How To Store Makeup Brushes | 10-Step Definitive Guide

Written by Skye Rhodes Last Updated: Sep 2, 2024

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It doesn’t matter whether you are an MUA or not, all the women have one thing in common and that is your passion for collecting makeup and makeup tools, and that’s why you need to know how to store makeup brushes the proper way.

One of the essential tools of makeup is brushes and all of you girls want them safe and dirt less. 

Most of the girls find no other way and store their makeup brushes in their cabinets, and it is not only boring but a mistake.

You all should know that organizing your makeup brushes can be therapeutic.

You need not just throw your makeup brushes loosely into your cabinet or makeup bag. 

Because by doing that not only the brush can get damaged but there is a higher risk of germs.

10-Step Definitive Guide On How To Store Makeup Brushes

Here are some simple suggestions that can help you in knowing how to store makeup brushes.

1. Commercial Makeup Holders

This is one of the easiest ways of storing your brushes and you can access them with ease as well.

These commercial makeup brush holders look like jars and they suit your vanity.

You can keep them in your bathroom or at the dressing table, this will allow your brushes to be displayed at a place from where you can pick them easily and use them. 

When you are placing your makeup brushes in a jar sort container then you should know that keep the bristles facing the upward direction. 

This protects your brushes from getting damaged, their bristles will stay safe.

As far as the germs and the dirt is concerned, you need to put the plastic caps on your brushes that are also called as brushes lid.

In case you are living in a dusty area, then the brush’s lid is a necessity because you have to protect your brushes from getting dirty.

As your brushes come in direct contact with your face, you have to make sure that they are safe from dirt and germs:

• If you are going for jars, then we would suggest you go for glass jars because they allow you to easily identify the brushes
• You will easily pick the one you need without taking all of them out

• The easiest thing that you can do for yourself is that take glasses or jars and put a written tag on them
• Such as ”eye brushes”, ”foundation brushes” or eyebrow brushes and keep the specific brushes in them, just have different jars for different brushes
• In case you don’t have a commercial makeup brushes container, all you can do is take a plain glass jar and use it

2. Makeup Brushes Organizer

There are many makeup brushes organizers available in the market that are generally made up of Perspex or glass.

You might have noticed some of them have crystals in different colors at their bottom.

Some of them do come with different compartments and every compartment has a crystal at the bottom. 

The reason behind those crystals is that they help the brushes to stand upright without just going here and there.

In short, they stay in place. 

As we have mentioned earlier that these crystals are of different and various colors.

This makes it look like a decoration piece and will be complimenting your vanity. 

Another benefit is that the compartments are see-through and it makes it easy for you to locate the brush and pick it. 

You can quickly use the brush and put it back without making all of the brushes fall because this often happens in the case of a glass jar. 

Few things that you can keep in, mind while choosing an organizer for yourself are as follows:

• Go for an organizer which is tall enough and can help you in organizing your larger brushes easily
• You should always put the brushes in a way that their bristles are facing towards the upward direction
• Apart from this, even in the case of these organizers, there is a higher chance of damage and germs
• As there are compartments in these organizers, you can keep different types of brushes in different compartments
• We would suggest you keep large and small brushes in one compartment because when you are going to keep all large of them together it will be difficult to identify and they will form a cluster

Aside from that, you should also know how not to store your brushes.

3. Coffee Beans At The Bottom Of The Container

In case you have an organizer that has no crystals at the bottom, then a great tip that we can give you is that fill half of your container with coffee beans.

Who does not love coffee beans?

The fragrance is hard to ignore and if you are one of these people that are obsessed with a coffee can find it soothing. 

In case you have crystals at the bottom already then we would suggest you put coffee beans at the bottom for about 2 inches (5.1 cm) at the base of your container. 

When you place the coffee beans at the bottom of your organizers and the ones in which there are no crystals, it allows them to stay upright. You will not find them as a mess and a cluster so you can easily use them whenever you want.

