It's Z best thing...

I don't know how it happens, because I don't consider myself a big make-up girl, but my make-up drawer seems to slowly fill with various compacts of various powders and cream products that I rarely use, mostly because I don't know what I have!  I never stop at the make-up counters or the make-up aisles, yet through various gifts with purchase and from friends I have lots of loose items.

The problem with a lot of compacts is that their cases are solid, so you can't see what's inside without opening, and for the most part they are not customizable -- if you're anything like me you favor a shadow here with a shadow there, and if you're traveling you have to take a bunch of loose items to have your favorite colors on hand.  I was tired of the clutter and thought there must be a more efficient way to manage all my products.

Viola! I discovered Zpalette.  I was trying to think of some way to DIY something like this, and then I stumbled across a pin on Pinterest and I shouted (in my head) Eureka!  I found the palette on Beauty.com, and with a coupon code got 20% off plus free shipping, and was so excited that I started getting my makeup ready before the item even arrived.

Zpalette is just an empty palette with a clear lid and a magnetic back, that you can fill with all your individual powders and creams, regardless of shape, size and brand. They come in different colors and patterns, if you want to be fun (I just got plain black.)

De-potting is actually pretty easy.  The palette comes with directions offering a couple ways.  I confess I didn't read them until after I'd done it my own way first, but my own way was one of the ways they recommended anyway. Most powder products are in a little metal pan and then inside some other packaging (usually plastic, in my case.) Some of them were already loose when I started, and was able to just pop them out with the help of my little make-up spatula I have (see below, top right.)  For others, the glue holding the metal pan in the plastic was more firm, so I placed it on my heated flat iron for 5-10 seconds and it melted the glue enough without melting the plastic that the pan would pop out easily with my spatula.  This works best if your plastic doesn't have any stickers or other coatings that can melt to your flat iron surface. 

Another option they give you is to put you products on a was paper-lined cookie sheet on low heat (between 200-350 degrees) for a few minutes until the glue softens.  This might also melt the plastic packaging a bit (that's why the wax paper liner) and probably isn't good for things like cream blushes or lip products.

 

 

Some products, despite being in a metal pan, are not magnetic to the palette, so the palette comes with little magnetic stickers you can attach to the back of those that won't stick .  They have a sticker side you just peel off and stick on.  I was being frugal and using one sticker for 2 eye shadows (above right.)  Now I easily have my Mary Kay, Mac, Cover Girl and Sephora eye shadows, plus a couple cheek and face products, together in a quick grab, easy to see all case.  I actually have even more products that I need to get another palette. Dear Santa....