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Face Powder Makeup: Foundation Powders, Setting Powders, & Finishing Powders

Whether you’re looking for matte perfection from a setting powder, or a smooth finish from a translucent powder or banana powder, Maybelline has the best powder makeup to control shine, smooth skin, and finish that face!

Of the many types of face makeup, one of the most well-known is face powder, and for good reason! Face powder plays many different roles as it can be used to mattify shine– making it a must-have for oil-prone complexions. It’s also a game-changer for special events as it sets foundation and makeup in general, giving it longevity, smoothing the skin for a blurred, filter-like finish. But, there are also different types of powders, including pressed and loose foundations along with setting and finishing powders for a soft-focus effect. Don’t love a matte finish? There are powders that leave the skin with a natural, luminous finish, too! To find the one that’s right for you– whether you’re looking for coverage or oil control– shop powder makeup below. And check out our tips to learn how to apply powder makeup and layer different powder formulas.

Powder Makeup FAQs

Setting powder is a makeup product that helps to “set” your look, locking foundation in place, reducing shine, and extending wear. Similar to a makeup setting spray, but in powder form, it leaves a weightless veil over your makeup, creating an invisible shield to prevent makeup from smudging, transferring, or pulling a disappearing act. Although you can wear setting powder with your everyday face makeup, it’s especially important to finish your look with it when you’ll be attending a special event, if the forecast calls for heat or humidity, or if you expect tears to be shed, like at a wedding. Our Lasting Fix® Banana Powder Loose Setting Powder Makeup is a makeup artist’s secret weapon, helping to not only set the undereyes and prevent concealer from creasing, but it also gives a little brightening boost, too, thanks to its yellow color. The best setting powder for oily skin will help tamp down shine, limiting oil production, and nixing midday grease. We recommend using it as the last step of your routine for all of these benefits. It’s perfect for touch-ups throughout the day, too, should you notice certain areas getting greasy. And even if you don’t have oily skin, setting powder is still a great step to keep in your routine, especially for setting makeup in the oily-prone t-zone area (forehead, nose, and chin). Our Lasting Fix Banana Powder, Loose Setting Powder Makeup is a translucent powder that you layer over and under liquid makeup (like foundation) to keep everything in place while minimizing shine and oil. And our Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder offers mattifying pigment, should you need a little coverage to even out your complexion. While powders are best known for their mattifying powers, there are plenty of setting powders that work on dry skin, especially when you pair them with hydrating formulas. A mineral-based loose powder like Lasting Fix Banana Powder or Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder will give skin a poreless, even finish without making it feel dry. After using a moisturizing cream, go in with a hydrating primer like our Poreless Jelly Up To 24hr Hydrating Blur Primer. And finish with a dewy setting spray like our Facestudio Glass-Skin Dewy Makeup Finishing Spray to keep skin hydrated and give it a healthy glow. Translucent powder is a lightweight, finely milled powder that’s essentially colorless. It’s used to set makeup without interfering with its tone, making it suitable for all skin tones. It can be used over concealer or foundation to cut shine, minimize pores, and leave skin looking velvety and smooth. Using a translucent powder will lock makeup in place while creating a soft-focus filter over the skin for a flawless look. Lasting Fix Banana Powder Loose Setting Powder is translucent, but also boasts brightening properties to impart a luminous, yet matte finish. Pressed powder is a face powder that has been compressed into a compact, making it mess-free for on-the-go and also providing buildable coverage. Loose powder is typically the same formula, but rather than being pressed into a neat compact, it is crushed, so the powder is literally loose in a jar, and therefore a bit messier. Pressed powder is much easier to carry with you for touch-ups throughout the day, while loose powder is favored for the baking technique, which can be done as you apply your makeup. Finishing powder, although it is sometimes confused with setting powder, is meant to be used as the final step in a routine to blur imperfections and give a soft focus finish. Setting powder is typically used during a makeup routine in between certain steps, like foundation and concealer, to “set” it in place and prevent it from creasing. Finishing powder can go on top of everything, setting powder included, to lock everything into place. Finishing powder can also be translucent or tinted, depending on the look you’re going for. Dust it on as the very last step in your routine.
  1. Get a fluffy brush, bigger than your blush or bronzer brush and less densely packed, too, and dip it into your finishing powder. Tap off any excess to prevent a mess.
  2. Swirl the brush over your face in light strokes, so you don’t disrupt the makeup underneath.
  3. Dot on the nose, or chin, anywhere that tends to gather grease, or where you need coverage to last longer– that could be the entire face. Just make sure to blend it in. Similar to dry shampoo, if you put too much in one area, it will show, even when using a translucent formula.
  4. Top up as necessary throughout the day if you notice your complexion going greasy or want to prolong the life of your makeup. If you keep just one makeup product in your bag (other than a lip product, of course!) for special events or photo shoots, it should be a finishing powder.
 Banana powder, made popular in the 1960s by a celebrity makeup artist, is used not only to set makeup, but to brighten, too, which is why it’s a go-to product for the dark, under-eye area. The subtle yellow tint of banana powder helps perk up tired under eyes, neutralize redness, and enhance warm undertones. Banana powder is often used to “bake” the under eyes, so after applying concealer, banana powder will help prevent creasing or settling into fine lines. Most importantly, it works on all skin tones and is natural-looking, even in the harsh flash of a camera, leaving skin looking smooth and even-toned. To choose the right face powder for your skin type, you’ll want to look for a formula that is the opposite. Oily skin should opt for a matte powder, but dry skin calls for radiant or hydrating formulas. Sensitive skin types, on the other hand, should always look for non-comedogenic and fragrance-free products. Check out our face makeup to explore all of the powder options. And look for keywords such as “matte” or “luminous” when choosing a face powder formula. Matte often provides more coverage, whereas luminous tends to be more natural and skin-like. To prevent your makeup from creasing, always set with lightweight powder. Certain areas, like the under eyes and smile lines that crease naturally, are more prone to makeup creasing, so dust these spots with a powder rather than layering on heavy products, which can call attention to imperfections. As a finishing touch, mist with our Lasting Fix Setting Spray, which controls shine, creates a matte finish, and helps makeup last all through the day, sans creasing. Follow these helpful tips to apply setting powder correctly, prolonging the wear of your makeup while blurring and smoothing.

