Gather Your Glamour

Pretty bottles of nail polish, handfuls of eye pencils, tubes of lip colors, palettes of blushes, pots of eye color litter the bathroom vanity but the meager drawers are already full, so what to do? Short of purchasing expensive vanity organizers (or a new house with a more substantial bath and more drawers) you can tame and tidy your countertop with a few items you already have on hand.

Repurpose with purpose

Just because an item has a specific use doesn’t mean you can’t use it for your makeup. Try these on for size:

• Mason jars—Use jars of various sizes to hold brushes and pencils. Tie a ribbon around the top of the jar. If using the lid, add a circle of fabric on top of the seal-lid and slip it into the mason ring.
• Lazy Susan—If you have one of these space savers meant for spices, it’s perfect to fit your collection of lipsticks and glosses.
• On the rocks—These short glasses make wonderful organizers for mascaras, eyeliners, lip liners, and brow pencils.
• Spice racks—A tiered spice rack works great to hold your bottles of hairspray and mousse, facewash, and lotions while a wall rack fits foundation bottles and eyeshadow palettes. Hang a magnetic spice rack on the wall beside the vanity to hold all your small items neatly above the surface.
• Tins and trays—Metal tins from hot cocoa or tea are perfect for keeping cotton swabs and pads. Or use a shorter one to hold pins or hair ties. Paint the tin or wrap it with contact paper for a decorative touch. Mint tins transform into holders for baubles and bit, then stack nicely on the counter.
• Votive glass—An empty candle glass makes an excellent match holder. Create a matching set: candle holder and matching matchstick holder.

Raid the Office

Desk organizers work well for organizing smaller tubes, bottles, pencils, and brushes. A narrow version fits well on the tank lid. Transform a magnetic paperclip dispenser into the perfect holder for bobby pins. Stack powders, eyeshadow, and blush compacts vertically in a pen tray for easy access.

Borrow from the Bedroom

Many organizer items meant for the bedroom work for other places as well. Hang an over-the-door fabric or clear vinyl shoe rack in the bathroom to hold extra bottles of lotions, foundations, nail polishes—pretty much anything. Jewelry boxes can do double duty for combs, barrettes, or hairpins.

In fact, there are many ways to reuse items in your home to create order from chaos. If you still find yourself wanting your dream vanity, your local realtor can start the search for you.