Peak inside my DIY vanity (and see how I organize everything inside!)

Happy Monday! This post has been in the making for like, 100 years and I’m happy to be FINALLY getting it up on the blog. At some point, I’ll give you the full tour of our master closet, but today I thought I’d share my DIY vanity and how I organize all the beauty goodies inside.

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The blueprint

My master closet is always a hot spot when we give anyone a tour of our house. Believe me, it’s not glamorous, but it is an entire bedroom converted into a closet, so you know….it’s a head-turner. My favorite feature of our closet is my DIY vanity. I knew when we purchased the house, I wanted to create a vanity from scratch so that it would work for my particular needs (and giant stash of products). Thankfully, the hubs knows how to build stuff.

If you’re going to create your own DIY vanity, I recommend mapping out everything you need and want to have access to before purchasing the furniture or supplies.

A place for everything. I knew that I wanted drawers for my makeup and the random tools I use either daily or sporadically (tweezers, nail files, brow pencil sharpeners, etc). I also knew that I wanted all of my hair products, lotions, perfume and nail polish in the same place. I wanted everything to be white with clean lines, and I wanted it to be counter height so I could sit on a stool or stand and still have everything at a reasonable reach (I almost always stand when I do my hair and makeup).

Draw it out. I literally drew it out on a piece of paper (let’s be honest, several pieces of paper) and brainstormed a bit before researching furniture and ultimately purchasing all the stuff. Then I put the hubs to work because if I would’ve tried to hang this stuff on my own, I probably would’ve torn the wall down.

The furnishings

I liked the look, feel and price tag of the Ekby Alex Wall Shelf with Drawers from Ikea. We chose the entire kit, which came with the birch brackets. The hubs went to Home Depot and purchased special screws and mounting things to make sure it could handle the weight of the stuff inside, on top and me (leaning on it every day).

Instead of choosing a separate mirror, I actually ended up purchasing a bathroom vanity with a mirror on a door, so I could store product inside and tuck it away. I chose the Silveran Mirror Cabinet in white and the hubs figured out what screws and things he would need to mount it safely above the drawers.

Tip: Make sure you measure based upon YOUR height if you are installing two separate pieces. I’m only 5 foot so typical height recommendations for “countertop height mounting” and “mirror mounting” are all wrong for me. We measured to make sure everything would be ergonomically correct for me (and when I say “we” I mean my husband, because I never think of these things).

I used the top of the shelf to house some things I knew I wouldn’t have space for inside the drawers and cabinet (magnifying mirror, makeup brushes and brush holder, hair ties, scrunchies and other misc. thangs (the full list of products with links is at the bottom of this post!). Isn’t this aloe plant so pretty?  I got it from Succulents Monthly (get $5 bucks off with KIDDO5 :)).

This 3 compartment acrylic organizer is amazing for keeping hair ties and other clips and accessories safe from kitty paws (and bellies – remind me to tell you about that time my cat at like, 300 hair ties). Apothecary jars work great for hair ties and flexible headbands too.

Organizing the inside of the drawers

Speaking of measuring. I measured the inside of the drawers (the actual space) to determine what containers I wanted to purchase to organize my makeup and other tools and then I went out and purchased everything to fit and crossed my fingers it would work out with my stuff (full measurements at bottom of post).

I wanted to make sure I could separate my make up by category (so lips, eyes, face, etc.). I mirrored what I purchased for my makeup drawer for drawer 2 since I knew the measurements would be right. And, since I was just going to be filling those containers with random things, I didn’t have much rhyme or reason to what size containers I needed.

Organizing the mirror cabinet

While most of the product in the mirror cabinet can stand on its own, I liked the idea of having a few small containers to house some of the smaller product or product that can easily fall over and mess it all up! So, I measured and then purchased enough small containers to fill one entire row and guessed on the others. It works!

I love having all of my nail polish in one spot, sorted by color.  Color coding is how I survive, guys.

And, everything else has a “section” – creams, lotions, body shimmers, hair products, and perfume.

Lighting and other things

I’ll focus on the lighting when I write up the post on the entire master closet, but I did want to point out the importance of good lighting at your vanity! While I wanted a pretty chandelier above my DIY vanity, it was never going to give me the kind of light I needed in the room. So, the hubs installed a u-shaped track light system in the middle of the room (with the bottom of the U just above my vanity area). We then adjusted each individual light so that it pointed down and at the mirror to reflect the best light.

I picked the Franklin Barstool because it is lightweight and can fold and be stored if I choose to remove it.  Like I mentioned, I stand 99% of the time when I get ready, but I do like the option of a place to sit in case I’m feeling lazy 🙂

Since I knew I’d be doing my hair there as well (I have a separate set of drawers that houses my hairdryer, irons, etc), he added a simple electric strip thingy so that I could easily plug things in on top where I would be using the stuff.  All in all, I love it so much!  We’ve been living here for 3 years and in all of them, I’ve kept the set up exactly the same because it works so well!

Complete product list for this DIY vanity

Below is the complete list of what we ordered to make all my DIY vanity dreams come true (including measurements!).  Hope you’re inspired!

Build Your Vanity

They no longer carry these exact interior drawer and cabinet organizers (I originally got mine at the Container Store), so I’ll link up as best as I can below with similar items.  This set is the right height and carries lots of options for however you choose to organize your stuff! Here’s another.

Note:  Make sure your bins are no higher than 2.25″ or the drawers won’t close. The interior measurements of each drawer (exact space you have to fill) is 21″ x 9.5″. Each drawer fits: (5) rectangular bins (6″ x 3″ x 2.25″), (1) long rectangular bin (9″ x 3″ x 2.25″), (1) large square bin (6″ x 6″ x 2.25″) and (1) small square bin (3″ x 3″ x 2.25″).  The space you have to fill inside the upper cabinet is 22″ x 25″. The bins I used in the upper cabinet were (4) deep drawer bins (4″ x 3″ x 3″) and (7) square deep drawer bins (3″ x 3″ x 3″).

Below are some of my favorite products (shown in the pics above) in case you’re interested in checking them out too 🙂  I can’t accept comments here (security issue after a hack), so I want to make sure I leave you as many useful links as possible.  Okay, byeeeee!

• I use Purlisse Products and they are amazing for my Rosacea (here’s the skinny on that).
• I love this Mascara and from Thrive Causemetics and swear by this wax pencil for my brows. I also like the Brow Envy palette from Too Faced.
• Love Not Your Mother’s Brand hair products.  I use the and I swear by the Activated Charcoal and Moonstone hair mask (considering purchasing the entire set)!

SHOP BEAUTY

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