Let’s face it: A look (especially a lasting one) isn’t complete without a final dusting of setting powder. This key step can even out texture, reduce shine and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Whether you prefer a loose or pressed powder, rest assured, your makeup won’t budge for the rest of the day.
The 20 Best Setting Powders for the Most Flawless Finish
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Published Jul 27, 2022
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How to Apply Setting Powder
Use a fluffy makeup brush or a dampened beauty sponge to apply the setting powder evenly onto your skin. It’s helpful to focus on the oilier areas of your face (like your forehead, nose and chin). Tip: If you’re using loose powder, remember to tap off any excess product before applying it to your face.
How to Find the Right Setting Powder
Setting powder comes in a loose or pressed finish. Deciding which one to use really boils down to personal preference, but you might also want to consider your skin type to narrow things down further. For example, if you have dry or mature skin, look for setting powders with nourishing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalene and collagen. If you have oily skin, keep an eye out for mattifying ingredients like silica, kaolin clay and salicylic acid to help tame down shine.
Aside from texture, setting powders also come in both translucent and tinted formulas. All skin tones can use a colorless powder like Laura Mercier and Hourglass or you can try one that matches your complexion like Bobbi Brown and Kosas.
Still unsure of where to start? We found the 20 best setting powders for flawless coverage.
The Best Setting Powders At A Glance:
- Best Overall: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
- Best Airbrush Effect: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish
- Best 2-in-1: Danessa Myricks Beauty Evolution Powder
- Best for Oily Skin: L’Oreal Paris Infallible Pro Sweep & Lock Loose Powder
- Most Lightweight: Glossier Wowder Setting & Finishing Powder
- Best for Dry Skin: Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder
- Best for Baking: Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder
- Most Radiant: bareMinerals Mineral Veil Setting Powder
- Best for Combination Skin: Saie Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder
- Longest Lasting: One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder
- Best Pressed Powder: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Translucent Pressed Powder
- Best Loose Powder: Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
- Best Shade Range: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder
- Best Splurge: La Mer The Powder
- Best for Dull Skin: Givenchy Prisme Libre Setting and Finishing Powder
- Best for Sun Protection: Ilia Radiant Translucent Powder
- Best Budget: Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Finishing Powder
- Best for Traveling: Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder
- Best for Sensitive Skin: Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder
- Most Natural Finish: Rare Beauty Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder
Sephora
1. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
Best Overall
Why We Love It: Three shades, translucent, oil-free formula
You can’t talk about setting powders without mentioning Laura Mercier. With over 9,000 five-star reviews, this makeup artist fav checks off every box. It has vitamin C, vitamin E and botanical powders to even out your complexion and absorb excess. Did we mention it delivers up to 16 hours of wear?
Sephora
2. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish
Best Airbrush Effect
Why We Love It: Four shades, medium coverage, best for oily and combo skin
Forget the Instagram filters. Fans of this setting powder say it gives you that same airbrushed effect IRL. You’ll find nourishing ingredients (i.e, rose wax and almond oil) and light-reflecting pearls that soften the skin, reduce visible shine and brighten your skin tone.
Sephora
3. Danessa Myricks Beauty Evolution Powder
Best 2-in-1
Why We Love It: Seven shades, translucent, Black-owned
Whether you prefer to use it as a setting or finishing powder, this one will lock in your makeup for the day. The loose formula swiftly reduces shine, balances texture and refines fine lines with a few sweeps of your brush.
Ulta
4. L’oréal Paris Infallible Pro Sweep & Lock Loose Powder
Best for Oily Skin
Why We Love It: Affordable, translucent, great for oily skin
This loose powder hits the mark for people with oily skin. The micro-fine formula (featuring silica) controls shine, blurs fine lines and softens your overall complexion.
Glossier
5. Glossier Wowder Setting & Finishing Powder
Most Lightweight
Why We Love It: Five shades, vegan, talc-free
Need a setting powder that isn’t going to feel heavy on your face? This airy pick features kaolin clay and vitamin E, which absorb excess oils and cut shine without drying out the skin.
Kosas
6. Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder
Best for Dry Skin
Why We Love It: 10 shades, clean ingredients, talc-free
This Kosas pick has all the benefits of a setting powder (i.e. reduces shine, softens texture), plus it’s loaded with skincare ingredients like bamboo stem extract, passionfruit leaf extract and Chinese peony to nourish dry skin. And with a whopping ten shades to choose from, you can match your complexion to a T.
