Review: Z Palettes

I've been seeing reviews of Z Palettes around a few blogs lately, and after I ended up with some loose Stila eyeshadow pans from a couple of StrawberryNET specials I decided to order myself some from Camera Ready Cosmetics (who by the way were excellent - great communication and speedy delivery to New Zealand). I got a large Z Palette which measures 8 inches x 4.75 inches and costs US$20.00, and a small Z Pallete which measures 3.8 inches x 3.8 inches and costs US$14.00:

Z palettes have a magnetic base which metal makeup pans stick to, a magnetic lid closure and see-through window on the top.

Here is the small Z Palette, which as you can see fits four Stila eyeshadow pans with room left over:

And the large Z Palette which fits five Stila eyeshadow pans horizontally and two vertically, plus I could fit another smaller pan at the bottom of vertical row if I wanted, or fit three Stila eyeshadow pans vertically by putting one at the bottom in between the rows. Stila eyeshadow pans are larger than many other brands too, so with smaller pans you would easily get three in vertically:

The magnetic base is strong enough that the pans are held in firmly, but not so strong that they're difficult to remove if you want to change things around, the window on the top makes it easy to see what colours you have and the magnetic closure means they're not going to fling open and leave your pans open to damage.  The palettes themselves feel fairly sturdy - I have a suspicion that carrying them around for long periods in a handbag might result in a little wear and tear but that happens to most things in handbags eventually, and personally I rarely carry my eyeshadows around with me. 

If you find that your makeup pans aren't magnetic, Z Palette also have pre-cut magnetic stickers.

My verdict: This is a great idea and a great product.

Available from Z Palette's website, and Camera Ready Cosmetics. Other stockists are listed on Z Palette's site.