save you time, stress, and money in the long run.

How to Organize Your Makeup Drawer

1. Purge Your Collection

The first step in organizing your makeup drawer is to take a good, hard look at what you actually have. Gather all your makeup products, skincare items, and tools in one place and sort through them one by one.

This is the perfect opportunity to purge anything that’s expired, broken, or that you simply no longer use. When assessing your collection, ask yourself the following questions:

When was the last time I used this product?
Does this item still work and perform as it should?
Do I have multiple products that serve the same purpose?
Am I holding onto this for sentimental reasons, even though I don’t use it?
Does this item fit with my current makeup routine and style?

Be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid to let go of anything that doesn’t meet your current needs or bring you joy. Keeping a clutter-free makeup drawer will make it much easier to find and use the products you love.

Makeup companies aren’t required to put expiration dates on products, so you have to learn some basic rules about how long they last and what to look for.

So here are the basic rules of thumb for when to get rid of different items.

Concealer should be considered expired after 12 months.
Eyeshadow: 3 years
Water-based liquid foundation – 1 year, Oil-based, 18 months
Lip liner – 3 years
Lipstick – 4 years, but if it smells at all funny, toss it. You don’t want something that’s gone off near your mouth
Mascara – 3 months
Powder – 2 years
Nail polish – about a year, depending on the brand

Can’t recall how old something is? Try to remember an event you bought it for or wore it to. If you’re not sure but it seems like it was a while back, just toss it.

There are also some tell-tale signs a product has gone off:

Has the scent changed or gone away? Or does it smell funny? It’s probably not safe to use anymore.
If it’s liquid, has it separated? If you shake it and it starts separating again soon, you should toss it.
Has a waxy lipstick or eye pencil dried out?
If it’s a powder product, has the powder started pulling away from the edges of its pan?

Then once you’re done with purging, we’ll take a look at how to organize everything in your makeup drawer.

2. Categorize and Group Your Products

Once you’ve pared down your collection, it’s time to start organizing what’s left. Begin by grouping your makeup and skincare items into categories, such as:

Face products (foundation, concealer, powder, blush, highlighter, etc.)
Eye products (eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascaras, brow products)
Lip products (lipsticks, glosses, balms)
Skincare (cleansers, moisturizers, serums, etc.)
Tools and accessories (brushes, sponges, eyelash curlers, etc.)

Categorizing your items will not only make your drawer look more visually appealing, but it will also make it much easier to find what you’re looking for in the morning. You can take this a step further by arranging your products within each category by color, product type, or frequency of use.

Bonus tip: line your drawer with parchment paper to keep cosmetics from marking up the drawer. Parchment paper is great for this, but any thick paper liquid can’t sink through completely will work.

3. Do You Need Organizers and Storage Solutions?

Now that you have a streamlined makeup collection, it’s time to consider whether you need some storage solutions to keep everything neat and tidy. There are so many clever organizers and drawers available these days, from clear acrylic dividers to rotating carousel towers.

Look for products that will maximize the vertical space in your drawer and allow you to see all your items at a glance. Some ideas to consider include:

Tiered organizers or trays to separate makeup by category
Acrylic drawer organizers with compartments for lip products, eyeshadows, etc.
Lazy Susan or carousel organizers to rotate and access products easily
Stackable clear bins or containers to group similar items together
Wall-mounted organizers or shelves to free up drawer space

Take measurements of your drawer space and do some research to find the best organizers to suit your specific needs and the size of your collection. Investing in the right storage solutions will make a world of difference in keeping your makeup organized and accessible.

Need a DIY Solution?

Repurpose product packaging instead of buying new organizer containers. Shipping boxes, some makeup boxes, and even those plastic trays from cookie packaging can work well as drawer organizers for years. Sometimes you can use eye shadow palettes turned up on their sides as dividers.

4. Arranging Your Makeup

Once you have your organizers in place, it’s time to arrange the contents. When arranging your products within the organizers, be strategic about placement.

Keep your favorites at the front. Put the items you use most frequently in the front and center, with less-used products tucked away in the back or on the sides. This way, you can quickly grab your go-to makeup essentials each morning without having to dig through everything.

Consider organizing your products by color, texture, or product type to make it even easier to find what you need. For example, you could group all your cream-based products together, or arrange your eyeshadow palettes in a rainbow pattern.

Makeup caddy? If you need more room, you can buy a makeup caddy and put some of your items in it. Again, this is for the items you may not use every day.

5. Maintain and Refresh Regularly

Now that you’ve put in the effort to declutter and organize your makeup drawer, the key is to maintain it. Set aside a regular time, whether it’s weekly or monthly, to do a quick review and tidy-up. This will help prevent your drawer from becoming cluttered and overwhelming again.

During your maintenance sessions, be sure to:

Check expiration dates and toss any expired products
Wipe down the organizers and drawer surfaces to keep them clean
Rearrange items as needed to keep your most-used products accessible
Restock any empty or low categories to ensure you never run out of essentials

Additionally, make it a habit to put each product back in its designated spot after use. This will help you avoid the frustration of digging through a messy drawer every morning.

By staying on top of your makeup organization, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free, well-maintained cosmetics collection for years to come.