Bronzers from Pat McGrath have finally arrived! As excited as I was for this release, it felt like I waited forever to get my order. I try to mention the long shipping times when ordering directly from the Pat McGrath website when I post about the brand. I ordered about 15 minutes after launch, and I didn’t get my order until 8 business days later. Keep in mind that some people may still be waiting for their orders, so I’m just giving context for my personal experience. The brand’s website states that processing takes 1-2 business days and shipping takes 5-7 business days. So, I received my package within the stated timeframe. I still feel like it took a long time, but for my order, they delivered according to their terms.
So anyway, on to the actual product. I bought the shade Bronze Divinity, thinking that Desert Glow would be too light for me (it probably isn’t). Luckily, this formula is buildable, so I was able to apply it without trouble. The shade bronze divinity turned out to be more orange than I was expecting, but I do think that my olive undertone has a lot to do with that. In the brand’s defense, the shade is described as a terracotta bronze. While this does have a touch of red, it definitely has the burnt orange tone of terracotta.
Click continue reading to see a swatch of bronze divinity and see it compared to NARS Punta Cana.
There are 8 shades total, but only 5 of them are available at Sephora. Naked Desire, Bronze Dawn, Bronze Nirvana, Bronze Divinity, and Bronze Mahogany are the shades that are stocked at Sephora. If you’d like to purchase Nude Honey, Desert Glow, or Burnished Honey, you’ll have to buy directly from the Pat McGrath website. Update May 28, 2025: Ulta has all 8 shades on their website.
Pat McGrath Divine Bronzer ($39) in Bronze Divinity Swatch
For shade reference, I have a warm olive undertone and some of my best foundation matches are NARS Natural Radiant Tahoe and Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4.
UPDATE May 28, 2025: Nothing has changed from my first impression of Bronze Divinity (sits smooth over texture, not flat, lasts through 10 hours). However, I did have the chance to try the shade Desert Glow, and while it does work for me, I wish it were darker so I could also wear it in the summer. The formula does have shimmer running through it that isn’t very noticeable, and I don’t think it makes the formula much different to use than the matte formula (Bronze Divinity shade). Desert Glow might be a hair easier to blend than Bronze Divinity. The shimmer isn’t as noticeable as a formula like the Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder. However, I prefer the Armani formula. The matte formula of Bronze Divinity is also not my favorite. I prefer MUFE Artist Bronzer, which is my current go-to matte bronzer.
Pat McGrath Bronze Divinity vs NARS Punta Cana
It does appear that NARS has discontinued this bronzer in favor of their new Laguna Talc Free Bronzer Powder, but I figured it was still a good shade reference.
I’m still in the first impressions phase with this bronzer, but so far I like it. The formula is smoothing and doesn’t enhance any texture. It has that same healthy look that I experienced with the demi-matte finish of the Pat McGrath Divine Blushes. It is a matte finish, but it is not flat or dry-looking. It doesn’t oxidize, and it does not fade throughout the day. All in all, the Pat McGrath Divine Bronzer seems to perform the same as the blush formula. I’m excited to see the brand creating staple products in its lineup.
If my thoughts on products change over time, I do post updates. So, if you are ever curious whether my thoughts on a particular topic have changed, you can revisit my post on that item. I always post the date before my new thoughts, so you’ll be able to tell it’s an update.
Was this an exciting release for you? Any plans to try it out?
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Nikki From HR 
Hey Nikki. When you have a chance to fully test and are ready to share your thoughts I’d love to get your take on how this wears next to the mac matte bronzer. I’m curious about which finish and undertone you prefer and if either stays in place after a full day of wear.
Ayana
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Hey Ayana, thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I decided not to try the Mac formula after all of the confusion and different stories I heard about the reasons for the bronzers being pulled from shelves for a period of time. I can tell you that I prefer the mac undertone over the Pat McGrath based on swatches though. The Pat McGrath bronzer does stay in place all day for me, but with my dry skin type I don’t typically experience fading with products.
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Thanks. Did they pull it for product safety reasons? If so then I’ll skip it too lol. The undertone of the Pat bronzer that matches my complexion, the deepest one, is a little too cool for my liking. I prefer a bit more warmth but have found the ones that I’ve tried to be brick red.
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MAC customer care told me the bronzers I ordered are safe to use and I ordered mine before they had a chance to pull them from the market. Some Mac counters were telling customers that the issue was with the pans falling out of the compacts and others were being told it was an issue with the powders smelling bad.
When you say it matches your complexion, do you mean that it’s not dark enough for you to bronze with? Which bronzer shades have you tried that are too red?
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The Pat bronzer I have is definitely deep enough (I’m 445 in fenty). I’d just prefer if there were perhaps another one in the range that was as deep with more warmth vs cool tones. I have the deepest shade from Benefit that works for me but I just wish it was 1 shade deeper. I also have the OG queen collection bronzer that’s super red. There’s a finishing powder by Danessa myrick that I use as a bronzer.
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Gotcha. The new version of the queen bronzer is now named trublend so flushed and it isn’t as red as the old version but I’m not sure if it’d be darker than hoola toasted. Some other brands that I think may have a shade that’s darker than the Benefit are LYS, Mented, One/Size, Coloured Raine, Haus Labs, and Juvia’s Place. I’m not sure about the undertones and I’ve never compared them directly for myself so it’s just an educated guess on my part. But maybe one of those brands will have something that is dark enough and not too red. I have tried and do like the Coloured Raine bronzer in cinna bae which is too dark for me but may still be too light for you, but they do have 3 shades that are darker than cinna bae. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve at least looked at some of these brands already, but maybe there is something here you can work with. I have posts for the covergirl and coloured raine bronzers, I’ll edit this comment with links once I get on my computer in case you want to see them.
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Wow thank you. I never considered any of those options other than LYS. The shade I was interested in from them looked more like a sculpting/contour shade. You have me intrigued about the colured raine bronzers. I think I’ll go in that direction based on your feedback. Does the powder have a smooth finely milled texture?
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You’re welcome! I would consider the coloured raine bronzer to be smooth, but it’s also drier and more powdery than a lot of the newer formulas. I have also heard that the shade cinna bae is smoother than some of the other shades so you may want to check out some reviews for the specific shade you may be interested in.
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Thanks for these comparisons. I have the same thoughts as you about the shade Bronze Divinity. Did you, by any chance, try the Bronze Nirvana shade? I wonder if it may be a better match for your skin tone?
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You’re welcome 🙂. I swatched Bronze Nirvana in store, and I do like the undertone better, but I was worried it would be a little too subtle for my liking. I have tried Desert Glow on my face, and while I liked it fine, I still prefer other bronzer formulas, so I ended up just letting it go.
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