Eyeshadow pans are the small settings into which eyeshadows are pressed. The best eyeshadow pans depend upon the type of palette in which they will be placed and personal preference. Store-bought eyeshadows come already in a pan but it is possible to remove the eyeshadow from the original pan and place it into a new pan.
Beauty supply stores usually have eyeshadow pans for sale. The pans typically are either round, square or rectangular in shape. The size of pans varies and is measured in millimeters. A round pan might measure 15 millimeters in diamater, and a rectangular pan might be about 24 millimeters by 21 millimeters.
Empty eyeshadow pans are often purchased to serve as the settings for pressing mineral makeup. The powder mineral makeup is mixed with a medium and then pressed into the pan using a coin or a geometric pressing square for pressure. Pressing mineral eyeshadows helps keep a makeup stash organized and makes it easier to travel with the eyeshadows.
Filled pans can be housed in makeup palettes. Supply stores sell palettes with individual wells that will fit a specific size and shape of pan. Magnetic makeup palettes offer more customization because the palette is a wide-open area backed by a magnet to keep the pans in place. The size and shape of the pans used in a magnetic palette come down to personal preference.
Purchased palettes tend to come with the eyeshadow pans already fitted into wells. The pans can be pried out by carefully sliding a knife into the area where the pan is affixed to the well. This allows for storage of store-bought eyeshadows in a magnetic palette.
It is possible to create a custom magnetic palette by gluing a sheet of magnet into the bottom of an empty shallow fishing supply box. The size of the box can be determined by the number of eyeshadow pans owned. Two level or dual-sided supply boxes add additional storage methods.
When using a magnetic palette, it is helpful to find a way to label the colors of the eyeshadow pans inside. This can be done by taping a small sheet of paper into the lid or on the bottom. Stickers also can be used to create a labeling section. The eyeshadow colors and manufacturers can be written in the order in which they appear on the palette.
