What’s the difference between setting powders and finishing powders?
Setting powders and finishing powders - is there actually a difference between the two, or are they just fancy marketing words to make you buy more product? The answer is actually a resounding “yes”! There is a difference between the two but some brands may use the terms interchangeably, so it’s understandably a bit difficult to figure out which is which. Setting powders and finishing powders can be both in loose or in pressed form, can be white-colored or tinted, and typically offer little to no coverage at all. The difference is in how they are used.
This is why you need Pink Sugar’s 349-peso face powder in your life
Often, at the drugstore beauty counter, a “good bargain” is just a bargain more than it is actually good. Many of us settle for mediocre products because they’re cheap and they work well enough. Often we would pay for these with a shrug. “It’s alright,” we tell ourselves. Once in a while though, something seriously good comes along and we are reminded why we should keep our standards even when faced with all manner of cheap temptations. That’s how I felt when I tried the Pink Sugar Our Lil’ Secret All Day Matte Powder, which is only P349 for 10 grams of product.
Budget Beauty: What is the best pressed powder under P600?
Have you found your HG pressed powder yed? I personally have a few favorites, but I still am always on the lookout for promising options with affordable price tags. I mean, it’s the one item in my makeup arsenal that I keep hitting pan on! Finding a good formula is a challenge for my sensitive combination skin though because what works for my oily T-zone (nose and forehead) usually emphasizes texture on my drier U-zone (cheeks, jawline, and chin).
Ellana Pressed Mineral Foundation
I don't know if I've mentioned this here before but I like myself the least when I'm obsessing about something. I forget everything, and I mean everything, just thinking about the thing I want to do or acquire. It's not healthy. It literally gives me headaches. This is weird because these intense obsessions only began early last year. They're vastly different, too, and seem to come from nowhere, like a train with no headlights.
Ugh! I'm going to step out to sketch later just to get my mind off things, because I feel like I'm going slightly insane.
Aaaaanyway today I'd like to feature the Ellana Pressed Mineral Foundation (P650). When the awesome people behind Ellana hired me to re-imagine the brand, I immediately pushed for pressed minerals. Because! I love mineral foundation since it gives my skin such a beautiful finish, but I hate how messy and time-consuming it is to apply when I'm rushing out. Pressed minerals are the best, except that they're either too expensive or hard to find locally.
So after much tinkering, Ellana finally came up with their very own Pressed Mineral Foundation. It took a lotta work (hello Theresa!) and I'm not going to take credit for any of it except for being the hard-to-please naysayer while it was being formulated. Lol! But finally, Ellana has it! And it's pretty good if I do say so myself.
This foundation, like its best-selling loose version, provides medium to heavy coverage and a creamy, demi-matte finish.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium
Mineral makeup used to be a messy affair - well, I suppose it still is if you like the loose formulas (I do). But if you're rushed for time but still like the flawless, glowy finish that only mineral powders can provide, go for pressed! There are lots of great ones available now. One of them, an oldie but a goodie, is the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (P1,700+).
Coverage and finish. The Mineralize Skinfinish offers sheer to medium buildable coverage that has a slight sheen to it. It could be a setting or finishing powder due to the glowy effect, but it can also be used as a daily base if you don't need a lot of coverage.
This has an extremely lightweight formula that feels like nothing on the face! It also doesn't cake due to the thin texture, yes, even when layered heavily.
Reader question: Is finishing and/or setting powder important?
Hello Liz, first up, thanks for providing us, your readers, so much info on make-up, fashion, etc, etc! Love love LOVE your blog! Anyway, I hope you can help answer my question.
My sister told me that I need to use finishing/setting powder after I put on my make-up so I finally bought one - Laura Mercier translucent setting powder. After a few days into using the product, I noticed that my skin became dry and flaky especially in the cheeks and forehead area. I use a fluffy powder brush to apply it (I even tap the brush to make sure that I don't get too much powder on my face). I was hoping there's an alternative product that I can use to set my make-up as I've never had this problem with my skin before. Is a finishing/setting powder a must or can I skip this part altogether?
I hope to hear from you! - Kaya
Thanks for reading my blog, Kaya! ;) Your flaking and dryness may be an allergic reaction from the product. That is, there might be an ingredient in your new powder that's causing the dryness. It's best to stop using it for now and observe! If you're still using it and the reaction has stopped nonetheless, it could be that your skin was just adjusting to the new product and is a-ok now.
So is it absolutely necessary to use a loose setting powder? Yes, if you're using wet makeup (liquid or cream foundation, BB cream, tinted moisturizer etc.) underneath! The powder helps the wet makeup solidify and settle better, the way sand was used to dry up ink in handwritten letters.