I buy a lot of eyeshadows from Pat Mcgrath, but they don’t always stay in my collection. When I recently had to choose which palettes to bring with me during the first wave of me moving overseas, and which products would have to wait until another time, I still ended up leaving some of the higher ranking palettes behind purely because of the brick-heavy packaging.

Today, I thought it would be fun to discuss where I would place all the quads and palettes I once owned if they competed head to head!

The Disappointments (Ranks 19-16): MTHRSHP Velvet Liaison, Mthrshp Mega Celestial Nirvana, MTHRSHP Rose Decadence, and Pat Mcgrath x Star Wars MTHRSHP Dark Galaxy

It’s strange to consider Velvet Liaison the lowest ranking palette because the quality is actually good. From my subjective perspective though, nothing else could be lower because this is the only PML palette I never had enough interest in to review, didn’t feel the need to bring it with me to the US, and haven’t felt compelled to use now that I’m back in Germany.

It being an all-matte palette instantly makes it a supplemental palette that doesn’t stand on its own. I always need a shimmer in my eye looks. The shades also don’t go together for me in a way that I would be satisfied with using on its own. The lightest color is also quite stark looking on the eyes but fades from my inner corner (where I’ve used it) fairly fast.

These mattes are smooth, blendable, and pigmented enough if I use the deep brown in everything, but I just can’t be excited by the color story. I bought this because it was deeply discounted and I didn’t have many palettes while I was on vacation, so shipping it to me made sense. The overall launch of the three palettes just wasn’t exciting either though. So, even though I think it’s better quality than the next palette, I’m rating it lower.

It’s weird to say, but I was feeling guilty about not buying Celestial Nirvana considering how much I’ve gone on and on about wishing the brand would make more colorful palettes (and especially including a green). The thing is though, I meant for the Motherships and MTHRSHPS. The Mega MTHRSHPS are a good deal for the customer for shade variety, but the bulky packaging makes me never want to reach for them, especially since this is even heavier than the first one they released. There also seems to be a difference sometimes in quality between the brand’s palettes made in Italy versus the US. I eventually bought this because swatches I saw looked so nice and it was deeply discounted at the time, but this doesn’t live up to the brand’s normal quality which makes the cost not as great of a deal. As I mentioned in my review, these are super pigmented (minus the neutral mattes), the mattes are more difficult than usual to blend (especially the purples), and the green I wanted so much was a complete dud. When I return to the US, I’m considering depotting some of the shimmers and decluttering the rest of the palette. It just isn’t worth bringing over or even trying to sell to be honest. At least, not when there are sixteen other palettes I liked more than this one.

Rose Decadence is a pretty color story, but I just couldn’t be excited by it. This was released during a time before the brand had any blushes, so the ability to use the lighter matte as a blush color was the main selling point. If I had been able to get a decent enough return on the purchasing price, I would have sold it, but the resale value on this palette was very low. That’s the main reason I still had it, plus the guilt that I never gave it enough of a chance. The quality was good. I just wasn’t interested in pink at the time and the beautiful rose packaging on the outside was a big selling point, along with the price. This was also during the time when the brand didn’t have as many sales so I couldn’t buy the pricier palettes.

Dark Galaxy was the opposite. The resale value was high, but I kept it around for a long time because of the limited edition factor. The colors were pretty, but just not the kind of looks I was interested in making. When I realized though that the quality of Pat’s eyeshadows do diminish over time, I tried to sell it while the quality was still good so that someone else could at least get more enjoyment out of it than I could. Sometimes the collector side of me feels a twinge of regret, but I know I made the right decision getting rid of a palette I just wasn’t ever going to use again.

Like, But Will Never Use (Ranks 15-11): Blitz Astral Quad – Nocturnal Nirvana, Pat Mcgrath Labs x Star Wars (5 pan) – Divine Droid, Mini Eye Ecstasy: Subversive, MTHRSHP Subversive La Vie En Rose, Bijoux Brilliance (5 pan) – Lunar Nightshade

Nocturnal Nirvana was difficult for me to decide to sell. I loved the green in here, as well as the purple color, but the purple shade dried out and became hard-panned. It became impossible to use that shade, the yellow-gold was a bit boring of a color in the time period that I was getting even more interested in yellow and gold shifting multichromes, and I never wear aqua blue eyeshaows. It did not seem worth keeping an entire quad in that heavy packaging for just one eyeshadow. Plus, I knew I could use the funds to purchase a different quad instead, so I stopped regretting it. To date, that purple is the only baked eyeshadow from the brand that worsened in quality like that.

I said I would depot the mini plastic palette, but I never did. I said I wanted to get more use out of those shades, but I never did. I still stand by the quality and acknowledge the beauty of those colors, but the lack of mattes really kept me from reaching for it and the clear packaging both deterred me from wanting to use it while preventing me from having the willpower to destroy it to try and get those pans out. Getting this small palette at the reduced price of $14 was still much better than if I had purchased the full size Mothership Decadence palette. So, I don’t have as many regrets about how this palette got cast aside. Also, I’m not sure why this was called Mini Subversive instead of Decadence considering the shades are from the Decadence palette and don’t resemble the Subversive range at all.

