I keep stuff in a combination of the medicine cabinet (small things like cover-up and mascara, in an organizer), a dedicated small 3-drawer box (blush, eye shadow, lipsticks), and a drawer in my vanity (blow-dryer, brush, some overflow bits), with lots of other things in those spaces too. I've always had stuff just in the bathroom, at least since college (when everything had to fit in a basket! heh).

If you don't need an actual seated bench, then I think you could do a tower that you design around the specific stuff you want to store, and then organize the heck out of all the drawers and cabinet spaces as well. You also have to think about whether you're hoping to have two sinks in addition to all this glory of beauty... :) And/or have a serious winnow on your stuff.

Be sure to maximize the drawers, as I find it's much easier to make them all useful than it is to make the most of vertical space inside a cabinet. But look into racks for anything you can think of!

Have you thought of using one of the drawers in the bathroom for your makeup? You can get drawer dividers (like silverware dividers) that will fit in your drawer...maybe even put one on top of the other...will hold brushes, lipsticks, and most things you use every day. You can even use plastic left over containers that fit in your drawers...minus the lids, of course, for cotton balls, cotton swabs, etc.. I always like my makeup in the bathroom....the mirror is bigger, light is brighter and now and then I need water.

I don’t keep my makeup in the bathroom because the conditions in bathrooms (warm, humid) tend to be bad for products and good for bacterial growth.

At a previous house I had a tall cabinet that fit between the vanity and corner wall. It was about shoulder high (can't remember actual height). It had shallow drawer at top & door below with adjustable shelves. It was the perfect height to use for applying makeup standing up. I kept a makeup mirror on top, and all my "stuff" below. It also helped to keep the rest of the area open for DH if needed.

I'm far from a make-up addict so all my make-up fits in one small train trunk. I just carry it to whichever room I want, for now. Sometimes bathroom but if someone else needs that room (especially the shower) I can bring it to my mirrored dresser. In our master bedroom which is being renovated I have dedicated space for a vanity though. I choose the corner with the most natural light and staked it out before anything else was decided!!

Could you find a dresser with a mirror that can do double duty, clothes storage below and make-up table above? I think your concerns about tying up the bathroom are legitimate.

I have a vanity behind doors so I can close it all up and not see the mess. It’s not in the bathroom but in the main bedroom.

lindsey ~ My dresser that I have in our current room is actually on the large side and has a very large mirror...I actually use this space along-side my 'desk' vanity. I'm leaning to keep the desk, but not sure if it will feel too cramped in our bedroom.

Believe it or not, I keep mine in the living room. I have my products in a small makeup bag I keep in the side table. I put my makeup on while sitting on the couch every morning. I have done this in the last 3 homes I have lived in. :-)

I have a small bathroom drawer for larger containers but most of my daily products fit in this acrylic organizer I bought at Container Store. It hold a surprising number of items.

P.S. to my comment above: There are many iterations of acrylic organizers. I bought the one that would fit in my medicine cabinet and this one is a perfect fit.

Hi, I also have a large acrylic organizer with drawers that I keep on my vanity. I had purchased from Amazon but the same one is at the Container Store. It holds quite a bit!

All of my makeup is in the master bathroom.

I keep all my makeup in a caddy in the master bathroom but carry it, with a magnification mirror, to a bedroom window that gets natural light. That way I don't wind up with a clown face when I go outdoors! (The master bath doesn't have a window, and I didn't want to get one of those makeup mirrors that change to natural light since I have a wall of bedroom windows with all the natural light I want.) It's an excellent system.

I think it depends on lifestyle-- I put mine on at a makeup table in my bedroom as I live by myself - but if your partner sleeps in using the bathroom is considerate- the inversive- if your partner is using the master bathroom at the same time you would be getting ready moving to the master is considerate

I have my own small bathroom, and keep my makeup in 2 drawers in my vanity.