Cheap Makeup Vanity Sets

Walking in any streets in any part of the world, you are visibly reminded, over and over again, how the invent of makeup vanity, cosmetics and beauty parlours has redefined the cultures of every human society. Cheap makeup vanity has made it possible, quite interestingly, to have women adorn their faces with glamorous colors that announces their femininity and how proud they are of who they've chosen to be.

It is almost impossible, to say the least, given the array of inexpensive makeup vanities, to find a woman, lady of even a teenager in a city centre leave their house without a touch of this make up or that makeup.

Whether it is just a lipstick for the warm summer weather, or a light foundation for the hot spring, or a mascara to accentuate the eye, or eyelashes to help give a more appealing look, ladies, women and females around the world just have to have a makeup on.

In wearing these makeups - light or heavy or moderate, depending on the tag they choose to use - they would have to sit on a stool, their faces behind a mirror and their makeup kit on a table from which they would select the different accessories to use on their face. 

HISTORY OF MAKEUP VANITY

What we call eyeliner today was first used by the Egyptians to line their eyes - by men and women. The kohl used today was used the by ancient Egyptians as a form of beautification and a way to ward off evil eye and evil spirits. Some scientist believe the kohl, which was derived from a mixture of metal, lead, copper, ash and burnt almonds, helped to fight against some bacteria, giving them better eyesight.

Looking at ancient tombs of Egyptians, dating back as far as (c.3100-2907 BC), jars of Unguent were discovered. These were scented lotions used by men and women to keep their skin supple and hydrated. The harsh weather conditions meant they needed to keep their skin free of wrinkles.

They have been looking good for a long long time.

The Romans and Greeks adopted these form of beauty enhancement as they used them in their plays, with some men wearing wigs and having their faces "painted" when they wanted to play female roles in dramas. Back then, women were forbidden from acting in dramas, so the men played women roles with "makeup" on.

The Greco-Roman women wore white lead and chalk on their faces to accentuate their beauty. The idea that makeup was for deceptive women lead to the women of this time trying to maintain a "natural" skin by applying mild forms of beauty enhancements.

In China, however, the makeup was quite different. While the Egyptians were seen to be the first to use cosmetics, the Chinese instead had paintings on their fingernails as a way to depict class and affluence.

The wealthy and royalty painted their nails gold or silver, while those of the lower caste were forbidden from wearing bright colors. The would instead paint their nails in full colors like brown.

The journey of makeups through the dreary road of history has not exactly been free of prejudice and discrimination.

THE ENGLISH AND MAKEUP

During the reign of Charles II when "heavy" makeup was worn to help against very pale skins that were a result of staying too long inside the house due to an illness epidemic.

The history of makeup does vary through different epochs and continents, religion and culture.

The French restoration, also known as the Bourbon restoration - the period in French history following the fall of Napoleon - saw French women wear red lipstick to depict a fun-loving spirit.

The evolution of makeup moved through these times after the Victorians when women started to make their own mascara, around 1910. Women started adding hot tips of wax to their eyelashes.

Mabel was the first "mascara brand" to be created. It was named after the sister of its creator, T.L Williams. It now goes by the name, Maybelline.

The pancake makeup soon became a thing in movie industry as women wore the mascara that made their eyes look larger, earning them the moniker, Vamp, which means vampire.

IN AMERICA

Ballet drove the influence of makeup as an acceptable form of beautification for women in the United States of America and Europe.

Makeups have since then become an acceptable fashion statement with many a cosmetic companies earning millions of dollars from sales.

We can't talk about makeup without talking about makeup vanity.

What is makeup vanity?

Makeup vanity, also called dresser or Dressing table, is a table with drawers, stool and mirrors that one sits on while applying makeup.

A vanity table, which some call lowboy because of the amount of drawers, comprises of a table, a set of drawers, a mirror and a stool for sitting.

The name change over time has confused some people in distinguishing between a makeup vanity and a bureau.

While a bureau is a set of drawers, a makeup vanity is a set of drawers with a tabletop, a stool and mirrors atop. The bureau and the makeup vanity differ in its definition and use.

HISTORY OF MAKEUP VANITIES / DRESSING TABLES

Makeup Vanity has been in a thing for women for a long time. The history of the dresser is one that dates back to the 17th century.

For centuries, women have been concerned with how they look, and where they kept their beauty tools and accessories.

The Egyptian women of the early times used to keep their beauty apparatus in a safe box which they bury with them when they die. This boxes were called 'necessaries' in French, which means Must-haves.

