Strictly speaking, the bands aren't entirely necessary - the shelves stay put without them, provided you're not doing any Wheel of Fortune spinning like one reviewer mentioned! :-) I think if you were going to be moving the organizer from place to place frequently you'd want to make sure to have the bands on - but I intend to just leave mine in one spot.

FUNCTIONAL & CONVENIENT - Maximize space and save time getting ready by reducing clutter - Suits multipurpose storage needs for organizing bathroom counters, bedrooms, desks, toiletries, skincare, and more - Great for vanity tabletop, countertop, or desktop organization. ADJUSTABLE & PRACTICAL - Cuztomize your cosmetic organizer by adjusting the multi-level partitions to your desired height - Lazy Susan swivel base smoothly rotates 360 degrees without a sound - Simply spin the cosmetic organizer to stow or retrieve items - Steady base ensures cosmetics stay in place during rotation - Keep go-to items in one place for easy access. VERSATILE & LARGE CAPACITY - Beautifully stores and displays foundations, bronzers, blushes, eye shadows, primers, brushes, and manicure tools - Organize toiletries such as deodorant, facial scrubs, lotions, hair products, and skin care products - Display accessories like jewelry, medicine bottles, kitchen spices, and office supplies.All these and more ideas to spruce up and declutter your bathroom cabinets and drawers, below. The Best Makeup Organizers, According to Vogue I didn't expect the organizer to be super heavy-duty for the price, and it's not, but to me it seems quite adequate to hold make-up and lotions. It doesn't look huge, but it holds a surprising number of items! I took almost everything out of a quite large basket on my bathroom vanity, and almost all of it fit! I have a can of hairspray and some Biolage gel that are too tall to fit on the organizer - even with no shelves in a section. But I honestly didn't think a lot of things would fit that did, so I'm happy with that aspect.