The Pat McGrath Mothership XII Petalmorphosis Eyeshadow Palette ($128) is the first Mothership Palette I’ve purchased from the brand. If you are familiar with my preferences, you may know that I prefer singles, quads, and smaller palettes. I still get tempted by palettes, but with how expensive the Motherships are, I really wanted to be happy with all of the shades in the palette to get my value out of the purchase. Huetopian Dream and Sunlit Seduction were close options, but ultimately, as you can see, I bought Petalmorphosis and got the limited edition lavender case.

There are mixed reviews, which is pretty typical for the Pat McGrath brand these days, so I can’t say I’m surprised. Many people are disappointed that Mothership XII Petalmorphosis doesn’t have any of the “special shades” the brand is known for. I can’t compare this palette to other Motherships, but I have tried the baked formula that appeared in the Bridgerton Part 2 Collection. I personally wasn’t as in love with that baked formula that people rave about. I don’t know if that formula differs from the actual Mothership palettes, but from what I thought at the time, they were the same. The formula was okay, but there was too much fallout, and it looked dry and textured on my eyelids. I don’t use glitter glue or wet my brush, which could’ve been part of my issue. So I wasn’t upset when the product information was released, and there were no baked shadows. This is just some background to keep in mind as you read my thoughts.

Ok, let’s get to the swatches!

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**Pat McGrath Mothership XII Petalmorphosis ($128) Swatches

I took these at different angles, which hopefully helps show how they can appear slightly different depending on how the light hits them. My best foundation matches for shade reference are the Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Tahoe and the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 4W4 Hazel, and I have a warm olive undertone.

Overall Thoughts on the Pat McGrath Mothership XII Petalmorphosis

After using this palette over the last week, I’m am very happy with my purchase. I think the palette is versatile and easy to use, and I enjoy the looks that I get. Fallout is minimal when I use this palette with the MAC Prep and Prime 24HR Eye Base versus the Urban Decay Primer Potion. However, the mattes blended easier over Urban Decay primer. I didn’t have any trouble blending the mattes; there is just a noticeable “drag” when I use the MAC primer. These differences are typical for me, regardless of which eyeshadow formula I use, but I want to give you as much context as possible.  Astral Iridescent Iris has fallout regardless of which eye primer I use. But as I mentioned, I don’t use glitter glue or wet my brush. I wouldn’t say the fallout is terrible or super noticeable. Still, it does happen throughout wear, especially for Astral Iridescent Iris and Blitz Bronze Supernova, that I’ve noticed.  The Astral shades accentuate more of my 42-year-old, eczema-prone eyelid texture than other shadows, but I didn’t find it unflattering. I haven’t had any issues with creasing.

The shades in the palette are pigmented without being hard to use, except for Blitz Radiant Rhapsody, which I had a hard time controlling its placement and ended up needing to clean up with a makeup wipe. It’s not the biggest deal, but it’s something I noticed. The only shade with less pigment is Astral Iridescent Iris, so it can perform as a topper shade to add dimension to any other color in the palette. I’ve only used natural hair brushes and my fingers to apply lid shades. I have used both synthetic brushes and natural hair to blend in the crease, and both have worked fine.

My Experience with Each Shade in the Pat McGrath Mothership XII Petalmorphosis

Divine Dawn (warm golden beige luminizer) – This shade appeared light pink when worn on the center of the lid in a halo eye look with Cosmic Fantasis on the inner and outer corners and Lunar Nectar in the crease.  However, it looked more lilac when worn in the inner corner with Cosmic Fantasis on the rest of the eye, Twilight Lilac deep in the crease, and Lunar Nectar higher up toward the brow as a blending shade. There are pictures at the end of this post if you want to see how purple this second look is on my skin tone.

Twilight Lilac (soft lilac plum matte) – It doesn’t go too cool-toned for me, but it still looks more purple-leaning than I expected.  It blends easily with synthetic and natural hair brushes.  This tone makes my looks lean more purple in the crease.

Cosmic Fantasies (burgundy metallic) – This is my favorite shade in the palette. It’s easy to use and versatile as both a shade for depth and a one-and-done smoky eye. It did look a little patchy in places when I paired it with Urban Decay Primer Potion, though. I can’t really notice the patchiness from a normal viewing distance, but it sticks much better to the MAC Prep and Prime 24HR Eye Base (and I don’t see that same patchiness). 

