The 12 Best Finishing Powders of 2023 for Beautiful-Looking Skin

Best Overall

Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Translucent Setting Powder

5

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Who else recommends it? Allure, Glamour, and WWD all picked the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder.

What do buyers say? 1,800+ Sephora reviewers rated this product 4.5 stars or higher.

Many of the finishing powders on the market are translucent, which can sometimes be tricky. Because let’s be real: translucent doesn’t always mean undetectable. Many translucent options we’ve tried leave behind a weird cast or chalky finish—but not this one. "It has the most natural finish and actually works on the widest range of skin tones of any of the other translucent powders I’ve tried," says Goldberg. Plus, it’s also infused with diamond powder for the perfect amount of light reflection without any flashback.

Reviewers love that it feels light on the skin, doesn't crease on dry skin or settle into fine lines, and that its long-wearing no matter what foundation they use underneath it. Many commented that it has become their new holy-grail powder, and that it's the only powder they've tried that was actually effective in prolonging their face coverage and giving them a soft, airbrushed look. Another added benefit is that it's free of talc, which is a controversial ingredient that some say can contain the known carcinogenic asbestos.

Price at time of publish: $46

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Mica, synthetic sapphire | Size: 0.36 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Runner-Up, Best Overall

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder

4

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It should come as no surprise that this formula basically has its own fan club. True to its name, the ultrafine particles create an Instagram filter-esque effect, magically blurring away the look of lines and blemishes with one fell swoop. It’s also incredibly lightweight and feels great on the skin, thanks to the addition of ingredients such as rose wax and almond oil. It’s a favorite of Goldberg’s, who lauds it for the soft matte finish and buildable coverage.

Price at time of publish: $46

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Rose wax, almond oil, and light-reflecting pearls | Size: 0.28 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Budget

Flower Beauty Miracle Matte Translucent Finishing Powder

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Affordable, yes. But lacking in quality, definitely not. Dust it on solo to minimize the look of prominent pores and excess shine, or over makeup to boost longevity. Either way, the mattifying formula gets the job done.

Price at time of publish: $14

Skin Type: Oily | Key Ingredients: Silica | Size: 0.28 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Drugstore

Maybelline New York Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder

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There are so many things we like about this drugstore staple. There’s a great range of shades to choose from (eight to be exact, a lot for a powder of any kind), it has a gentle mineral formula, and its shine-controlling, skin-smoothing effects, just to name a few. The wallet-friendly price tag is the cherry on top.

Price at time of publish: $9

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Silica | Size: 0.7 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Pressed Formula

Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder

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Goldberg recommends using this pressed option to help set the foundation. “It absorbs the perfect amount of excess oil so that skin ends up looking just slightly dewy, never shiny,” she says. Super-fine powders and a featherweight texture also make this feel insanely light on the skin, always a good thing in our book.

Price at time of publish: $89

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Silica | Size: 0.31 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Loose Formula

Glossier Wowder

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“This is by far my favorite loose powder, allowing the skin to look like skin while eliminating shine and leaving behind a perfect, soft glowy finish,” says Goldberg. Dust it on all-over or just on areas prone to sheen; either way, it never looks chalky or settles into lines. Goldberg adds that it also behaves beautifully with flash photography. Also nice: It’s talc- and fragrance-free and dermatologist-tested, so it's great for those with sensitive skin.

Price of time at publish: $22

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Diamond powder, kaolin clay, and vitamin E | Size: 0.25 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Dark Skin

Mented Cosmetics Skin Silk Loose Setting Powder

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Powders can pose some serious issues for those with darker complexions; many are too light, which ends up coming across as chalky and results in flashback in photos. Happily, while this option only comes in three colors, two of those are geared towards deeper skin, and they all offer great shine-control and, indeed, a silky smooth texture.

Price at time of publish: $25

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Vitamin C | Size: 0.92 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Multi-Tasking

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation

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Prefer to keep your routine simple and streamlined? Reach for this two-in-one, another one of Goldberg’s favorites. “It’s iconic because it has such a wide range of uses,” she says. "Wear it alone as a foundation over moisturizer (use the included sponge for that) or dust it on with a fluffy powder brush if you want it to act as any other loose translucent powder would," she suggests. Either way, you get up to 12 hours of wear-time and a gorgeously velvety finish.

Price at time of publish: $39

Skin Type: All, especially oily | Key Ingredients: Silica | Size: 0.52 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best with SPF

Ilia Radiant Translucent Powder SPF 20

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In case you missed it, you really should be reapplying your sunscreen every two hours. It’s an admittedly lofty goal, which is where an SPF-infused powder, like this one, can come up huge. Dust it on in the A.M. as a little extra layer protection, but then reach for it throughout the day to not only absorb shine and touch up your makeup but also add back some of that needed sunscreen. This particular one also has the added benefit of blurring away spots and blemishes and is filled with skin-soothing, plant-based extracts, too.

Price at time of publish: $34

Skin Type: All | Key Ingredients: Non-nano Zinc Oxide 14 | Size: 0.24 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Oily Skin

Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Blotting Powder

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True to its name, think of this as the powder version of those annoying to deal with blotting papers. It’s completely undetectable (on all skin tones, we might add), instead simply stopping shine in its tracks, without ever settling into pores or lines. And if you use it over the foundation, it will up its staying power, too.

Price at time of publish: $34

Skin Type: Oily | Key Ingredients: Silica | Size: 0.3 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Dry Skin

By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder

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Once again, the name really says it all. There is indeed hydrating hyaluronic acid in this formula, which boasts a supremely silky texture that blends beautifully into the skin. Still, it definitely has that mattifying effect many people crave from a powder without ever being drying.

Price at time of publish: $52

Skin Type: Dry | Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.35 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes