Reusing and upcycling empty cosmetics packaging is a great way to extend the lifespan of a product as well as cutting down on waste and Etikora team member Natalia tells us how she has upcycled cosmetics containers and bottles.

I recently bought myself some perfume. I’m the kind of woman who likes to regularly change everything around including aromas and interior decorations. I couldn't find a spot for new perfume that day because my entire dressing table was full of empty cream, perfume, and face mask jars. After collecting some of them, instead of throwing them away, I decided to turn them into something interesting and useful.

I chose two perfume bottles and two moisturizer jars.

Upcycling Jars

Whenever I see any empty box, it always comes to my mind to use it for storage. This was no exception. For some time now I could not find a storage place for my jewelry, which was scattered everywhere, so one of the jars became a home for this. In the second one I put paper clips.

Redesigning Bottles

I love everything related to creativity and decor. Taking the most attractive empty perfume bottles, I got creative and decided to paint one of them. Using non-toxic acrylic paint, I came up with a pattern of pumpkins that emphasizes the autumn atmosphere. I'm not an artist, but this was maybe an advantage, because creativity should not be limited by conventional ability.

I painted one of the bottles orange and purple, and the second, a smaller one, I kept it as it was and found some dried mint and put it in. A light herbal scent mixed with the remnants of a citrus perfume permeated the room.

Finally, I decided to combine the bottles with a rectangular paper box made from an old product catalogue (my attempt at origami!).