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We have yet to meet or work with a makeup artist who doesn’t rely on translucent powder as the final step for any look. A quick sweep of powder can make all the difference. “Translucent powders are beneficial for all makeup wearers for three reasons: helping to set your makeup for extended wear as well as blurring fine lines and minor blemishes to create a silky smooth skin finish,” says makeup artist and StyleSeat Pro Manuel Espinoza.
Byrdie Researched & Approved
Our best overall pick is Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Translucent Setting Powder due to its finely milled, featherweight formula with light-reflecting particles that seamlessly blur away blemishes. For a more affordable pick, consider Flower Beauty’s Miracle Matte Translucent Finishing Powder for its incredible quality when it comes to minimizing shine and blurring imperfections.
If the mere mention of any kind of powder conjures images of chalky, dry skin for you, fear not. The latest translucent powders on the market are more advanced than ever, truly an important product in your complexion-enhancing arsenal.
We conducted hours of research on the best translucent powders, evaluating each type on consistency, finish, and ability to conceal imperfections, minimize pores and shine. We looked at both loose and pressed formulas, and considered powders for all skin tones and types—we even looked for formulas that won't show up with flash photography. We also gave preference to formulas that are talc-free and dermatologist tested. After considering dozens of different brands, and consulting with celebrity makeup artists, we landed on the following best in show.
Best Overall
Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Translucent Setting Powder
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Sephora
Lightweight
Imparts a slight shimmer
Blurs pores
Packaging could be improved
Who else recommends it? BestReviews and Allure also picked the Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Translucent Setting Powder.
What do buyers say? 93% of 400+ Nordstrom reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
Like we said, today’s powders are anything but chalky and, perhaps, none less so than this formula. Byrdie Associate Editorial Director, Holly Rhue swears by the finely milled, featherweight pick, which boasts light-reflecting particles to blur away the look of any blemishes. Espinoza is also a fan, lauding the truly translucent formula that leaves an invisible finish on all skin tones. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also actual diamond powder in the mix to impart the prettiest (and subtlest) shimmer. Bonus points for the packaging that dispenses just the right amount of product, making powder overload a thing of the past.
Price at time of publish: $22
Size: 0.36 oz. or 0.07 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Budget
Flower Beauty Miracle Matte Translucent Finishing Powder
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Affordable
Works on its own or over makeup
Blurs pores
Included powder puff is a little flimsy
From one of our favorite wallet-friendly beauty lines comes this powder, which works beautifully on its own or over makeup. Dust it on bare skin (well, bare except for sunscreen, of course) to help tamp down unwanted sheen and make prominent pores disappear. Or use it as the final step in your makeup routine to set everything in place.
Price at time of publish: $14
Size: 0.28 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Mattifying
Honest Beauty Invisible Blurring Loose Powder
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Ulta
Great for absorbing excess oil
Talc-free
Reviewers say that it accentuates fine lines
A quick dusting of this formula immediately tamps down unwanted sheen and shine and imparts a soft-focus finish on even the oiliest of skin. Free of talc and a long list of other questionable ingredients, it uses rice starch to absorb excess oil on the surface of the skin. Use it in the a.m. as a final step before you head out the door and/or to dust on your T-zone when you notice any pesky slick spots start to crop up midday.
Price at time of publish: $23
Size: 0.5 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Mattifying, Runner-Up
Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Blotting Powder
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Courtesy of Sephora
Great for absorbing excess oil
Easy-to-use pressed compact
Blurs pores
Only comes in a translucent shade
As the name suggests, think of this as a powder version of those handy-dandy blotting papers. In other words, it’s a must if you have super-oily skin, absorbing shine and diffusing the look of pores all at the same time. We’d be happy with that, but it also helps set your makeup, too—can your blotting papers do that?
Price at time of publish: $34
Size: 0.3 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Light Skin
Huda Beauty Loose Baking & Setting Powder
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Sephora
Long-lasting
Large shade range
Boosts radiance
Strong scent
Another of Rhue’s picks, this comes in a nice range of eight shades, though it’s the translucent Sugar Cookie hue that we especially like for fair skin. While you can’t tell simply by looking at it, it has neutral undertones that make for a subtle radiance-boosting effect, instantly enhancing your complexion. Not to mention that it also stays on for up to 10 hours, eliminating the need for touch-ups.
Price at time of publish: $35
Size: 0.71 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Splurge
Shiseido Future Solution LX Total Radiance Loose Powder
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Courtesy of Nordstrom
Extremely soft and silky
Large shade range
Comes with a very luxurious powder puff
Expensive
Yes, this powder gives you all of the complexion-enhancing benefits we’ve been mentioning, but it also goes way beyond its standard responsibilities. The powder—one of the silkiest we’ve ever tried—contains a proprietary anti-aging ingredient plus a radiance-boosting technology that makes skin look extra glowy immediately and over time. Even the included powder puff is luxurious beyond belief: It's made in Japan with long fibers that make for seamless application.
Price at time of publish: $67
Size: 0.35 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Touch-Ups
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Pressed Powder
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Courtesy of Sephora
Favorite among pro makeup artists
Blurs pores
Easy-to-use pressed compact
Has bad flashback
Keep this compact—a fave among pro makeup artists—on hand when you need to powder your nose. Specially made to be completely undetectable with even the most intense HD cameras, you never have to worry about it caking or settling into fine lines. Plus, because it’s pressed, it’s ideal to keep in your purse (no worrying about spills) and comes in a conveniently portable mini size, too.
