So, Z Palettes have been around for a long time and seem to be favoured by lots of makeup artists and makeup junkies! I wasn’t quite convinced, like, why bother when you can just carry everything around in it’s original case. I did use the Bobbi Brown customisable palettes in the past, but I can’t just be using everything from one brand.
My makeup suitcase has been getting progressively heavier and chunkier, so I finally decided to give it a go. Oh, and also because the large black palette is on discount at Luxola (S$26.88).
I first added in the Lancome blushers (from their Spring 2014 collection -coming soon!). Getting them out of their plastic casings were tough. I used the old school method of putting a flame directly under the plastic and melting it. This method is not recommended by Z Palette. They recommend prying, oven and heat by hair straightener. I couldn’t pry, didn’t want to smoke up my oven and didn’t want to risk any damage to my GHDs.
Next I put in the round Make Up For Ever blushers and contouring powders. These were SUPER EASY to get out of their pans. They were held down to their original pans by magnets anyway so I tapped -with some force- them out of their casings. Yeah! Thumbs up for MUFE!
Lastly I tried to pry out my NARS Orgasm blusher (the rectangular one). The glue was sort of soft so I could pry it a little. But it started to crack a little so I stopped, following Z Palette’s instructions to immediately stop if the powder is cracking. Then I did the whole flame thing again and then pushed it out. I had initially used a metal cuticle pusher to pry.
Because my NARS blush was then sort of cracked with little micro cracks, I used rubbing alcohol to “set” it back into place, following this tip from them:
In the process, I damaged a MAC Mineralize blush. This was stupidity on my part. I didn’t check to see if the blush was held by a metal pan or not. Well, it was not. The good news: I can either try to save this blusher cos it hasn’t cracked, or just trade it into MAC for their back-to-mac programme. Or i could find an empty metal pan, crush this blush and set it into the pan using rubbing alcohol.
As for the sticky glue left under some of the pans, I removed it with spirit gum remover. Then I proceeded to write the brands and shade names under the pans with a permanent marker. I also used little sticker tags for some.
My verdict? Depotting can be a bitch, and goodness knows how much fumes from burning plastic I inhaled. But storing the blushers in such a handy case is worth it. It’s so customisable, and whenever you change your mind or need different product combinations you can swap colours around.
And for once I can see what I have in one glance, thanks to the clear plastic window in the front.
US$14-$28