The Beauty Edit: The Perfect Setting Powder
Jan 30, 2019
To smooth out my acne scarring, I wear a full-face of foundation almost every time I wear makeup. Looking fresh in a full-face of makeup requires that you set it properly. So many setting powders are miserable failures, but Charlotte Tilbury has cracked the code on setting powder.
I’ve tried a variety of translucent setting powders. Most aren’t strong enough to last through a 12-hour workday. Some crease and cake. And still others leave a hazy white cast on my skin. I had a favorite translucent option, that avoided many of these issues but still didn’t last as long as I needed.
So what did I do? I went back to using a light dusting of powder foundation to set my makeup. This is wrong for many reasons. Primarily, it can make the skin on your face noticeably darker than the rest of your skin. It also looks heavy if you over apply.
Enter Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder.
This tinted setting powder is the finest powder I think I have every used. It is so light, the first few times, I felt like I wasn’t putting enough on my brush. But somehow, my makeup always looked perfectly even and lasted all day.
My one caution is that there are only three shades. I have slightly olive skin, and the medium shade works for me.
I hope that CT will expand the line to cover more skin tones, since her other products (including my favorite Magic liquid foundation) comes in a wider range of colors.
So if you are looking for a setting powder that smooths, lasts and looks flawless all day. Give this Charlotte Tilbury powder a try.
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I went into Nordstroms to try this out and the salesperson said that it was a more “white” than translucent finish so didn’t try it. Now I think I just need to do so. He suggested the L. Mercier …I also got a sample of the HourGlass setting powder. Have you or any of your followers tried either of the other 2 to compare? Thanks.
I have the Laura mercier loose powder and th ct compact airbrush powder. The ct almost blurs your skin it is nice. It’s the only ct item I like. There is not much of a difference otherwise from the lm powder.
I don’t find it to be a white finish at all.
I’m currently using the Laura Mercier translucent setting powder. I got the small travel size one to see if it would work for me…it does not. It looks great when I put it on, but after a whole day of wear, it settles into my lines, which really emphasizes them. I use the hourglass primer underneath my foundation, which I really like, but have not tried the setting powder.
I’ve never gotten into setting powder because I don’t know what kind of brush to use/how to apply to get a nice finish. Any guidance or recommendations would be very much appreciated!
The one I linked to is a bit tapered. You need a larger, fluffy brush. And the trick is to puff your cheeks out like a chipmunk.
I have always stayed away from any kind of powder because I assumed it 1) would settle into fine lines, and /or 2) would make my skin appear drier than without powder. Have I been wrong all these years?? I’ll have to give this a try.
As long as I use a primer, I get no settling. Even without primer, I only get light settling (mostly in the deeper pitted scars, not in my lines).
What primer are you using these days?
I have a sunscreen from Suntegrity that’s also a primer. Makeup setting spray also helps.
I love this powder! I’ve been using it for three months and have no complaints at all. I have very light skin with pink undertones – I use the number 1 (or lightest color in the trio). It goes on translucent and keeps my makeup in place all day and night. Can’t recommend enough.
Do you still like the Glossier Wow-der as well, or have you moved on?
Wow-er would be my second choice. My issue with Wow-Der, and I’m glad you brought this up, is loose powder is just too damn messy for me. As good as the product is, I don’t need to be cleaning up spilled powder all the time.