Makeup application with oily skin can be tricky because some makeup products slide off your skin while others don't get rid of the unwanted shine. Hence the need for the best setting powder for oily skin. After your makeup application in the morning, you look perfect as a person with oily complexions.
However, when it reaches noon, and you get a glimpse of your reflection, you are all shiny in your forehead and T-zone area, becoming a mirror yourself. Setting powder is used as makeup and applied after the foundation to prevent oil or moisture from soaking your face.
The best setting powders will not leave your face looking cakey the way older generation powders used to do, but the secret to the application is as follows. First, apply a powder coat using a large, fluffy brush to dust your whole face before lightly and after you're done applying your foundation and concealer. The best setting powders for oily skin will guarantee you see less shine and make sure your makeup products last longer.
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How to Make Your Makeup Last All Day
1. Bake your Makeup
If you have oily skin, you know how difficult it is to regularly keep the foundation in place. After a few hours, it feels wet and smudges uncontrollably. Thanks to the cosmetic baking technique, the setting powder absorbs directly into the foundation and concealer.
When oil starts to emerge, the setting powder can act as the first line of defense for absorption. Oil sinks into the powder rather than permeating the foundation, giving it a considerably longer wear time.
2. Use a Setting Spray
Skin oil is known for dissolving foundation and leaving you with a sticky, oily mess, especially in hot, humid summer weather. So how do certain women look good at the beach or in the pool? They use cosmetics setting spray, as you might expect.
If you will be exposed to scorching temperatures or moist conditions, this is a must-do phase in any makeup routine. High temperatures, facial oil, sweat or water may destroy makeup in a matter of minutes.
Setting spray creates a thin layer of protection over your face, guaranteeing that these makeup removers don't damage your appearance. Stay away from setting sprays that are labeled "dewy" or "water-based," as they will make your makeup look sticky.
Below we have compiled the best setting powders for oily skin with their advantages and disadvantages. We have also included a detailed buying guide to help you make an informed decision.
Best Setting Powder for Oily Skin - Reviews
Since 1935, it's been a beauty secret. Airspun is a loose powder combined with air, created by Francois Coty, a creative Master Perfumer. It provides the ultimate in coverage with a lightweight feel. It is now your go-to in your makeup bag for contouring and highlighting.
Airspun loose powder is light as air and silky smooth, resulting in a flawless finish. Airspun comes in a one-of-a-kind circular canister with a powder puff. The loose powder particles are spun and whirled until they reach a cloud-like softness in this unique micro-spun composition.
This silky smooth setting powder conceals fine wrinkles, freckles, and blemishes while giving your complexion a fresh suppleness. It can be used as a foundation or to set makeup. This translucent loose powder can hide fine lines, wrinkles, and blemishes. In addition, controls oil production and produces a magnifying effect.
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Maybelline New York's durable 16-hour matte face powder visibly lowers the appearance of pores and dulls shine while blending in seamlessly. Fit Me Perlite Mineral technology absorbs oil to hydrate skin while blurring micro-powders make pores almost disappear. The pressed formula is ideal for skin types ranging from normal to oily.
Apply this mattifying face-setting powder to your skin for a natural, buildable coverage that suits your needs. This pore-reducing cosmetic powder can be used alone or over foundation to help establish your look. Maybelline Fit Me Matte Pore Less Powder is dermatological, allergy tested, and non-comedogenic.
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Fit now takes place from beginning to end! This loose setting powder comes in various colors to suit every skin tone. Adds the perfect finishing touch to your foundation makeup. The mineral powder helps to control shine and refine the skin's texture.
Keeps foundation in place. Adds just a hint of color. Use a brush and apply the product. Swirl the brush through the powder, tap out any excess powder, and lightly sprinkle over the face. It can be used as a foundation or over makeup.
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No one wants to be the frosted doughnut in a group photo or selfie in bright illumination during the day or night when flash photography is used. By using Buttercup setting powder, you can avoid having a white cast or an ashy appearance. It absorbs oil and reduces gleaming regions that produce "flashbacks."
There will be no ashy flashback. It is the best setting powder for oily skin that blurs fine lines and pores. Set makeup foundation or concealer with this loose, translucent face setting powder. Suitable for most skin tones. The shade range is from medium to dark.
