The 12 Best Setting Powders Blur Like a Beauty Filter
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Makeup melting down your face? It’s time to invest in the best setting powder. These magical formulas don’t just hold your makeup in place–they can smooth texture, veil breakouts and prevent excess shine from creeping in—all while delivering a filter-like, blurred visage. Ahead, read on to discover our tried-and-true setting powders to enhance any makeup look.
Vogue’s Favorite Setting Powders
- Best Clean: Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder, $75
- Best Translucent: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, $47
- Best Drugstore: Morphe Bake Set Soft-Focus Setting Powder, $15
- Best On-The-Go: Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Blotting Powder, $37
- Best Blurring: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder, $48
- Best Compact: Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder, $54
- Best Illuminating: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder, $70
In This Story
- What is setting powder?
- What to Look for in a Setting Powder
- What is better: loose or pressed setting powder?
- How to Apply Setting Powder
- Should you apply setting powder with a brush, sponge, or puff?
- Is translucent powder the same as setting powder?
- How We Chose the Best Setting Powders
- Meet The Experts
Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder
- Why We Love It: It’s to be expected that Westman would create an amazing setting powder—one that creates a dreamy, skin-like finish without settling into skin texture, fine lines, or wrinkles. Enter Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder. “It absorbs excessive oil but maintains a natural lucency without being too shiny,” she tells Vogue. “It takes away the unwanted shine and leaves a beautiful, soft velvet veil on your skin. It’s like a whisper of something that erases the issues.”
- Editor s Note: “Whenever I want to wear powder but don t want to look like I m wearing powder, I reach for this option by Westman Atelier. Often its translucent shade but sometimes a skin-tone hue (shade Dune for me), to achieve my no-makeup makeup look. What s more, this is packed with vitamin C, probiotics, and quinoa seed extract to condition skin with each use.” —Kiana Murden, senior beauty writer
- Shades: 5
- Size: 0.17 oz / 5 g
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: The words “setting powder” likely calls to mind images of Laura Mercier s now infamous tub. For years, makeup enthusiasts and pros alike have relied on a dusting of this featherweight loose powder to lock any makeup look in place sans heavy wear. The resulting finish here is matte—perfect for normal, oily, and combination skin types or wherever you d like to quell excess shine.
- Editor s Note: “Of all the many setting powders and sprays that have made their way into my makeup bag over the years, Laura Mercier’s is one I keep coming back to. It’s feather-light on the skin and really does absorb oil all day long, as several wear tests I’ve conducted prove. What makes it so exceptional is its finely milled formula which doesn t amplify texture – it lays incredibly smooth on top of your other other products without a cakey finish. Every shade in the range is the perfect combo of skin-similar pigment and transparency, meaning it looks just as good on me as it has on my lighter and darker makeup clients.” —Tracy Achonwa, beauty writer
- Shades: 3
- Size: 1 oz.
Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: “Angel skin” is how Kosas describes its powder and we couldn t agree more. A host of conditioning skincare ingredients are whipped into a finely-milled pressed powder that instantly removes surface oils from the skin without cakiness or heaviness.
- Editor s Note: “If Kosas Cloud Set has no fans, I m dead. It was the first pressed formula that made me fall in love with setting powder all over again. Initially, I was intrigued by its composition of bamboo stem, passionfruit leaf, and peony extracts (which help refine the look of pores and reduce shine) built into ten diverse shades, but I continued using it because it gives me a naturally blurred look with literally one sweeping of product. I have one sitting on my vanity to quickly use each day before running into the office.” —Kiana Murden, senior beauty writer
- Shades: 10
- Size: 0.33 oz/ 9.5 g
Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder
- Why We Love It: New for 2024, Hourglass’s sleek pressed powder is the perfect companion for your purse, coming in a chic compact that’s complete with a blotting sponge. A typically refined offering from the brand best known for its stellar complexion products, this powder comes in five translucent shades to suit all skin tones. As for its oil control, it mattifies without leaving an unnatural finish and is a great choice for quick touch-ups throughout the day.
- Editor s Note: “Velvety to the touch, this powder doesn’t sit on skin but almost seems to flex with it, meaning it doesn’t cake over texture or settle in fine lines. I’ve found the deep shades to be the perfect combo of rich pigment and translucency, so I’ve taken to using them to set the perimeter of my face – they bring back dimension and sculpt subtly without an overbearing, shimmery bronzer look.” —Tracy Achonwa, beauty writer
- Shades: 5
- Size: 0.37 oz
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: Buttery soft and super smooth, Charlotte Tilbury’s powder is made with rose wax and almond oil which effortlessly glide onto skin. Milled with pearlescent pigments that reflect light, it also gives a brightened, airbrushed look wherever it’s applied. We love it as a finishing layer for under-eye concealer—it sets comfortably without creasing to give a flawless, filter-like finish.
