NARS Light Reflecting Powder– It only makes sense to start this post with my absolute favorite. I bought this powder a while a go, as soon as it hit Sephora shelves and I haven’t looked back. It’s probably my most-used powder out of the four mentioned here. It comes in a compact, and as a loose powder- I’ve used both. I love the compact because it has a mirror, it also came with an applicator that I actually ended up using. It comes in a slim packaging that makes it very easy to store and travel with (or just keep it in your bag). I recently also picked up the loose version and I love it just as much. They both come at the same price: $36.00, but the loose version has more product than the pressed one: 0.35oz vs. 0.24oz. So, the loose version does have more product, but it’s also worth noting that with this version you do end up wasting some product here and there as you’re applying it. What exactly do I love about this powder? It’s like a Photoshop, but in real life. It smooths the skin, makes your pores invisible, it has a fragrance-free formula, softens appearance of lines and wrinkles, helps with oiliness and doesn’t cake on the skin. It blends beautifully into the skin, it’s truly translucent and doesn’t make my skin look ridiculously pale. I’ve used this with everything from BB creams, tinted moisturizers to foundations and it works great with everything.
Best setting powders
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder – I recently mentioned this powder in my post about concealing dark circles right here. This powder is my favorite for setting the concealer. It’s soft enough to use under my eyes, and in addition to brightening that area it also does wonders for preventing creasing. It helps my concealer last much longer than it would have otherwise. I think that some may think this is a bit pricey for the amount of product you get: $24.00 for 0.14oz, but less is more (especially if we’re talking about using this under your eyes). I’ve had this for months and with regular use I still have a full jar.
Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Powder– I can’t tell you how many of those little jars of this powder I went through. Sephora used to sell this three-piece that came with a 0.17oz powder, full-sized HD foundation and a kabuki brush. I probably went through at least 5 of those. This award-winning powder is pretty awesome and helped me get through some of the “oiliest” times, ever. I would apply this on my skin, even if going foundation-free, to help control the sebum. It’s made from 100 percent-mineral silica, it’s incredibly lightweight and really helps the foundation to stay on for much longer. Similarly to the NARS powder, this helps blur out the lines and make the skin look and feel very smooth.
MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Finishing Powder– This is yet another shine-reducing, pore-minimizing, skin-perfecting gem. The universal, translucent color is supposed to suit all skin tones. This is probably the best out of the four, if you have oily skin. It really helps to keep the oiliness at bay, it smooths the skin and prolongs the wear of foundation and/or concealer. I love everything about this powder, but, I tend not to reach for it on those days when my skin is feeling overly dry (I’m talking about like my-skin-is-peeling-off dry). 0.32oz will cost you $26.00, so it’s the most affordable option out of the four mentioned here.
Have you used any of these?