When I blogged about the Bobbi Brown cream shadow sticks a couple of weeks back, I promised you I’d do a quick comparison based on the shadow sticks I’ve tried so far, and here it is! I do try to keep my promises.
I chose to compare just the 3 that you see, because these are the only ones I’ve tried. Makes sense right? I can’t possibly compare something I’ve never tried 😛 So whilst there are others out there (and I’d love to hear from you if you’ve tried some other good ones) here are some comparisons from Chanel, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown, and my personal favourite.
The first cream shadow stick I tried was from Chanel from the summer collection. It was a surprise purchase for me and also one I liked. You may notice how the packaging all looks quite similar.
Long plastic pen-style packaging with a twist up mechanism. I won’t dwell on the Chanel one because it was limited edition and therefore unavailable, but although I liked it, I’d tell you to skip it.
The primary reason is because of the glitter and shimmer and general lack of pigment. It serves well as a highlighter or a lazy day eye,but isn’t one I’d recommend for general use.
The true contenders are therefore the Laura Mercier Caviar Shadow Stick and the Bobbi Brown Longlasting Cream Shadow sticks. I’ve reviewed them separately if you’d like to click through to the individual posts.
At a glance, the LM and BB sticks are practically twins separated at Birth. They both even have the same country of origin and I won’t be surprised if they came from the same factory. For all intents and purposes, both products are identical. However, on swatching and using them, I did notice some differences
(1) Laura Mercier Caviar Stick -Khaki (2) Laura Mercier Caviar Stick – Cocoa (3) Bobbi Brown Longlasting Cream Shadow stick – Golden Bronze (4) Bobbi Brown Longlasting Cream Shadow Sunlight Gold (5)Chanel Stylo cream shadow stick – Moon River (6) Laura Mercier Caviar Stick – Sandglow
You may notice in the side by side swatches that the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick is the most pigmented and also the ones with the smoothest texture. These were all just swatched once and the intensity of colour and pigment does stand out.
I find that Laura Mercier’s creamy texture makes it much easier to blend and smoke out. The effect is softer and the colour doesn’t move around too much. Chanel’s as you can see, is quite insubstantial compare to the other 2 which is why I don’t recommend it much. It’s nice on its own, but pales in comparison to the other 2.
Bobbi Brown’s cream shadow sticks have a drier texture when compared to the Laura Mercier. They set a little more quickly and are a bit harder to blend out for this reason. However, I have also noticed that they have incredible lasting power.
So, if you have very oily lids, then the Bobbi Brown may agree with you more. I personally prefer the shades available in Laura Mercier which I feel are more wearable and just better overall in terms of texture and ease of use. However, I have no problem wearing any of the shades here and the longevity for all of them blow me away. I haven’t been wearing many other products lately. I don’t have to. These are all awesome!
Incidentally, there is one more cream shadow stick I’ve tried that I didn’t include here. The Clinique Chubby Sticks for eyes. The reason I didn’t include it is because I didn’t think it similar to the ones here. Granted, the shape is wrong, but then, so is the texture.
When I compared them, and as much as I do like Lavish Lilac which is the shade I have, I found that in terms of quality, I much prefer that of Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier for prices which aren’t too far from each other. The Clinique one is drier and much sheerer in colour. It’s nice, but not stellar.
Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercer are both stellar! I’m already planning to pick up more Laura Mercier 😀
Have you tried any of these cream shadow sticks? Are there others that you think are stellar too?
I actually like using these because they are quick and easy. Just swipe it on, blend out with fingers and I’m good to go. The pen shape allows me to use it as a liner if I want, and I like using light shimmer shades on my lower lash line this way. Takes all the guess work out of doing my makeup 😀
Paris B
nicoles mirror says
November 18, 2013 at 9:07 amI’ve heard so much raved about shadow stick on Youtube, so I decided to try Mally’s, the one Emily Noel loves. and I love them! Never tried any of the brands above but I think I will in the future. XD I think I should try Laura Mercier next. hehehe..
Thanks for the review Paris!
