016Translucent Powders have been on the rise lately. With the new trend of baking (thank you Drag Queen culture), having a good translucent powder in your collection is a must. It is ideal for setting make-up, especially if you tend to use more cream based products or have oily skin (like me!). Here are a few drugstore translucent powder that I’ve tried over the years:

Maybelline Shine Free Oil-Control Loose Powder
Category: 2
Pros: Fine powder mattifies skin instantly, has no identifiable smell, doesn’t fall from brush as much during application, great for setting concealer
Con: None
Recommend: YES!

CoverGirl Professional Loose Powder
Category: 2
Pros: Fine powder mattifies skin instantly, great for setting concealer
Cons: Falls off brush very easily, has a very irritating (baby) powder smell
Recommend: YES! (if you don’t mind the smell)

Sleek Makeup Professional Finishing Powder
Category: 2
Pros: Good to sweep on entire face
Cons: extremely fine but turns grainy in the T-zone by the end of the day, flies into the air making it easy to accidentally inhale, is opalescent in container but not on the skin, not good to use to set concealer
Recommend: No!

NYX Cosmetics Studio Finishing Powder
Category: 2
Pros: Fine powder good for sweeping (gently) over entire face
Cons: turns grainy in the T-zone by the end of the day, white in color (reviews suggest it may not be suitable for women of color), flies into the air making it easy to accidentally inhale
Recommend: No!

Coty AirSpun Loose Facial Powder
Category: 1
Pros: Great for setting concealer or sweeping across the face, powder goes onto the skin smoothly, you get a lot of product for the price, it is a classic since 1935
Cons: THE SMELL, THE SMELL, THE SMELL! Because it’s a classic, it smells like your grandmother.
Recommend: YES! (again if you can stand the smell)