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Makeup Vanity Ideas: Complete Guide to Essential Tools for the Perfect Makeup Vanity

Makeup Vanity Ideas: Complete Guide to Essential Tools for the Perfect Makeup Vanity

A makeup vanity can be so much more than just your bathroom counter, a dresser, or a makeshift table. We all have a space dedicated to working, a spot for sleeping, and that special corner of the kitchen dedicated to our caffeine routines. So why not have a dedicated place for our makeup routines? 

A vanity can help you stay organized, make things simpler, and allow you to get out of the door on time. Read on to learn a few of our essential tips for building the perfect makeup vanity.

A Clean Home Is a Happy Home

It’s a rule we’ve heard our whole lives. A cleaner environment is better for a multitude of reasons. A neater desk with papers neatly organized in trays, files, or in their appropriate drawers can help increase your productivity. 

A cleaner house does wonders for your mental health and helps you truly relax when you get home at the end of the day. The same is true when it comes to your vanity. 

If you’ve got everything you need on your vanity where you can see it, getting ready in the morning will be so much easier. But when we say everything you need, we truly mean it. Do you need to have 20 different eyeshadow palettes stacked up on your countertop? Do you really need 10 different red lipsticks lined up along the edge of your sink?

Work With What You Have

Take a look at your house — all of it. Take a mental inventory of the open space you have in your home, and think about what spaces you could repurpose. Try to work with the spaces and pieces you already have in your house.

You might have a great piece of furniture you could repurpose into a makeup station under your own roof. A smaller desk, end table, or a stackable set of drawers are all great options. If you don’t have anything like this around the house, don’t fret! Local thrift stores are packed with hidden treasures waiting to shine again. A little elbow grease, a fresh coat of paint, and some love can help these gems shine once more.

If you prefer to purchase a new piece, look for options with built-in storage. If your heart is set on a particular table that doesn’t have a ton of storage, make sure it’s wide enough for you to add a few additions of your own on top (more on that later).

Let There Be Light

Once you figure out where you’d like to set up your vanity, take a look at what kind of lighting you’re working with. If this room has lots of natural sunlight pouring in, you should have sufficient makeup lighting during the day.

If your room doesn’t have the best natural lighting, consider investing in a lit makeup mirror. Be extra mindful of warm light. Applying makeup in warm light can result in your makeup looking orange or way too dark. This can look rather unnatural when it’s time to walk out the door.

On the other side of the coin, avoid going for bulbs that are too cool-toned. Warm-toned bulbs can fool you into thinking you’re a glowing, bronze bombshell. However, cool-toned bulbs can make you look washed out and tired. This can lead you to over-apply certain products, and even trick you into reaching for the wrong shade. You might look great in that mirror, but you’ll likely be disappointed when you walk outside.

The right lighting is also important for nighttime makeup applications. All the natural light in the world won’t make much of a difference if you’re applying bronzer at 7 p.m. Make sure you have a good source of light available for a flawless application at all hours of the day.

Further Organization

With the perfect setup, the right location, and the best lighting, it’s time to organize your vanity. A great way to stay organized and stress-free while getting ready in the morning is to remember the old saying — a place for everything and everything in its place.

It’s not a great idea to leave every single item within your makeup routine just laying out on the countertop. This is an easy way to create clutter and leave you with yet another thing you have to clean up.

If you’ve got a small table you’d like to use for your vanity, consider looking for a smaller, separate set of drawers. If you found a desk and its drawers are a bit lacking, several furniture brands have also created add-ons you can affix to the bottom. Then, take it a step further.

Break down your cosmetics and other products into categories and invest in a set of clear, acrylic trays for each drawer. This will help prevent your products from sliding all over the place, staining, or leaking onto your furniture. Plus, it looks nicer. Thanks to modern advances, you can find trays of all sizes ranging from two inches wide, to 12 inches wide, in various heights, with some even featuring multiple compartments within one tray.

If you don’t have any drawers, consider a smaller stacked set of tabletop drawers. These are also available from plenty of retailers in a myriad of sizes. This lets you see everything you have in your possession, while also keeping the top of your vanity clean.

Look for Multi-Functional Products with a Sleek Design To Keep Your Vanity Organized

Whether you’re keeping it super simple or going full out, saying goodbye to dozens of highly individualized bulky products is one of the best ways to keep your vanity looking its best. Each and every component of our Subtl Beauty Makeup Stack is designed to cover your bases, enhance your features, and give you a little extra something for special occasions. 

No matter how many or how few steps you decide to include in your routine, our Makeup Stack will always take up the same amount of space on your vanity.

Don’t be fooled by our sleek and compact design, though. Every one of our components comes with enough product to last for at least 60 applications, while our Lip and Cheek rouge has enough to last for up to 80. 

By removing extra cosmetics you don’t use every day from your vanity, choosing something with a smart and innovative design, and opting for simple tools you know will work right for you every time, you can easily create the perfect, minimalistic vanity of your dreams. 

Our Makeup Stacks, Mini Applicators, Brush Sets, and Dry Brush Cleaner check all the boxes for something that will take up minimal space, equip you with everything you need, and make grabbing everything before stepping out the door a breeze. 

Touches of Luxury

Remember, your vanity is an extension of your interior design, so have fun with it! A great way to add a pop to your vanity space is with a fun chair. Furry benches, acrylic ghost chairs, and velvet accent seats are just a few examples of how you can bring a simple touch of glamour to your cosmetics corner.

Incorporate a glamorous touch into your makeup mirror as well. If you need better lighting, consider a gold-trimmed mirror with built-in lighting to provide a “halo light.” If you went the thrift store route, you could paint your vanity with a bright accent color, like pink, teal, or lilac. If you want the more traditional feel, there are tons of stain options out there ranging from natural to black.

Really Strapped for Space?

If you’re really strapped for space, look for a folding makeup vanity, also called travel vanities or makeup boxes. These are available in a wide array of colors and styles and are usually three feet wide maximum. 

When you open these vanities, you’ll find a mirror and often lights on the underside of the lid. Inside, you’ll see different compartments and ledgers, many of which fold and extend out. This helps you see everything you have in front of you, without it looking sloppy when it’s time to wrap up.

Whether you’re working with a small space, repurposing something you already own, or making this your next big DIY project, the perfect makeup vanity goes a long way. Another way to help alleviate messiness is to also slim down your cosmetics routine, at least for day-to-day use. Our Makeup Stacks have managed to compose every step of your cosmetic routine into one simplified, minimalistic, easy-to-navigate component. 

Whether you opt for one of our pre-built Stacks or decide to take our quiz and build your own, you’re guaranteed to never struggle with fitting your makeup onto a shelf, into a drawer, or even into your bag, ever again.

Make Your Dream Vanity a Reality

Not sure where to start? Take our quiz today to get matched up with your right shade of concealer and see what else we can recommend for your routine.

The best part? Whether you opt for one of our pre-selected collections or opt to add your own additions onto the stack, the space taken up on your makeup vanity or in your handbag will never ever be too much to manage.

 

Sources: 

Decluttering Your Life: How Cleaning and Mental Health Are Connected with Dr. Dawn Potter | Cleveland Clinic

Put Your Best Face Forward: Makeup Lighting Do's and Don'ts | Light Logic

14 Best Makeup Vanities with Storage 2022 | Cosmopolitan

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