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 3:42 pmI haven’t come across Mally’s but I’ll bear it in mind, since I love using cream shadow sticks now. So easy and quick especially when I’m so lazy to do my eye makeup these days haha! Definitely try the LM one. I just picked up the Christmas set with the 4 travel sized caviar sticks – happy now hehe
My Organic Journey says
November 18, 2013 at 9:42 amI am a big fan of LM, superior quality with very wearable shades! I have the Sandglow & grey pearl, both my to-go products at the moment, preferring them over powder shadows. I have very oily lids and these babies really last.
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 3:43 pmOh *high5* I love them too! I shall KIV Grey Pearl and Sandglow is absolutely lovely for a quick wash of colour or as a base. I just picked up the Christmas set with 4 travel sized ones and am very happy that the colours aren’t already ones I own yay!
Hani Lutfi says
November 18, 2013 at 2:26 pmI am so interested in these. I don’t really wear eyeshadows because there hasn’t been anything that requires applying tons of make-up but when I do, I love quick eyeshadows where I can just do a quick swipe and I’m ready to go. I have to say, I love all the color selections from Bobbi Brown better than Laura Mercier, probably because of the shimmer. Since I am more dark skinned, matte neutral colors are never really visible. But since you said it has a drier texture, I might try both. When the time comes 🙂
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 3:44 pmAh you’ll love these then, Hani 🙂 They are literally swipe and go! I’d say head to the counter when you have the chance and test them out to see which you prefer. We will have our preferences, but I think both BB and LM are the way to go 🙂
Sunny says
November 18, 2013 at 4:03 pmI’ve tried quite some shadow sticks. In fact, it’s been a bit of an obsession! Out of everything I’ve tried, LM is my favorite as well! Texture aside, a lot of the shades are just so wonderfully complex! The Clinique ones are indeed a bit of a flop. I’ve tried one Bobbi Brown one so far, and it doesn’t blend as well as I want it to. Maybe that’s why I haven’t tried another!
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 3:57 pmYay for LM 🙂 I find the Bobbi Brown ones a bit drier which might explain why it doesn’t blend as well. LM just blows everything else out of the water doesn’t it? 😀
Lily says
November 18, 2013 at 5:21 pmSpot on comparisons here, PB. I’m torn between LM and BB. I like BB because it stays without creasing, and I like LM because of the beautiful shade selection and buttery texture. If I’m not being too picky, I say, I like both just the same.
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 4:00 pmLM got me thanks to their texture and colours. They definitely hit it out of the ballpark with their colour selection! But I can’t deny the lasting power of BB cream shadow sticks either. I think ultimately it’ll come down to personal preference on texture and shade selection 😉
S. Dramanmakeup says
November 18, 2013 at 7:05 pmParis, you need to try Kiko ones, they’re really great! They last literally forever on my lids. Let me know if I can send you some, I think you would totally love them!
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 4:00 pmOoh I’ve heard a lot about Kiko shadow sticks too! Thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it! 😀
Anne says
November 19, 2013 at 12:04 amwelcome home Paris!
Im also a fan of the LM eye sticks. it is really idiot-proof..and last well under our humid weather and my oily eyelid~.Just to let u know that LM will be launching a pack of 4 mini Caviar Sticks for Xmas in Sephora (Pink Opal, Amethyst (my favourite colour), Rosegold and Sugar Frost). Its at S$63..Quite a good deal as it takes a long time to finish one stick..so might as well buy the smaller size tube at one go!
Paris B says
November 21, 2013 at 4:58 pmHi Anne, Thanks for letting me know about the mini caviar sticks! I picked them up today hurray! LOL 😀 Its RM155 here which is a pretty good deal for 4 shades I don’t already have and they’ll last a long while anyway 😀
Anne says
November 21, 2013 at 5:42 pmHaha Paris;)
U are faster than me 😉 kinda good value deal ya? Enjoy it!
chococakehk says
November 16, 2016 at 12:08 pmI finally got my hands on the caviar sticks! Holiday 2016 LM haha
can’t wait to try it
But not sure why they include a neutral black matt tuxedo this year, kinda meh
Thinking may give it away
Paris B says
November 21, 2016 at 2:27 pmOoh don’t give it away! The black helps to add depth. Try this method of using caviar sticks that is how I always do it for a quick eye look 🙂