DIY: Makeup Storage Box from a Sphora Gift Box

If you have been following Design Everyday for a while then you know that I live in a rather small apartment, which means I’m always looking for the next trick to maximise storage space.

This small apartment situation means I don’t get the luxury of vanity, and my bathroom draws are already full to the brim, so aside from one shelf in the bathroom cabinet (reserved for my most prized cosmetics) the rest of my makeup is left without a home.

That’s when I decided I needed to create some sort of makeup storage box. Now all I had to do to get started was to find a box to use, and the rest is easy and fun. Did you know when you order online at Sephora you can add a gift box for free?
I add one to almost every order as they are sturdy, useful and quite pretty (shh, don’t tell Sephora!).

As for foam core (the stuff I make the dividers from), it’s cheapest at Dollarama (£2.50 a piece, I think) I’ve seen it at smaller dollar stores for about £6 and at art stores it goes upwards of £7!

My cutting knife and glue gun are also from dollar stores, Yokoyaya to be exact (Daiso)… yeah dollar stores are pretty sweet! Places like Michaels are pretty much the biggest joke ever in my opinion… those prices… I laugh and then walk out again.


DIY: how to make a makeup storage box from a sephora gift box

  1. First, you need a box, something sturdy. I used the large gift box from Sephora (they are free with purchase).
  2. Gather together your supplies. You will need a cutting mat, foam core board, glue gun, ruler and a cutting knife.
  3. Now before you go cutting everything out you need to have a plan. Lay out your makeup and decide what should go where. Once you have a plan, measure and cut out your pieces and then glue them together. For my first layer, the 2 sections on the left have lower walls. The section on the right is higher and the dividers are on a slight diagonal.
  4. Next, I have an insert that fits over the lower left side. Don’t forget to add a little cutout so you can lift it without pulling on the glued walls.
  5. My final (3rd) layer covers the whole area and has a hole in the middle so I can lift it out easily.
  6. My first layer… small pallets, Mac singles and then Mac compacts.
  7. Half layer that holds eyeliners and smash box pallets.
  8. The final layer holds brushes and a few other bits.

It is very easy, you just need some patience to put it all together. I made this about 5 months ago and it is still going strong. It gets kept in the storage room and I pull it out to do my makeup and then pack it all away again, nice and easy.

The total cost was about £2.80

What do you think? How do you store your makeup? I’d love to hear what else you use to store all your makeup.