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It's a miracle in a jar. This mineral silica finishing powder is 100% pure mineral silica and is ideal for setting your foundation or wearing it. NYX's HD finishing powder absorbs oil, sets makeup, or can be worn alone for a blurred matte finish. The brilliant white setting powder has light-reflecting particles, a neutral appearance, and is suitable for all skin tones.
This translucent setting powder gives your skin a luminous and vibrant appearance. You only need a little light dusting of this finishing powder because a little goes a long way. In addition, PETA has validated and recognized all of NYX cosmetics as cruelty-free.
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IT Cosmetics Bye Bye setting powder is made of a mattifying formula that gives a poreless airbrush finish thanks to IT COSMETICS's Bye Bye Pores Optical Blurring Technology. The technology is a formulaic innovation that brings out a soft-focus effect by blurring the appearance of pores and smoothing out the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
Only Photoshop is known to achieve airbrushed skin, but this IT Cosmetics setting powder gives such a look in all problem areas. Furthermore, unlike a loose setting powder, this pressed powder disappears instantly when applied to any skin tone and type.
This great setting powder offers protection to your face with the best oily skin ingredients like Vitamin E, hydrolyzed collagen, anti-aging peptides, and anti-oxidants. The finishing powder has a talc-free formula but can mattify oily skin and act as a powder foundation.
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Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder is an award-winning setting powder that is weightless, silky, sheer, and blends effortlessly without streaking your makeup. In addition, its translucent shade feels and looks natural on all skin types and tones, creating a flawless finish.
The Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder reduces pores' appearance and uneven texture and can add a velvet finish to any makeup look. Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder is suitable for all skin types because of the oil-free formula. In addition, it has French cashmere talc to help set your makeup and control the shine.
The translucent setting powder is suitable for setting foundations or concealers and enhances their longevity, ensuring they don't quickly move. Additionally, it can be used for special occasions and even flash photography since it contains no SPF or silica. Therefore, it does not leave a white cast under flash photos.
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Ilia Soft Focus Finishing Powder is one of the best setting powders for oily skin that is aloe and bamboo lend and hydrates your skin well while at the same time balancing your oil production. You can apply it on its own or over a foundation, and it gives you a blurring soft-focus finish as if you have a filter on when taking photos.
The finishing face setting powder can be used for any occasion, survive any town's humidity, and combats sweat quite well. The Ilia Soft Focus is a pure vegan setting powder with no phthalates, parabens, or a synthetic fragrance making it suitable for skin care and sensitive skin types.
It is the best setting powder for oily skin as it's very lightweight with a slight amount of shimmer. Ilia Focus is packed in a jar with a twist lid that works for some people, and it prevents the setting powder from being all over the place.
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KVD Vegan Beauty Lock-It Setting Powder is the best powder that gives you an invisible shield undetectable final layer that locks your makeup in place without showing any sign that it's there. It has a smooth, silky texture that feels great on your skin, leaving no white cast or chalky finish, and even looks good with flash photos.
KVD Vegan setting powder can be used to light dust your skin, bake the problematic areas, and slightly blur the pores. KVD powder stays on the skin for up to 8 hours and helps the concealer stay crease-free while giving you a mattifying look without drying your skin.
The fine powder is packaged in a plastic jar with sifter holes in a star shape inspired by Kat Von D's signature tattoos. The vegan formula is also an excellent addition to your skincare.
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The setting powder is a creamy and lightweight formula, thanks to the five cocoa butter and coconut forms present in the powder. Marc Jacobs Beauty Finish setting powder is made of a super lightweight formula. It blurs out pores' appearances, making it ideal for people looking to shrink their pores or minimize their appearance.
According to a makeup artist, the Marc Jacobs formula works well in summer or before a workout session, making you forget you are wearing makeup. It is also suitable for days you are going for a more natural finish, and you don't mind a little shine and does not do well for a more snatched and matte finish. However, the powder does not deliver nicely for fine lines and wrinkles, making them look more chalky.
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What to Consider Before Buying the Best Setting Powder for Oily Skin
1. Choose between a Tinted or Translucent Powder
A setting powder comes in two forms, either translucent or tinted. A tinted powder is suitable for brightening and hiding marks on your skin, but the colorless translucent powders work wonders for oily skin. Tinted setting powders are available in different colors to match different skin tones, and they can also change your foundation tint when applied on top.
They are available in different coverage levels, and you choose to depend on how much coverage you are looking for. However, a tinted setting powder may clog your pores, causing breakouts because they can look thick after multiple touch-ups.
