There’s an art to achieving a flawless make-up finish. Not the everyday look you’ve been hashing together—those five-minute routines couldn’t possibly do it all—but the ones you put effort into when the hour calls for it. For polished skin, one might rely on an arsenal of sorts: a foundation which makes way for buildable yet breathable coverage to achieve a seamless base or a reliable concealer to belie any unwanted hyperpigmentation, dark circles and acne scars. Complexion products are not something you should be applying daily, but when the occasion calls for it, these products must be followed by one crucial product to achieve what we know to be the perfect base. That is, a setting powder.
Simply put, the setting powder sets your make-up, and locks it in. Its main job is to ensure the liquid and cream products you’ve layered on remain flawless, whilst removing excess sebum, obscuring any uneven texture and mattifying the skin in the process. This is especially critical for make-up done in a humid climate like ours.
Even then, the use of setting powders extend far and beyond, and beauty brands are also starting to catch on. Take the range of coloured powders from cult beauty institution Huda Beauty for instance—with its yellow and pink iterations—all meant to be employed for different uses. Whilst yellow powders are all about colour correction, like cancelling out redness or toning discolouration for example, pinks can be relied on to brighten skin tones—ideal for anyone combating dull and tired complexions. Understandably, the latter also works wonders on dark under eyes.
But the reality is that these setting powders don’t always come in the right shade, especially for those with deeper skin tones. For instance, pale pinks and butter yellows aren’t going to work as well for those with medium to dark skin tones, and might come off looking ashy instead. And whilst some translucent powders (read: Laura Mercier) might be industry gold, these gems in the market have made it their mission to develop formulations that are better suited to various skin tones, and won’t leave a grey or white cast. Spy the lot, dust it on and achieve your second skin with these setting powders.
