Makeup 101: Face Powders

To set makeup and prevent shine you need a face powder. But which one to choose?

Face powders came into use when women needed something to blot shine with during the day.  Because powder soaks up oil the thought was that it should prevent a shiny oily face.  However, adding more and more powder throughout the day can make your makeup look cakey and make you look tired.  The modern woman uses blotting tissues for this purpose.

Setting Powder

As the name implies this powder is meant to set your makeup in place.  One of my favorite drugstore setting powders is NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder.

Finishing Powder

This powder goes on after the setting powder to add a finishing layer of glow or matte effect.  You can use them by themselves as well.  My favorite drugstore finishing powders are Physicians Formula Happy Booster & Glow Mood Boosting Powder and Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder.

Loose vs. Pressed Powder

Loose Powder is easy to work with and is best used for high definition photography or film because it can be extremely finely milled to help blur imperfections.

There are more finishing powders available in pressed form and they seem to adhere better over loose powder than vice versa.

Really it is up to your preference because most setting and finishing powders come in both forms.  I typically prefer a pressed powder, applied with a brush, because they make less mess when I am in a hurry.  If I have more time and/or I know I will be photographed I pat on the loose powder for a more flawless face.

Application

To apply face powder you can use a pouf to pat it on or a powder brush to dust it on.  I use the ecotools blush brush to apply my face powder because I like a nice soft natural finish.

Choose Colorless

It used to be that you would match your face powder to your skin color much in the same way as you would choose a foundation.  Nowadays, the best thing to do is to choose a translucent or colorless powder.  Colored powders can oxidize and change once on the skin or outside in the sun.  They can also look cakey and fake.  You can't go wrong with a translucent powder because they have no color.