Pat McGrath’s Mothership palettes make the clearest case for a high-end eyeshadow splurge in the cited U.S. coverage: the 2023 price was $128, and one review praised their buildable pigment, range of finishes and staying power. That does not make them the right buy for everyone. The premium is easiest to justify if you will use the shades regularly and value distinctive finishes; for a smaller, simpler color story, less expensive palettes may be better value.
What counted as “priciest” in 2023 depended on the market
These prices come from different countries and sources, so they are snapshots, not a single like-for-like ranking. They are historical figures; current prices, availability and formulas may differ.
| Palette | Reported price | Market and source |
|---|---|---|
| Pat McGrath Mothership IX: Huetopian Dream | $128 | U.S. coverage, Wonderflaw, 2023 |
| Natasha Denona I Need A Nude | $69 | U.S. coverage, Wonderflaw, 2023 |
| Tom Ford Eye Color Quad | $90 | U.S. coverage, Wonderflaw, 2023 |
| Dior Diorshow 5 Couleurs | $65 | U.S. coverage, Wonderflaw, 2023 |
| Chanel Les 4 Ombres | €65 | Wonderflaw, 2023; market not specified in the cited price listing |
| Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk | $55 | U.S. coverage, Wonderflaw, 2023 |
| Pat McGrath Mothership IX: Huetopian Dream | ₹9,261 | India, Harper’s Bazaar India, February 2023 |
| Natasha Denona Biba | ₹12,700 | India, Harper’s Bazaar India, February 2023 |
| Dior 5 Couleurs Denim | ₹5,600 | India, Harper’s Bazaar India, February 2023 |
| Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk | ₹4,900 | India, Harper’s Bazaar India, February 2023 |
| Huda Beauty Empowered | ₹5,375 | India, Harper’s Bazaar India, February 2023 |
| Natasha Denona palettes | £41–£205; Metropolis, Sunset and Gold were listed at £111 each | LOOKFANTASTIC buyer guide; publication date not displayed on the accessed page |
| Cle de Peau Eye Color Quads | $110+ | The Beauty Look Book, September 2023 |
Insider Beauty’s database, accessed in 2026, lists Pat McGrath prices from $28 to $128 and gives the Mothership Mega Eyeshadow Palette a 4.5/5 rating from 4,800 reviews. Those are database figures, not a guarantee of today’s retail price or a controlled comparison among palettes.
Is Pat McGrath Mothership worth $128?
What the price buys
Marie Claire listed Mothership VI: Midnight Sun at $128, with 10 shades and matte, satin, shimmer and glitter finishes. Reviewer Jenna Igneri praised the pigment payoff, buildability and fine shimmer, and said the shadows stayed in place for hours without sparkly fallout. The review also acknowledged that the palette is expensive.
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#1 Best Overall
- A magically iridescent eyeshadow palette contains professional cool and warm-toned pigments and shades. With different textures: soft smooth mattes, shimmery pressed pearl and dazzling metallic glitters. This richly toned palette features versatile shades that can be blended and layered to create endless amounts of looks.
- Advanced artistry palette housed inside a cute,rectangle-cut, lightweight, black packaging, easy to take outside and great to travel with. Suitable for different skin tone and skin type.
- The rainbow - inspired hues and finishes, ranging from sheer - color, high - shine glitter topcoats, to entrancing ultra-reflective metallics and rich shades with intense pigment payoff deliver striking impact and light-catching dimension, Suitable for both makeup beginners and makeup pros.
- A complete travel shadow collection that can be bought as personal use to accomplish your everyday makeup routine or as a great gift for your family members and friends. Suitable for different occasions such as party, wedding or casual.
- A coveted, professional palette with pressed powder shadows that can be used for shading, highlighting, and defining eyes, brows, and the contours of the face.
That combination makes the value case strongest for someone who will actually wear the varied finishes and use several of the shades. If you mainly want everyday mattes, or expect to reach for only a few colors, the number of pans alone does not make the price worthwhile. Insider Beauty’s 4.5/5 aggregate rating is encouraging, but it cannot tell you whether the color story suits your habits.
How the other luxury palettes compare
Natasha Denona: scale can be a benefit—or unused product
The cited LOOKFANTASTIC guide spans £41 to £205 for Natasha Denona palettes, with Metropolis, Sunset and Gold shown at £111 each. Harper’s Bazaar India listed Biba at ₹12,700, the highest price among the palettes in its cited local roundup. A larger palette can offer more combinations, but its value depends on using enough of those shades. The cited sources do not provide a controlled head-to-head wear test against Pat McGrath.
Rank #2
- 【Super Soft And Hoghly Pigmented】Eyeshadow palette will take you through every season, providing you with every color of eyeshadow you need. Excellent ductility, strong adhesion, can last for all day long
- 【Safe Packing】Receiving the broken eye shadow is upset situation of make-up lovers. Our safe packaging method can reduce the chances of being broken even if put an end to. Enjoy your shopping
- 【Blended and Combined】Matte and eye shadows, long lasting, easily blendable eye shadows that can be applied wet or dry for many different looks. Reasonably clever color combinations, make the eyes more vivid, rich three-dimensional sense
- 【Convenient】Highly pigmented pressed powder eye shadows palette, great for exploring colors and makeup artistry. Suit for different occasions, like casual, salon, party, wedding, etc
- 【Vegan/Cruelty-Free】we're proud to say we have never & will never test on animals, health and safe ingredients and great quality hypoallergic, skin-friendly, Colors easy to apply & wash off.