- Shades: 4
- Size: 0.28 oz / 8 g
Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: If there’s one thing we know for sure, this setting powder will lock your look in for hours. Seriously, there s a reason why its racked up over 9,000 five-star reviews at Sephora. The elixir blends vitamin E and rice starch powder into a micronized powder available in nine flesh-toned and brightening hues that bakes, sets, and blurs the skin in one fell swoop.
- Editor’s Note: “For those whose allegiance will forever lie with matte ’90s skin, Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake powder is worth the buy. Not only does it immediately brighten and sculpt the face, but it gets you a flawless shine-free finish that stays the course. I have skin prone to oiliness and very prominent pores, but you’d be fooled into thinking otherwise from the footage above. The range is also one of the most inclusive out there, with 10 translucent shades serving every skin tone imaginable. If you’re not a fan of baking, it works well with a lighter application too – just buff it into the areas that get greasy and you’ll be all set. On days where I want some dew, I apply it with a light hand on my T-zone and enjoy an airbrushed effect that lasts for hours.” – Tracy Achonwa, beauty writer
- Shades: 9
- Size: .71 oz / 20 g
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder
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- Why We Love It: A glow isn’t the first thing you’d usually associate with powder, but Chanel has somehow created a formula that reduces shine while retaining radiance. Natural-looking, flattering, and best for when you need to add a subtle hint of warmth to a pale complexion. That said, it’s an excellent choice to dust along the entire face with the featured brush or with something bigger and fluffier like Chanel s kabuki brush to impart a natural, skin-like finish worth forgoing foundation.
- Shades: 14
- Size: 0.4 oz.
Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder
- Why We Love It: Consider this a must-have for midday makeup meltdowns. Housed in a sleek mirrored compact that’s easily stashed in your purse, Fenty’s powder takes down shine with an invisible talc-free formula. Bonus points for the handy blotting sponge and sustainable case, which you can buy refills for once you hit the pan.
- Editor s Note: “I do not travel without Fenty’s Invisimatte powder. Because it’s translucent, I can control oil and shine across my entire face without worry that the color will not match—setting the under-eye, blotting my T-zone, or setting my bronzer in place are all fair game here. Plus, there’s never any flashback—important for taking pictures on my digital camera.” —Kiana Murden, senior beauty writer
- Shades: One
- Size: 8.5 g / 0.3 oz
Givenchy Prisme Libre Finishing Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: More than just a pretty face, Givenchy’s chic quad works hard to blur texture, control oil and color correct the complexion. Coming in six shades for every skin tone, each houses four hues of velvety powder that set and brighten for a luxurious, luminous finish. The powder is as weightless as they come—aptly blurring, brightening, and balancing skin for an airbrushed effect like no other.
- Editor s Note: “I’m not going to lie, I was intimidated by this Givenchy powder at first glance. Fortunately, makeup artist Etienne Ortega (the pro behind some of Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, and Ryan Destiny’s best looks) was able to give me a quick masterclass, alleviating my worries in an instant. Generally speaking, the idea here is to mix all four powder colors together to create a hue perfect for your skin tone. Or, of course, you can apply one shade at a time if you’d like. This level of customization is rare in the setting powder world!” —Kiana Murden, senior beauty writer
- Shades: Six
- Size: 12g
Morphe Bake Set Soft-Focus Setting Powder
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- Why We Love It: An excellent choice for setting your makeup without straining your budget, Morphe’s powder works just as well as its pricier counterparts. Calling on mica, silicones and dimethicone polymers, it fixes makeup in place for up to 16 hours, creating a barrier that doesn’t budge even when oils start to seep through. There are four flashback-free shades in the range, including a brightening pink that’s a game-changer for correcting dark circles on fair skin tones.
- Shades: 5
- Size: 9 g / 0.31 Oz.
Jones Road Tinted Face Powder
- Why We Love It: For all their virtues, even the best-setting powders can leave you looking a little flat. Enter this rose-tinted creation from Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road, which brings life back to the face with a wash of sheer coverage. Perfect for keeping dewy cream blushes exactly where you put them, it also controls oil and shine for added longevity.
