Considering the sheer volume of beauty products in my makeup station, I have to do a complete clean-up and reorganize every few months. And considering my obsessive habits when it comes to cleanliness and organization, I actually really enjoy it!

Now, I know myself well enough to know that, if allowed the space, I would keep feeding my product addiction. Instead, I made the wise choice of buying a simple makeup table with just one drawer. With a conservative amount of space, I think twice before buying more products I probably don’t need! It also forces me to get creative with the way I organize my products. Which ones do I use the most that need to be easily accessible? Which ones can be put away only for special occasions? What space-savers can I add for better organization? And how can I keep my makeup from getting messy and all over the place?

First of all, you want to make sure your makeup area is clean and bacteria-free. We’re talking about stuff you put on your face and eyes, here… So cleanliness is paramount! On my makeup table I’ve got a glass cover that I can easily wipe down either with glass cleaner or something like the Lysol anti-bacterial wipes. (Easy cleanup? Yes, please!) But even more important than keeping your space clean is keeping your tools clean: I am head over heels in love with the Cinema Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner!! This weekend I took all my brushes and cleaned every one of them. And it’s so easy: Pour the brush cleaner into a glass or plastic container, dip your brush in it, and wipe it onto a wash cloth several times until it no longer deposits any makeup. (If your brush is really dirty, you may have to repeat.) This stuff not only sanitizes and cleans your brushes, but it also conditions, helping them to last a lot longer. My brushes now look brand new… This brush cleaner belongs in every makeup collection!!

For my mascaras, eyeshadow brushes, and pencils, I placed them in small glass candle holders since they’re not as tall as foundation or powder brushes. Separating them this way makes it really easy to keep everything accounted for and organized.

I keep most of my skincare products in my bathroom, just because I use a lot of them right after I wash my face. But there are a few products that I use before I put my makeup on, so I placed a select few products on my makeup table, including the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer which I use as a super hydrating primer. 

You’ll notice I have big (and some half empty) eyeshadow palettes on my makeup table, too. Instead of having a hundred smaller palettes or, worse yet, individual eyeshadows, I like to buy large empty palettes and arrange individual shadows in there myself. Many times eyeshadows are available in refill form (which means there’s no packaging, it’s just the tin around the shadow and nothing else) so I take those and use eyelash glue to fix them to my palettes. This is a huge space saver, and I get to have my own custom palettes!

Check out the photos of my revamped makeup table, which I’m all too proud of!

In my one drawer I keep my foundation, blush, and a collection of gloss!