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I have depotted in my younger days. Even with Z palette, I don’t like it once depotted.
More convenient when depotted, but somehow it is not the same anymore, so I don’t depot.
I have depotted some eyeshadows and blushes in the past. They were mostly things I didn’t care enough to throw away but were ok with breaking, and I wanted to make them more travel friendly as I typically don’t take my nicest makeup on long trips.
I don’t depot anymore as I found that part of my enjoyment of my makeup was also in the presentation/packaging.
I don’t have regrets, but I’m not entirely thrilled with the results either.
Your skin tone/coloring: fair, cool
Have you ever depotted? Only items designed for easy depotting, like Sephora’s eyeshadows and single cheek products, MUFE; I did try once to depot a Nars duo and gave up before I wrecked it; I wish more companies would do as Sephora does and make their products easy to depot if that is your wish.
Is it something you continue to do? Nope
Do you love the results or regret doing it? I’d love the results if other companies did what Sephora has (you can depot into a larger palette but then put the single products back their original containers if you just want to carry one eyeshadow or blush with you; if only more companies would follow that lead)
I just got my first Z palette 2 weeks ago! I depotted my Zoeva nude spectrum palette and it’s amazingly satisfying. Zoeva palettes are very nice for depotting. I also tried to depot some bronzers from Too Faced’s little black book of bronzers but that didn’t go well. The pans were not designed for depotting and the adhesive was too strong. I destroyed my favorite bronzer in there which is the Milk Chocolate Soleil. But it’s ok, I substituted it with a sephora bronzer Los Cabos, and I love it even more than Milk Chocolate Soleil.
I like depotting, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll go ahead and buy more palettes on the market for one or two colors so that I can depot into my Z palette. I bought my Z palette for playing with more colorful single shadows.
I don’t ever regret it. I also like that I can buy refills from a couple of Japanese brands that sell cases separately so I can save money in the long run.
~nw20. Yes, usually successfully. In fact, about to go to Ulta for the dryer/flat iron combo that must be OOS online. For depotting, who needs an expensive flat iron? Also going to watch a video on depotting hourglass. Not married to the packaging, so fingerprinty. Got a middle size z, and it’s comparatively so tiny! Want to put the hourglass in there with the iredale powder foundation, and maybe a couple of Surratts. They are pretty small, too. I find the spatulas too thick, and usually use an xacto knife/box cutter. The dental floss method works well, if you can get it under there. Probably will have to move on to Etsy for Z types, as I like to use different colors to make finding things easier. Have done at least 15-20. Depotting started bec the Nars packaging gets ucky here before any product goes bad. Ulta often has LE prints, and if you like Sephora stripes, think the double sided z is in the sale section still. I also try to get a MAC perms and CP powder w/o packaging. Open and pop. How easy is that?
Just an FYI about the spatula. I bought a depotting tool from Z palette. Its long handled and kind of reminds you of a dental tool. It works great. I think it was about $12 US. Well worth it. I could never figure out how to use that little tool that comes with the Sephora Z palettes. I also use a label maker and label them on the “spine” since they’re all the same color.
I’ve done a fair amount of depotting and I have mixed feelings about the results. Very pleased to have depotted some urban decay singles to mingle with my sold-in-pans round singles. On the other hand, I depotted two full Kat von d palettes (chrysalis and innerstellar) to see if I’d use them more – I didn’t and they got messy. Same with ABH master palette – ended up chucking all the pans eventually (sorry, I know how much some like that palette). For downright regret – 3 NARS duos, again thinking I’d use them more. One, Alhambra, I messed up and have now repurchased (ouch, costly), the other two (Kauai and Isolde) live in a small z palette and maybe I use them more because I can see them but I still regret that they are no longer “pristine” and realize I really like that sleep black packaging and miss it.
Sorry, I can’t figure out how to edit – dePOTTed not deported! Autocorrect!
And sleek, not sleep. Verdammt autocorrect. I dk what makes a Nars rubbery plastic go bad in my house,bec. I like it, too. It gets kind of gummy. Depotted all of old Nars artist palettes except the 20th anniversary, think it was. But I don’t depot unless the packaging is unwieldy (like ud bos 4, think it was) it gets skeevy. Just bec I like consolidation and have ancient stash…but have thought about the nakeds and the kids and know better! Esp when stuff is irreplaceable.
