Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Finishing Powders!
my answer: They can add that subtle what-did-you-do-differently effect to the skin, but other times, it’s hard to really tell if they’re doing anything or if you’re just imagining it!
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Clinique translucent loose powder for daily wear, over tinted moisturizer. UD Razor Sharp over foundation for a night out. I love them both!
Love – matts the skin
Hate – I have oily skin, it can sometimes make my skin look way too powder and cakey, can make my skin look really ashy even the most expensive ones just don’t seem to get on with my skin.
Wish I could use it, but definitely something I have to stay away from!
Have you tried using water or a setting spray? I love using finishing powder as a final step to smooth out pores and to absorb a little oil but it can look to chalky if you don’t use water or a setting spray (I use DeSlick from UD and it’s awesome for oily skin). It will diminish a little of the powdery look while still leaving you looking flawless.
My dry skin hates them. I like a nice dewy finish. I think powder makes me look older.
I typically only use it for evening, unless my setting powder is a bit too flat, or I use MPF/powder foundation. Also, I use a highlight product, so a finishing powder can be a bit much for everyday looks.
While it’s not something I use regularly, I like to always have at least one product on hand at all times, just in case.
I like them when they last all day and I don’t need to do any touch-ups with oil absorbing sheets or powder. I’d originally bought the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light but it was giving my skin an odd lilac cast, so I exchanged it for Diffused Light and that works perfectly for me to mattify the skin without giving it a powdery look. I have some sun damage (redness and splotches) on my chest and after sweeping on the Diffused Light powder there, it makes it almost disappear completely!
I’m obsessed with these. They’re hands down my absolute favorite powders.
The only reason for me to wear a finishing powder would be oil control. So all I use is blot powders but I do love them for that purpose. What I hate is the finishing powders that are supposed to make you glow but make your face look like disco ball in pictures!
Love: It sets makeup, of course, but I also love how a finely milled light-diffusing finishing powder gently blurs the boundaries between blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc. The right powder can pull everything together with a soft, real skin glow.
Hate: When there is too much shimmer, the face can look greasy and unnatural–but then, if that were the case, I wouldn’t consider buying it!
I don’t use finishing powder in my normal routine- i find it is an extra step if you already have fdtn and the rest- but I find just using one like guerlain ballz or something really can add something extra on a “no makeup” day. When I don’t want to be too made up, I like just doing mascara and meteorites.
Rave: They are cheap! I can get a decently performing finishing powder to mattify my liquid foundation for like $6. Currently I have Rimmel’s Stay Matte and Maybelline Dream Matte. The Rimmel one is my fave b/c it is truly translucent, doesn’t cake up, and keeps my foundation on for 8-10 hours easily.
I know that a $30 dollar powder like MUFE HD would be smoother and more finely milled, but I love that it’s a product where you can find a decently performing drugstore option.
I have combo skin that is quite dry in some places but I still need a powder to set it so I don’t appear oily. So finishing powder is a must!
I love sooo many things about them. The diffusing, the setting my makeup, the subtle sheen.
What I do hate though, is that because my nasolabial folds are naturally a bit deep, if I powder over them, it looks cakey and wrinkley. No thanks! So I just avoid putting any powder into that area and I’m set!
I recently saw a cool trick using powder to get a dewey look! Use creme blush, and then powder everywhere but the apples of your cheeks. It’s very cute, dispite the fact that I usually go completely matte. A fun change of pace!
I couldn’t live without finishing powder I use Lush Emotional Brilliance powder and am on the way to getting Nars light reflecting powder from the review on this site! I’m also obsessed with Guerlain I use their powder meteorites and the ball version!
I LOVE the Guerlain meteorites, but they’re sort of a non-powder finishing powder. Love the natural – not super matte – finish!
I second that. So far it is the only ‘finishing’ powder I will wear as it doesn’t translate into a powdery look on me with the caveat of not having tried the new hourglass product yet which I might try down the road for comparison.
I third it! Guerlain (pressed) Meteorites all the way!! Subtle, fresh, glow-y (not greasy looking as i have oily skin), the perfect light-diffusing quality.
Incredibly expensive but ridiculously worth every nickle (pennies are no longer used in Canada!).
I use setting powder to set my makeup, but I don’t always use finishing powder. I love the pressed Meteorites (the Illumninating and Mattifying ones) to just give me a bit of a matte glow and set everything, and I have a Jane Iredale compact I use sometimes that’s also pretty good for setting makeup. I have some of the Hourglass powders but I’m unconvinced they work for me; I want to play with them some more.
Ok I feel dumb…I thought setting powder and finishing powder were the same thing. Will you educate me on the difference? Thanks 🙂
They really can be very similar. From what I understand–and I may be wrong–a setting powder is what you use to “set” your makeup, so like the pressed Meteorites or another mattifying powder or whatever. A finishing powder is the absolute last step in your makeup, and it’s something to give you just a little bit extra glow, or shimmer, or something. Hourglass’ new powders are finishing powders, and I think the loose Meteorites are finishing powders. NARS new powder is I think a setting powder, so like you’d use that and then maybe a finishing powder on top if you wanted one. But they are really similar and a lot of people don’t use both.
Thanks for the info…I thought that they were the same (setting & finishing) but it was just what kind of look you wanted such as matte, shimmer, etc. Didn’t even know I was clueless! Silly me.
depends on the powder whether i love it or hate it.. my current FAVE is Purely Cosmetics Mineral Makeup diamond finish!! #toDIEfor!!
Honestly? I could go on and on about how it sets my makeup and oil and matte and whatever, but I really just like how it feels on my skin.
Finishing powder is kind of an essential for me; I have oily skin so powder over foundation is key. It’s hard finding a good one though. I’m currently using Rimmel’s Stay Matte powder because so many people on youtube rave about it, but I’m not sure it’s working so well. Does anyone have any good drugstore powder recommendations? xx
Wet ‘n’ Wild’s is said to be pretty good. The author of Pink Sith had a decent experience with Maybelline FITMe powder.
I hate traditional finishing and setting powders! I have olive tan skin and all of those powders just ruin the look of my skin. I have recently found Mally Evercolor Poreless Skin Defender which is a pressed gel that I pat over my face makeup and it works so perfectly. I don’t get an ashy overcast and it doesn’t alter the color of my face makeup.