If this is the case that you do not like the smell of coffee or you do not have it at the moment then we can give you some other options that are as follows:

• Use pebbles instead, they work perfectly fine as coffee beans or the crystals
• The main purpose is to keep them upright and in position, this avoids a mess
• Another option is that you can put rice at the bottom of the container
• If you are bored with its color then you can color them in multi-colors and then keep your brushes in it
• You need to be aware of the fact that coffee beans tend to stain the handles of our brushes that are light-colored or white
• We would suggest you use the ones that are with dark handles
• While in the case of rice, there is no chance that it can stain the handles of brushes

4. Stackable Drawers

This is a storage option that is for people who are short on space.

If you are one of those ladies who prefer that their brushes and makeup should be on their vanity or their dresser then this storage option is for you.

Some of the ladies prefer to sit in front of their dresser and want everything to be in a place that they can use at any time they want, so we suggest you stackable drawers.

In case you want to give a minimal look to your vanity then you should use the Perspex stackable drawers to organize your brushes.

All you have to do is lie down your brushes in the drawers, it will allow you to access the makeup brushes quickly:

• The reason why we have suggested this option to you is, that you will not be fearing about dust and germ
• Once you clean your brushes you can keep them in the drawer without thinking about the dirt
• In case you use them very often then we would suggest you buy the stackable drawers and keep them in front of the mirror
• Not only the brushes, you can even store your makeup in it but do store both of the things separately without creating a mess
• If you are concerned about buying the stackable drawer, then don’t worry because they are available at any homeware store
• You can easily find them online as well
• Apart from that, if you do not have one then you can DIY it

5. Kitchen Utensil Organizer

You might find it silly, but you can store your brushes in your kitchen utensil organizer because of just one reason and that is easy access. 

Almost everyone has a kitchen utensil organizer at home.

You might never have this thought of turning it into a makeup brush storage place.

Now, we are giving you this idea that goes for it. 

You can keep your kitchen utensil organizer in your bathroom, vanity, or dresser to access it easily. 

Another option that we can give you is to put it inside a drawer. 

Putting it in a drawer keeps it safe and mess-free and it will not occupy too much space. 

As we all know that a kitchen utensil organizer has many divisions and compartments.

You can use each compartment for storing different types of brush.

We would suggest you go for a kitchen utensil organizer that is not in your use.

All you need to do is clean it properly as the brushes are going to be in direct contact with your face.

It is great to wipe it down before placing the brushes in it. 

You have to make sure that it is dust-free and there is no risk of germs.

6. Get a Brush Book

In case you are one of those people who are concerned about the shape and bristles of your brushes then this option is the best for you.

Get a brush book, which solves most of your problems concerning brush storage.

There is no doubt that a brush book is a great investment when it comes to storing your brushes. 

Another important point here is that storing the brushes is not just necessary at home but while you are traveling to another place it will be trouble for you to carry them.

To solve this problem the best thing is to invest in a makeup brush book.

If you are going on a holiday, you will have to transport your brushes from one place to another and we understand that you cannot take the jars along.

In a brush book you just simply have to slide every brush in the elastic band that is present inside the brush book.

After you are done placing each brush in place, all you have to do is zip it up and your case is ready to travel along with you anywhere. 

This will give you the satisfaction that your brushes are safe from dust and germs.

As there are distinct slots for brushes in a brush book, you need not worry about their shape and bristles. 

Some other tips that we can give you are as follows:

• You are suggested to keep your brushes within your hand luggage while you are traveling from one place to another
• You have to prevent your makeup brushes from becoming a mess and getting squishes in the main bag

7. Wrapped Leather Holder

This is another safe way to keep your brushes intact at a place and not to be worried about their bristles. 

When you are using a wrapped leather holder, this allows the brushes to stay separate and avoids the touching of brushes.

If you already don’t know these leather holders roll up into a small-sized cylinder that is compact. 

As there are separate compartments present within this leather holder, the bristles will stay safe. 

This not only a safe option in terms of the bristles, but it also helps you keep the brushes secure from germs. 

They will not be getting damaged on the way of your traveling. 

All you have to do is take the wrapped leather holder and slip your brushes and set them in each compartment and then fold it up.

In short roll, it up. 

This allows your brushes to stay clean and safe for a longer period. 

You will not have to stay worried about your brushes. 

