I'm a Professional Organizer and Trust Me, This Chic $34 Makeup Storage Gem Really Belongs in Your Small Kitchen This Cocktail Season

Become the host with the most with this simple yet effective trick

A bright and open-plan kitchen with white panelled walls, white cabinetry, black marble countertops, and a large island with marble countertop. In the foreground is a wooden dining table with a tray of coupes, lit red taper candles, and various decorations.
(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton)

Nothing says the holidays like a seasonal cocktail, and having a chic self-serve beverage station to delight guests and keep the drinks flowing, or simply start your best glassware aesthetically, is not out of reach in compact kitchens and dining spaces.

As a professional organizer, I always recommend using a stylish, tiered makeup organizer to group relevant items and keep them visible and accessible, without having to spend big for a curated home bar look.

Why a Makeup Organizer Belongs in Your Compact Kitchen

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

While the best makeup organizers are usually used for organizing makeup, as a professional organizer and the founder of Diisorganized, I know that using a makeup organizer as a glassware storage solution is actually a genius little switch.

Makeup organizer trays help make items more visible, which makes them perfect for storing glassware and organizing glassware, such as wine glasses, cocktail tumblers, or even small drinkware.

They're also a clever space-saving way to use vertical storage while organizing kitchen countertops, so you're not just spreading items out horizontally and cluttering the surface. This is particularly important when making more counter space in a small kitchen.

Plus, this simple storage gem looks polished and intentional, and with it, suddenly your bar or cocktail area feels curated and glamorous, not just functional. It's perfect for mixing up a Christmas cocktail when hosting for the holidays and having everything you need to hand.

Other Ways to Use Makeup Organizers in Your Kitchen

Vintage colored glassware on a gold mirrored tray on a wooden table. There is a lit taper candle, and above are two vintage-look botanical prints in a gold frame.

Makeup organizers are a versatile storage solution and often look glamorous and chic with useful functional features.

(Image credit: Future / PEARSON LYLE MANAGEMENT LTD (EMMA LEE))

It's not just glassware that you can use a makeup organizer for in your kitchen ideas, either. In fact, there are so many ways to use these versatile, chic trays.

For example, you can use them to display pantry staples such as baking ingredients, jars of sprinkles, chocolate chips, or cooking oils, keeping them visible and easy to reach.

I've also used them for home coffee bars, storing mugs and seasonal items, which is a lovely and easy way to update your coffee station ideas when hosting for the holidays.

Makeup organizing items are also great for organizing canned goods, small snack packs, or condiments, making use of vertical space so you don’t have to spread things across your counter or pantry shelf.

Any group of kitchen items that can stack neatly benefits from this kind of tray setup – it’s simple, efficient, and visually appealing.

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Meet the Expert

a photo of professional organizer Di Ter Avest sat on a staircase next to a plant: a lady with shoulder length dark hair in a short sleeved white top and navy jeans, holding a notepad
Di Ter Avest

After becoming a wife and a mother, Di quickly learned the importance of organization and regular decluttering. She has since helped hundreds of clients rethink their relationship with clutter, with clever tips and tricks to make the most of even the smallest of spaces, particularly when hosting family and friends over the busy holiday period.


If you're in need of some hosting inspiration, our sherry cosmopolitan, maltito cocktail recipe, spiced pear bellini recipe, rum and pear warmer recipe and lilac flower vodka sodas are the perfect starting point for curating your drinks menu. All of them can be enjoyed alcohol-free, too, to suit every guest and taste.

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Di Ter Avest
Professional organizer and owner of Di is Organized

Di Ter Avest began her journey to becoming a professional organizer after becoming a wife and mother, and quickly learning the importance of systems and planning. Since, she has helped hundreds of clients overhaul and organize their homes, shifting focus to making time to do more of what they love.

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