This is yet another review I’ve been meaning to do forever but I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for my Z-palettes lately so I had to get this out stat!

For those of you who don’t know, Z-palettes are empty, magnetic, cardboard and plastic containers that allow you to organise your makeup in a way that works for you. They’re great for compressing your makeup collection and they make items like eyeshadows and blushes far more portable. I bought my first Z-palette (a plain black one) almost 2 years ago and it was very much loved. It’s a bit grimy looking now so no pictures but I will show off these Sephora branded ones I got earlier this year.

Keep reading after the jump!

The Sephora branded Z-palettes are no different from every other Z-palette but they are designed with Sephora’s iconic black and white stripes. However, the special Sephora Z-palettes only come in the small  and large dome sizes. Z-palettes come in a large variety of sizes and designs so be sure to check out their website to see which one would work best for you.

I’ve been worried about how I neglect a lot of my eyeshadows because they’re not readily accessible when I get ready in the mornings so I decided to try to de-pot my old Urban Decay Loves NY book of shadows. The packaging for this palette is incredibly bulky so this was a prime candidate.

I was rather fortunate because the packaging for this palette is made out of (very thick) cardboard so it was a bit easier to wedge the metal tool that comes with the palette under the shadow and gently ease it out. I did dent a few shadows in the beginning due to impatience but I figured that I had to loosen each side of the shadow before attempting to prise it out of the packaging

If you do manage to break some shadows, keep some rubbing alcohol handy as a few drops can help re-mould any broken powders.

I wrote the name of each shadow on the bottom of each metal tin just in case I needed to know the names later. I popped them into the Z-palette and that was it! I added a few other shadows I had to the palette but I had to use the metal stickers that come with each Z-palette as they wouldn’t stick by themselves.

Z-palettes are a little pricy in my opinion (the large dome palette runs for $28) but they are so useful and surprisingly durable for something made out of cardboard and plastic. So I do recommend them even though I wish they were a little less expensive. The clear, hard plastic window comes in handy and allows you to see exactly what is in each palette and it’s easy to wipe down the palette if it gets a little grimy.

Here’s another of my Z-palettes that houses all the blushes that I’ve managed to snag from work:

The Sephora website claims that this collaborative Z-palette is limited edition but I bought mine well over 6 months ago so I wouldn’t worry too much. However, if you do decide to go ahead and grab one they can be found here for $28 for the large dome size.

Are you a de-potting junkie? Tempted by Z-palettes? Let me know in the comments!

Nana Adomah