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MAC A Rose Is A Rose Eyeshadow Quad Review, Photos, Swatches


Solar White (Frost), Seeds of Love (Frost); Petal Worship (Lustre), Contrast (Velvet)

MAC A Rose Is A Rose Eyeshadow Quadicon (Nordstrom Exclusive) ($36.00) is the long awaited final piece to MAC’s A Rose Romance Collection, which launched earlier in April.

With tax, I think I paid just under $40, which makes each shadow cost approximately $10 each (a little less than eyeshadows sold in palette form already). In terms of value, the eyeshadows are cheaper buying them together. However, Solar White eyeshadow has been released before (though it was limited edition), and Contrast eyeshadow is part of the permanent range. So if you have one or both of those, the quad’s value definitely diminishes. If you are not a collector, and you already own two, I’d probably say to skip the quad.

  • Solar White is a smooth, buttery golden-toned, creamy white. It has a frost finish, so it does have shimmer and sheen. It’s a nice shade to own, so if you missed out on Solar White previously, here’s your chance to grab it without paying eBay prices.
  • Seeds of Love is a smooth, pigmented coralish shade. It doesn’t lean too red nor orange, just right. It does remind me of Paradisco (but with way better texture), and I’d say Paradisco runs a bit more orange. The point is they are close enough that you could nab Paradisco instead of Seeds of Love for a coral fix if this was the only color you needed/wanted.
  • Petal Worship is a soft, light lilac with purple sheen. It reminded me a lot of a slightly more purple Stars ‘n Rockets — like a cross between Lotusland (limited edition) and Stars ‘n Rockets. It has a lustre finish, so it wasn’t the smoothest of the four, but it was surprisingly pigmented without too much fall out/crumbling that’s typical with lustre eyeshadows.
  • Contrast is a deep navy, purple-casted shade. It’s lightly shimmered over a dark blue-black base. I love using Contrast in purple looks, and I definitely think it is significantly different from Deep Truth (just for those wondering!).

See swatches


Solar White (Frost), Seeds of Love (Frost), Petal Worship (Lustre), Contrast (Velvet)


Solar White (Frost), Seeds of Love (Frost), Petal Worship (Lustre), Contrast (Velvet)

Please do not redistribute or republish these images without permission. Thank you! 🙂

50 Comments

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alyssamae. Avatar

I’ve been waiting for your swatches! 🙂 Thanks a bunch! I just purchased my online last night and heard good and bad reviews.. But I don’t have any colors similar to these four, so I’m quite satisfied and can’t wait for my quad to come in! Thanks girl!

Anitacska Avatar

Oh this is lovely. Unfortunately not available in the UK. 🙁 Would anyone be willing to do a CP for me? I’m on MUA with the same username, please contact me if you would!

lesleykat Avatar

can i just say, i live in nyc. i live/work dangerously close to a MAC pro store and can pickup MAC items in just about every neighborhood. the closest Nordstrom to me is in Rhode Island! I really would like this quad and i HATE ordering things off the net. shipping/waiting/etc… is so annoying.
/rant.

Evelyn Avatar

i realllyyyyy wish i could get this quad
unfortunately i live in canada :[ (or fortunately, my wallets looking a bit empty lately haha)

Shanna Avatar

Everything else I’ve read says that Petal Worship is a frost =/ I hate lustres so now I’m really undecided about this, and I was just about to order it =/

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