best setting powders for makeup 2021
Cover Achieve long-lasting, beautiful make-up looks with our top picks of the best setting powders (Photo: Courtesy of Make Up For Ever)

From La Prairie’s luxury formula to Charlotte Tilbury’s famous pressed powder and Make Up For Ever's new product, these are the best setting powders on the market right now to ensure your make-up lasts all day with a beautiful finish—with a mask or just on its own

Whether it’s a major event, a happy hour with friends or an important meeting over Zoom, there are certain times when make-up touch-ups just aren’t going to be in the cards. Enter the beauty of setting powder.

Any true beauty lovers and professional make-up artists would tell you setting powder is the key to ensure your flawlessly applied foundation, highlighter and eyeshadow don’t melt off, locking your look in place and eliminating shine for hours on end. In addition to being a great tool to absorb excess oil and sweat to keep your make-up looking fresh all day in hot and humid weather, the right setting powder can be just as useful during the winter too. There are formulations featuring hydrating and nourishing ingredients to give your complexion a smooth, dewy finish, that doesn’t make skin feel and look rough.

With so many setting powders available on the market, the options are almost endless. That's why we’ve rounded up the best formulas that are totally worth the splurge and will level up your make-up routine this season and beyond—from loose to pressed powders for every skin type.  

See also: The Best Make-Up Setting Sprays For Summer 2021

 

1. La Prairie Skin Caviar Loose Powder

A luxury product that’s totally worth the splurge, La Prairie’s finishing powder is enriched premium caviar extract to set make-up and create a shine-free, smooth finish on all skin tones. Housed in an elegant cobalt blue jar with a convenient hinged lid, this non-drying formula will keep foundation matte and crease-free all day—even under a mask. Use the accompanying puff or the brand's loose powder brush to apply the product in a swirling motion for best results.

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See also: The Best Lip Balms With SPF For Summer 2021

2. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Micro-Setting Powder

Make Up For Ever’s latest addition to its promising make-up line, this lightweight setting powder is formulated to minimise shine, blur the look of pores and delivers a naturally matte, photo-ready finish. It helps to lock in your make-up for a whopping 12 hours, without dulling natural radiance. Best of all, this powder is offered in a broad range of shades for all skin tones.

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3. Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder

Givenchy’s Prisme Libre Loose Powder is a longtime favourite of beauty editors and make-up artists alike. It comes with four complementary shades of lightweight powder that not only goes on silky smooth, but are also made to conceal imperfections and give a long-lasting radiant finish without all the shine. Pair it with the collection’s liquid foundation to achieve that flawless-looking complexion everyone wants.

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See also: How To Use Face Oil For Glowing Skin, According To Drunk Elephant Founder Tiffany Masterson

4. La Mer The Powder

Another luxury setting powder that deserves a spot on your vanity, thanks to its elegant packaging and amazing results. This lightweight formula from La Mer is just as impressive as the brand’s skincare solutions, which features its signature Miracle Broth to help tackle shine, hydrate and smooth out textured skin, while imparting a filter-like, soft-focus glow. 

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5.  Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder

Keep your make-up looking refresh all day and oily pores at bay with this weightless, translucent powder from Hourglass. Packed with light-reflecting particles, the product is specially formulated to blur the appearance of any and all pores while still offering a healthy glow. The powder is also free from fragrance, parabens and sulfates, making It perfect for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

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6. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Skin-Perfecting Micro-Powder

Charlotte Tilbury is known for offering award-winning formulas with Instagrammable packaging, and the brand’s cult-favourite setting powder is no exception. Perfect for on-the-go touch-ups, this pressed powder is formulated with soft-focus micro-powders to fade the appearance of fine lines and pores. It also contains rose wax and almond oil, promising to hydrate and smooth the skin for a next-level airbrushed finish with a hint of radiance.

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7. Chantecaille HD Perfecting Loose Powder

Chantecaille HD Perfecting Loose Powder touts a talc-free, lightweight formula that guarantees comfortable wear and melt-proof make-up all day. It’s packaged in a deluxe self-dispensing brush that gives the perfect amount of translucent powder to eliminate the appearance of pores and provide you with a long-lasting finish. Non-drying and incredibly blendable, you don’t have to worry about an uneven colour if you’re using it for touch-ups.

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See also: Miranda Kerr On Kora Organics, Her Beauty Secrets And Why We Should Switch To Organic Skincare

8. Tatcha The Silk Powder

If you have dry skin and have been looking for a quality powder that won’t leave a white cast or result in dry patches, meet your new best friend: Tatcha’s Silk Powder. Powered by Japanese pearl powder and actual silk extracts, this talc-free formula blends seamlessly to blur pores and perfect the complexion with a healthy-looking glow. The product is also packed with anti-pollution and blue light ingredients, which can help to condition and protect your dry skin from environmental stressors. Featuring a beautiful purple packaging, the pot will add an elegant touch to your vanity, too.

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See also: Why Improving Your Skin’s Health During Covid-19 Matters, According to Tatcha Founder Vicky Tsai

9. Dior Forever Cushion Powder

Dior Forever Cushion Powder is a cult classic for good reason—you can easily achieve a flawless look in just a few swipes with the velvety matte finish and soft glow it delivers. This powder is infused with water and formulated with wild pansy extract to blur any imperfections and create a smoother complexion. An effective product aside, its stylish quilted compact case is also a sight to behold—think of it as a little Instagram filter in your make-up bag.

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10. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Setting Powder

Rihanna’s setting powder truly to lives up to its name. Featuring a wide range of skin tones to choose from, this beloved product from Fenty beauty works for all skin types, which goes on smooth, absorbs oil and blur the look of pores and fine lines, all while maximising the wear time of make-up. It boasts a natural, camera-ready finish that looks more like skin than make-up, which is so lightweight that’ll even make you forget you’re wearing make-up.

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See also: Dr. Barbara Sturm Shares Tips On How To Exfoliate Your Face For Glowing Skin

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