I’m a Former Beauty Writer and This Is My Ultimate Small-Space Makeup Organizer (It Stores Everything I Need!)

As a former beauty writer, I have so many skincare, makeup, and hair care products taking up valuable space in my one-bedroom apartment. When I moved in with my boyfriend last year, he was less than happy to find out that all the bathroom storage (and some kitchen cabinets) were now devoted to my stash. He’s lucky I pivoted to the home space and started working at Apartment Therapy because otherwise, I’d likely have a whole beauty closet by now. But because of my huge collection, I have become an expert in beauty organizers out of necessity. I’ve tried nearly every popular iteration of makeup organizer, and in my eyes, there is a clear small-space winner.

I have a very tiny desk in our bedroom that’s dedicated to housing all of my office supplies, crafting materials, and laptop. Somehow, I had to squeeze a makeup organizer onto that already crowded desk. I discarded an old vanity mirror because it had zero storage, so I knew I was on the hunt for a makeup organizer and mirror combo. When I stumbled on the Joseph Joseph Viva Makeup Organizer earlier this year, I was wowed by the design but was worried it was a little too compact for all of the stuff I wanted to shove into it. Luckily, I was wrong.

The Joseph Joseph Viva Makeup Organizer is a sleek, tabletop pedestal beauty organizer with non-slip grips on the bottom. A mirror, which you can lift up and down, hides a deep storage compartment underneath. On top of the main mirror is a tiny 3X magnified mirror, which is stuck in place by a magnet, though it too can be taken off for cleaning. The organizer comes with a removable and washable divider, which helps slim objects, like lipsticks and mascaras, stay upright.

This organizer is meant for more compact items, like brushes, small eyeshadow palettes, lipglosses, and more. It will not fit a big eyeshadow palette, for example, or a pack of makeup wipes.

When I first received the Joseph Joseph Viva Makeup Organizer, I was impressed with the hidden storage capabilities. Ever since I started working at Apartment Therapy, I’ve developed an aversion to clutter (which is unfortunate, because my apartment is teeming with possessions and doesn’t boast many cabinets or closets). The mirror is also easy to swing up and down. It reaches the perfect height for me when it’s lifted, which makes it easy to do my makeup in the morning.

Although this makeup organizer isn’t pictured as holding a whole lot in the product photos, it easily fit 40 products (though many of them are very slim — e.g. concealers, tester-sized perfumes, lipglosses). I have far more than what’s required for my daily routine in the organizer.

After more than six months of everyday use, I can attest that this organizer is absolutely worth the money and won’t take up a large footprint in your small space.

Buy: Joseph Joseph Viva Makeup Cosmetic Storage Organizer, Large with Mirror, $32 (normally $39.99)