Cle de Peau: strong quality, harder value case
The Beauty Look Book’s September 2023 review praised Cle de Peau’s quad quality and colors, but did not consider the $110+ price worth the splurge. The reviewer judged Dior 5 Couleurs, NARS palettes or Charlotte Tilbury better buys for similar pigment, and said Cle de Peau’s price made Natasha Denona or Pat McGrath seem comparatively inexpensive. The review also considered refillability insufficient to overcome the high price.
Dior, Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury: lower entry prices
The 2023 prices put several alternatives below the highest-priced options in their respective listed currencies: Dior Diorshow 5 Couleurs at $65 and Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk at $55 in U.S. coverage, and Chanel Les 4 Ombres at €65. Harper’s Bazaar India separately listed Dior 5 Couleurs Denim at ₹5,600 and Pillow Talk at ₹4,900. These figures should not be converted into a direct ranking across markets.
Rank #3
- YOU LOOK BETTER NAKED - URBAN DECAY Naked2 Basics is a compact, travel-ready eyeshadow palette featuring 6 neutral matte shades that complement a range of skin tones, from cool and olive complexions to deeper hues.
- HIGH-PIGMENT SHADES - Naked2 Basics palette shades include cruelty-free Skimp, Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal, and Undone.
- BACK 2 BASICS - With six ultra-versatile, taupe-hued nudes, this eyeshadow palette is perfect for creating simple eye looks or as a base for pigmented colorful eyeshadows and dramatic eye looks.
- PIGMENT INFUSION SYSTEM - Every shade in our paraben-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free eye shadow palettes features our proprietary ingredient blend that supplies velvety texture, rich color, and extreme blendability.
- PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS - Prep lids with our Eyeshadow Primer Potion for a look that lasts all day and won't fade or crease. Maximize color payoff by misting your eyeshadow brush with All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray before applying.
Marie Claire described Pillow Talk as a beginner-friendly four-pan palette with a blendable, long-wearing, non-creasing formula, while noting that its small color range limits versatility. That compact format may suit a buyer who wants a straightforward look more than a large selection of shades.
A practical way to decide whether to splurge
- Estimate your real use. Ask how often you will wear the palette and how many shades you can see yourself using. A high shade count is poor value if most pans go untouched.
- Pay for finishes you want. Mothership’s cited appeal includes matte, satin, shimmer and glitter finishes. If you will not wear the more distinctive effects, that range may not justify its premium for you.
- Choose size for your routine. A four-pan option such as Pillow Talk offers fewer combinations but a focused selection. Larger palettes offer more possible looks alongside more unused-shade risk.
- Compare like with like. Check the price in your market and the current listing before buying; the figures above span dollars, rupees, euros and pounds and reflect different dates.
- Separate review evidence from personal fit. The cited praise for Pat McGrath concerns one reviewer’s experience, while the rating aggregate reflects user reviews. Neither establishes that every formula performs equally well for every wearer.
What the evidence can—and cannot—establish
The available reviews and price listings support a conditional value judgment, not a definitive winner. They do not amount to a controlled, 2023 head-to-head test of every palette. Treat prices as historical, market-specific references, and check the current formula and local price before deciding.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- 7-IN-1 FULL FACE PALETTE DESIGNED FOR OLDER WOMEN: Everything you need for a complete, polished look — bronzer, blush, two highlighters, and three eyeshadows — all in one travel-friendly compact. Formulated for mature skin that won't settle into fine lines or look cakey
- INCLUDES BLUSH, BRONZER, HIGHLIGHTER, AND EYESHADOW: These goodies are truly the best of our best! This all-in-one full face palette is the perfect introduction to our famous baked beauty. It includes a blush, bronzer, highlighter and three nude eyeshadows.
- HANDMADE IN ITALY: Baked makes it better. Every formula in this eyeshadow, blush and highlighter palette starts out as a cream before being baked into a silky powder on terracotta tiles. Everything is artisan-made by hand in Italy.
- CREASE-PROOF, ALL-DAY WEAR — NO TOUCH-UPS NEEDED: Baked powders won't settle into fine lines, sink into pores, or fade by midday. Wear it for five hours or fifteen — the finish stays fresh, radiant, and natural-looking from morning coffee to evening out
- HOW TO APPLY: Eyeshadows: Apply all over the lid. Use darker shades to define in the crease and blend lighter shades on browbone as a highlight., Highlighters: Dust across the tops of the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, and on the Cupid’s bow, Blush: Apply to apples of the cheeks for a fresh pop of color, Bronzer: Sweep all over your face to warm up your complexion or contour along the temples, hollows of the cheeks, and jawline for a more sculpted look.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
