55 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Pearl Avatar

I never thought about it but yes, I think I prefer them to all have the same shape (standard circle size). If it’s pre-made I don’t care but if I’m depotting and making palettes, I’d like them to all be circular.

Erica Avatar

I hadn’t thought about it, but square/rectangles make the best use of zpallette space! Circles leave empty space that could add up to a couple pan’s worth. Other than that, usage wise it doesn’t matter.

Astrild Avatar

I really don’t mind the shape, as long as they’ll be large enough to use a stardard-sized brush. Talking about palettes, I prefer the shape/size of the highlight and transition shades bigger than the others because I use them the most.

Anne Avatar

I’m the same about wanting consistency along brands, but aside from that I don’t much care. I can’t stand when the shadow pans are tiny though, or really weirdly shaped like that Givenchy one with the stars. I also don’t really like domed ones in palettes like the Chanel ones as the fallout goes right onto the other shades. I prefer my eyeshadows flat (or separate if not flat) and big enough to swirl a brush in to.

Julia Avatar

I don’t really mind between square/ round/ rectangular, but I don’t really like it when brands get “creative.” The hearts in the Too Faced Bon Bons palette are cute but impractical, and I think the trapezoid pans in the Gritty & Glow palette are really odd- although it ends up that they have a nice long line between the narrow point and the opppsite end, and I can actually fit a fan brush in them!

Brynn Avatar

Only if they’re something bizarre, like star-shaped pans in a palette I had years ago. It was a “fun” type product, so I didn’t come close to finishing it out, but it was still annoying to use!

Karla Avatar

If they are going into a Z palette then yes, it would drive me crazy seeing different shapes, i can only put pans that are same shape, thats the reason i dont depot my nars singles into my palette to be with my mac eyeshadow or buy MUFE, because the pans are larger, i know, weird.

Christy Avatar

Yes, I have a strong preference for the round pans that Makeup Geek, Anastasia, and MAC use, for uniformity in my Z-palettes. I do have some MUFE shadows, but they go in a separate palette, and I’d rather they were the smaller size.

Anne Avatar

I think the need for a Z palette may well have originated from the frustration of having to deal with too many palettes, too many unused colors included in them, too many singles, and too many different sized pans. (Perhaps also from having too many eyeshadows, as well?)

I personally don’t like eyeshadow pans (usually found in palettes) that are tiny or single eyeshadow pans that are too big. I buy the latter if I love the product, but wonder if it’s size is merely a function of justifying its expensive price.

LaMaitresse Avatar

Agreed, especially if it’s a prestigious brand. I received a Charlotte Tilbury quad that where the pans were crooked, and I thought really, you’ve just launched your brand and your QA is this mediocre. It’s the only quad I’ve ever had where the pans were not straight.

Madeline Avatar

To a point, it matters. I have the Naked Smoky palette, and while the design and quality of the palette is gorgeous, I really enjoy a wider pan than the thin strips much more. I can’t really give a valid reason, it just makes me feel like I have more elbow room to work with. I’ve never used the Chocolate Bonbons palette from Too Faced precisely for this reason, the colors look useful, but the heart shaped pans just really turn me off.

Rebecca H. Avatar

While I prefer squares, I’m also fine with circles. I don’t like the cutesy shapes, like the Too Faced hearts. Loved the colours and the pigmentation, but hated the palette design.