Argh, yes sleeK, hah! Bothers me the same reason I regret depotting my duos – I’m a perfectionist at heart!
I wipe the prints of my NARS stuff with a dry cloth pretty regularly, but I wonder – that packaging seems like the kind of thing that could get gummy from moisture, do you live in a place with high humidity?
Your skin tone/coloring: light to medium with yellow undertones, dark brown eyes, black hair
Have you ever depotted? Yes
Is it something you continue to do? Not really. I’d much rather purchase something already in free-pan form or keep it attached to its original packaging.
Do you love the results or regret doing it? I’ve never liked the results. My logic was “oh if I have all these random single shadows (e.g., Bobbi Brown Pewter, MAC Dalliance, Wet n Wild single shadows, L’Oreal HIP duo, etc.) in a single empty palette, I’ll use them more.” Nope. I think it’s because it’s a mash of different shapes & colors that nothing looks tidy or cohesive, so it pains me to look at it, and it never ever gets used (even though I really like all of the products individually).
Agree – you definitely need to find some sort of cohesive order that makes sense for you or the look will put you off.
I have depotted, and I will definitely do it again. I purchased Benefit’s Galifornia, and the box is just too clunky. So I ripped it apart and dropped it in my z-palette. Far easier to store!
With that being said, I would rather depot bulky singles than palettes, typically my pre-made palettes are already pretty easy to store but if I pick up singles (Sugarpill, Colourpop) or buy more Benefit Box o’ Powders, yes, they’re being depotted and stashed in a z-palette.
Yeah, I have a z of benefit and a z of mug. Those boxes take up too much room. That’s where Zs of different colors come in handy. I do prefer pan only. But you have to think more to get stuff into rotation.
I have depotted. I put many of my depotted MAC eyeshadows in a double side palette.
There are a few items I want to depot but I won’t continue to do it on a regular basis.
I find it to be more of a pain more than anything else. Matte eyeshadows tend to crumble. Even when being careful I tended to put knicks in the shadow. Depotting can keep your shadows organized and in one place but it’s a hassle. I wouldn’t say I regret doing it but it’s not as easy as they make it seem. And if it’s LE I won’t depot!
Your skin tone/coloring: Light, neutral (NC20)
Have you ever depotted? No. I like having everything in its original packaging, even though it takes up extra room.
Your skin tone/coloring: fair verging on light and cool
Have you ever depotted? Yes, a few times with mixed results.
Is it something you continue to do? I have recently, but I avoid it for the most part just due to bad past experiences.
Do you love the results or regret doing it? Yes and No. I depotted my lorac holiday blush palette from last year and it worked great, so then I thought I would add my other lorac blushes and highlights to the z palette. That didn’t work out so well (RIP pretties). However, more recently I depotted the few shades I liked out of my Morphe 35O palette and that worked…okay? I cannot be trusted with this stuff so I should just not try it anymore.
Your skin tone/coloring: Light with warm tone
Have you ever depotted? Yes. My most recent depot was Juvia’s Place Nubian Palette. Mine came in very low quality cardboard, not glued tight. Turned out the pans were not made from iron. I had to put mental stickers on the back of all 12 pans! I previously depotted 2 benefit blushes (don’t care for their cardboard bulky package and brush) and 1 BECCA deluxe sample (my husband actually helped remove the plastic case).
Is it something you continue to do? Not really. Too much time and effort for me. Would rather buy free-pan singles or easy-to-travel packages.
Do you love the results or regret doing it? No regrets. Products that I didn’t use before depotting still don’t receive my love on a daily basis. But it’s more likely than I take those depotted products on-the-go.
I depotted MAC shadows once, eons ago. It worked. I got it out of my system. No more. Not interested. (I don’t consider it depotting with shadows like LM or MUFE singles into duos, triples or 6 palettes. That I love!)
Your skin tone/coloring: Medium w/ olive undertones MAC NC37 or Lancôme Teint Idole Foundation N 360, deep plummy-brunette, blue-green eyes w/ gold flecks.
