Z Palette Review and Depotting Tutorial

If you're anything like me, sometimes you have to search and search through your makeup drawer to find what you're looking for.

Z Palette ($14-$25) is here to make your life easier. The brand makes empty, magnetized palettes so you can remove makeup pans from their containers (i.e. depot) and create your own custom palette! Each palette also includes metal stickers so that non-metal pans can stay put in the magnetized Z Palette.

Z Palette

Before I bought my Z Palette, I debated between that and a Unii, another popular refillable palette. The Z Palette is made of hard laminate cardboard with a clear top while the Unii is plastic with a mirrored top. The sturdiness of the Unii was appealing to me, but Unii Palettes only come in a 5.4" by 2.8" size. I am serious about reducing my makeup clutter so I opted for a Large Z Palette with an inside perimeter of about 7.4" by 4."

Z Palette
Half Full

I gotta say, I very happy with my purchase. The palette won't be able to contain all of my makeup, but using the Z Palette has definitely reduced the clutter. I do have some worries about the sturdiness, so I think I will avoid traveling with this palette. Otherwise, it's perfect for day-to-day storage and organization. Plus, I had lots of fun depotting and organizing my makeup in the palette!  Here's how I did it.

How to Depot

If the pan isn't glued to its container, you can simply pry it out with a knife or nail file.

However, the majority of pans ARE glued in, so you'll have to melt the adhesive before you pry them out. I used my old, battered hair straightener to melt the glue.

I turned my straightener on to medium-low heat and placed my Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo in Cocoa Puff/Honey Pot on one of the plates. You can also place a towel on the plate first.

Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo in Cocoa Puff/Honey Pot
On my sad, long-abandoned hair straightener

I removed the eyeshadow after about 45 seconds (careful, it's hot!) and ran my nail file along the edge of the pans. I worked the tip under the base and popped out the pan. I used rubbing alcohol to remove the glue from the bottom of the pan and set it on a paper towel to dry.

Depotting Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo in Erotica/Silk Teddy

Repeat until you fill up your Z Palette!

Z Palette and Too Faced Eye Shadow Duos

Have you ventured into the world of customizable palettes and makeup depotting?  Any tips, tricks, or recommendations?