Sephora
7. Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder
Best for Baking
Why We Love It: Nine shades, vegan, long-lasting
For a flawless (and crease-free) look for up to ten hours, we love Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake Powder. It brightens the under-eye area with ultra-fine pigments and smooths over any uneven texture. The key ingredient, vitamin E, should be left to bake on your skin for a few minutes, so you’re always photo-ready.
Sephora
8. Bareminerals Mineral Veil Setting Powder
Most Radiant
Why We Love It: Vegan, clean ingredients, talc-free
It’s time to skip the highlighter today. This mineral-based powder blurs and minimizes fine lines, while offering a hint of shimmer. Plus, the translucent shade gives all skin tones a soft coverage with no white cast in sight.
Sephora
9. Saie Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder
Best for Combination Skin
Why We Love It: Three shades, fragrance-free, clean ingredients
FYI, this setting powder is a solid pick for combo skin. The clean ingredients include squalene to hydrate and plump the skin, mica to add luminosity and silica to absorb any oil at the T-zone.
Sephora
10. One/size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder
Longest Lasting
Why We Love It: Vegan, fragrance-free, long-lasting
The last thing you want is your makeup to crease, smudge or settle into dry patches after a long day. Luckily, this powder offers a soft matte coverage for up to 14 hours. The loose texture blurs fine lines and extends the wear of your makeup—minus the flashback.
Sephora
11. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Translucent Pressed Setting Powder
Best Pressed Powder
Why We Love It: Three shades, light coverage, talc-free
There are a lot of pressed powders out there, but this one is on the top of the list. It’s infused with silk and peptides that minimize the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles. The formula also has antioxidants that protect against inflammation.
Sephora
12. Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
Best Loose Powder
Why We Love It: Talc-free, long-wearing, cruelty-free
The translucent powder has many fans raving about its natural finish. It’s designed with mica, silica and light-reflecting particles to minimize the look of enlarged pores, fine lines and wrinkles. All skin types can benefit from this Hourglass powder and watch it blend easily on your face.
Sephora
13. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder
Best Shade Range
Why We Love It: Eight shades, Black-owned, Vegan
With over 1,000 five-star reviews, this setting powder is a fan favorite (also, when has Rihanna ever steered us wrong?). It comes in eight shades to match your skin tone. Bonus: Try using shades like “Lavender,” “Banana,” and “Nutmeg” to get a soft brightening effect.
Sephora
14. La Mer The Powder
Best Splurge
Why We Love It: Translucent, great for all skin types, luxurious texture
Formulated with La Mer’s signature Miracle Broth (i.e. sea kelp, vitamins and minerals), this lightweight powder sets your makeup—plus smooth and even out your skin without feeling heavy on your face. Fans of the brand will appreciate the flawless coverage you get with this powder.
Sephora
15. Givenchy Prisme Libre Setting And Finishing Powder
Best for Dull Skin
Why We Love It: Six shades, radiant finish, great for dull skin
This setting powder takes color-correcting to the next level. You’ll find four shades in one product to even out your complexion and brighten up any dull areas. Just shake the jar, dab your sponge in the product and blend it directly onto your T-zone for a soft matte finish.
Ilia
16. Ilia Radiant Translucent Powder
Best for Sun Protection
Why We Love It: Three shades, SPF 20, talc-free
The aloe leaf powder, hibiscus flower and rosemary leaf powder combo softens and brightens skin. Plus, SPF 20 provides UV protection, so you can glow in the sun all day.
Ulta
17. Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Finishing Powder
Best Budget
Why We Love it: Eight shades, budget-friendly, dermatologist-tested
This affordable find delivers all the best features of a setting powder at a fraction of the cost. The mineral-based formula controls shine and are available in eight shades that all deliver breathable coverage for up to 12 hours.
Sephora
18. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder
Best for Traveling
Why We Love It: 10 shades, oil-free formula, long-lasting
If you need to freshen up your makeup on the go, Bobbi Brown has you covered. The pressed formula is ideal for midday touchups without the hassle of getting loose powder everywhere. Plus, the enclosed powder puff ensures you get an even application every time.
Dermstore
19. Cover Fx Perfect Setting Powder
Best for Sensitive Skin
Why We Love It: Talc-free, fragrance-free, vegan
Yes, this setting powder will protect your makeup and blur imperfections, but the gentle formula also includes ingredients like green tea leaves, vitamin C, E and F to soothe and restore sensitive skin.
Sephora
20. Rare Beauty Always An Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder
Most Natural Finish
Why We Love It: Five shades, vegan, talc-free
Rare Beauty isn’t messing around with their setting powder. It’s formulated with mica, silica and squalane for a smooth, seamless coverage. Fans of the setting powder can’t stop talking about how light and airy it feels on the skin, while leaving behind a subtle glow.
