Translucent Powder and the Flash Photo Test

When Laura Mercier launched her own line in March 1996, it had just four products, and one of them was a translucent loose setting powder. She was a makeup artist who worked on photo shoots, and she made it for the close-up: something to set makeup and cut shine without adding color or looking powdery on camera. Thirty years later the same powder is still on the shelf, and a whole category has grown up around it.

Translucent powder has one job, to set what is underneath so it lasts longer and shines less, and the good ones do it without leaving a visible layer. Laura Mercier's Translucent Loose Setting Powder is the original. Hourglass's Veil is talc free and very finely milled, and bareMinerals's Original Mineral Veil is talc free as well, with a soft, natural finish. Anastasia Beverly Hills's Translucent Loose Setting Powder is a good all rounder.

The blurring powders are newer. ONE/SIZE's Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder, Makeup by Mario's SurrealSkin Soft Blur powder, Yves Saint Laurent's All Hours Hyper Blur powder and Benefit's POREfessional Matte Blurring powder all soften the look of pores and texture as well as setting.

Now the flash photo test. Some finely milled powders can show up white in flash photography, especially if you use a lot and leave it sitting on the skin. Before a big event, do your makeup as usual, take a photo with the flash on, and look for pale patches under the eyes or on the nose. If you see them, you used too much or did not blend it in.

Loose powder is for setting at home. A pressed one is for later, in the afternoon, when your nose starts to shine and you need something that travels without spilling in your bag.

Some pressed powders are tinted, which matters if you want a little coverage as well. Rare Beauty's True to Myself is a tinted, talc free finishing powder in a range of shades. Dior's Forever Nude powder comes in matte and radiant versions. Givenchy's Prisme Libre pressed powder is blurring and color correcting, in a four part compact. Gucci's Mattifying Face Powder is made for long wear.

For shine alone, Fenty Beauty's Invisimatte is a setting and blotting powder, made to be pressed over makeup during the day. ILIA's Soft Focus powder is built for shine control, and Lawless's Skin-Smoothing powder is talc free. Too Faced's Born This Way Soft Blur powder has a flexible finish, which is useful on dry skin that looks tight under a heavy matte layer.

For touch-ups, blot first. Press a tissue or blotting paper over the shiny spot to lift the oil, then dab on a little powder. Powdering straight over oil is what makes makeup look cakey by evening, because each layer sits on the one before. Once or twice a day is usually plenty. If you find yourself touching up every hour, try a mattifying primer underneath in the morning instead, and keep the compact for emergencies.

How you apply powder matters as much as which one you buy. A puff presses it into the skin, where it sets makeup without disturbing it. A brush sweeps it lightly over the top. Most of us need both.

Velour puffs are soft and plush. Sephora Collection's Velour Makeup Powder Puff and Laura Mercier's Velour Puff are the classics. Fold the puff in half, press it into a little loose powder, massage it so the powder works into the fibers, then roll and press it over the under-eye, the sides of the nose and the chin. Beautyblender's Power Pocket Puff is dual sided, for setting and baking, and ONE/SIZE's Ultimate Setting and Baking Puff is similar.

Brushes are for a lighter touch across the whole face. Hourglass's Veil Powder Brush is made to go with their Veil powder. Rare Beauty's Angled Powder Brush fits under the cheekbones, and Saie's All-Over Powder Brush is big and soft. IT Cosmetics's Complexion Perfection Brush 7 is dense enough for powder foundation too.

What I would skip: baking every day. Leaving a thick layer of powder to sit for several minutes before dusting it off works under stage lights and on a wedding day, but on normal days it dries out the under-eye and settles into lines. Press a thin layer instead. I would also skip powder over a very dry patch. Put a drop of moisturizer there first and let it sink in before you set anything.

Always tap the excess off your puff or brush before it touches your face. Most powder mistakes come from loading too much. Start with the areas that shine first, usually the center of the forehead, the sides of the nose and the chin, and leave the high points of your cheeks bare so skin still looks like skin.

Wash puffs once a week, since they hold oil and makeup, and keep a clean one in your bag for touch-ups. A little powder, pressed in and blended, is almost invisible in photos and in person, and that is the whole goal. If you can see it, use less next time. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Chanel Rouge Coco Flash.