- Shades: 8
- Size: 6.5 g / 0.22 oz
One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: You’ll love the One/Size setting powder if you: a) can appreciate a blurred finish that lasts for up to 24 hours, or b), really like the idea of color-correcting shades like pink, orange, and banana to even out discoloration across a wide range of skin tones. For these reasons, notably its long-lasting wear, this loose powder has become quite the social media darling. But take heed: as its mattifying, it’s not best for dry skin types.
- Shades: 7
- Size: 1.2 oz / 34.5 g
What is setting powder?
“Setting powder is designed to absorb oil,” celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles says. “Most foundations are quite emollient and you may want to create a satin or matte finish on areas of the face, or if you have oily skin you may want to apply a light dusting all over. It also sets your makeup, ensuring it lasts longer.” That says, all of our experts count it as a makeup bag essential for daily wear to red carpets.
What to Look for in a Setting Powder
Type: Pressed and loose are the two types of setting powders to consider. “I like finely milled loose powders that when applied disappear into the skin,” says celebrity makeup artist Allan Avendaño. “Pressed powders can be used with a brush and applied like a loose powder but for touch up, pressed powders are most convenient with a puff to dab powder on the skin in the areas you desire.”
Finish: “There are so many options for finishing powder so its great to work out what you want to achieve from your powder,” Dreadon notes. “Is it just to remove shine? Then maybe a translucent powder is a great option. Do you want to also get some coverage? Look for a powder that will match your skin tone and that has a little coverage to it. Does your skin need a little brightening? I love the Givenchy Prisme Libre loose powders.”
What is better: loose or pressed setting powder?
It depends on what you are looking for and where you’re applying it. Makeup artist India Excell prefers to use loose powders to set the makeup and then pressed under the eyes and on the T-zone to help blur pores and texture. “I would opt for loose powder when wanting a more natural finish,” she says. “But I would wear pressed powder in the evenings when going out, usually on the area that I have more texture like under the eyes and on the forehead. I also always take a pressed powder out with me for touch-ups.” Makeup brushes play an important role here. Excell recommends using a fluffy brush for loose powder and then a smaller brush for the pressed powder to enable more precision.
How to Apply Setting Powder
Applying setting powder without looking cakey is actually quite simple. Westman recommends her label’s Powder Brus.—swirling it around the compact, then tapping off the excess. “The areas that I would lightly dust over are forehead, nasal labial, and a little bit under the eye,” she says. “You can actually apply all over as it allows you to maintain radiance on the cheek without being powdery,” adding that extends the wear of her makeup. “It allows me to know with certainty and reassurance that my makeup will last even longer especially in humid conditions.”
Should you apply setting powder with a brush, sponge, or puff?
There is no right or wrong way to apply setting powder, but the tool you use will certainly impact how it sits on your face. “By dipping a puff into a loose or pressed powder, you’re going to pick up much more powder than if you use a loose, or even pressed, powder with a brush which will more evenly distribute the product,” Stiles explains. She prefers a fluffy brush, and Westman agrees. “It’s a preference but for me sponges and puffs tend to move makeup underneath and I rely on layering, color composition and placement," Westman says. "I don t want to disrupt what I have already created.”
Personally, while I use a brush to apply loose and pressed powder across my face, I actually prefer a puff or sponge to the under-eye. I find that a super soft, triangle puff like these on Amazon are best to set my under-eye concealer in place. For hours of wear, I experience less creasing and budging with this application. To ensure the powder does not appear cakey, just rub off excess powder on the back of your hand first before gently pressing to puff into skin.
Is translucent powder the same as setting powder?
Generally speaking, translucent powder is a type of setting powder. Translucent powders will simply go on colorless. Here s how pro makeup artist Amber Dreadon explains it: “Both products will set complexion products but the difference is that translucent powder will only set what is under it and wont add any extra coverage.”
Meet The Experts
- Allan Avendaño is a celebrity makeup artist who often works with Rachel Zegler, Isabela Merced, and Joey King.
- Amber Dreadon is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Lorde, Emily Bader, and Taylor Tomlinson.
- India Excell is a London-based pro makeup artist who has worked with celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Lila Moss, and Camille Charriere.
- artistry at MAC Cosmetics.
- Fiona Stiles is a celebrity makeup artist whose clientele includes Gabrielle Union, Ashley Park, and Lily Collins.
- Gucci Westman is a New York-based beauty director, celebrity makeup artist to stars like Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston, and founder of Westman Atelier.