Key takeaways
- Louis Vuitton's limited-edition Monogram eyeshadow palettes cost $340 each, marking them as the most expensive eyeshadow palettes ever recorded in makeup history.
- The palettes were designed by Dame Pat McGrath in collaboration with Nicolas Ghesquière, celebrating the brand's 130th monogram anniversary.
- Dune features warm, luminous desert-inspired neutrals, while Infrarouge brings moody mauve, berry hues, and edgy charcoal with iridescent sparkle.
The Historic Collaboration Between Two Fashion and Beauty Icons
When Louis Vuitton announced La Beauté Louis Vuitton, a collection marking the fashion house’s first dedicated collaboration with legendary makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath, the beauty world took notice. What drew eyes upward even further were the price tags attached to the two limited-edition eyeshadow palettes: $340 each. As quads containing four shades of color, this pricing structure works out to $85 per individual shade—a figure that places these palettes in a singular category at the very top of the luxury beauty market, far exceeding what most consumers consider conventional luxury pricing.
The collaboration represents a continuation of a working relationship that has unfolded over more than two decades. Nicolas Ghesquière, serving as Louis Vuitton’s artistic director, and McGrath, who holds the position of the fashion house’s creative director of cosmetics, have built their partnership through the makeup looks that appear on Louis Vuitton’s runway shows season after season. For McGrath, the expansion into a dedicated product line felt like a natural evolution. She describes the collection—which includes four additional $195 lip colors alongside the eyeshadow palettes—as “the natural next step” in their ongoing creative partnership and shared vision.
Celebrating 130 Years of the Iconic Monogram
The two palettes sit at the intersection of art direction and deeply rooted brand symbolism. Both celebrate the 130th anniversary of the famous Louis Vuitton monogram, the interlocking LV mark that remains one of luxury’s most universally recognizable symbols. The limited-edition versions translate this heritage milestone into color in two distinctly different ways, each telling its own visual story.
The Dune Palette: Warmth and Luminosity
LV Ombres 724 Monogram Dune takes the warmer, softer path. The palette features luminous neutrals that were carefully curated with desert landscapes serving as the creative inspiration—a sun-soaked color story that manages to feel both wearable for everyday moments and aspirational for special occasions. McGrath characterizes it with elegant simplicity: “Monogram Dune is luminous and warm,” capturing the essence of its color direction in a single phrase.
The Infrarouge Palette: Mood, Drama, and Contrast
LV Ombres 715 Monogram Infrarouge swings distinctly in the opposite direction. The palette brings together mauve and berry hues alongside a charcoal shade infused with iridescent sparkle—a combination described as “whimsically edgy” that creates a moodier overall aesthetic. This is the more dramatic of the two options, clearly designed for those who seek high contrast and uncompromising edge in their makeup application. McGrath sums up its personality in three words that say everything: “fearless, high-contrast, unapologetic.”
Color Accessibility and Daily Wear
Despite their collector’s-item positioning, both palettes offer color options accessible to different skill levels and occasions. Dune works well for those building a neutral base, while Infrarouge appeals to those comfortable with deeper tones and experimentation. The four-shade format, while limited, allows for layering and combination work.
Packaging and Collectibility as Design Elements
Where these palettes diverge most sharply from Louis Vuitton’s permanent-collection LV Ombres line is in their physical presentation and construction. The permanent versions come housed in a plastic compact that, while admittedly gorgeous and built with a refillable design that encourages keeping it as a functional object over years, remains utilitarian in spirit. The limited-edition Monogram palettes take an entirely different approach.
Monogram Canvas Construction and Unified Accessories
Each palette is covered in the iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram coated canvas—the bold combination of black and red for Infrarouge, and soft cream paired with rosy taupe for Dune. This material choice extends well beyond the eyeshadow quads themselves. The collection also includes a Cosmetic Lipstick Pouch and a Nice Beauty case, all unified by their monogram canvas coating. The decision to bring fashion-forward elements into the beauty collection creates a cohesive visual identity and makes these items feel less like makeup products and more like luxury accessories you might carry alongside a Louis Vuitton handbag or clutch.
Price in Historical Context: The Most Expensive Eye Shadow Palettes Ever
The $340 price point places these palettes in a category that has virtually no competitors within the eyeshadow space. To contextualize the figure, consider that Dame Pat McGrath’s own 10-shade Mothership palettes retail at $128 each—a price that now seems almost economical in comparison. Hermès eyeshadow quads, long established as a luxury option, cost approximately $114 per quad, which breaks down to roughly $29 per shade when accounting for sales tax. Louis Vuitton’s own regular LV Ombres palettes from the permanent collection carry a price tag of $250.
At $340 per palette, the Dame Pat McGrath x Nicolas Ghesquière limited-edition LV Ombres Monogram palettes appear to be the most expensive eyeshadow palettes currently available on the market. Beauty editors who conducted extensive searches for comparable products could find nothing that approaches this price point, suggesting these may well be the most expensive eyeshadow palettes in the recorded history of makeup itself. The price reflects multiple factors: the star power and creative credentials of McGrath and Ghesquière, the materials used in construction, the monogram canvas covering, the refillable compact engineering, and the explicit positioning of the product as a collectible object rather than a consumable.
For those seeking to justify or contextualize the investment, one useful comparison exists: a Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Key Pouch costs approximately the same amount as these palettes. Positioning the eyeshadow as a luxury accessory rather than makeup, therefore, can help certain collectors reconcile the expense with their purchasing decisions.
Availability, Launch Timeline, and Collector Considerations
The collection became available online upon announcement and will be available in Louis Vuitton boutiques and authorized retailers beginning August 27. The limited-edition status of these palettes means that timing and availability will be finite—these are not permanent fixtures within the Louis Vuitton beauty lineup and will eventually sell out or be discontinued.
Whether individual purchasers choose to treat these palettes as working makeup or to keep them sealed and untouched as collectible objects remains entirely a personal decision. The design and packaging of the product, however, suggests that both approaches hold equal merit and were anticipated by the creators.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do the Louis Vuitton Monogram eyeshadow palettes cost?
The limited-edition LV Ombres Monogram palettes cost $340 each, making them the most expensive eyeshadow palettes on the market. This breaks down to $85 per shade, as each palette contains four colors.
Who designed these eyeshadow palettes?
The palettes were created through a collaboration between Dame Pat McGrath, Louis Vuitton's creative director of cosmetics, and Nicolas Ghesquière, the brand's artistic director. McGrath has been designing makeup looks for Louis Vuitton's runway shows for more than two decades.
What are the color stories of the two palettes?
LV Ombres 724 Monogram Dune features luminous, warm neutrals inspired by desert landscapes. LV Ombres 715 Monogram Infrarouge offers moody mauve and berry hues along with charcoal infused with iridescent sparkle.