The 17th century Europe was where the vanity table became popular. It became a way for people to show their social standings, with the Expensive and "classy" tables earning you social respect and reinstating your social class. These tables were first referred to as Toilet tables.

The French called these tables poudreus while in England, it was known as the Lowboy, due to its low drawers.

The popularity of the vanity table was further heightened by a French mistress, Madame De Pampadour (mistress to Emperor Louis XIV). She shot the vanity tables to fame by sitting at her "toilet table" to receive guests.

She was a trusted adviser to the King. Due to time wasted when she tried to get ready for meetings using the "toilette", she employed the services of furniture designer, Jean-Francois Oeben, to make her a table where she could get ready and still be able to meet her guests.

His Rococo style vanity was exquisite, a rare work of art. It had dainty flowers on the table top and a sliding mechanism such that when the top slides back, the front reveals a huge mirror after sliding forward. This was the work of a master. It afforded the mistress the space to have her guests sit while she attended to them, as well as have some storage compartments to hide little cosmetics.

The wave of the vanity table spread to England on the 18th century.

In America, the vanity table was renamed the dressing table. It had become a must-have in bedrooms, with women stating their fashion sense through the design and quality of wood their dressing tables were made of.

The Chippendale style was among the popular dressing table styles of the 19th century England.

Over the course of time, the dressing tables have evolved to become not just another bedroom furniture but a statement of style and class. The 1920's and 1930's saw the glamorizing of vanity tables in movies.

Styles of Vanity Tables

The transition from the Rocco style of madame Pampadour to the Amish Traditional Queen Anne Dressing Table Vanity, to the Amish Louis Philippe Vanity... inexpensive makeup vanity has grown and evolved in leaps and bounds.

Vanity tables have grown to have more drawers, or less; mirrors designed in different shapes and stool of different styles; tables have been made with more artistic feel and comfort than before. It has evolved from the preserve of the rich and famous to the bedrooms of ordinary men and women who desire to look good. Its evolution has brought about affordable makeup vanities for all... maybe not sundry, but to a wider range of people.

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Vanity makeup tables are essential in the home to every woman, as a beauty space as well as a health "corner". Affordable makeup Vanities can be found either in the bathrooms or in the bedroom, depending on where a person prefers. The bathroom vanities are usually used for multiplicity of purposes aside makeup. Some store some toiletries in the drawers, while others keep some useful washing and beauty chemicals in the vanities.

The vanities used in the bedrooms are usually more of dressers. The makeup vanities in the bedrooms, as well as those in the bathrooms, have varying styles and designs, each based on choice and convenience.

We have curated a list of cheap makeup vanities that not only expresses glamour and art and fashion, but also affords the user space enough for the necessities. These list is not exhaustive, but it gives a fair idea of the different types of affordable Makeup vanities you can find that maximizes Space and art. 

1. Under-Mounted Sink Vanity: This is a vanity that has a sink installed into it. What makes this style unique and convenient is the way the sink is mounted under the surface of the vanity, affording you more space on the counter top to place your makeup accessories.

For most people, having the sink atop the vanity cabinet inconvenient as they sometimes, if not most times, bump into things. But having the under-mounted sink vanity means that you don't have to fear bumping into anything.

Also, the space that it affords you to keep your mirror is another added advantage.

2. Floating Vanity: This is one of the common ones that people use. If you don't bother much about drawer space and cupboards, then this is the type you should be having.

The "floating" vanity, instead of being on the floor, hangs on the wall. The mirror is hung on the wall, with the counter tops and stool taking little space. The major advantage of this style is its little use of space. For those who don't have a lot of floor space to work with, the floating vanity fits just perfectly.

3. Standard Horizontal Vanity: With two columns of drawers with a horizontal orientation, they are the oldest set of cheap makeup vanity types in the world. They can be made from oak or birch. The mirror sits beautifully atop the counter-top. One of the advantages of the standard horizontal vanity is that it affords you quite an amount of drawers space and a reasonably wide counter-top to place your cosmetics. This vanity is quite affec

There are no uniform specifications for a makeup vanity. The style of the vanity table, its drawers, stool, and mirrors are a reflection of the individuals' style and how best they want to utilize their bedroom space.

You can decided to have whatever style of mirror, table style and even drawer style you want, but it is important that your vanity table meets the need for which it is created.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR MAKEUP VANITY

The depth of a makeup vanity varies with preference. You can have a width of thirty six inches, and a depth of twenty one inches. The width is so it can contain the cosmetics and other makeup accessories when making up.

