Our Favourite Make-Up Setting Powders
Our Favourite Make-Up Setting Powders

Our Favourite Make-Up Setting Powders

Any good make-up artist will tell you a decent setting powder is the key to keeping make-up in place, enhancing a flawless complexion and achieving your desired finish. Here are the ones that get our vote – from compact to loose…
By Sapna Rao
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Photography: BONNINSTUDIO/STOCKSY UNITED

All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products.

Wowder, £18 | Glossier

Type: Loose

Best For: A Lightweight Finish

Glossier is known for creating clean, natural beauty products designed to enhance the skin’s natural glow. Its ‘Wowder’ product works to omit shine, blur pores and flawlessly set any make-up beneath. Don’t expect a chalky finish or any harsh flashback in photos – this finishing powder is as lightweight as it comes. Apply it with a large fluffy brush to set foundation and concealer, or use a beauty sponge or tightly packed brush to ‘bake’ the product under the eyes, buffing away with a fluffier brush afterwards to ensure there’s no excess product left on the skin.

Available at Glossier.com

Beauty Baby Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder, £17 | Huda

Type: Loose

Best For: A Longwear Finish

Baking is one way to achieve flawless, high-coverage results, and ensure make-up doesn't budge. Start by applying a generous amount of loose powder under the eyes, to the T-zone, over laugh lines or the outer corners of the mouth, and leave it to rest for a few minutes, before sweeping off the excess product with a fluffy brush. This Huda Beauty powder is one of the best for this technique. Created to be compact, the product comes with a brush, so it’s perfect for throwing into your bag for touch-ups throughout the day. We love a pretty petal-like scent – plus, the formulation even colour corrects and brightens skin.

Available at ASOS.com


 High Definition Finishing Powder, £9 | NYX Professional Makeup

Type: Compact

Best For: A Colour Corrected Finish

Although great for setting make-up, blurring enlarged pores and evening out skin texture, what sets this powder apart is its ability to colour correct. Available in three shades, ‘Mint’ is perfect to counterbalance any redness on the skin; ‘Banana’ works to off-set dark circles under the eyes; and ‘Translucent’ can be used to brighten and mattify the skin. Formulated with a mineral finish, all these powders come with a lightweight finish to set make-up without risking a cakey finish.

Available at LookFantastic.com

Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder, £20 | Saie

Type: Loose

Best For: A High coverage finish 

Saie’s unique cream-powder is one of a kind. Formulated with the brand’s patented ‘aerated-cream technology’ – which creates the smooth cream-powder-like hybrid texture – it also contains hydrating squalane to leave skin left feeling deeply nourished, plump and smooth. Don’t imagine this is one of those powders that melts off easily or clings to unwanted areas. Instead, it delivers a natural healthy glow and long-lasting finish. Great for those looking to cover blemishes, the coverage is decent without looking clumpy or dry.

Available at CultBeauty.co.uk

Secret Blurring Powder, £26 | Laura Mercier

Type: Compact

Best For: A Brightened Under-Eye Finish 

Laura Mercier makes some of the best setting powders on the market, and this under-eye powder is an SL favourite. The texture is super fine, so it sweeps onto skin with ease to keep concealer in place all day. There’s no unwanted white-cast or flashback in photos, making it a great choice for night-time looks. It’s brightening as well, so use it to conceal troublesome dark under-eyes. 

Available at Boots.com

Cloud Set Baked Setting & Smoothing Powder, £32 | Kosas

Type: Compact

Best For: A Smooth Finish

Full of skin-loving nutrients, this pressed powder comes with a silky finish to diffuse the appearance of uneven skin and fine lines. It also curtails the production of oil, creases and shine, making it a great everyday powder that lasts. With a blend of passion fruit leaf extract and Chinese peony, the formula also detoxifies the skin to lock in make-up underneath. To apply it, we recommend using a tapered brush to pat the powder into the areas you want to set.

Available at CultBeauty.co.uk


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