Bronze Line Up

One thing that's been consistent with my makeup in the mornings is bronze eyeliner to define my lower lash line. Black is a bit too harsh for the day time, especially paired with black mascara on the bottom lashes, so bronze appears to be the natural alternative. Previously, I'd lightly dip an angled eyeliner brush into black gel liner to softly line my lower lash line (so the colour was closer to a grey), but fully converted to bronze after discovering Benefit Busy Signal. The rich, warm bronze with gold shimmer was just the shade I was after, but I wasn't a fan of needing to use a brush to apply the cream shadow. Pencil eyeliner seemed a much easier option (except the sharpening part), but finding one that ticked all the boxes has proven to be a tall order. With the recent purchase of Australis 10 Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze, I was inspired to pull out my other bronze pencil eyeliners and see how they stack up against each other.

l-r: Australis Bombastic Bronze, Essence Teddy, Rimmel Bronze, Savvy by DB Brilliant Bronze

Australis 10 Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze
The newest addition to my bronze pencils, and my current go-to. Soft in texture and ultra smooth to apply, it glides on without any friction. Very nice pigmentation and staying power. I detect an almost an antique, patina edge to the bronze — it's a fraction more yellow-grey than the others, kind of like there's a hint of MAC Powersurge about it.

Essence Kajal Pencil in Teddy
I'm not sure whether Teddy intentionally references the MAC Eye Kohl of the same name, but it's hard not to draw comparisons. I don't have MAC Teddy, but I admit to running to the shops to grab this Essence pencil when I initially read that it was a potential dupe. It's harder in texture than the Australis and tugs slightly at first, until it warms up from contact with the skin. It needed several swipes for the pictured opacity, but once built up, becomes a rich, metallic chocolate brown with no shimmery particles. Lasting power is far from amazing, but it's a good option for the weekend or more low-key makeup.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Bronze
Lightest and warmest of the four, the shimmer is also the strongest and distinctly golden, almost giving an overall yellow sheen to the bronze. Not as smooth-gliding as the Australis, and the staying power, though similar, also isn't quite as good. I'm a little bit disappointed with it as I've found it starts to fade and smudge with my mascara by the end of the day, though it holds up well for the first 5 hours or so.

Savvy by DB Luxury Liner in Brilliant Bronze
Excuse the fact mine is in desperate need of sharpening. From the swatch, Brilliant Bronze looks like a cross between the metallic chocolate brown of the Essence and the gold shimmer of the Rimmel. It has exceptional lasting power — the best of the four. These Luxury Liners were reformulated when Savvy by DB relaunched their entire line last year. From memory, the new bronze pencil is darker. I'm curious to test out the new one and compare it to its predecessor, but they were sold out during Priceline's recent 40% off sale.