I’m a Former Beauty Writer and This $20 Makeup Organizer Is the Best I’ve Tested

Before coming to Apartment Therapy, I wrote about and tested a ton of beauty products. Despite not covering skincare or makeup for nearly a year, I still have what’s essentially a Sephora aisle worth of stuff in my one-bedroom NYC apartment that I share with my boyfriend. Needless to say, he’s not thrilled about all of the the moisturizers, lipsticks, and oils spilling out of every available cabinet and drawer I can find. (I even broke a drawer because I weighed it down too much — sorry I haven’t fixed that yet, Ryan!) Despite currently owning five makeup organizers, I knew that there had to be a better way to store everything. I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to test out the Syntus 360 Rotating Makeup Organizer on Amazon.

I had been eyeing the Snytus for a while. I had included it in roundups at previous jobs, so I was wondering if it was actually worth the hype. Spoiler alert: It absolutely is. It fit three organizers worth of products (and those organizers were not small) into one, so I got to repurpose the old ones for other clutter in my apartment.

Honestly, I went into building this organizer with low expectations. It ships flat, so you get to customize the height of each row. It comes with six trays total, so there are seven total layers, because the top can serve as a stand. The shelves slide in and then are secured with thick little rubber bands. (I accidentally flung a few across the room during assembly). It was a little unstable when it didn’t have any products in it, but it became sturdy when I added weight to it. I have a lot of tall toners that often can’t fit in makeup organizers, so I strategically made two taller sections to accommodate them.

I started unloading my Yamazaki Odds-and-Ends Organizer into the Snytus. Within 10 minutes, it was done, and most of my compartments were still empty. I was floored. I grabbed the Caboodle that I had been gifted at an Ulta event and put at least 40 products from that into the Snytus (mostly lipsticks, lip glosses, and eyebrow pencils) — and there was still some room! I had a smaller travel case that I used to store miscellaneous skincare products and brushes and loaded that into the Snytus as well. It was packed to the brim, but I was still able to rotate it around to grab what I needed. The only downside is that it can’t fit large eyeshadow palettes.

The final step was the one I was most worried about: Would it fit underneath my bathroom sink? I should have measured before I started my reorganizing, but I didn’t. My under-sink is bisected by my sink pipes, so I have less than a foot of room horizontally. However, the Syntus just managed to sneak in.

This is the least expensive organizer I’ve ever owned, but it’s the one I’ve been the most impressed by. The plastic material is easy to wipe down if there are any spills. It’s collapsible, so when it comes time to inevitably move to the next apartment, it’ll be easy to pack.

My plan is to make this my main organizer when I manage to pare down my beauty products. It’s stylish enough to display out in the open. I got it in black, but it also comes in clear and white. I’d say it’s absolutely worth it if you’re a skincare and makeup obsessive or just want one organizer to hold everything.

Buy: Syntus 360 Rotating Makeup Organizer, $19.99 (normally $23.99)