Have you ever depotted? NOPE!
Is it something you continue to do? Since I never have, I don’t know. But I *may* be depotting 2 of my UD Vice palettes; 3 & LTD, keeping only the shades that I actually love and use.
Do you love the results or regret doing it: We may soon see!?
If you decide to do it, start with the shades you plan on tossing to get a “feel” for what you’re working with, and what tool(s) work best! Also, watch/read tutorials on depotting those specific palettes.
Have a bottle of alcohol on hand, as well as pressing cloths on hand, just in case!
Lol I hate repressing eyeshadows. It destroys the eyeshadow imo. You would be better off taking the crumbled eyeshadow and putting it in a jar and using as a loose pigment. I have followed tutorials too. I just feel adding alcohol to a powder product dries it out and it is not as good even if pressed after shattering. Don’t do it. Just my opinion
Good advice!
Your skin tone/coloring: fair neutral
Have you ever depotted? Yes
Is it something you continue to do? Depends, if I’m not into the packaging or if it’s not a limited edition item I do, and if it’s not too hard to get it out.
Do you love the results or regret doing it? Again, depends… Some things I wish I didn’t because I don’t have enough magnetic palettes at the moment. Plus I like matching things up, so if I depot something I like putting brands together, and if not brands then color stories, which isn’t always an option. Overall it’s fun and I love when I get a new empty magnetic palette to rearrange my pans in!
Skintone/Coloring: Fairly light, very neutral; dark-featured.
Depotted? Yes. I’ve depotted all my MAC shadows & blushes, including the premade quads & 3 15-pan palettes, and rearranged to suit my needs. I also just depotted all my NARS singles/duos this past week. I’m not a fan of having a bunch of singles/duos laying around, especially if I can’t readily see what shade it is, so I don’t really use them.
Continue? Definitely, as long as it’s necessary. I tend to avoid singles/duos, though, so there won’t be any big projects in the future.
Results? Not only is storage easier, I don’t have to spend as much time planning a look, then looking for the right products. I typically just grab a random neutral palette on any given day, so hopefully this latest effort will get me to use my MAC & NARS shadows more. I have my MAC organized in a way that works for me, but now I have to make time to rearrange my NARS…
Your skin tone/coloring: Very fair/cool
Have you ever depotted? Yes, once…
Is it something you continue to do? That would be a big NO
Do you love the results or regret doing it? I attempted it on some Chantecaille shadows in the original compacts (no hole or anything to assist deporting) and since they are french milled and well glued, it just caused too much damage to the fragile shadows. I don’t exactly regret it; I stopped before one dc’d shade got too mangled, but I would have preferred to just buy the individual pans and would have if the shades were still available. I don’t intend to do it again – singles don’t bother me enough for the fuss.
Never! Too afraid to brake off my beauties! 🙂
Have you ever depotted? No, never, and I’m not tempted to try. First, because I’m a klutz, and I evaluate the risk of shadow destruction to about 95%. Second, because packaging plays a role in the pleasure I take from doing my makeup. I would not enjoy using a makeshift palette with pans of different sizes and shapes, and nothing but a hole in between round pans!
Your skin tone/coloring: light to medium with warm undertone, MAC NC 23/Giorgio Armani LSUVF 5.5/Estee Lauder 2N1/Tom Ford Bisque/Shiseido Synchro Skin Golden 3
Have you ever depotted? Yes for all of my single MAC schadows, but not any palettes or other shadows. I tried with some of my Rouge Bunny Rouge singles and a few of my Ardency Inn but I stopped because I didn’t want to damage them.
Is it something you continue to do? Only for MAC single shadows.
Do you love the results or regret doing it? Love it – love that I can make my own combinations and it’s a great space saver.
Your skin tone/coloring: NC15 w/some redness
Have you ever depotted? Tried once and failed, ended up giving the single shadow to my sister and getting the pan version for myself
Is it something you continue to do? Nope
Do you love the results or regret doing it? I didn’t eff up the product, so I don’t regret it, but I won’t buy things with the assumption that I’ll be depotting them It’s either pan versions, full palettes or LE items that I like enough to make an exception for (like the MAC X Selena eyeshadows)
Skin tone: Very pale with cool undertones.
