A New Year make-up organiser: fit the products you already use

A New Year make-up tidy begins with the products you use, not an empty organiser. Sort the collection first and check product guidance about storage and use. Then measure the bottles, palettes and brushes that genuinely need a place on the dressing table.

Measure the awkward products

Record your tallest bottle, widest palette and longest brush. Check usable internal dimensions, including drawer openings and dividers. An organiser photographed with miniatures can be too small for everyday packaging even when its overall footprint looks generous.

Choose open or closed storage

Think about which items you reach for daily and which are better kept away from the display surface according to their instructions. Compare drawers, lids and upright slots. Avoid assuming that a transparent container makes every storage position suitable for every cosmetic.

Check cleaning access

Read the material and cleaning instructions. Look for removable dividers and corners you can reach without forcing parts apart. Choose an arrangement that lets you deal with a spill as directed rather than one with permanently inaccessible compartments.

Leave room to use the surface

Allow space for a mirror and the normal routine, including opening drawers fully. Compare a small organiser plus existing storage with a large matching tower. The aim is to find products easily, not to buy more products to fill empty sections.

A practical comparison

If a drawer fits lipstick tubes but not your tallest bottle, give the bottle a separate suitable position. Replacing the entire organiser with a tower may create more clutter than solving one specific storage gap.

Your shortlist before checkout

• Measure full-size products and palettes.
• Check drawer openings and cleaning instructions.
• Leave working space around the organiser.

Should every cosmetic be displayed in an open organiser?

Follow each product's storage guidance. An open organiser may suit some daily items, while others need a different position or their original packaging.