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Most Pressed Powders Zap All Your Glow—But These Don’t
If you’re not dusting the best pressed powder over your makeup to set it, you might be missing out on some worthwhile perks. In fact, New York City-based makeup artist Delina Medhin previously told Allure that “setting your makeup is one of the most important steps of your makeup routine.” And it’s true: Not only can setting powder ensure a long-lasting makeup look, but it can also reduce shine and prevent flashback in photos—giving skin a soft-focus finish at all times. In particular, “pressed powder is one of the true superheroes in my pro kit,” says New York City-based makeup artist Sara Talias of the mess-free, travel-friendly formulas. With that, here are the pressed powders that deliver on their promises.
Our Top Picks
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder
Why it’s worth it: The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder is a staple in Talias’ kit. The makeup artist notes the powder’s “unique formula,” which she credits with hydrating and brightening the skin. “I especially love this product under the eyes for keeping creasing to a minimum,” she says. This finishing powder, which is also packed with moisturizing, vitamin E-rich almond oil, comes in four shades: Fair, Medium, Tan, and Deep.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“I can’t be bothered to deal with loose powders because of the inevitable mess (whether I’m at home or traveling, TBH). I love how natural of a finish this Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder provides—like a soft-blurring veil that doesn’t totally negate my glow. (Thanks, light-reflecting particles!) To that point, it’s not my pick for the mattest-of-matte powders, but I’m a-okay with that. I wear the shade 2 Medium, which I find complements my foundation and concealers perfectly without washing my Asian skin tone out (as I presume Light would).” —Sarah Han, commerce editor
- Key ingredients: almond oil, rose wax, mica
- Available shades: 8
Best for Oily Skin: Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder
Why it’s worth it: Similar to its loose setting powder sibling, Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder locks in makeup in seconds, complete with a subtly dewy—but not shiny—finish. Its lightweight, blendable formula, which is enriched with moisturizing skin-care staples like glycerin, squalane, and vitamin E, creates a diffused effect. The shade range includes Crystal (very light to light skin), Shore (medium to medium-deep), Mesa (medium-deep), and Sable (deep to very deep).
Tester feedback from contributing commerce editor Deanna Pai
“My naturally oily skin looks shiny by mid-morning, but I’ve never committed to setting powder, since I felt they made my skin look dusty, for lack of a better word. This is the only one I ever wear, since it feels like nothing (a must for the acne-prone!) and creates a soft-focus effect, rather than sapping all the life and dewiness from my skin. Even though it comes in four shades, the translucent version (meant for pale skin tones) still works just as well for my medium-tan skin.” —Deanna Pai, contributing commerce editor
- Key ingredients: glycerin, squalane, vitamin E
- Available shades: 4
Best Shade Range: Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder
Why it’s worth it: For a powder that sounds as airy and wispy as it feels, consider this formula. “The Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder provides a gorgeous sheer coverage, perfectly setting any look while keeping it fresh and natural,” says Talias. Its talc-free, cruelty-free, and vegan formula—which contains nourishing glycerin, moisturizing jojoba seed oil, and fatty acid-laden sunflower seed oil—is just a bonus. The formula actually starts as a mousse, which is then baked to transform it into a supremely silky, super-lightweight powder. In our testing, we loved how it let our skin breathe—so your face still looks like real skin, not powdery, chalky, or, the worst offender… dry.
“I’ve avoided setting powders for years because I always worried they’d make my dry skin look flat or cakey—as a Korean, I’m all about chasing the glass glow. But the Kosas Cloud Set changed my bias about setting powders! This swept away excess shine without stealing my glow, and lately, when my foundation has been looking a little streaky, this powder helps blur and even everything out. The texture is so bouncy, and it feels weightless going on.” —Christa Joanna Lee, contributing commerce writer
- Key ingredients: bamboo stem extract, passionfruit leaf extract, peony extract
- Available shades: 10
Best Overall: Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skincare Powder
Westman Atelier
Vital Pressed Skincare Powder
Why it’s worth it: New York City-based makeup artist Suzy Gerstein credits the Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skincare Powder with helping blur pores and texture. With its weightless formula, this pressed setting powder is infused with skin-loving ingredients like free-radical-fighting vitamin C, moisturizing jojoba seed oil, and fatty acid-loaded quinoa. The result? Smoother pores, more even skin tone, less shine, and, over time, refined skin texture.
Prep your skin first with Westman Atelier’s Complexion Drops. “The formula sinks into skin with minimal blending, and the luminosity lasts all day,” says Allure associate features director Dianna Mazzone Singh.
