The Best Setting Powders, According to Makeup Artists

Laura Mercier’s setting powder was initially launched in 1996 and has since earned holy-grail status in the kits of makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts alike. “It really does last all day long. If you set your under-eye concealer or any blemishes you’ve concealed, you can bet that you’ll come home and your makeup hasn’t budged a bit,” writes Strategist beauty columnistRio Viera-Newton. It’s also a favorite of Strategist writerRachael Griffiths, who says it manages to absorb her sweat when she applies it as an emergency face shield before getting on the Tube. “I’ve noticed that my makeup slides right off if I forget to pack it,” she says. She tends to get dryness around her under eyes and has found that other setting powders will stick there and crease, but she has never had an issue with this one. And Strategist updates coordinatorNajwa Jamalhas been using this tried-and-true powder since high school. Eight years later, she’s still applying it daily and considers it as another step in her skin-care routine, “a way to ensure my pores are blurred and excessive shine is under control,” she says. “It helps keep my natural dew under control for hours and hasn’t left me with a white cast or cakey look when on photo-shoot sets.”

RCMA’s setting powder is under $15, but it’s a staple for many professional makeup artists thanks to its colorlessness, making it universal for any skin shade. “It’s a pro OG product,” says makeup artistMollie Gloss. “We all have it in our kit because it works for literally everyone — you can use it on the lightest and the deepest skin tones.” Makeup artistKiki Giffordeven goes so far as to declare that it’s her “favorite powder ever” because it “doesn’t leave a white cast. It’s not super-mattifying, but it blurs and smooths and makes your skin look like velvet.” She has used it before on set from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., and in the Arizona desert, and found that the makeup held up beautifully with minimal retouching needed.

“This is one of the best luxury powders on the market. If someone is looking to spend a little more money, this is the one I recommend,” says makeup artistEmma Elizabethof Hourglass Cosmetics’ Veil Translucent Setting Powder. “It’s blurring on the skin, it diffuses the look of pores, and it prolongs your makeup.” The powder is available in three shades — for light, medium, and deep skin tones — and they all impart a warm, luminescent finish “that mimics the look of candlelight,” Elizabeth explains. “It’s not sparkly, though — you’re not going to feel shiny or reflective.” Rather, it has a satiny, soft matte finish that wears beautifully under the eyes or all over the face, she says, adding, “A ten-out-of-ten powder.”

Makeup artistAmanda Thesenhas been reaching for Givenchy’s Prisme Libre setting powders a lot recently because they impart “a really nice smooth finish” and are “visually very pretty, but the different shades help with color-correcting as well,” she explains. There are multiple color combinations to choose from depending on your skin tone and concerns — green helps neutralize redness, lavender combats sallowness, and peach revives a dull complexion. And makeup artistNatalie Dreshercalls it her “ultimate setting powder for under the eyes” thanks to its subtly shimmery finish that goes a long way toward brightening dark circles.

This innovative product from Danessa Myricks transforms from a balm to a powder and can serve as a primer or a foundation as well. Makeup artistElika Hilatareaches for it when working with clients with oily skin who “get shiny really easily, where even if you use a mattifying product, it doesn’t stop the shine.” She describes its texture as almost akin to a starch, where the powder is very fine, and says it does a great job at controlling oil and smoothing out pores. Personally, I have combination skin that gets very oily in the summertime, and I’ve been reaching for it during hot, humid days when my usual tinted moisturizers will simply slide off my face; the balm smooths out into a light, powdery coating after I rub it in and keeps me matte all day long with very little touch-up needed. It’s also available in 22 shades, and it’s one of the products Hilata always keeps in her kit when she’s working with clients with darker skin tones.

Strategist writerBrenley Goertzenhas fair-to-medium skin that tends to be on the dry side, especially since she has added tretinoin cream to her skin-care routine. She has experimented with a couple other powders but found them to be drying under her eyes; for a few months now, she has been using Kosas’s Cloud Set powder and hasn’t experienced a problem. She loves that it’s “brightening but also reduces shine,” and she uses it mostly to set her under eyes and T-zone. “It locks my concealer, and I never get creasing now,” she says. “I wore it to more than one wedding where I cried during the ceremony, and in extreme humidity in Mexico, and my makeup didn’t budge.” The powder comes in 13 shades for a variety of skin tones; Goertzen prefers the pink-tinted Candy, which “does a great job of offsetting any darkness and blurring my pores.”

All of Well People’s products are EWG-certified, clean, and cruelty free, so those with sensitive or reactive skin can rest assured that this powder won’t be irritating. The Superpowder formula is infused with skin-care-forward, naturally derived ingredients, such as aloe and green-tea extract, to provide extra nourishment. “Many powders focus purely on setting makeup or controlling shine, but this one offers true skin benefits,” says makeup artistShirley Pinkson-Mañas. “It balances the skin and has a glowing, radiant finish that won’t look flat or matte.” She’ll dust a light layer of it to set makeup, and it creates a “lit-from-within glow” that lasts all day.

Throwing a loose powder into your bag is a disaster waiting to happen, so Elizabeth recommends choosing a pressed powder housed in a compact for touch-ups while you’re out and about. She likes NARS’s Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder for dusting all over the face: “It gives a radiance to the skin while also having a soft matte finish,” she says, adding that it’s one of the most “pore-diffusing, line-softening powders on the market.” It also has just the right amount of coverage where it won’t change the look of your foundation but will just slightly enhance it. The formula comes in seven shades and includes niacinamide to reduce pore size and mica minerals for a smooth application.