This or That: Bronze Cream Eyeshadows ft. Chanel and Sydney Grace
Let’s take a deeper dive into comparing two cream eyeshadows in bronzy hues!
Learn how to make more critical comparisons between two products when you’re choosing between two options, whether you’re in decluttering mode or considering a new purchase or have been tempted by something new and shiny!
Chanel Patine Bronze vs. Sydney Grace I Don’t Know
Chanel Patine Bronze (840) Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow ($36.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a slightly muted, medium golden bronze with warm...
Chanel Patine Bronze (840) Ombre Premiere Longwear Cream Eyeshadow ($36.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a slightly muted, medium golden bronze with warm...
Sydney Grace I Don't Know Cream Shadow (2020) ($8.00 for 0.34 oz.) is a rich, golden bronze with strong, warm undertones and a metallic sheen. The...
Sydney Grace I Don't Know Cream Shadow (2020) ($8.00 for 0.34 oz.) is a rich, golden bronze with strong, warm undertones and a metallic sheen. The...
The Analysis
| PATINE BRONZE Chanel | I DON’T KNOW Sydney Grace | |
|---|---|---|
| Finish | High-shine metallic with fine sparkle | Smooth metallic, moderate shine |
| Color | Medium-dark bronze with moderate, warm reddish undertones and a smooth, metallic sheen | Medium-dark bronze with moderate, warm reddish undertones and a bright, metallic finish |
| Pigmentation | Opaque | Opaque |
| Texture | Lightly creamy but more solid than liquid, thin (not in a bad way), lightweight | Liquid, lightweight, spreadable |
| Longevity | Started creasing faintly after 11 hours | Started creasing faintly at 9 hours |
| Application | Applied well fingertips or brushes | Applied well with fingertips or brushes |
| Accessibility | Online and in-store, more global distribution | Online online, direct only |
| Price/Size | $36.00/0.14 oz. — luxury price point | $8.00/0.34 fl. oz. — significantly more affordable |
| Packaging | Glass jar with twist-off lid | Squeeze tube |
Reasons for Chanel Patine Bronze: The shimmer is finer and less metallic, which may make it more flattering on more textured skin. I also find that it has a softer look, even though the colors are very similar (especially when sheered out). Chanel’s formula is also easier to apply as a wash of color from the get-go and is hard to over-apply since it comes in a jar-format (no chance of over-squeezing!). For those who prefer sheerer, wash-like effects or like a more glowing finish (rather than metallic), Chanel does both well. The formula wears longer on me before creasing, too.
Reasons for Sydney Grace I Don’t Know: It has a little bit more depth and richness in its base color and a little went further than Patine Bronze, so it was more pigmented (despite both being opaque) and was marginally harder to sheer out–like you had to be careful to apply the smallest amount to sheer it out. As a result, I Don’t Know works particularly well as an opaque product and diffused along the edges. The finish is also a little shinier and more amped up; the richness may also play better with medium-dark and darker skin tones.
Editor’s Pick: Sydney Grace I Don’t Know! Though I certainly love Chanel’s formula and find it a bit longer-wearing, I prefer higher coverage and don’t need the ability to sheer out as much… plus I’d be unlikely to finish either, so I’d rather spend significantly less and be able to get a few shades of a great cream eyeshadow formula if I wanted to.
Bottom Line: Both formulas are more forgiving as they do not have budge-proof dry downs, so they can be blended and manipulated (to some degree) after they dry down. I think Patine Bronze is better for those who want something less metallic (but still shimmery) and prefer sheerer looks–and obviously aren’t concerned about budget!–while I Don’t Know is better for someone who prefers more metallic finishes and/or more opaque formulas. They’re both fantastic shades and formulas, so I think finish and price end up being the biggest differences; the latter is obviously very much dependent on one’s budget or lack thereof.
I find pot format cream shadows to be much easier to use as a base for powder shadow whereas the squeeze tube format is better for one and done looks. At the end of the day, I love cream shadow sticks the most but always have a hard time finding a formula that’s creamy enough to diffuse out sheerly without drying down super fast.
Excellent comparison between two very similar products of very similar colors. Due to my age and crepeiness of my kids, I would chose Chanel. Without your explanation, I would not know the distinction between the two.
Thank you
It’s a real toss up between the two of them isn’t it? I prefer the format of the Chanel’s Patine Bronze as the pot would work better for application for me than a tube. However, the price of the SG one is definitely preferable. I love both shades, so I would give the SG one a go.
I love these indepth analysis of yours Christine, thank you so much.
This is a great comparison of 2 A+ shadows that are similar in color. For the reasons you outlined (less metallic, easier to achieve a sheer effect) my choice is the Chanel shadow. I’d love to see more features like this; thank you Christine!
I loved the format of this post! As a matter of fact my Chanel patine bronze was starting to dry out and I was looking for a cheaper alternative (though Chanel has served me so well for 2 years). Thank you so much for doing this! Looking forward to similar posts =)
Glad to hear it, Hana! 🙂 How timely!
I like the Chanel one better. I do love all of Sydney Grace’s products, but this pulls on the green side for my taste. I really wish I could find a bronze or brown that doesn’t pull orange or green on my skin tone. It’s a battle lol