The best setting powder can look and feel very different depending on your skin type. As someone with combination skin (think: a mix of glazed-donut shine at the T-zone) finding a formula that controls excess oil without dulling radiance has taken the better part of a decade. If I’m going to spend my precious time applying makeup, three beauty products are non-negotiable to keep my look long-lasting: a primer to prep the canvas, a face powder to lock in creams and liquids, and a setting spray to finish and seal everything into place. Somehow, all of that still has to manage to feel remarkably weightless.
Vogue’s Favorite Setting Powders
Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder
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Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
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Far from the ultra-heavy and mattifying formulas of the 2010s, today’s formulations are more refined and strategic. The newest powders don’t simply keep makeup in place—many make the skin look smoother, veil breakouts, minimize shine, and blur texture, without looking unnatural. Ahead, explore the best setting powder formulas we trust to elevate any look—no matter your finish preference or skin type—beloved by Vogue beauty editors and pro makeup artists, alike.
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Best Skincare-Makeup Hybrid: Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder
- Why We Love It: It’s to be expected that celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman would create an amazing setting powder—one that creates a dreamy, skin-like finish without settling into skin texture, fine lines, or wrinkles. Enter Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder. “It absorbs excessive oil but maintains a natural lucency without being too shiny,” Westman tells Vogue. “It takes away the unwanted shine and leaves a beautiful, soft velvet veil on your skin. It’s like a whisper of something that erases the issues.”
- Editor’s Note: “Whenever I want to wear powder but don’t want to look like I’m wearing powder, I reach for this option by Westman Atelier—often its translucent shade but sometimes a skin-tone hue (shade Dune for me), to achieve my no-makeup makeup look. What’s more, this is packed with vitamin C, probiotics, and quinoa seed extract to condition skin with each use.” —Kiana Murden, senior beauty writer
- Key Ingredients: Quinoa seed extract, vitamin C, probiotic, zinc, Mica, jojoba seed oil, cocoa seed extract
- Finish: Natural
- Type: Pressed powder
- Shades: 5
- Size: 0.17 oz / 5 g
Best Classic: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
- Why We Love It: The words “setting powder” likely calls to mind images of Laura Mercier’s famed tub. For years, makeup enthusiasts have relied on a dusting of this featherweight loose powder to lock any makeup look in place sans heavy wear. For pro makeup artist Brielle Pollara, this has been a staple in her kit for years. “This powder has that beautiful, finely milled texture that melts into the skin and becomes completely translucent once blended,” she says. “It’s formulated with ingredients that help absorb oil and control shine, giving a soft matte finish that blurs pores and sets makeup seamlessly. It’s truly a cult-classic for a reason, with it always being reliable, lightweight, and perfect for locking in a flawless look all day.” Whether it’s for a long day on set or a night out, Pollara assures that this pick keeps your makeup in place.
- Editor’s Note: “Laura Mercier’s setting powder is one of those ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ makeup classics—it was my entry point into the settings powder category. It’s eternally reliable. Firstly it’s non-cakey thanks to the finely milled pigments. Secondly, there’s never any unsightly flashback in photos. Rest assured, your makeup will be set in place, maintaining a luminous finish after swiping it on.” —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
- Key Ingredients: Talc, magnesium myristate, amino acids, tocopherol
- Finish: Matte
- Type: Loose powder
- Shades: 3
- Size: 1 oz.
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