Astral Eden Envy (chartreuse astral with gold pearls) – This is beautiful as a one-and-done shade, but I did get brave and pair it with Blitz Radiant Rhapsody on the outer-v.  It wasn’t my favorite look, but the colors paired better than I expected. 

Astral Sunset Splendor (soft iridescent coral astral) – I tested this out as a topper, but it had more base pigment than expected. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It just didn’t work as an accent shade with how I used it. I am curious to test it more applied sheerly with a fluffy brush and see if it has more versatility than just a straightforward lid shade for me. It is a pretty shade and pairs well with Cosmic Fantasies and Twilight Lilac.  I also like it with Astral Eden Envy and Lunar Nectar.

Nocturnal Bloom (rich hunter green matte) – It looks almost black when used in the outer-v over Blitz Radiant Rhapsody, but I could still pick up on the green. I think that, paired with a lighter shade, the green would be more apparent. I also haven’t used this shade with the MAC 24HR Eye Base, which gives more color vibrancy than the Urban Decay Primer Potion. There are no issues with patchiness with this shade, which is great for a rich, pigmented matte shade.

Astral Iridescent Iris (iridescent lavender astral) – This shade has the most fallout, regardless of the eye primer I used. It adds a purple tint and lots of shine to my looks and is very pretty. Because its texture feels looser and more sheer, I apply it with my finger. I haven’t tried a brush. I’ve used it to intensify my halo eye look over Divine Dawn and on top of Astral Sunset Splendor for a different look. 

Lunar Nectar (coral rose matte with gold pearl) – The description of this shade says it has a gold pearl, which made me think it would have more of a satin sheen. In actuality, it is a matte with gold shimmer particles running through it (see picture below).  This is not hidden from the product information; you can clearly see the shimmer running through it in the promo images. Just something to be aware of in case you haven’t seen those images. When I use it with a fluffy blending brush, the shimmer is apparent when looking closely, but it still looks matte in the overall eye look.  When I use it with a more targeted crease brush (e.g., Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush), the sparkles are easier to spot, but the look is still matte.  This tone makes my looks lean more coral in the crease. Update October 22, 2025: I don’t like mattes with shimmer, so I would prefer if this were a traditional matte.

Blitz Radiant Rhapsody (metallic turquoise with blue and green pearls) – I did have trouble controlling the pigment of this shade, but I was using my finger for application, so maybe a brush would have been better for getting more precision with it.

Blitz Bronze Supernova (platinum bronze with silver pearl) – This is another beautiful one-and-done shade, but I liked it paired with Astral Eden Envy. I saw a little fallout during application but didn’t notice it getting any worse during wear.

Eye Look

Don’t get used to seeing eye looks from me 😂. It is very hard to get photos, considering I need my glasses to see well enough to take them in focus, but I know they block the view. Divine Dawn is in the inner corner, and Cosmic Fantasis is on the rest of the eye. Twilight Lilac is deep in the crease, and Lunar Nectar is higher up toward the brow as a blending shade.

Update November 2025: To see more eye looks from the Pat McGrath Petalmorphosis palette, you can check out my 2025 Makeup Favorites Post.

**Ulta Website

	$ 128.00 Sale Price $ 128.00 Regular Price
PAT McGRATH LABS Mothership XII: Petalmorphosis

**Nordstrom Website

	$ 128.00 Sale Price $ 128.00 Regular Price
PAT McGRATH LABS Mothership XII: Petalmorphosis™ Eyeshadow Palette at Nordstrom

I know I said it already, but I really enjoy this palette. I’m excited to keep using it because I have even more look ideas that I can try. I know this is an expensive purchase, but I can get everyday looks and more night out or special occasion style looks for my skin tone and taste. Remember, I often pay for single shadows and quads with a higher per eye shadow cost than this palette. So, thinking that I could use every shade in this palette made it feel like a worthy purchase to me. That doesn’t mean it has to be worth it to you.

If you did have the **Pat McGrath Mothership XII Petalmorphosis Eyeshadow Palette in mind for the Sephora sale that starts tomorrow (April 4, 2025, for Rouge Members and April 8, 2025 for VIB and Insider Members), I hope this helped.

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