so i got an email from Beautylish the other day notifying me that they are starting to carry Rae Morris’s line of makeup brushes. one of the selling points of these brushes was that they’ve got magnets at the bottom of the brush, so they can stand on anything a magnet can stick to.  the point of this?  Rae Morris sells frames and plates made of steel so that the brushes can stand on a flat surface, allowing you to see your brushes easier than you would be able to in a canister.  if you’re ocd, you’ll be happy to know that another virtue of this set up is that brushes do not touch each other and cross contaminate.  this is also more space saving than a bunch of brushes in a brush roll or lying spread out across your desk.  i wash my brushes often so dust is not an issue.  if you rarely wash your brushes, you may want to consider the dust issue.

so what if you want the benefits of your brushes standing, but you don’t want to shell out the money for a new line of brushes?  meet Makeup Organizer by Zen Cosmetics.

Makeup Organizer in green by Zen Cosmetics

this cute little guy is made of plastic and silicone.  it’s dimensions are 8.3″ L x 2″ W x 1.3″ H (210mm x 52mm X 34mm).  the silicone top, with the circular and diamond patterns, allows for all different sizes of brushes to be held securely.  i can even hold this upside down and not have brushes fall out.  the boyfriend suggested that if we put velcro to the bottom of it, it could possibly allow you to dry brushes upside down.  since i live in la, brushes generally dry for me overnight while lying flat, so i haven’t needed to test this.  if you guys are interested in me testing this for you, leave me a comment down below.  the silicone returns to its original shape without any problems after you take the brush out.  i was a bit concerned that thicker brush handles, such as the powder brush on the right, would overstretch the silicone over time.  it turned out to be a needless worry because that brush sat there for a month without being used, and when i finally found a different home for it, the silicone easily returned to its original shape! phew! /big sigh of relief!

i like this for several reasons.  it’s cheap! i got it on sale for $5! you can buy an orange one on sale right now for $7 on quirky.com, or you can find it on amazon.com for $12.99 in grey, pink, or green (pictured).  i like it better than filling a glass container with marbles because brushes come in and out of the holder easier.  i had problems finding something other than marbles that wouldn’t scratch the handle of my brushes.  (if you have an alternative suggestion to marbles, please leave me a comment down below). i like two rows of these organizers, one for my eye brushes and one for my face.  like Rae Morris points out, this set up lets you find the brush you need easier.  you’ll also be less likely to pull out your brushes by the bristles, thus avoiding extra wear and tear on your expensive brushes.  i also think it’s really cute and adds a nice pop of color to my vanity.  i’ve seen other bloggers use this to hold their eye primer, eye liners, and tweezers too, so the possibilities are unless! last but not least, the silicone part detaches for easy cleaning!

Readers, how do you like to store your brushes? do you own or lust after any of the Rae Morris brushes?