On the other hand, translucent powders are meant to suit every skin tone, and they control and prevent oil or shine, giving your face an invisible finish. They are also lightweight and don't look thick even after multiple touch-ups throughout the day. When it comes to oily skin, a translucent powder works the best as you can touch up the product without having your face look smudged or shiny.
2. Choose a Product that is Matte or Lightweight
A product with an oil-free formula and non-comedogenic is essential when choosing setting powders because they won't clog our pores which is vital because oily skin is prone to breakouts and acne. You can also choose a vegan product because the formulas contain fewer or no skin-harming elements.
Matte products are waterproof, and therefore, no matter how much moisture your face is exposed to, your makeup stays intact. However, if you come from a hot or humid climate where your makeup doesn't last long on your face without smudging, you should try a matte and lightweight powder to guarantee no streaks, even with reapplication.
3. Ingredients
Checking the ingredient list in every setting powder is vital because some products like rice starch or cornstarch often make the bulk of the product, which helps set your makeup correctly by absorbing oil. In addition, some setting powder ingredients are a plus as they are gentle on skin types and might provide complexion boosting benefits.
Other beneficial ingredients include zinc, silica, iron oxide, magnesium, and calcium silicate. Another beneficial product is talc, which can be a gamble with oily skin. It would be best to go with a talc-free powder if your makeup creases or looks cakey when using a talc product.
4. Choose Between Pressed and Loose Forms of Powder
The best setting powders in the market are mainly in loose or pressed forms where pressed powders are thicker and unsuitable for oily complexions. However, the loose forms of setting powder are light, and some feature oil control properties that prevent makeup flashback in photos.
A pressed powder contains ingredients that help retain the texture and are less messy to carry around, but they might not be ideal if you are allergic. Also, when the powder is applied in excess for oily skin, it can make your makeup look thick and cakey with every touch-up, so they are not advisable.
On the other hand, a loose setting powder comes with fine particles and gives lightweight coverage to your face, ideal for acne-prone skin. They can be easily applied with the lightweight texture but can be very hard and messy to move around with.
5. Shade
If you don't know your setting powder shade or color, a translucent loose powder for oily skin will come to your rescue. Translucent setting powders have a sheer colorless formula that holds your foundation in place without affecting your look and works well as a finishing touch to your makeup routine. Translucent setting powders can also be applied on the T-zone as they are colorless, and you won't have to worry about uneven color.
How to Apply Loose Powder
Powder application technique may make or break your makeup. If you use too much powder, your makeup will most likely seem cakey, regardless of your skin tone. However, a small amount is all you need with the best setting powder for oily skin. Using both a sponge and a brush to apply powder is a popular technique.
If you prefer to apply your foundation with a beauty sponge, you may do so with your powder as well. Just remember to press the setting powder softly into your skin rather than dragging or rubbing it on your face. Rubbing or dragging setting powder across your face will simply remove your foundation, leaving you with an uneven, textured complexion.
If you prefer to use a brush to apply your setting powder, make sure you dip your brush in powder, tap off the excess. Alternatively, you can press the brush into pressed powder, tap off the excess, and then press the powder into your skin with the brush.
Some people "bake" the powder by allowing it to sit for a while. Essentially, you're allowing the powder to seal your foundation, preventing it from settling into fine lines, smile lines, or wrinkles. After you've applied the powder and let it "bake" on your skin, gently sweep away any excess product with a large fluffy brush.
How to Achieve Shine-Free Skin that Stays Matte!
1. Exfoliate
Exfoliation is your best protection against a sallow complexion prone to breakouts and blackheads. Dead skin cells and excess oils form a sticky combination that gets stuck in pores. When pores become clogged with this glue-like substance, they cannot receive air, and acne bacteria thrive, resulting in breakouts. Exfoliators with fine granules sweep away dead cells, preventing pore-clogging.
It also helps to loosen existing blackheads to be removed more easily. Use an exfoliant after rinsing your face with warm water. Rub your face in circles, focusing on the chin, cheeks, forehead, and sides of your nose, where dead skin is most likely to accumulate. Vigorously dry with a fluffy towel after rinsing thoroughly.
Three times weekly exfoliation is recommended for thin skin that readily reddens. Exfoliators can be used up to twice a day on thicker skin types. Skin will feel soft and refreshed after use. Exfoliation regularly also aids toner absorption into pores, resulting in better outcomes.
