Powder foundation behaves best on skin that has been prepped, and then locked. Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base+ is a moisturizer and primer with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, so it gives powder something soft to sit on. REFY Glow and Sculpt Face Serum Primer comes with a facial roller and leaves a radiant finish. YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer in Gold is a lightweight, light-infused primer that blurs, and Too Faced Primed & Peachy is a hydrating cream primer that the brand says keeps skin looking fresh as a peach.

Then set it. ONE/SIZE On 'Til Dawn is a mattifying, waterproof setting spray with a 16 hour claim and witch hazel for oily skin. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless is a waterproof setting spray that the brand says holds for up to 16 hours. Urban Decay All Nighter has a natural finish with a mist so fine it sets powders and creams. ONE/SIZE Powder Melt Glass Setting Spray is the hydrating one, made to melt powder layers into a radiant, glass-like finish.

How to use it: prime, wait a minute, dust on the powder with a fluffy brush, then mist from arm's length. A light hand beats a soaked face.

What I would skip: a thick cream primer under a matte pressed powder on a hot day. It can make the layers slide. Use a lightweight primer or only moisturizer.

The brush decides half of what a powder foundation looks like. A dense kabuki buffs color into the skin, while a fluffy one just dusts it on. Danessa Myricks Yummy Face 2.0 Teardrop Kabuki is teardrop shaped, densely packed, and works with liquids, creams, balms and powders. Fenty Beauty Face & Body Kabuki Brush 160 has an angled head for blending liquid and powder formulas. The Fenty Kabuki-Buff Foundation Brush 115 has a large, domed head for fast, buildable coverage. NARS Yachiyo has a fluffy, spiral dome head that blends and diffuses color.

Some of the others lean toward cream. Anastasia Beverly Hills A30 Domed Kabuki is firm and round, described for emollient-based products with medium to full coverage. Saie The Big Brush For Buffing is a dense yet soft buffing brush. tarte the buffer is a fluffy, dome shaped brush made for an airbrushed effect, and Glossier Stretch Blending and Buffing Face Brush is meant for the brand's liquid and cream formulas.

Tip: swirl the brush in the pan or jar, tap off the excess, and buff in small circles from the center of the face outward.

What I would skip: a brush the maker describes only for cream or liquid when I am working with a pressed powder, since it may drag. Try the Danessa Myricks or Fenty 160 first.

Match the powder to your skin and the day. Loose mineral powder suits a sheer, skin-like wear, and a pressed matte suits heat and oil. Choose the shade in daylight, at the jaw, not the back of your hand. Prep first, buff in thin layers, and set lightly. Touch up only where you shine, using the same brush with almost nothing on it. Keep the rest of the face quiet, with a soft blush and a clear balm on the lips, so the skin looks like skin. If the skin looks dry, add moisturizer next time, not more powder.