In May 2025, there was a sale on Pat Mcgrath’s website that applied to bundles. So, I was able to get two Mothership Palettes for €73 each. Both of these palettes have been available for several years, so I can’t explain why I suddenly wanted them, but I did.

Because these palettes are “old” in terms of release date (2018 for Bronze Seduction and 2019 for Divine Rose), I feared the Motherships purchased in 2025 wouldn’t have the same formulas as the original launches. I cannot say whether the Moonlit and Sunlit Seduction Palettes were simply free of the four “special shades” in the right section of those palettes or if all of the later eyeshadow formulas were tweaked. I just know that Petalmorphosis has very different shimmers compared to what is in Motherships 1-9. Considering the additional formula differences among the brand’s 5-pan and holiday palettes, I wasn’t sure if PML quit working with the same lab entirely.

Thankfully, the quality of my new palettes match that of my Mothership 3. Even though there are no more “special shades” in Motherships 10-12, the special shades continue to be produced in the palettes that always had them.
It’s great to confirm that the mattes are still pigmented and easy to blend. They layer well with each other. The shimmers are opaque and very impactful. The duochromes and iridescent shades are a bit flaky and can be messy, but they still have that “wow” factor!

Mothership V: Bronze Seduction

There really isn’t much to say in terms of a review. These are the high quality eyeshadows I know and love from the brand. They’re soft and powdery without excessive kickup. They’re blendable, layer well, and the shimmers are intense enough that I don’t feel the need to dampen my brush to apply them. They don’t crease and they’re overall wonderful to work with!

Xtreme Aubergine is the only one that requires a little extra time to blend because it can stick and be patchy. It’s so pigmented that it can be easy to go overboard. So, I use something small and pointed like the Sonia G Crease One for outer corner work. I build it up carefully and slowly, which prevents me from having issues.

I rarely use red eyeshadows, so that was a big reason I wasn’t interested in this palette in the past. Then, it dawned on me that if I exclude Blitz Flame, this is basically a brown neutral palette. I was in my colorful phase in 2018, but now I appreciate neutrals again, and find this palette to be super appealing.

After buying Bronze Seduction, I used it on and off for a few months, but then it took a backseat to other new launches (and even the YSL Over Brun Quad and Natasha Denona Mini Gold). Normally, I would take that as an indication that I shouldn’t have made this purchase since I don’t use it enough. This time, I can’t regret it because of how beautiful the colors are and the knowledge that it’s available to me whenever I do have the urge to use it. Considering everything going on with the brand right now, I appreciate the nostalgia of having a palette that reminds me of a time when PML was in its prime.

Mothership VII: Divine Rose

Getting me to want a palette with light eyeshadows and a low contrast color story was a hard sell, especially during my phase when I was sick of pinks, but PML managed to do it in the end. The best shade I have in this palette to create depth with is Xtreme Mahogany, and it’s not quite enough to satisfy me. However, there are plenty of dark colors across the other Mothership Palettes that I can pull from.
I still liked all the looks I created for this post, but I’ve needed to reach outside of this palette for all the looks I’ve recreated since then.

Divine Rose performed just as well as Bronze Seduction and gave me no performance issues.
I really wanted the YSL Quad in 825 Burning Desire, but after seeing Han Beauty 101’s comparison swatches, I decided there were too many shades in common. YSL, Victoria Beckham Beauty, and Prada make my favorite luxury eyeshadows, so the fact that Divine Rose was good enough to keep me from buying Burning Desire says a lot.
Still, I honestly haven’t used this palette very much after the testing phase ended. I have to be in a very specific mood when I want to wear these type of colors, but that’s precisely why having Divine Rose is a good thing. The Tarte Tartelette Juicy Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette was supposed to be my ultimate pink palette and get me to stop buying more. So far, Divine Rose has been the one to curb my appetite.

2025/2026 UPDATED 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.Mothership V – Bronze Seduction
• 6.Mothership XII – Petalmorphosis
• 7. Celestial Nirvana (5 pan) – Nude Allure
• 8. Mothership IX – Huetopian Dream
• 9. Mothership VII – Divine Rose
• 10. Bijoux Brilliance (5 pan) – Bronze Ecstasy
• 11. Pat Mcgrath Labs x Star Wars Eye (5 pan) – The Golden One
• 12. Mega MTHRSHP Celestial Divinity
• 13. Pat Mcgrath x Star Wars MTHRSHP Galactic Gold
• 14. Bijoux Brilliance (5 pan) – Lunar Nightshade
• 15. MTHRSHP Subversive La Vie En Rose
• 16. Mini Eye Ecstasy: Subversive
• 17. Pat Mcgrath Labs x Star Wars (5 pan) – Divine Droid
• 18. Blitz Astral Quad – Nocturnal Nirvana
• 19. Pat Mcgrath x Star Wars MTHRSHP Dark Galaxy
• 20. MTHRSHP Rose Decadence
• 21. Mega MTHRSHP Celestial Nirvana
• 22. MTHRSHP Velvet Liaison

I can’t end this post without mentioning the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing of Pat Mcgrath Labs. Considering this is my number one favorite mainstream brand, it saddens me to see them in this position. At the same time, PML has been too focused on trying to follow the trends of what sells (overuse of pinks and neutrals particularly after the success of Divine Rose I) rather than fostering innovation. There are many other reasons that contributed to customers being unhappy and unwilling to spend as much money on the products that have been released in the past three to five years.

I am still holding out hope that they can make a comeback. It has long been suspected that Pat Mcgrath has had much less creative control in the last years, and the success of the Louis Vuitton makeup line shows that people are still interested in her vision. If she can take back the reigns in the Creative Director position, and the business end of things gets sorted, there could still be hope! PML still has so much potential!

That’s all for now. I’m going to treasure my Motherships even more now!

Thank you for stopping by!

-Lili ❤