2. Use a Toner
Toner disinfects pores before sealing them, preventing makeup, excess oils and grime from clogging them up. In addition, it protects skin from becoming dry and flaky by balancing the pH level, which inhibits the growth of acne germs.
Toners containing alcohol should be avoided because they create even more oil production and seal pores shut. So avoid using any toners that contain alcohol. If you want a natural toner, try Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), an excellent toner for acne-prone skin and helps balance pH levels.
ACV's components break down oily pore blockages, making blackhead eradication easier while cleansing. Apply moisturizer after the toner has dried. Choose a lightweight gel moisturizer for acne-prone and oily skin, and avoid anything with pore-clogging silicone (dimethicone).
3. Apply Milk of Magnesia
What is the best way to apply milk of magnesia to oily skin, and does it truly work to reduce shine? Many people will think this is a weird proposal, yet it helps people with extremely oily skin. This product's magnesium is extremely good at absorbing oil and creates a matte base for foundation application.
Dip the top of a cotton ball in Milk of Magnesia to use. Swipe the cotton ball over your T-Zone on the nose, forehead, cheeks, and chin until only a little film of dampness is visible. You don't need much, and it dries to a somewhat white sheen that fades into nothing after the foundation is done. Allow 3 minutes to dry completely before moving on to the next stage.
This step can be skipped if you are hesitant to apply the Milk of Magnesia to your skin. It will be especially beneficial to people with extremely oily skin to maintain a matte look. Magnesium should be safe for your skin unless you have a sensitivity to it, and it should not cause breakouts or clog pores.
4. Primer
Preventing clogged pores and obtaining a matte look requires using the correct primer. Skin oil penetrates the foundation if this step is neglected, causing it to smear and fade. Your go-to primer should absorb oil throughout the day and keep your makeup from getting stuck in pores.
Unless you have dry skin, your go-to primer should not contain silicone! Silicone gel (dimethicone) is a common liquid primer component. It burrows deep into pores, trapping oil and germs, causing acne breakouts and, in the worst-case scenario, cystic acne breakouts that can take weeks to recover.
Dimethicone is also prevalent in foundations but at lower concentrations than in primers. After using any dimethicone-containing product, exfoliate and cleanse your skin thoroughly, and use a purging mask once a week.
5. Matte Foundation
Look for foundations that are oil-free, oil-absorbent, matte, waterproof, water-based, and long-lasting to obtain a completely matte complexion. These work best on oily skin types and are resistant to skin oil degradation.
A foundation brush, a beauty blender, or your fingers can be used to apply liquid makeup. First, apply a small amount of foundation to the cheeks, chin, and nose, and blend downwards. Next, apply the same technique on the forehead but blend upwards toward the hairline.
I'm sure you've heard the expression "oil and water don't mix," right? The same can be said for both oil-based and water-based foundations. Because it does not clog pores or create breakouts, water-based makeup is incredibly excellent for those with oily and oily complexions.
6. Setting Powder
When it comes to acne skin, setting powder is your last line of defense. The best setting powder for oily skin has a smooth finish and absorbs oil. Setting powders prevent streaking and transferring when applied over the foundation. Skin will seem matte and poreless with the correct setting powder.
After applying foundation and other complementary cosmetics such as blush and bronzer, apply the powder using a fluffy powder brush. For more concentrated oil management, a powder puff can also be used. Roll the puff back and forth until the powder changes from white to transparent.
Voila! For oily skin, you now have long-lasting makeup. Keep the powder on hand for touch-ups and to keep your skin matte throughout the day. If your skin becomes greasy, use an oil blotting sheet and apply extra Powder, as this will not interfere with your makeup.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do I Set My Makeup?
To set your makeup correctly, try using a lightweight translucent powder after finishing up with your complexion products, as this will mattify your face soaking up any excess oil on your skin. Setting your makeup with a loose translucent setting powder gives your makeup longer wear can use a pressed powder during the day to soak up any extra oil.
2. How Long Should You Let Setting Powders Sit?
If you want makeup that will last you the whole day, you should let your setting powder sit for up to 10 minutes; however, if you are looking for less time, go for a lighter bake of around three to five minutes.
3. Is a Setting Spray or Setting Powder Better?
Not necessarily the case. Setting powders absorb excess oil in critical areas like the T-zone and give a matte finish, but the setting spray is vital for giving a softer finish with less visible texture. They are beneficial in different areas, and the setting spray keeps your whole face makeup in place, including your setting powder and lipstick.
