Emily Maynard

MAKEUP DRAWERS: The Container Store

Organized Makeup Junkies Anonymous

by 57 Comments

Hi. My name is Emily Maynard and I’m a makeup junkie. I need help. I think its hereditary because my mother has the same problem. Basically, its all her fault I’m a makeup hoarder and not because I have a problem, right? Ok good.

I’d be lying if I said I wore all of the makeup I have on a regular basis, but I really do go through it pretty frequently and throw out stuff I won’t use anymore. One day I came to the sad realization that my makeup drawer was about to explode if I put one more eyeshadow in it. My heart sank at the idea of having to throw away even more of my treasured pots of gold, so what does an organization obsessed girl do? Go to The Container Store, of course!

If you’ve never been, I suggest not going. Seriously. Ever since we got one in Charlotte, every cabinet in my house has been cleaned out and labeled, every paint brush has its place, and every Christmas ornament has its own spot in the themed container I just had to have. I mean, really? What did I do with my ornaments before this red and green box changed my life? This all sounds great to other OCD organizers, I’m sure, but its a slippery slope and more is never enough. Trust me.

Anyway, back to makeup. I knew I had to do something different to store my makeup because never buying another lipgloss was just not an option. I had seen on an episode of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” that all of the girls had these really pretty acrylic drawers on their bathroom counters that kept all of their makeup organized. Embarrassingly enough, I looked it up online and found something similar that was outrageously expensive. Theres no way I could justify spending so much on some plastic drawers just to put my equally overpriced makeup in. So, I walked around The Container Store for awhile and found these clear shoeboxes that can stack on top of each other for literally a fraction of the price. I bet you didn’t’ know I was such a bargain shopper, huh? They even come in different sizes and can be divided on the inside, which is perfect for separating your blush from your bronzer! And the best thing is, they look almost identical to the “brand name” drawers I saw online.

MY SIX TYPES OF DRAWERS

  1. Eyeshadows
  2. Eyeliners/Mascara/Concealers (Things that go on my eyes that aren’t eyeshadow)
  3. Foundations/Powders/Tinted Moisturizers
  4. Lipsicks/Glosses
  5. Temptu Pods
  6. Primers/Blush/Bronzer all divided into their own sections

Do you have any makeup organizing tips? Leave them in the comments section below!

Comments

  1. What is a Temptu Pod? Am I out of the loop? And btw, love this idea! I want to re-organize all my makeup now!

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  3. Love this idea! Might just have to do it for myself.. 🙂 Do they sell these boxes in bigger sizes? I’d love to organize all the clothes I don’t wear in summer to provide more room for the clothes I do wear. Thanks!

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  6. I too have recently become a makeup junkie!!! I love the idea of clear storage! Could you post pics? Perhaps on your Instagram?

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  8. I did the same thing and bought something similar after I saw it on Keeping Up With The Kardashians! The only other thing I added was an extra drawer for all of my makeup brushes which are also organized by face, eye, and lip. I love your blog posts and can’t wait to see more! xoxo

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  10. This is genius! I’m admittedly OCD and a makeup hoarder myself, so I’m going to have to order these and make a cute little display for my makeup. I’ll make sure to share a link to this blog as well since I know plenty of people who could benefit from this idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. These make up organizers are awesome Em ! Take a look …
    They are acrylic and so elegant ! I use them on my vanity, bathroom counter .. even when I travel !! Anyway - thought they were nice !

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  14. Hey Emily,

    I used to be exactly the same way! I’ve streamlined my makeup drawer (a bit) and whittled it down to (mostly) stuff that I use on a regular basis.

    Also - in the interest of being ‘green’- I switched my brand to Arbonne. Have you tried their products? I’d love you to do a product review if you haven’t tried them yet.

    Let me know if this is something you’d be up for! 🙂

    -Katie

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  15. While this is a FAB idea, why didn’t you take pictures so we could see the finished product??? I know what they look like with shoes in them. lol
    Thanks!

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  16. great idea…. BUUUT, we need a picture of how that turned out!

    ps- I bought the benefit mascara per your review/recommendation… & wow. Best suggestion ever! Love it!

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  17. I would love to see how you display these on your counter. Can you post a picture of yours? Also, how to you store your brushes?

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  20. What is the item code of the containers you have in your photos on FB? Can’t seem to find that exact one but would love to. Thank you!

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  22. Thank you so much! I couldn’t justify spending that much either for the brand name! I’ve been desperately needing some makeup organization and a cute little makeup bag wasn’t cutting it!

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  24. Love these! Looking up the nearest store right now. We suffer from the same makeup addiction. Have you ever tried Arbonne cosmetics? https://www.arbonne.com/ I think you would really love it and it is all bontanically based!

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  25. Love this idea! I too have a serious makeup problem. Normally, I put what I wear everyday in a makeup bag and then just throw everything else in one big bin. I love the idea of clear drawers where I can sort by item and can still see all my beauties 🙂

    Thanks for sharing!

    Erin
    planning4paris.wordpress.com

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  26. I’m also OCD when it comes to certain things and I have given myself anxiety over my lack of makeup organization! It’s all in a big makeup bag and I literally clean each piece after every use. These containers would totally help me and definitely keep me from a makeup anxiety attack! Thanks!! Going to check these things out now!