Price at time of publish: $39
Size: 0.21 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Picture Days
Range Beauty Smooth Out Translucent Powder
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Range Beauty
Lightweight
No flashback
Great for absorbing excess oil
Limited shade options
Makeup flashback—a whiteish cast that shows up in photos due to a camera flash—is a very real thing. If it’s an occasion where you know you’re going to be photographed a lot (a wedding, perhaps?) or you just love a good selfie, reach for this guy. The mineral powder comes in four tinted shades, all of which are translucent so there’s never any risk of flashback. It’s lightweight with the ideal demi-matte finish and works equally well dusted all over or swiped just onto spots prone to an excess sheen.
Price at time of publish: $19
Size: 0.67 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Dark Skin
Glossier Wowder
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Dermatologist-tested
Great for absorbing excess oil
No flashback
Expensive
We wish we had come up with the clever name for this powder as well as the amazing formula itself. It comes in five shades—not necessarily a ton—but this does include three options that are great for darker and deeper skin tones. It tamps down shine, blurs the skin, and sets makeup, all without caking, creasing, or any flashback.
Price at time of publish: $22
Size: 0.25 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Shade Range
Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder
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Kosas
Large shade range
Lightweight
Great for absorbing excess oil
Can look drying on dry skin
This aptly named pick does have a lighter-than-air feel on skin and looks equally light. It offers the softest, barely there wash of mega-sheer color, and, to that point, comes in an impressive array of 10 hues. Since it does have some oil-absorbing properties, it’s best for balanced, combo, or oily skin.
Price at time of publish: $35
Size: 0.33 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Pressed
Bare Minerals Original Mineral Veil Pressed Setting Powder
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Ulta
Good for all skin types
Easy-to-use pressed compact
Blurs pores
Reviewers say it’s not for combating shine
Sure, it may be the mineral foundation from this brand that gets all the buzz, but don’t sleep on its pressed setting powder. “This is one of my favorites because it not only sets makeup to extend wear, but it also improves the appearance of pores over time,” says Spinoza. It comes in six shades, including a translucent option. All of them are talc-free and infused with not only minerals but also hydrating ingredients, such as vitamin E and shea butter, ensuring a non-chalky, non-cakey texture. Plus, if you don’t want to worry about messes and spills, a compact, pressed option like this is the way to go.
Price at time of publish: $30
Size: 0.3 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Radiant Skin
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
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Ulta
Long-lasting
No flashback
Large container
Expensive
As a general rule of thumb, powders are associated with a matte finish but not this one. It imparts a gorgeous (yet natural) glow to the skin, more of a luminosity than anything else, thanks to the addition of a pearl blend and amino acid powders. Still, it also blurs away the look of blemishes and somehow manages to absorb oil as well—and lasts for up to 12 hours. “It’s super dense and smooth and creates a beautiful soft skin effect,” says Espinoza of another one of his favorites.
Price at time of publish: $24
Size: 1 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Combination Skin
Saie Airest Radiant Loose Setting Powder
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Sephora
Good for all skin types
Fragrance-free
Hydrating
Only comes in three shades
If your skin has some dry parts and some oily parts, reach for this guy. “It has squalane in it, which is super hydrating and keeps the skin looking plump and radiant,” explains Espinoza, who is a fan. And for the slick spots, this touts a unique aerated-cream technology that helps to absorb excess oil, too.
Price at time of publish: $30
Size: 0.14 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best with SPF
Supergoop! (Re)setting 100% Mineral Powder Sunscreen SPF 35 PA+++
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Amazon
We love a formula with sunscreen, and this powder helps you mattify skin with 100% mineral, SPF 35 protection. The powder is non-nano setting powder that works great to banish shine as you reapply SPF throughout the day.
Price at time of publish: $30
Size: 0.15 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Drugstore
Wet n Wild Photo Focus Loose Setting Powder
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Amazon
Trust the thousands of reviews for this drugstore brand favorite. We love its silky weightless formula that can be used to set, mattify, absorb oil, or bake. With a couple of blots, you can create a soft-focus effect and subtly blur the look of fine lines and imperfections.
Price at time of publish: $6
Size: 1 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Final Verdict
Finding the best translucent powder is crucial, as it not only blurs and smooths the skin but also gives makeup the ability to last all day. The best translucent powder is Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Translucent Setting Powder due to its finely milled, featherweight formula with light-reflecting particles that seamlessly blur away blemishes. For a translucent powder that’s worth the splurge, Shiseido Future Solution LX Total Radiance Loose Powder is it with its silky formula, radiance-boosting technology, and glowy finish. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, try Flower Beauty’s Miracle Matte Translucent Finishing Powder for its incredible quality and unbeatable pricing.
Meet the Expert
- Manuel Espinoza is a makeup artist and a StyleSeat Pro based in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience in the industry.
- Neil Scibelli is a New York City–based celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert. He focuses largely on fashion, celebrity, and television as well as sharing his beauty education via contributions to various makeup outlets.
What to Look for in a Translucent Powder
Skin Concerns
Look for a translucent powder that offers to help with what you’re looking to achieve, explains Neil Scibelli, makeup artist and beauty expert. “For example, the blurring, pore minimizing, oil reducing, etc.” The main thing, he further explains, is to understand your skin's concerns and the type of finish you’re looking to achieve.
Finish
Based on what type of skin you have, you’ll need different powders. If your skin is on the combination to the oily side, says Scibelli, try looking for translucent powders that focus on radiance—usually containing light-reflecting properties. “Some brands even offer hydrating properties in their powders and contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid for dry skin types."
How We Researched
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
Why Trust Byrdie
Byrdie contributor Melanie Rud has over a decade of experience in the beauty industry, writing for some of the biggest magazines and websites out there. Since she rarely wears powder, she relied on the input of makeup artists, consumer reviews, and tons of friends and colleagues when putting together this list.
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