7 Genius Face Powders That Kill Your Shine—But Not Your Glow
You know that Instagram meme “Me vs. You,” where the has-it-together “Me” is, like, a pic of Rihanna glammed out having a beer in a bikini in Barbados, and the “you” is, say, a miffed-looking baby ostrich?
When it comes to the whole glowy skincare trend, I want to be on the cool, glistening side—invariably demonstrated in editorials via a 17-year-old Danish model who’s been sheet-masked, coconut-watered, and strobe-contoured until she shines with a radiant, almost gelatinous glow. It’s that thing we’re calling “dewy” nowadays, freshly moisturized and plumped with Evian and hyaluronic acid.
I’ve been doing it. Well, I’ve been trying to do it. And just as invariably, I fall short of Danish-model skin. I do all the moisturizer and oils I’m supposed to, and my face looks like shitty concession-stand pizza—the kind that your mom dabs with a paper towel to lift off the grease and oil.
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If you’re in the same spot, don’t give up the regimen. I’m convinced a lot of good has come out of my newly intense moisturizing game—my skin’s softer, more supple, feels firmer, and little lines have been washed away in a tide of hydration. But as to that oily sheen left on my T-zone, well, I came to an ultimatum: the gleam can stay, but the oily finish has to go.
This is where I start to talk about powders, which is also where I start to lose a lot of people. It’s because we’ve all been through powders once before, and despaired. Maybe you wanted to tone down an oily nose for homeroom and blasted a puff-full of Coty Airspun all over a sad, shiny, zitty nose in the locker room.
The results of the wrong powder can be flat, matte in the least Old Hollywood way, and make you look so much older than your tender, shiny years. Plus, it can make your face feel starchy and stiff, and well, “set.” The other misconception is about language and association. The term “setting powder” can feel more like it belongs to RuPaul maximalism than French-girl minimalism. And you’d miss quite a few good options there, too.
The thing is, you want to keep a lot of that shine. You just want to make it seem like it’s coming from within your skin, not necessarily pooling on top of it. Illuminators, highlighters, and “face glosses” can work, but the best glow comes not from a glittery layer sitting on top—it should be the light shining through a filter, like the sun peeking out from behind a wispy cloud on a spring day.
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With the right powder, that moisturized gleam is toned down into a steady, radiant glow that lasts for hours, and neither gets too matte nor too shiny. Powder is the little wispy cloud that lets the radiance shine through. You’ll look like you’re shining, not soaking.
You don’t need it everywhere. I like to keep my cheeks powder-free for that shiny-cheek-and-brow-bone thing. This gets even trickier, because you need a powder that can be applied deftly, strategically, without looking like you missed a spot. It has to become your skin in a way, not just sit on top of it. It’s a delicate balance. But take heart—there are some superheros left in the world.
In the slideshow above, you’ll find powders—some priming bases, some satin finishes, some top-dusting glow-makers, and a few BB-cream-setters—that all let you keep that moisturized glow. They’re so finely milled, and melt so naturally, that your skin’s texture still feels cool and almost moist to the touch, like it does right after moisturizing. Can’t say that about your homeroom staple.