Speaking of the Subversive range, this palette I actually got a decent amount of use from. The colors weren’t perfect for me since I’m not interested in light purples or vibrant pinks, but I was obsessed with that rich luminous purple! Plus, the other shades were nice too. It’s unfortunate that the time when I was starting to get the most use out of La Vie En Rose was also when the quality was starting to deteriorate. The shades started applying patchy, especially my beloved purple shadow, so that’s the main reason I stopped using it. The reason this palette ranks in 12th place, for something I used to love so much, is mainly because the quality didn’t last as long as some of my other products from the brand that I had for even longer. Plus, the color story isn’t as versatile.

Of all the new 5-pan palettes from PML, Divine Droid is my least favorite because of the lack of mattes, the aqua blue, shades of green and red I don’t wear as often as other shades of those colors, and the quality being slightly lower than the rest (as discussed in my review). Having it is like having a weaker version of Nocturnal Nirvana, but at a better price-point. So, it gets 14th place.

Lunar Nightshade looked so unique in promo photos, but it’s debatable whether this is better or worse than Kaleidos’ Futurism III Astro Pink. Just like that palette, as much as I was fascinated by the color combination, I rarely wear a look that that on my eyes. I don’t have complaints about the quality. It just ranks lower than the rest because of how much more I prefer the other four that I own.

Like, But Don’t Use Enough (Ranks 10-5): Pat Mcgrath x Star Wars MTHRSHP Galactic Gold, Mega MTHRSHP Celestial Divinity, Mothership IX – Huetopian Dream, Pat Mcgrath Labs x Star Wars Eye (5 pan) – The Golden One, Bijoux Brilliance (5 pan) – Bronze Ecstasy, Celestial Nirvana (5 pan) – Nude Allure

Unlike Dark Galaxy, I really wrestled with the decision to sell Galactic Gold. I loved every shade except the dark purple, but it was a matter of me being distracted by my other palettes that I didn’t reach for it enough. I could tell the quality was starting to go the way of the other six-pans, but I was so reluctant to let go of it. Even when Celestial Divinity was released with the same shades (but smaller) of both palettes, it still took me a while to have the heart to declutter it. As a collector, I still felt a sense of regret on and off for the next few years until very recently when the brand re-released the Star Wars palettes “from the Vault,” and instantly the coveted aspect of having a limited edition never-to-be-released-again product was gone. I’m finally free of regrets now that it isn’t as special from the collector standpoint!

The reason this had to at least rank number 10 is the fact that I still don’t use those shades in the Celestial Divinity palette, yet I was so overwhelmed by nostalgia that I almost bought the Vault palette! Remembering the times I did create looks I loved from this palette had that strong of a hold on me! The reason it’s not higher though is the fact that I use other palettes more and the quality of this one started to drop.

As for Celestial Divinity, the fact that it includes shadows from both Star Wars collab palettes, plus six unique shades in which two of them I really liked, is why it had to rate higher. If the quality of this palette is still good, it will come back to Germany with me in the second wave of products.

Huetopian Dream is a hard one to rate because I find the left six shades to be so boring, but they’re admittedly very pretty on the eyes. It’s better than the previous pink palettes because I have some really stunning golds and a non-baked multichrome to work with. It’s lower down on the list because of the high cost for colors that are repetitive for the brand, having only three baked shades (the ones that add to the palette cost) instead of four, and having two shades that tend to crease on me as I mentioned in my review. It’s still fairly new in my collection, so my thoughts could change up or down on this one.

Now, we’re getting to the palettes I actually brought with me to Germany because I couldn’t be without them!

Of the 5-pan small palettes, the Golden One’s color story is not very exciting, but I’m still obsessed with the non-shimmers in this one. They’re such a fascinating texture and looks nice on the eyes, plus golds will always be pretty to me (albeit at times boring). Needing to pair this with something that gives me more depth is why it doesn’t rank higher.
Based on the colors alone, Huetopian Dream is technically more exciting. The reason this is above it is because it has less flaws.

Bronze Ecstasy gives me several depth options, plus has this stunning bronze shade that I find super appealing. The lack of variety of the colors is why it doesn’t rate higher, and that bronze that I love can be troublesome as I discussed in my review, but I haven’t used this palette enough, so there’s room for me to rate it higher as I continue to use it this year. I know I’ll get more use out of this palette than The Golden One in the long run.

Surprisingly, Nude Allure is not my usual type of color story, but every look with the palette is so pretty that I could not rank it any lower than 5th place! The sparkle colors in these eyeshadows make them so much more nuanced than a typical peach, pink, or purple. The addition of that matte ensures that I can do complete looks with this palette as well. It’s so good. I definitely want to use it more in 2024.

Most Precious (Rank 4): Mothership VIII – Divine Rose II

This is the only palette in my top 7 that I didn’t bring with me. I wanted to bring it desperately, but for one thing, it’s just too heavy. I could only make space for one of the big Mothership palettes, so this had to stay behind. Plus, this was my first time using a Relavel case in my suitcase, and I didn’t know if I would have any makeup packaging casualties on the trip, so I didn’t want to take the risk that this palette could end up damaged. Part of what makes this palette so precious and in a category of its own is the limited edition mirror pink packaging. The brand hasn’t released something like this since, so the exclusive aspect and inability to replace it (only in the standard packaging) bumps up the value for me.