Have I depotted: I depotted one MAC eye shadow. It went okay but was a process that I didn’t enjoy and was so worried I was going to muck it up so I have never attempted it again. Whenever possible I purchase the shadows, blushes and highlighters in refill pans so that I can put them into palettes.
Your skin tone/coloring: Very fair, with cool undertones.
Have you ever depotted? No. Don’t want to risk damaging products. I also don’t like to work with high heat, which some people use to melt the glue that holds pans in packaging.
I have fair skin, the first item I ever depotted was the first MAC single I got and it was in a holder and I wanted to put it in a Z Palette rather than having a single eyeshadow floating around. It didn’t go well, I don’t think I heated it up long enough and the space between the tin and the plastic was pretty tight so I ended up gouging a big chunk out of it trying to get it out. Thankfully, the rest of the eyeshadow held together pretty well and it’s a color that I would probably never pan anyway, so I can’t get toooooo upset about the lost product.
Since then, I have depotted some old clinique duos and some Sephora singles (those are really easy since they’re set up to be in the holder or a Z Palette) and my Urban Decay Vice 4. I had mixed results with this one. Some came out perfectly, took some chunks out of others, and completely destroyed two shades. After all this, I don’t know if I’ll bother with trying to depot any more and just search for shades from companies like Anastasia of Beverly Hills, MAC, and Sugar Pill where I can get the ‘refills’ and use them in magnetic palettes.
Your skin tone/colouring: Porcelain, with pink undertones
Have you ever depotted? Nope and I don’t intend to. Far too messy for me.
I can totally understand the thought behind depotting eyeshadow, but I’ve seen people post online about depotting lipstick. This is something I don’t get at all. The one makeup item I always carry in my purse is lipstick. If your lipstick is depotted, how in the world do you touch up when you’re not home?
I’ve depotted broken lipsticks into little palettes or pots, which are easy to carry in one’s purse. A lipstick brush is needed, of course.
Your skin tone/coloring: Very fair with neutral undertones; magenta/red hair; hazel/green eyes.
Have you ever depotted? Yes
Is it something you continue to do? Yes. I depot all the singles that I can.
Do you love the results or regret doing it? I love the results! I can see all my singles more easily and keep track of what I have. I can find items more easily, because I’ve sorted and organized everything. I can mix and match items to take traveling. I’ve reduced packaging, so my collection takes up less space.
I practiced first on old, cheap makeup that I didn’t care about. I broke a few things in the beginning. My hubby got the genius idea to buy me a cheap soldering iron to use as a heat source, and it works perfectly (protect your hands, use common sense, etc. if you try this). That and a little practice, and I was hooked.
Skin tone/Coloring: Fair/light with pink/neutral undertones
Have I ever depotted?: YES, I do it all the time, I love it. I just depotted an Urban Decay single this afternoon.
Is it something I continue to do?: I normally do it every few months/weeks (depending on how spendy I’ve been LOL) so that I can declutter.
Do I love the results or regret doing it?: I love them about 99% of the time. However, I’m quite specific with what I depot. I only depot shadows in cardboard/plastic (NOT metal) packaging, and only if they are the size of an single average (Mac, MUG, UD, Colourpop, etc.) shadow pan. So I don’t depot things like the UD Naked palettes or Too Faced Chocolate Bars. I’m really good about not cracking the product or scratching the surface, so the only time I regretted depotting was when I recently tried to depot the Dose of Colors Eyescream Palette – I cracked every single matte and had to repress them with isopropyl alcohol. Even then, I didn’t regret depotting them after they were done, I was just more frustrated with the packaging (why SO MUCH adhesive??). I honestly get so much more use out of my depotted shadows. I never used to use my MUG x Manny MUA palette, my KVD Mi Vida Loca Remix, my Melt Rust Stack, or some of my other palettes, but since they’ve been depotted it makes it really easy to just throw them in a free form palette and mix and match because getting out several palettes just for one eye look is honestly a hassle. Side note: I really wish Make Up For Ever was cruelty free, because I feel so guilty using their metal palettes. My only consolation is that they obviously don’t test their empty metal palettes on animals.