- Key ingredients: quinoa seed extract, vitamin C, probiotics
- Available shades: 5
Best Blurring: Fenty Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder
Fenty Beauty
Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder
Why it’s worth it: Invisible, matte, instant, setting… we love a product name that makes everything obvious. Fenty’s Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder is exactly what it sounds like: a translucent, no-flashback powder that mattifies shine on contact and keeps your makeup locked in. Whether you’re setting your makeup look or doing a midday touch-up, it blurs pores, smooths texture, and never looks cakey. “This absorbs shine beautifully without making your makeup cakey or disturbing the makeup beneath. I use this on my clients for big events and have seen how it doesn’t budge all night,” says Kasey Spickard, a makeup artist based in New York City. Bonus: The universal shade takes the guesswork out of shade matching.
Despite the powder’s oil-controlling benefits, the formula’s chia seed extract helps maintain moisture balance, keeping your skin smooth instead of dry or flaky.
- Key ingredients: squalane, mica, radish root extract, chia seed extract
- Available shades: 1
Best for Redness: Givenchy Prisme Libre Blurring & Color Correcting Matte Pressed Powder
Givenchy
Prisme Libre Blurring & Color-Correcting Matte Pressed Powder
Why it’s worth it: Each Givenchy Prisme Libre Blurring & Color Correcting Matte Pressed Powder features a mosaic of four color-correcting tones that blend together to neutralize redness, brighten dullness, and balance uneven skin tone. The silky, microfine texture sets makeup without looking flat or dry, giving your skin a naturally matte (but never lifeless) finish. “This pressed powder version of the beloved Prisme Libre loose powder has become a must-have in my kit,” says Spickard. Like its predecessor, it also includes kaolin, a shine-absorbing ingredient often found in pore-purifying face masks, to help control oil throughout the day so your makeup doesn’t slip and slide. “It really does blur and lock makeup in,” adds Spickard.
This powder contains peony root extract, which is known to visibly improve dullness and uneven tone while working in tandem with the powder’s color-correcting pigments.
- Key ingredients: mica, kaolin, peony root extract
- Available shades: 3
Best for Sensitive Skin: Lawless Beauty Perfecting Powder Talc-Free Skin-Smoothing Powder
Lawless
Skin-Smoothing Talc-Free Perfecting Powder
Why it’s worth it: The Lawless Beauty Perfecting Powder Talc-Free Skin-Smoothing Powder took home a 2023 Best of Beauty Award for its velvety feel and non-caking, no-crease wear. (It’s also jam-packed with nourishing, soothing ingredients like bisabolol and squalane.) It’s the best light-medium powder that senior copy manager Dawn Rebecky has ever tried—not surprising, since it comes in seven shades—and helps beat the heat. “It held up really well in the dog days of summer,” Rebecky says.
The sponge included with the compact is a little wimpy, so consider upgrading to the brand’s excellent (and versatile) Multi-Use Powder Brush.
- Key ingredients: squalane, bisabolol, vitamin E
- Available shades: 7
Best Finish: Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder
Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder
Why it’s worth it: Those who prefer a more radiant look need not look further than the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder. This long-wearing, Best of Beauty-winning pressed setting powder has a weightless, glycerin-enriched formula that won’t enhance dry skin and provides sheer coverage to blur blemishes—all while offering a gorgeous glowy finish and keeping makeup in place. With nine shade options, it’s easy to find the perfect one based on your undertones.
- Key ingredients: dimethicone, talc
- Available shades: 9
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of pressed powder?
For one, they lend staying power to cream and liquid foundation formulas. What’s more, explains Gerstein, pressed powders are more user-friendly than loose powders since “they’re perfect for throwing in your bag for on-the-go touch-ups without the potential mess of loose powder particle spillage.” The best pressed setting powders also work by absorbing excess oil (especially in the T-zone) to create a smoother, shine-free complexion.
Gerstein also notes that the best pressed setting powders on the market are “incredibly finely milled and featherlight,” which makes them suitable for all skin types. These days, they also offer skin-care benefits—which, in some cases, can help “bind moisture to the skin,” she says. This makes them an especially ideal choice for those with dry or mature skin, on whom traditional powders can look cakey.
How do I apply pressed powder?
Remember that less is more when it comes to pressed powder—after all, it’s not bronzer or blush. “Place your brush in the powder, then tap it off until it looks like nothing is left on the brush, then keep applying until you get to your desired matte look,” Medhin previously said. Similarly, Talias recommends using a small brush and “diffusing the product in certain areas of the face,” such as the nose, chin, and forehead, which tend to collect the most shine.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?
For our review of the best pressed powders, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