I’ve used the pinks in here as blush before. I like the Sextraterrestrial multichrome in here so much that I didn’t feel the need to buy the Clionadh equivalent for years! That’s really saying something!

This isn’t my favorite color story from the brand, but I like enough of the shades that I continually want to use it. It’s literally only because I’m so scared of ruining the packaging that I don’t reach for it more. You better believe this is at the top of the list for things I’m planning to bring back with me next time!

Must Haves (Rank 3-1): Luxe Quad – Interstellar Icon, Celestial Nirvana (5 pan) – Bronze Bliss, and Mothership III – Subversive

This was the toughest category to rank because I love Interstellar Icon, but I don’t use it enough. I absolutely love Bronze Bliss, but it’s not a universally exciting color story. I technically have stronger emotional ties to Divine Rose II than Subversive, but getting more use out of Mothership III has been on my mind the most out of everything. In terms of color variety, quality, and packaging, Subversive has it all. I think it’s the best and most well-rounded of all the Pat Mcgrath palettes I own. That’s why I ultimately decided it deserves the top spot.

Interstellar Icon is the quad I purchased with the money I made from selling Nocturnal Nirvana. I’m not much of a blue lover, except for use on my lower lash line, so that’s a slight negative against it. The Blue Blood color is the same as from Decadence and the mini I own, so I used to reach for the mini to use that in my eye looks and keep this one as new as possible until the quality inevitably drops and this becomes the “fresher” one. Now that I don’t have that palette with me, I’ve started using this pan of it again. Divine Dahlia is my favorite shade in the quad and the reason I typically reach for this.
Even though I feel like I don’t use this a ton, it’s technically still one of my most used Pat Mcgrath palettes. Also, when I think about favorite eyeshadows from Pat Mcgrath, this quad always springs to mind.

Bronze Bliss is my favorite of the 5-pans and literally what kicked off my love of this new eyeshadow formula from the brand. The silver color in the center is one of the most stunning silvers I’ve seen, but it’s a little messy to use since it’s so much wetter than the other shadows. The black and two bronze shades are what keeps me coming back to this palette or constantly thinking about it when I want to create a neutral glam eye look.

Last, but not least, is Subversive III. I can technically make eye looks from this palette without needing to reach for anything else because it gives me light options, deeper options, colorful shades, and neutrals. For that reason, it’s one of Pat’s most well balanced color stories (and certainly of the ones I own). The way I do makeup, I still miss having a medium toned brown, but for that I just reach into my Hindash Beautopsy palette.

As one of the big older Mothership palettes, it has those special shades in the final quadrant that most of the brand’s fans love. This, plus the lux packaging, makes it closer to being worth the price. As great as it is, I still think it’s only worth it at 30% off or greater. Eyeshadow formulations have come a long way in the past decade, so for those interested in the palette for its actual quality, it’s hard to justify such a steep price. For those that don’t mind the upcharge for the packaging, multichromes, the eyeshadows being made in Italy, and other extra costs, the pricing makes sense for such easy to blend eyeshadows and refined look to them on the eyes. Despite how old my palette is (not as old as the originals since I didn’t buy it until years after it first released), the performance is still there.

RECAP OF RANKING FROM FAVORITE TO LEAST FAVORITE:

• 1. Mothership III – Subversive
• 2. Celestial Nirvana (5 pan) – Bronze Bliss
• 3. Luxe Quad – Interstellar Icon
• 4. Mothership VIII – Divine Rose II
• 5. Celestial Nirvana (5 pan) – Nude Allure
• 6. Bijoux Brilliance (5 pan) – Bronze Ecstasy
• 7. Pat Mcgrath Labs x Star Wars Eye (5 pan) – The Golden One
• 8. Mothership IX – Huetopian Dream
• 9. Mega MTHRSHP Celestial Divinity
• 10. Pat Mcgrath x Star Wars MTHRSHP Galactic Gold
• 11. Bijoux Brilliance (5 pan) – Lunar Nightshade
• 12. MTHRSHP Subversive La Vie En Rose
• 13. Mini Eye Ecstasy: Subversive
• 14. Pat Mcgrath Labs x Star Wars (5 pan) – Divine Droid
• 15. Blitz Astral Quad – Nocturnal Nirvana
• 16. Pat Mcgrath x Star Wars MTHRSHP Dark Galaxy
• 17. MTHRSHP Rose Decadence
• 18. Mega MTHRSHP Celestial Nirvana
• 19. MTHRSHP Velvet Liaison

Over time, for various reasons, my love of the Pat Mcgrath Labs brand has dropped a bit. However, the love of my top ranking products from them hasn’t dwindled. They make good products and their launches are something I still always pay attention to. I’m still plenty interested in what they have next, even though I buy things from them at a slower pace now.

That’s all for today! I hope to see you next week!

-Lili ❤