This is the best way of storing when you are on your way to travel to another place.

Just put the brushes in the holder and secure them in your handbag.

You can even put them in the main storage bag of yours while traveling because there are very few chances of getting squished or damages:

• In case you are not comfortable with using leather, then don’t worry because you can go for a plastic or fabric made wrapped holder
• These wrapped holders are easy to use as they are the length of your brushes and you can use them easily
• Storing your brushes in a most convenient way
• You will notice small bends in which you can set your brushes without getting yourself in trouble of damaging your brushes

Placing Your Makeup Brushes Within The Sunglass Case

You can consider it as the smartest hack ever.

When you are traveling from one place to another and you don’t have anything else to store your brushes in. 

Because it happens quite often that you are in a rush and you bring the essential brushes along.

It is really easy and comfortable to store your brushes in sunglasses or your eyesight glasses case. 

Do not end up putting your brushes loose in your briefcase loosely because that is a huge mistake.

This will not only damage your brushes but it will also make them dirty.

This is not an option, all you have to do is place them in your glasses case and then put them in your briefcase. 

This hack can only be used when you have really few brushes to deal with, in case you have a bunch of them you can’t put them in a sunglasses case.

The basic ones can be stored in a sunglasses case easily and you can carry them in your handbag along with you.

8. Makeup Bag

Most of the ladies love to carry the funky makeup bags along, and they want to store the brushes in the same space as well. 

We would suggest that in case you want to go for this option then you should choose a makeup bag with has compartments in it only then you can store your brushes.

The reasons behind it are very simple, that when you store makeup and brushes in one bag there are bright chances that stick and leaking liquid makeup will be damaging your brushes and you will not able to use them.

Anything with compartments is the best option to store your makeup and brushes together.

To keep your makeup brushes clean and not damaged you are supposed to choose a makeup bag that consists of separate and distinct pockets, bags, or sleeves.

This will allow you to store everything separately without any fear of getting damaged.

There is no doubt that when you are traveling it is a handy option because you can easily store your brushes. 

If you love to take your makeup along while you are traveling then girl, take a bag with compartments.

9. Utilize a Pencil Case

This is another easy hack for you all, in case you are traveling and you are not able to take your storage such as stackable drawers and jars along to store the brushes. 

You can use the pencil case because it will keep your makeup brushes clean and separate. 

Apart from that, it is another smart way of not carrying your makeup and brushes together because there is the highest chance that the makeup can stain your brushes or their handles. 

This will help you to keep your brushes clean will help them stay prevented from dust and germs.

To some extent, it will not be affecting the bristles as well.

While you are on the way, they are easily accessible to you. 

We would suggest you choose a pencil case that has a zip or closes perfectly.

This will ensure the safety of the brushes because we all know that you do not want your brushes to fall out in different places while you are on the road.

It is best to choose a pencil case that has a zip because it is not only more secure but it doesn’t let your makeup brushes to fall here are there while you are taking them out to use them. 

Another thing to keep in consideration is that the bristles are not tackled in the zip while you are opening or closing it.

There are many other options for storage apart from a pencil bag, but you should always look for something more secure and prevention from germs is the priority.

Especially, during the situation of a pandemic, you should take care of storing the brushes and keep them away from germs as much as possible.

10. Closed Containers

This has to be the best storage idea for the brushes because they are closed and intact.

And, any closed contained will work for that. 

You can even pick something from your kitchen and use it.

In case you want to keep your brushes in the best and dry condition, we would suggest a closed jar for it.

It is the best way to minimize the risk of their exposure to dust and germ.

Any closed container, with a lid or a zip, works the best for it. 

We would suggest that do not use the closed jars with a lid because it can keep them moist but if you put the rice at the bottom they will absorb the moisture.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this guide on how to store makeup brushes in different ways was helpful for you and in case you have any queries leave it down below.

Keeping your makeup brushes safe and secure helps you to utilize them for a longer period.

But, at the same time, we would suggest you not use them for years because everything has an age. 

When something is not useful anymore, as the bristles are not fine enough you should throw that brush instead of storing it.

Which is your favorite method of storing brushes? – Let us know in the comments below.