For the height of a vanity, you can decide to have between the ranges of twenty one to twenty four inches in height. This, as with every other specifications, varies with choices. The makeup counter is several inches higher than the other vanity - the seat bench and the drawers.

The vanity seat bench can vary between eighteen to nineteen and a half inches high. The vanity seat bench, is lower than the counter top. The countertop should be twelve inches higher than the vanity seat bench. This also depends on the choice and style of owner.

For the drawer cabinet, you can make the width fifteen inches. The length is solely your prerogative.

WOODS FOR MAKEUP VANITY

The kind of wood to use for a vanity would depend greatly on the style of the vanity as well as the ultimate beauty statement or class statement that you want. The oak wood was used in the 19th century to make the Victorian style vanity. These days however, the wood choice varies.

You can use a hardwood plywood for your cabinet sided, shelves, and door panels. For the door frames and small drawers, you can use the hardwood like Marple or birch.

The reason for using a plywood is that the high humidity in the bathroom, where the vanity are usually kept, would be better Fitted for a plywood-made vanity than one made form Medium Density fibreboard.

Although using the medium density Fibreboard would make painting easier, but it won't be as durable as the one made from a combination of plywood and birch or Marple.

Solid wood on the other hand would shrink and expand with the changing humidity, which would make the paint line crack over time.

WHY DO YOU NEED A MAKEUP VANITY?

The modern makeup vanity styles, ranging from the Amish Handcraft shaker Table with twelve drawers, a large mirror and wide tabletop space, to the Amish Deluxe Clockbase dressing table with black velvet lines on the drawers, a beveled mirror and four drawer compartments, the modern dressing table has evolved past the kohl-keeping boxes of the Egyptians.

With these varying styles that sometimes  reflect personas of the owners, what is the need for a makeup vanity?

Is it not just a place for women to sit and makeup?

No! No! It is much more than that.

1. A vanity makeup helps you Create space In your bedroom. When one hears of vanity makeup, they are quick to think "I don't have enough space in my bedroom", but that's not entirely true.

A makeup Vanity helps you keep those makeup tools that would have been lying around the bedroom. It not only keeps them safe for when you'll need them, it also frees up those spaces where they formerly lie, giving your bedroom an organized ambience.

2. You can create another working space. Just like mistress Pompadour of France who welcomed guests while she sat behind her vanity, you too can have your own home office in your bedroom.

It also helps to give your bedroom a different look - chic and appealing.

Makeup Vanity with Mirrors

1. Kiger Vanity set: This cheap makeup vanity is stylish and chic. It comes with beveled mirror, that is adjustable, a clean stool with comfortable top and a counter top that is just perfect for that quick morning makeup session before leaving for work. It also has a pullout drawer for the cosmetics and brushes. The mirror can also be removed when not needed.

2. Kinkaider Vanity set: With two drawers, a removable mirror and an upholstered stool, this Vanity set has all the style that your bedroom needs. It is flowered patterned upholstery which gives it a touch of elegance. The mirror, a flop top with safety hinges, provides more space when it is adjusted. The drawers provide enough space for the makeup tools and accessories. Also, the mirror is not magnifying.

3. Zeke wood Vanity set: This vanity set looks like a set Cinderella would go for. It resembles the Traditional Queen Ann dressing table, with its oval mirror, cabriole legs and small stool. The drawers are two, single compartments - on the left and on the right. It has a fairly comfortable table space for the brushes and lipsticks.

4. Good-Hope Vanity Set: It resembles the Amish Louis Philippe Vanity with three mirrors that sits comfortably atop a wide table with velvet felt lined drawers. The mirrors a beveled and sleek. It also has drawer slides. The tabletop is forty three inches wide. The stool is comfortable with drawer slides on the drawers.

HOW TO STYLE YOUR MAKEUP VANITY SPACE

You don't want your makeup vanity table space clustered and looking haphazard. It doesn't matter how well designed your makeup vanity with its lighted mirrors look, if the space isn't arranged, it would look...uhm... bland. And even if it's an inexpensive makeup vanity, you can put a touch of class and royalty to it by arranging the space well.

Your makeup vanity space is your fashion voice. In your bedroom, you should make it entirely yours and style it, yes, style it with these few ideas - styling here tilts more towards how to arrange the space and its many cosmetics and makeup accessories that it is about "styling"- that we would be sharing with you.

