Pat Mcgrath has launched quite a few collections over the last two years. I would almost argue that it’s been a few too many. In addition to the Star Wars Collection, there were the Rose Decadence palettes (and their smaller iterations), new quads, new mothership palettes, a barrage of limited edition packaging for existing lipsticks and so on and so forth. Not that any of it lacked quality and artistry - but I did start to feel that these new launches were somewhat repetitive and admittedly, my excitement about new Pat Mcgrath launches was beginning to wane (with the exception of the Supreme lipstick collab which doesn’t count because 99% of those who wanted to get it were unable to get their hands on it anyway). But with this new Celestial Divinity collection, Pat Mcgrath’s back. Once again, she’s shown us why she’s THE Pat Mcgrath and I am back to being in the thrall of her. Now, let me just preface this review by pointing out that I was not in thrall of every single piece in this collection - but the big, key pieces were done right, and in a way that shows that the brand remains innovative despite the potential market pressure to launch new products all the time.

I picked up the three pieces that most appealed to me and that I think are truly my personal Pat Mcgrath collection must-haves - the Mothership Mega Celestial Divinity (eyeshadow) Palette, the Celestial Divinity Luxe Quad in Fleur Fantasia, and the Sublime Skin Fetish Highlighter. Other pieces in the collection include two more luxe quads, lip balms, and existing lipsticks in limited edition packaging - and all these were a miss for me. Before I dive into the review of each of these pieces, I just want to remind you that at this time, Pat Mcgrath is having their Black Friday sale and I believe this whole collection is 25-30% off! So this is a good time to get these in case you were mulling over them!

The Mothership Mega Celestial Divinity Palette

This palette was a much-anticipated launch with lots of buzz on social media about whether or not it would be of the same quality as Pat Mcgrath’s usual eyeshadow palettes given its size, the number of eyeshadows that are included in it, and its price point - not exorbitant at $78. Well, turns out that for me, this palette is a must-have Pat Mcgrath piece. And why is that you ask? Well let me begin with my list of all the awesome things this palette possesses:

1) This palette is a large, but slim case, and while made of cardboard, it is a beautiful pink and gold with a very Versace-inspired motif. I found it light and easy to carry and very pretty to look at.

2) This palette has only 3 matte shades - that is to say that of the total 18 shades in the palette, 15 are some variation of non-matte eyeshadows! Now that may not be everyone’s preferred lineup. But speaking for myself, as a veritable magpie who loves sparkly/shimmery/glittery eyeshadows, I was extremely excited about this fact even before I had a chance to play with the palette.

3) The quality of the eyeshadows in this palette is excellent - it rivals Pat Mcgrath’s 12 pan palettes and is a pleasure to use. There is little to no fall out, the shades are creamy to the touch and blend seamlessly, and the lasting power is about the same as other PM palettes (on me, these last a good 5-6 hours before moving/fading and I have very oily eyelids).

4) Many times we buy palettes and a few colors in those palettes almost never get used. I tested this palette by wearing a different shade from it every day and when I was done, I kept going back to not just a few shades, but to almost every shade! That almost never happens. My two favourite colors in this palette, and dare I say unique in my collection (no mean feat!) are the purplish-pink fuschia (column 3 row 2) and the brilliant greenish-gold chartreuse shade (column 4 row 2). Other shades I’ve been using a lot include the rose-gold shade (col 1 row 3), the taupe-y shade that has a strong purplish-pink overtone (col 2 row 2), the very interesting brownish-gold-green shade (col 3 row 3), the pink matte shade (col 4 row 3), the magical yellow-gold shade (last col row 1), and the pink with a purple shift (last col row 2). As you can probably tell, I really like this palette!

5) And finally, I like the fact that this palette has more colors at the expense of pan sizes (that are smaller). I can almost never get through a full pan of eyeshadow so I would much rather have more choice in terms of colors than larger amounts of only a few colors.

My verdict on this palette is this: If you are on the market for a palette of sparkly/shimmery eyeshadows, this is a no-brainer. It is possibly the best value for money, and with this palette, I don’t think you would need to buy any other shimmers. This is a one-and-done beauty. (swatches below)

Skin Fetish Sublime Skin Highlighter

This highlighter comes encased in two solid gold discs that weigh more than almost any stand-alone makeup product that I own. I kid you not, if you threw this at someone, or if it accidentally fell on your toe, you’re probably looking at a serious injury. But, and therein lies the paradox of beauty - sometimes, we are willing to risk a little for something so beautiful - this is truly a collector’s item. The lid screws off and the highlighter itself is pink-champagne to the eye (comes off a little less pink in the photos though), and it’s perched on another solid gold disc. This design is a little vintage-makeup-inspired - a little pot of rouge - except in this case this is a not-so-little pot of highlighter. If you collect beautiful objects, even if you never wear makeup and would never buy a highlighter, this piece could just sit on your coffee table and you would probably not need much else alongside it. I was surprised when I first recieved it because I don’t think I’ver seen something quite like this (or this heavy) from Pat Mcgrath (note to self: let’s go back to expecting the unexpected from PM!).

As for the juice inside - it’s a decent highlighter - the pink champagne that it appears to be in the pan is less pink and more champagne when swatched and applied on the cheekbones. It blends well, the color is neutral enough to flatter a nice range of skin tones (as expected from PM), and it lasts for a significant amount of time on my combination face.

But my point - don’t buy it for the juice inside unless you’re really in the market for a champagne highlighter. Buy it because this is truly a makeup piece to own and display not just on your dressing table/vanity but basically everywhere in your house. (swatches below)

Celestial Divinity Luxe Quad in Fleur Fantasia

Let’s be honest - the main reason that I bought this Quad was because I wanted yet another sparkly pink eye shadow in my burgeoning collection (you can see my ode to this burgeoning collection of sparkly pink eye shadows here). I was generally unimpressed by the quads in this collection (and I own and love all three of her original luxe quads). This one’s only appeal (for me) was this magnetic pink shade. Well, I caved and bought it and the general debate on financially ridiculous decisions notwithstanding (such as buying an entire palette for ONE shade), I do truly love this sparkly pink shade in the Fleur Fantasia palette. I also like the other three shades - but they are well-behaved, multi-use, benign little characters in this story. The pink is the standout color and honestly, faces no real competition from the other three. Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like the peach shade in this palette (nice, creamy texture) and the other two shades - a pale, powdery, peach-gold with just a touch of shimmer, and a lilac-y purplish pink with a little more shimmer than the gold - are very wearable (though a little too powdery). But the pink…the pink, the pink, the pink. This is a beautiful, cool-toned, true pink with lots of sparkles. I sometimes wear it as an eyeliner, or I smudge it on as a light veil of pink sparkles on my lid, or I go ham and really pile it on. Every single time, I have to keep myself from staring at it when I pass a mirror in my home. I bought this quad for this one shade and did it deliver? Yes, yes, yes. Would I do it again? Oh yes. (swatches below)

Swatches

Celestial Divinity (Eyeshadow) Palette

Sublime Skin Highlighter (L: outdoor, natural light R: indoor, under a lamp)

Luxe Quad Fleur Fantasia

So that’s it - the three pieces from Pat McGrath’s Celestial Divinity Collection that are my top (and only) picks! I would love to hear from you if you’ve tried anything from the collection!