What is the most you'll pay for an eyeshadow palette?

Pat McGrath’s Motherships at $128 a pop are the more expensive palettes I routinely purchase/would continue to purchase without batting an eye, but I don’t think I’d be willing to shell out that much for just any brand. I think $60 or less is a good top end overall.

— Christine

24 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Shawne Avatar

The most I ever paid was for Natasha Denona Star and 28-pan palettes, but I got them on sale. If Pat McGrath comes out with another big Mothership palette I would probably get it, but wait for a sale.

Leslie Babineaux Avatar

I probably wouldn’t have an issue with paying upwards of $100 for an eyeshadow palette if I will use all or most of the shades. I love jewel tones like dark greens, intense dark blues, purples and teals……sparkly black, brown, gray, etc. I won’t buy a palette that includes too many flesh tones or orange shades because they will go untouched. I still haven’t pulled the trigger on one of the Motherships from Pat McGrath that I think is so lovely but it won’t be long before I do lol. Palettes are great for travel and if I have every shade that I need in one palette, there is no need to bring any other eyeshadows. I’m still looking for the perfect blush palette, too.

Cara Avatar

You don’t ever have to pay full price for a PMG palette as she has 20-30% sales all the time. I bought Mothership I Subliminal for 30% off during her Black Fri sale a few yrs ago and paid abt $88.

Leslie Avatar

Thank you, Cara! I do get emails about sales on PM but I’ve never taken advantage yet. So far I have paid full price for blush and lipstick lol. I will keep an eye out!!

Cara Avatar

You’re welcome! Her sales, like the one ongoing now, are typically 25-30%, while most PMG retailers are 10-20% off. Her limited edition products sell quickly but if what you’re looking for is permanent, definitely wait for a sale. She does them every few months and Black Fri is the biggest.

Penny Avatar

I have 4 of the PML mothership palettes but thinking now of how much I’ve spent on high end palettes I’m more cautious now….The problem is that I fall in love with one or two of the colors in a set and end up buying it and not using most of the colors which is such a waste of money..Quads are much more usable for me anyway….Palettes for traveling don’t usually work very well for me as I usually want certain colors in different sets and end up taking multiples anyway. I’d still pay $100+ for one if I really couldn’t live without it but am more likely to purchase if less than $60-70…

Helena Avatar

Speaking practically, the current limit is $0, because I
probably have enough eyeshadow to coat every inch of skin on my body, once a day, for weeks. In terms of premade eyeshadow palettes my silly brain still wants anyway (*cough* Radiant Reflection *cough* Quintessence *cough* On the Horizon *cough* anyone have a lozenge?), I don’t think I’d want to spend more than $50. Which is usually less expensive than curating a custom palette…

Nancy T Avatar

In the past, I have bought one of the bigger Natasha Denona palettes, Lila to be exact, but during a Sephora sale I’m thinking. And I have bought PMG Labs Mothership palettes, mostly either on sale on her site, one full priced, and one almost free with a $100 Sephora Gift card that I got from points. So…no more than $125-ish. And it would need to be just as close to perfect as could be!

Cara Avatar

You can “buy” a $100 gift card from the Rewards Bazaar with 2500 points. The Bazaar updates every Tues and Thurs at 9am PST and the gift card is almost always available. That said, they sell out fast so you’ll want to make sure to check the page on time and it sometimes takes a min or so longer to appear than the other new items so keep refreshing until you see it. Once you add it to your cart, check out and pay with your points and an e-gift card will be emailed to you.

One thing to note, this gift card has restrictions: you have to spend all $100 in one transaction, it expires after 3 or 4 months, you can’t return anything you bought with it unless an item arrived broken and then you can only get the same item again. The full list is on Sephora’s site but those are the main ones. It’s really annoying that you spend $2500 and then don’t even get a regular gift card, which is why Ultas system is better.

Cara Avatar

My most expensive is PMG Mothership I but I got it for $88 during her Black Fri sale. The most I’ve paid for a palette at full price is $90 for Tom Ford Violet Satine last winter; the only TF quad I didn’t get on sale as it was limited edition and I knew it would sell fast. It’s a slippery slope because once you start paying upwards of $100, palettes like ND’s for $69 seem almost affordable.

Sarah Avatar

I’ve read through the other comments and immediately feel so cheap! 😂 I’d say probably $50-60 but that’s for something really special and un-dupable. I remember getting the UD Vice 3 palette when it first came out, and that was my first “adult lady” eyeshadow palette purchase. I still have it, though I’m not sure if I should be putting it near my eyes, lol.

Pamela Avatar

It depends on how many shadows are in the palette, really. The more there are, the more I’d be willing to pay. But generally, I would not go over $50. With so many great cosmetic companies producing stellar products for under $20, I really don’t see a need to pay even $50.

Helene Avatar

I have lots of more expensive palettes like PMG and ND. These days though, with so many palettes already owned it would have to be something absolutely stellar and unique for me to pay $125 for a palette. I’m not sure I’ll ever pay that much for a palette again, honestly.
I’d say around $100 for a larger palette that is absolutely stellar, unique without any shade I wouldn’t use, otherwise $50 as my Vieve Nintease was around that price and I use all shades in it and love it, so maybe $75 so I land right in the middle.
Sorry if this seems like a confusing post, I wrote down my thoughts, and this it was it sounds like in my head. 😉

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!