What I’ve depotted in the last two months:
Kylie’s Diary (V-Day palette)
KG Beauty Mermaid palette
KVD Monarch palette
KVD Lolita Blush/Eyeshadow
KVD Alchemist Palette
Jouer Skinny Dip
Dose of Colors Eyescream Palette
1 UD single shadow
1 Nyx blush
2 Sephora Colorful Eyeshadows
2 Stila single shadows
2 Colourpop face duos
Long story short, I’m a little obsessed. It helps me be more creative and use what I have rather than getting so many palettes in which I won’t use all of the shades.
Skin tone/coloring: fair, warm/neutral
Yes! I de-pot almost all my individual eyeshadows into several beautiful magnetic palettes, different sizes, I’ve bought on Etsy. I love them and use them all the time, they are very convenient for travel and I don’t have a million small individual eyeshadows to store. (If they are already in palettes I leave them there.) I have encountered only a few I was not able to de-pot without damage. I have an annotated diagram in Evernote in case I forget what one of them is.
I have depotted, but mainly with old palettes where all but a few colors were used up, and I wanted to preserve those shadows and dump the packaging. I’ve had mixed results, as many shadows have broken as a result. I tend to buy mainly singles these days, which makes it easier to assemble my own travel palettes (rather than bringing more than one palette on vacation, for example) and I get colors I plan to use consistently.
Skin tone/coloring: Fair with neutral undertones
Have you ever depotted?: I depotted my original Naked palette, UD Pulp Fiction palette, Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate palette, and Lorac Pro 3 into a large Z palette.
Is it something you’ll continue to do?: I’m not sure.
Do you love it or regret it? I kind of regret it. I don’t think I’m naturally drawn to a big honkin’ palette, and as much as I love my neutrals and those palettes in particular, I find myself reaching for other “prettier” palettes more.
Your skin tone/coloring: Deep Dark NW50
Have you ever depotted? All the time
Is it something you continue to do? Yup!
Do you love the results or regret doing it? I do. I love it when I don’t have to pull out a bunch singles.
I don’t depot because I like being able to refer to the package so I know what it is. This way, I don’t accidentally buy a dupe, and I can repurchase more easily if I run out.
Fair/light neutral.
I have depotted Urban Decay Naked 2, MUFE Neutrals you Need and Colors you Crave, MAC singles, and Anastasia Singles. I have yet to try anything else.
I will definitely continue to depot in order to declutter. That’s much more important to me than pretty packaging. I also depot in order to separate out shadows I never use. Although I consider palettes a good value for me, I rarely use all the shadows included. I see no reason to hang onto the rejects.
So far I haven’t lost anything of value so I’m very happy with the results.
Have you ever depotted? Yes, I have 4 Inglot Flexi palettes filled and before that I had a few test DIY packages that I got rid of by now. Z palettes vere not available in my country for a long time, and once they got here they are too expensive IMO – like half the price of an UD Naked palette for an empty box. I also have a few mini lipstick palettes.
Is it something you continue to do? I’m fighting the urge to depot some Catrice blushes and other single products that I have several of one type. They would fit so well in another palette but then I wouldn’t ever reach for them. I’m convincing myself to love the product as it is or give it away. For eyeshadows I’m done with buying singles unless they are very unique.
Do you love the results or regret doing it?
For powders maybe not regret, but disappointment because I had to try it to know that it’s not for me. I have that idea that I will use them more once depotted, but I never do. And once deppoted it’s harder to give them away, so the only way out is trash. Keeping self made palettes could be a better idea if I had a nice vanity, and kept that one palette on top.
On the other hand I love my mini lipstick palettes. I had some loved colors that were unusable from the bullet and I put them by 3-4 lipsticks into packaging imitating the Nars eyeshadow duos. I’ve also used one “palette” to carry around lipstick samples given to the UD Gwen Stefani palette. A retractable lip brush is a must, but each box has a mirror so touch ups are easier. Also, this way I do not carry a handful of lipsticks in my bag,