  • If applying setting powder to lock in your look, lightly dust all over your face using a big fluffy brush as the final step in your routine. This will act as an all-over shield to keep makeup, including foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, etc., in place.
  • To “bake” certain areas for even more coverage, such as the crease-prone under eyes, you’ll want to apply a thick layer of setting powder to the area after concealer. Instead of sweeping the powder on with a brush, baking works best when using a powder puff or a damp makeup sponge. Let the powder sit for a few minutes before removing excess with a brush.
  • If your skin gets greasy in the t-zone, we recommend adding an extra dusting of setting powder there. So, you’ll want to create a “T” shape across the forehead, down the nose, and on the chin. Maybe skip the cheeks if you have combination skin with drier cheeks.
 Yes, you can use powder foundation alone as powder foundations are more pigmented than a setting powder, offering both coverage and staying power without the need for liquid. This is an especially great option for those with oily, combination, and acne-prone skin types that could benefit from additional mattifying. For a matte finish, try our Fit Me Matte & Poreless Powder Foundation, or if you’re after a longwear finish, go for our Super Stay® Hybrid Powder Foundation. Before you go in with your powder as foundation, we recommend using a primer like Grippy Serum Up To 24HR Hydrating Grip Primer, so the powder adheres to the skin and stays in place. Yes, you can use setting powder on dry skin, but you’ll want to apply it strategically, making sure your skin is adequately hydrated. Prep skin with a moisturizer and a primer with extra hydration benefits like our Grippy Serum Up To 24HR Hydrating Grip Primer or Poreless Jelly Up To 24hr Hydrating Blur Primer. When you do use your powder, do so sparingly, concentrating on the T-zone. Whether you choose pressed or loose powder depends on what you’re looking for from your makeup. If you want to use powder to touch up throughout the day, you’ll want to go for a pressed powder. The compact makes for easy portability and no mess. For all-over setting and blending, especially for baking during your makeup routine, a loose powder is the way to go. For oily skin, a loose powder can be nice and lightweight as a base, but if you want to address mid-day shine, leave the loose powder at home and bring the pressed compact with you. There are several different types of face powders, including setting, finishing, pressed, loose, translucent, banana, and powder foundation, which can all be found as part of our face makeup offerings. Setting powders are often loose, translucent, and used during a makeup routine to set certain areas of the face, but finishing powder is used as the last step in the routine, even if you’ve already used setting powder, and will impart a soft blur finish and lock your makeup in place as a finishing touch. Pressed powder is exactly that, pressed into a compact, providing more coverage and easy on-the-go touch-ups. But, loose powder is in a bigger jar and a bit finer, giving less coverage. Banana powder has a yellow tint to it and is used to set areas like the under eyes and brighten the area. Powder foundation is more pigmented and requires you to choose a shade that matches your skin tone. It provides coverage and is meant to be used as a base rather than on top of your makeup as a finishing powder.