Switching Palettes… From the Z-Palette to the MAC Pro Large Empty Palette. Which is better?

One of my favorite makeup artist/painter friends in Miami, Yuzly [click here], was raving about her new MAC empty palettes on Facebook one day, and decided to pick some up for me since she loved them so much! I figured now was a better time than any to give them a go! Let’s see how they compare to my beloved Z-Palettes!

So, what prompted me to even be interested in a new empty palette was the fact that my Z-Palettes were cracked [insert HORRIFICALLY sad face here].They ended up getting cracked by the WORLD CLASS [read: deep sarcasm] baggage handlers at LaGuardia Airport. I had to board my flight at the last minute due to traffic on the way to the airport, thus, there was no more overhead storage by the time I got to the gate, and they had to check my carry-on. The entire time I was on the flight, I was in DEEP prayer, like… nam-myoho-renge-kyo type prayer, for the safety of my shadows. Of course, when I opened my suitcase, I had damage. I assume they put my bag under the airplane something like this…

So, not only did I lose about 6 eyeshadows, but I also had damage to two of my Z-Palettes. The extremely friendly and helpful staff at the airport [read: deep sarcasm] was as helpful as a deaf and blind stuffed animal at getting my makeup replaced. Every person I asked for help pretty much gave me the blank stare, like…

So out of frustration, I just left and decided to move along with life. That is when Yuzly sent me the MAC palettes to try. Let’s take a look at the damage to my beloved Z-Palette’s first.

I was devastated, folks. Like, drinking whisky and listening to country music with the lights off devastated. I really love the Z-Palette. Look at how much it can hold!

Regardless, the shards of shattered plastic just were not safe to be carrying around. The inside of the shattered lid was starting to grind away the shadows under it, so I had no choice but to replace it. In comes the MAC empty palette…

So, as you can see, the MAC palettes don’t hold quite as much product as the Z-Palettes, but they are much more sturdy and modern-looking. I love how the case is super light (unlike the Z-Palette), but still extremely sturdy, as it is made from plastic instead of pressed cardboard. I actually was not too upset about the slightly smaller size of the MAC palette because I don’t use colorful eyeshadows much. Taking a few out of the kit is a good thing, so that wasn’t even really an issue in the end.

Here is a closer look at the new set-up of each palette…

Here are pics of how the MAC palettes compare, in size, to the Z-Palettes…

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MY FINAL THOUGHTS:

I kind of like both, but for different reasons. If I had to pick a favorite, I would go for the Z-Palette. Although it’s not as sturdy, it is [1] larger, [2] flatter, and [3] the magnet is stronger. Although the size hasn’t been much of a bother, the height of the MAC palette has been. Because the bottom of the MAC palette has a weaker magnet than the Z-Palette, the shadows and blushes slide around and even come completely disconnected from the base of the palette. One day I opened my makeup case, and found my eyeshadows having a house party in my MAC palette! They had been tumbling around in there like dice in a Yahtzee cup. I was so upset! This was a deal-breaker for me. Right now, I’m still in the MAC empty palettes, but I definitely plan to re-purchase the Z-Palettes. I only wish that they would consider using a stronger material for the plastic portion of lid. The MAC one looks nicer, but the weak magnet and large height make it unpractical for people who have to travel with their kit a lot. You would truly need to use the dividers that MAC sells to go in them for your makeup to be secure (which kind of defeats the purpose on an EMPTY palette — as the dividers only fit MAC eyeshadows and blushes). Translation: No Bueneo MAC!

If you would like to purchase the Z-Palette, click [HERE].

If you would like to purchase the MAC Pro Empty Palette, click [HERE].