How to Make a Vanity Cosmetic Organizer

Makeup is often toted around in a woman's purse, but if you also have quite a lot at home, you may be interested in making yourself a cosmetic organizer for your vanity or table. Lipsticks, nail polish, compacts, brushes and tubes are often strewn around the place where women usually put on their makeup, but with a cosmetic organizer, you can find everything you need quickly while keeping the place neat and tidy.

Some women wear the exact same colors, and use exactly the same cosmetics, every day. Others change their look frequently, requiring many different cosmetic types. You can make an organizer huge or small, depending upon your own needs.

Small boxes with lids make the best organizers. Don't take the lid off and throw in all your stuff, though. Cut out sections of the lid to fit the shapes of your various cosmetics. The box doesn't necessarily have to have a lid. Use a box that you got in the mail and cut off the flaps. Use a piece of poster board or cardboard to make the box complete.

Stores have wide selections of various decorative boxes that are perfect for this project. You can make a plain box prettier by applying paint, or covering it with paper, adhesive paper, wallpaper or even fabric. If you have the proper tools you can also make the cosmetic organizer from a wooden box.

If you're making a large cosmetic organizer start by making a row of circles to hold brushes. You can make one row for hairbrushes and combs, then another for makeup brushes and pencils. Since brushes are usually the tallest of the cosmetics, or cosmetic implements, place them in the back of the organizer.

Poke holes with a pen or a screw. Cut slits for combs. Larger circles, like for a brush, can be cut with scissors. If the box is too deep for small brushes glue a piece of foam, inside the box, under the small brushes. This will keep them from going all the way inside the box.

Many cosmetics come in compacts: foundation, powders, blushes. Cut slits in the box lid to accommodate the various compacts. Place a piece of foam inside to prevent them from falling all the way down inside the box. If you're using a box that has the flaps cut off attach the foam pieces to a piece of cardboard or poster board and set the organizer on top of it.

For items like nail polish, where the color is usually listed on the bottom, you can use a plain sticker to write the name of each color. Attach the stickers to the box lid, beside each color. The organizers can be made to hold lotions, deodorant, perfumes, room spray, nail polish remover, face creams, and toiletries.

Make the organizers for bathroom, vanity, makeup table, desks, even for the kitchen. The organizers can be made to hold spices, utensils or just about anything else. The organizers help keep things neat and you'll never again have to search for what you need.