Is This the Most Expensive Eye Shadow Palette Ever?

21.08.2026, 02:16 allure.com

At what point does an eye shadow palette stop being considered a luxury makeup purchase and start qualifying as a future family heirloom?

Those willing to spend $340 on the new Louis Vuitton LV Ombres Monogram Eyeshadow Palettes will be faced with this very question, forced to decide if the best application of these shadows is, in fact, application or as an untouched collector’s item.

Yes, these two new limited-edition palettes are $340. Each. And as quads—that comes to $85 per shade—they just barely qualify as palettes. But to be fair, these aren't exactly your typical eye shadow palettes, even in the luxury space.

They’re part of the very first La Beauté Louis Vuitton collaboration, a shared vision between Louis Vuitton artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière and legendary makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath, who serves as the fashion house’s creative director of cosmetics. McGrath has been designing the makeup looks for Louis Vuitton runway shows for more than two decades, and she describes the collection—which also includes four $195 lip colors—as “the natural next step” in their long-running creative partnership.

The two contrasting palettes celebrate the 130th anniversary of the famous Louis Vuitton monogram. LV Ombres 724 Monogram Dune is the softer of the two, with luminous neutrals curated with desert landscapes in mind. LV Ombres 715 Monogram Infrarouge, on the other hand, is considerably moodier, with mauve and berry hues, as well as a whimsically edgy charcoal infused with iridescent sparkle.

Unlike the permanent-collection LV Ombres palettes, which come in a plastic (albeit gorgeous, refillable, and collectible) compact, the limited-edition collaboration versions are covered in the iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram coated canvas—the bold black and red Infrarouge and soft cream and rosy taupe Dune canvases—which extend to other items in the collection, like a Cosmetic Lipstick Pouch and the Nice Beauty case.

McGrath sums up the distinction rather beautifully: “Monogram Dune is luminous and warm,” while Infrarouge is “fearless, high-contrast, unapologetic.”

Also fearless and unapologetic: the price tag.

Allure editors racked our collectively encyclopedic brains trying to think of another eye shadow palette that comes anywhere near $340. Pat McGrath's own 10-shade Mothership palettes are $128 each, which suddenly feels almost economical. Even the Hermès eye shadow quads go for a comparatively modest $114 (that’s approximately $29 per shade with sales tax). The closest we can think of: the regular ol' Louis Vuitton LV Ombres palettes, which cost $250.

So it does appear as though the new Dame Pat McGrath x Nicolas Ghesquière LV Ombres Monogram palettes are the most expensive eye shadow palettes on the market, and perhaps in the recorded history of makeup. But look at it this way: You can’t even get the Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Key Pouch for $340, so in a way, it’s kind of a bargain.

Louis Vuitton’s Dame Pat McGrath x Nicolas Ghesquière collection is now available online and will be available in-store on August 27.

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