1. Have a photo of a loved one on the counter table: The makeup vanity space is yours, and yours only. Won't it be great to have the photo frame of the people you love, or the one you love, atop the table, staring at you while you make up?

2. A good set of tray: What we fail to realize is that even though we have drawers that we keep our brushed and the other accessories, we sometimes get confused, especially when in a haste, when we have all these makeup accessories on the table. A tray would help you organize these things well.

3. Use of drawer divides: While those makeup accessories are in the drawer, you don't want them Cluttered and disorganized. A drawer divide would help you arrange in compartments, which would make it easier for you to find things in the drawer. And it looks good too.

4. Re-purposed Vases: Like the tray, the re-purposed vases help you keep those brushes on the table while you draw those eyeliners and those lips.

MAKEUP VANITY WITH LIGHTED MIRROR

What makes a makeup vanity is the personal style that comes into display while assembling the different parts - stool, the tabletop, the drawer and drawer cabinets - the style, color, arranging the vanity space and selecting the kind of mirrors you want.

These days, having just another mirror is good. But having a lighted mirror is better. It is the new cool when it comes to makeup vanity sets.

You don't need to break the bank to own a lighted makeup vanity, you can transform that affordable makeup vanity you already have to an exquisite Hollywood-style with your own personally designed lighted mirror.

The lighted makeup mirror is important because it helps you get extra light when you makeup. And it also gives you what Hollywood would die for.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN LIGHTED MAKEUP VANITY MIRROR

You can create your own lighted vanity mirror by following the few steps outlined below.

The things needed for this are:

  • A plywood that is cut forty four by thirty inches (44.5" x 30). There are two other small plywoods cut 44.5" x 4 - the longest part - while the shortest lady's are cut 31" x 4

The small cut woods are what you use for framing the mirror and vanity lights.

  • A paint colour of your choice. This is used to paint the wood before nailing the frame and the lights to it.
  • Hand Drilling machine.
  • A pack of vanity lights
  • Glue.
  • Mirror

How to Make your own Lighted mirror

  • Get a plywood of the above mentioned size.
  • Paint the plywood with the paint colour of your choice.
  • When the colour dries off, your place the big plywood upside down, the painted side facing down while the unpainted side facing up.
  • Use corner braces and nails to affix the smaller wood to the edges of the bigger wood.
  • Drill a hole between the smaller plywood and the bigger one with a hand drilling machine. Place the corner braces between the woods to join them together, and a drill them in.
  • You affix this smaller wood at the back of the bigger that was not painted.
  • Do this to the four edges of the bigger wood - affix the smaller wood to them by using corner braces and nails to join them.
  • For the smaller sides, you can use wire nails if you feel the corner braces would not fit perfectly.
  • After that, you paint the slides to hide any kind of blemish by the sides after the nailing.
  • Some vanity light packs come with screw. So all you have to do screw them carefully into the already painted frames.
  • After placing the light on both sides of the frame, you would have to drill a hole in the wood to allow for the wires to pass through when you want to connect therm to a light source.
  • The wiring of the light bulbs is done by first measuring what size of copper wire you'll need to wire through the whole frame.
  • You can get the copper wires by unwrapping an extension cord. What I mean by unwrapping is removing the rubber coating on the cord, leaving only the copper wires that you need to connect to the bulbs exposed.
  • The holes that you drilled through the frame, string the wires through them to the top of the frame where the light bulbs are.
  • You then connect the copper wires to the wires of the light bulb, the white and red wires connected to the corresponding colors of the wire in light pack.
  • Use a wire connector to cover the exposed the wire.
  • After you've connected the wire and are ready to go, it's time to test your connection if it's working.
  • Place the bulbs in the light bar to test it.
  • If the bulbs come on, then it's time to glue the mirror to the lighted frame.
  • The mirror should have been cut to the width of the frame.
  • Apply the glue to the top of the frame, and then place the mirror on the frame.
  • Leave the mirror on the frame for the glue to stick. You can leave it for a whole day for the mirror to stick properly to the frame.
  • The next day, the mirror having been glued to the frame, place atop the tabletop or connect it to the wall.
  • Your light makeup vanity is ready to be used.

CONCLUSION: Makeup vanities has become more than just another bedroom or bathroom furniture, it has become an important part of people's lives. Whether it is the Victorian style, or the lighted mirrors, your makeup vanity set is an expression of your art and fashion taste. 

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