A couple of months back I found myself inexplicably attached to the MAC Sharon Osbourne Duchess Quad. I eventually purchased it and have been using it quite a lot but it has not been until recently that I realised just how similar his quad is to my old favourite Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Quad. Now I know that neither of these palettes are actually available anymore and for that I feel a little stupid bothering to have them battle it out, but there is method to my madness. Not only do I want to compare the quality of MAC eyeshadows compared to Clinique, I also want to show that if you really love a product you will keep coming back to it (whether it is the actual product or subconsciously find something very similar).
The MAC quad has it's classic buttery texture and good pigmentation. The packaging is really nice and the way the lid secures with a magnet is satisfying every time. I would have to say that the Clinique has better packaging in the long run because though it doesn't feel quite as luxe, it is more practical. The palette is almost half the size of the MAC and the shadows are almost the same size. It also has a more traditional latch close so that there is no chance of it coming open during travel.
Though the Clinique shadows feel a more chalky texture to the touch (not bad at all but it's hard to match the smoothness of MAC) they go on to the skin really well and smooth out over the lid nice and evenly. I would say that the darkest shade in this quad, fudge, is better than the one in the other palette in terms of colour pay off. The MAC offering is more matte but it is not as easy to apply evenly.
There are two outlying colours, one from each quad, that deserve a quick address. The Clinique features a light pink shade that is not very pigmented, I just find that I have never worn the shade because I don't feel it goes with the others in the quad and I tend to gravitate towards more dusty rose pinks for my eyes. The MAC quad features a more orange toned brown that I was at odds with when I first got it. Nothing against the formulation, it is a truly beautiful shadow, but I wasn't sure whether the orange tone worked with my eyes and skin. It turns out that I can make it work as long as I wear a black liner to break up the colour.
I am so happy that I would another palette to that is as cute and wearable as my favourite Clinique one. I'm especially glad that I was reminded of my little Clinique number so that I can now break it back out and put it into my rotation! All in all I would have to give this one to the MAC just because of their great formulation and luxe feel, but it doesn't really matter because this is more of a post to remind you to break out your old favourites and realise just how much you love them.
Lots of Love,
Shannon
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