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  27. Muji.com has a clear acrylic organizer that is similar style to the ones the Kardashian girls use for their makeup. It’s a smaller scale, 5 drawers and stackable. I have four of them (two stacked sets) on each side of my vanity table. They fit just about everything except the really big tubs/jars. I use bare minerals mostly, and their little pots fit perfectly. Even got my mother hooked on them now, and they were under $30 a piece. http://www.muji.us/store/storage/acrylic-cases/acrylic-case-5-drawers.html

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  31. Emily,
    This post could not have come sooner for me! I also wanted the Kardasian organizer but too expensive! Are you using the regular clear drawers or the men’s athletic version. I plan on visiting my Container Store to pick up a few and get to spring cleaning!

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  34. Temptu is an airbrush makeup company. You can buy the airbrush machine and then get Temptu Pods in your shade of Foundation (As well as blush, highlighters, Bronzer, face tanners etc) and pop them into your airbrush machine. I use it daily and they are amazing products! Definitely $$$ well spent! It lasts all day and I have super oily skin! Very easy to use and the pods last forever! http://www.temptu.com

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  35. Love these containers! Not only do they keep everything organized, but they are transparent so you don’t have to open the box to see what’s inside. I just ordered a bunch of them. Thanks Emily for the great idea!!

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  36. I saw these drawers displayed on your season of the bachelorette and loved them but could never find them! Thank you so much! Super excited about this!

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  38. I saw these on your counter during your Bachelorette season and was just so excited. I work for The Container Store and because of you and your brilliant idea, I have sold these to many makeup fashionistas, including Gretchen Rossi. What a fabulous solution!

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  39. I also have acrylic organizers for my makeup! I also have a piece that came with little compartments to hold brushes up right and lipstick/lipgloss…. Strangely enough i found them at Marshall’s and bout a bunch of them!! I may get these acrylic shoe boxes for my hoarding of hair products and creams! Lol Love your blog Emily! And because of you I found my love in “they’re real” mascara! Thank yoooouuuu!!!

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  40. I realized I had a huge makeup problem the other night and went crazy on organizing it all. Thanks for the extra tips!

    Love the blog btw!

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  41. Very nice! My Mom (who is both boderline OCD and a hoarder) darn near lives at the Container Store. She got these for us both. Her for her hair product collection, me for my CD/DVD collection as well as makeup and toilitres. I don’t have a lot of makeup but when I step my makeup game up I know it will be very well organized lol. (:

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  44. Emily,

    Do you know of anywhere you can still go and try out the Temptu pods? I have the Temptu but am not sure which shade of pod to get and as far as I know Sephora doesn’t carry them in stores anymore.

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  45. So funny you wrote this post. I actually saw all of your makeup and containers on one of the episodes of the show. From the moment I saw how they were stored I went out and bought sliding drawers for my makeup. I got them at a store(not the container store) and I think they were for pens and paper though. In any event just thought I would share.

    P>S> I am a Relationship Coach….just saying…

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  47. Hey Em, I was wondering if you could do a post about how you do your makeup! I am love reading all your blogs, and I think (or maybe i just secretly wish) we have the same sense of style, so I would love to know how you do your makeup- from foundation to the finishing touches! I would greatly appreciate!

    Love you and Ricki, best mom ever!

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  48. I’m an organization freak! But I don’t like seeing my makeup on the counter (and I doubt I have as much as all of you). So I put a flatware organizer in the top drawer of my vanity. That way I can have separate areas for all of my makeup and brushes. The best part about it though is that it was super cheap! I think I got it for $10 at Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s perfect for me because nothing slides around when I open the drawer, it’s out of sight from guests, and I never have to go searching when I’m trying to get ready in the morning because it’s all right there, sitting in its spot all pretty and organized!!!

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  51. Thank you!! I noticed the same thing on the kardashians and have wanted them too, but they were so spendy. just ordered the acrylic shoe boxes and im sooo excited. 🙂

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  53. This is so funny, I actually did the same. I remember watching that show and I think it is Chloe or courtney who was putting makeup on and in the corner in her bathroom was her makeup in these acrylic boxes, I actually looked more to see what makeup brands she usedbut i could not figure that out. Anyways, long story short, I looked up the same acrylic storage as you and i found some really nice ones at MUJI, a Japanese store I believe. they have a website, but I went to Paris and bought some storage there! 🙂 I only have about 3 and the rest.. well .. I use Ikea storage thingies, made for underwear I believe that you put in a closet. I might do a blogpost on that 🙂

    Thank you for you post Emily! I enjoyed reading it!!!!

    awomansaffair.blogspot.com

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  54. Hi Emily! First off, just want to tell you I love your blog site. Great site for me to read especially when insomnia kicks in…like tonight. But back to this post, it’s on my to do list to visit the Container Store and been DYING to figure out how to organize my makeup because as a makeup artist and makeup junkie, I have makeup products all over my closet and my vanity, thanks for this great idea!

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  55. I have these, only in the bigger sizes for my makeup,skincare & perfumes & body sprays…LOVE them so much & so much cheaper! love your blog

    Reply

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