Roxi Avatar

It drives me crazy when brands have pans that are differently shaped or sized in one single palette. Precisely why I don’t purchase eye AND face palettes. But that tarte pro palette and kvd metal matte palette gave me anxiety. I guess I have a bit of a compulsion problem.
For eyeshadows in premade palettes, I like them to be square, or rectangular close to square (not a big fan of UD naked shape but at least they’re consistent). I don’t like round shadows in a palette, but it bothers me less than for instance heart shaped!!
For single eye shadow sold in pans, I do prefer them round, preferably exactly the same size as Mac eyeshadow pans because I know exactly how they’d fit in my large or extra large z palettes (so Makeup Geek, ABH, Nyx, depotted Zoeva, and Urban Decay if I ever dared to depot them). I don’t like the ones that are bigger such as MUFE, they just don’t have a good fit within my z palettes (meaning too much space wasted; I do own 4 of them that are still lonely without friends). I’ve tried to love the inglot eyeshadow pans but they drove me so crazy, so I eventually bought one of their 10 pan magnetic palette, and declutteted all the rest (like 30 or so). I’m not a fan of their black magnetic palette because I accidentally squeeze my fingertips all the time when I put the lid on…. Had they been square instead of rectangular, I probably wouldn’t have decluttered them. I’m a bit crazy.

Eileen Avatar

I like basic shapes–ovals, rounds, squares, or rectangles. I don’t like the odd shapes–particularly in a palette–that are used to create a design or pattern because all too often they create sections that can’t be effectively used without switching to a tiny brush.

HeavyMetalJess Avatar

Same here. Wish brands would stick to just one shape. Urban Decay is the big offender here. I have 4 different sizes/shapes from them and it drives me crazy since I can’t get them to fit nicely in my custom palettes.

MoMerrell Avatar

Until being asked this question I didn’t realize how much it matters. I like circular shapes if single; square is okay too. I do not like heart or star shaped items of any kind esp in an eye shadow pan. I guess I feel like with circle or square pans, they are bound to get the best use out of design space and able to make a more compact palette.

Kyra T. Avatar

Yes!!! The one (and only) reason I didn’t like the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea palette was because it was round ?? For some reason that throws me off haha loved the colors, not the shape ha

CHERRI Avatar

If it is a shade I do not use often I think it does not matter. If it is a shade I am going to hit pan on and beyond, then I want it square or circular so all the shadow is accessible.

Alexandra Avatar

I’m fine with pretty much anything, except for long thin rectangles and hearts. The rectangles are just a pain to get your brush into and the hearts remind me of an eyeshadow palette I got when I was eight, I like the memories but I feel like it brings down the quality of the product in my eyes

Flaky Avatar

im about to contradict myself here. I don’t care the shape of the pan, but I do care if a palette has different sized pans in one item. I’m thinking about YSL – the one decent shade always seems to be the tiniest pan & then there’s a big slab of a garbage next to it.

Here’s where I am going to contradict myself, I do like the layout of the Too Faced palettes that have a larger pan for some shades. They’ve seem to have figured out which colors I will actually use more often.

Last, I don’t like split pans at all. Unless it’s a color tha I’m just going to mix into one, I usually skip them.

judy h. Avatar

Yes the shape matters very much. I much prefer round pans. I find them much easier to get the right amount of product from and I can always get every last bit of of product out of a round pan.

Shari Avatar

Square or rectangular because I like to depot them. Though I’m not opposed to round. I also prefer them big enough for normal eyeshadow brushes, but small enough that I’ll eventually be able to use it up. For me MUFE individual pans are too big. I can never seem to finish one. I prefer the size in their artist palettes.

Sheri Avatar

Since I have devoted various sizes I can say that the rectangular shaped pans are more difficult to get a brush into when in a z-palatte. I like round or or square pans better in this instance.

Lena Avatar

Typically, no, but if a brand chooses a certain shape pan for visual appeal over providing a decent amount of product ( I’m looking at you KVD Alchemy palette) I find that a bit deceptive.

Silvia Avatar

I don’t care much about it. But rather not buy something so small it makes hard to run a brush or finger and spreading to the other colors. Or too big I rarely buy one of those. Most up to an 8-10 color palette especially to have choices when traveling and I will hand carry my beauties! Square ones are more practical when storing than round for sure.

Magdalena Plewinska Avatar

I prefer round or square. Hate the heart-shaped ones (I loathe “cute”) and the irregular shapes in the Dior quints (for example) are a pain if depotted but they don’t bother me in the original packaging.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!