The Power of Powder

We believe that a great powder is an essential in every makeup bag due to their versatility, buildable coverage and fool-proof ease of use.

Although there are a huge range of powders on the market ranging from translucent to full coverage, most powders do have two great things in common: they don’t oxidise and they absorb oil. What you see is what you get, shade wise, however it is important to consider that if you have heavily oily skin the powder may darken when it touches your face. This is also something to consider when using heavy cream or an oil-based foundation. A great way to avoid any colour change when setting or mattifying your base is by using Rae Morris’s Invisible Mattifier – it is literally see through and can be worn by anyone regardless of skin tone.

Of course, this doesn’t apply to translucent powders – a great choice to mattify the skin without adding any extra pigment. We also love to use it under our eyes while we do our eyeshadow – have you ever tried to do a smoky eye only for your cheeks to look like you’ve just swept a chimney? By applying a layer of translucent powder underneath your eyes, it will catch the eyeshadow fall out making it easier to brush away at the end.

If your skin is prone to oil and you find that liquid foundations aren’t sitting the way you want, we definitely recommend adding a powder foundation to your collection. They provide just as much coverage as liquid foundations while absorbing the excess oil that might build up throughout the day.

If you are after something that has buildable coverage but is a bit more lightweight than a powder foundation, we recommend a pressed powder. We love pressed powders because they are just so convenient! They often come in compact packaging that can fit in a pocket or purse. We also love that with many brands, you can buy refills which helps minimise plastic waste (while also saving you some money!) 

Loose powders tend to be more sheer, though they are still buildable. We definitely recommend a loose powder if you want a light coverage and to set your makeup for the day. However, loose powders tend to be finer than pressed powders so we do not recommend it for dry or mature skin types as they have a tendency to settle into fine lines and dry patches. 

For those skin types, a mineral powder might be best for you. Often including skincare ingredients, mineral powders are regarded as more breathable on the skin. Sometimes they even have a bit of a shimmer! 

One of the things we love most about both loose and pressed powders is that the colours are quite forgiving (though you do want an exact colour match for powder foundation). As powder is applied in light weight layers, the colour blends easily in with your skin tone – it won’t be obvious if your powder isn’t an exact colour

match. Have you ever noticed that when you see translucent powder in its container it can look white, however it appears invisible when you brush a light layer of it on your face? Pigmented powders work in a similar way – a light layer means more the powder will blend with your natural skin tone. 

If you are between shades, we recommend erring on the lighter side. If you pick a shade that is too dark it can look streaky or muddy on your skin, when really we what we want is a natural and soft finish. If you do pick a powder that is slightly too light for your skin tone, you can easily warm it up and darken it with bronzer, blush and contour. 

Powder can be used to give your skin a soft buffed finish, to mattify your skin, to absorb oil, to be used as a foundation and to just help your makeup last throughout the day. Although we tend to describe powder in a general sense, there is such a huge variety of them available to suit every need. So are you ready to find your foundation match in a powder? If so, head to our foundation shade finder here!