Laura Mercier launched her line in 1996, and the Translucent Loose Setting Powder was one of its four original products, according to the case study site Femfounded. The Guardian describes the brand's focus from the start as the flawless face. Mercier trained at the Carita school, moved from Paris to New York in 1985 and built her name on magazine shoots and ad campaigns. SheerLuxe tells the powder's origin simply: she needed something that could mattify skin for a close-up without showing up on camera or disturbing the base underneath.

That brief explains why Laura Mercier setting powder still has a following. It is very fine, the Translucent shade adds almost no color, and it sets makeup without looking like powder. The brand currently calls it the number one loose setting powder in the US, with an asterisk. By 2023 it had a talc-free sibling, Ultra-Blur, and the brand said it was the first time the powder went without talc.

How you apply it matters. The brand's own instructions are to load the Velour Puff, fold and rub it to work the powder in, tap off the extra, then press and roll it onto skin. SheerLuxe adds that it never feels dry or heavy, even when you bake under the eyes.

The first grid is Laura Mercier, from the loose powders to the puff and a brush. The second grid is eight setting powders I would compare them with. My tip: set only where you shine or crease, and leave the high points of your cheeks bare so skin still looks like skin.

The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder is the most reviewed product in this edit, with more than ten thousand ratings. It is here twice, in Translucent and in Translucent Medium Deep, because one translucent shade does not suit every skin tone. The brand says it sets makeup for up to 16 hours with 24-hour shine control, and that it is best for oily to normal skin.

Ultra-Blur Loose is the talc-free version, with hyaluronic acid, and it is the one I would steer dry skin toward. Ultra-Blur Pressed is waterproof and small enough for a bag. Real Flawless Luminous Perfecting Pressed Powder is also talc-free, with a luminous finish, for anyone who wants set skin that still has some glow.

Secret Brightening Under Eye Setting Powder in Soft Pink color corrects as it sets concealer, and the Secret Brightening Powder Brush is flat and oval to fit the inner corner. The Velour Puff is the tool the loose powder was designed around, with a soft nap that grips powder and presses it in. Fold it in half and use the edge along the nose and under the eyes.

What I would skip: the original loose powder on very dry skin in winter. Ultra-Blur is kinder there, and you can keep the classic for summer and long days.

HUDA BEAUTY Easy Bake is the most reviewed powder here, a lightly tinted baking and setting powder, shown in Pound Cake, that brightens under the eyes. If you like to bake, this is the one to compare with the original translucent loose powder. Hourglass Veil is talc-free and very fine, and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish is a pressed, refillable powder that blurs and mattifies.

ONE/SIZE Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder in Baby Pink is the matte option with 24-hour shine control, in a big 1.2 ounce tub. Rare Beauty Always an Optimist gives a soft radiance and is talc-free, the gentlest finish here. Fenty Beauty Invisimatte is a pressed blotting powder for touch-ups, and YSL All Hours Hyper Blur is a sheer, soft-focus loose powder.

Saie Undetectable Baked Setting Powder is creamy and featherlight, and the only shade in stock right now is Translucent 5, for deep to rich skin.

If you have oily skin, go matte and pressed. If you are dry, go talc-free and loose, and use less than you think you need. Either way, let your concealer set for a minute before you powder over it.

What I would skip: baking with a tinted powder on mature under eyes. Press a thin layer instead, since heavy powder settles into fine lines.

I think Laura Mercier setting powder is still the one to beat for oily and normal skin, because it is fine enough to disappear. Dry skin should start with Ultra-Blur. Use the puff to press, a fluffy brush to sweep off, and do it in that order. If you like a brighter under eye, try Easy Bake or the Soft Pink brightening powder, and keep the layer thin. A jar lasts a long time, so pick the shade that matches your skin rather than the one that looks clear in the pot.