Revealing Best Beauty Secrets: Use Setting Powder Before Foundation
You may be thinking: setting powder before foundation? How does that work?! This trick is a secret that not many people know about, but I’m letting you in on this game changer hack that will make your base look flawless every time.
What is setting powder?
Setting powder can either be a pressed powder or a loose powder used to set your makeup in place. Often, people use this especially if they have oily or combination skin. It really helps lock into place your makeup and stop it from budging throughout the day.
The best setting powder will make sure your makeup is sweat-proof, slide-proof, and look flawless from the second you apply, to the second you remove it.
As suggested in the name, setting powder is used to set all parts of the face. From the cheeks, to under eyes, to the forehead, to eye lids, it will set anything you want. Originally, the purpose is to lock everything in place before adding any powders on top of cream products so they won’t move around on your face.
Setting powder before foundation, however, is a fairly new concept. It works in similar ways to the original uses to help the longevity of the wear.
What is the difference between setting powder and setting spray?
Setting powder and setting spray are very similar as they both set your makeup in place. Both also help prevent creasing throughout the day with proper application.
Comparatively, one difference is that setting spray hydrates the face helping your face stay dewy. Whereas, setting powder absorbs excess oils from the skin and will prevent your face looking shiny throughout the day.
Original way of using and applying setting powder
Loose setting powder
One way to use loose setting powder, is to bake your under eyes or to carve out contour. Which helps your face look more snatched, and in turn, exaggerating facial features. Many people usually apply this with a powder puff and let it sit on the skin for a few minutes before swiping away with a brush.
A positive to using loose setting powder, is that it helps fill in fine lines and wrinkles. As a result, reduces their appearance.
From day one, this product has been sold with the purpose to add on top of cream and liquid products. But in this new technique, you can use it before foundation.
Pressed setting powder
Pressed powder is very similar to loose powder in the way they both set your makeup in place. However, they are different as pressed powders are less messy. I find loose powders go everywhere if you’re not careful. Pressed powders are great at keeping the mess to a minimum whilst also getting the benefits of setting your makeup in place.
To apply a pressed setting powder, you can either use a powder puff or a brush. When using a powder puff, press it into the skin like you would any other powder. Usually, you would apply this to areas most likely to become oily or shiny throughout the day, as you then lightly dust the rest of your face over with the pressed powder on a big fluffy brush.
How to use setting powder before foundation
What does using setting powder before foundation do?
This technique essentially sets your moisturizer and primer in place, absorbing excess oils and providing an additional barrier to your skin, from your makeup products. The method particularly works well for people with more oily skin. Despite this, you can use this method on any skin type. Whilst this may be true, make sure when using with dryer skin, you use a more dewy foundation on top of a moisturizing primer to prevent creasing. As well as preventing your makeup looking crusty or too heavy.
Using powder before foundation is great in the hotter months for those of us that sweat. It will lock your makeup into place without melting throughout the day.
How to apply setting powder before foundation
Step 1: Cleanse, tone, moisturize your skin as normal
Using a cleanser to cleanse your skin helps make sure your skin is prepped correctly before you apply your makeup. This is really important as you need to make sure the excess oils from your skin are removed before applying the rest of your products. Subsequently, making the products sit nicely.
Toner is amazing for hydrating and clarifying the skin. It is especially useful for those that have oily or acne prone skin. It is essentially a liquid moisturizer that provides added vitamins, acids, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that are amazing for your skins health.
Keeping your skin moisturized helps reduce dry patches. Additionally, moisturizer is great for using to keep your skins barrier protected from irritants and the climate. Including cold weather and dry air that will dry out your skin even further. With this is mind, the powder before foundation technique can be a little drying, so getting in the extra step of moisturizer will help massively.
Step 2: Use primer as normal
Primer is a crucial step in any makeup routine, including in this routine. So, naturally using a primer to help prep the skin further, whether that’s a pore blurring and mattifying primer for oily skin, or a moisturizing and hydrating primer, it’s important to keep this step involved.
Using the right primer for you improves the way your foundation looks on your skin. One thing to be wary of, is when you use a silicone based primer, you’ll need to use a silicone based foundation to stop separation on the face. Likewise, this happens with water based an oil based products too. If you use a water based primer, to stop separation occurring, you’ll want to be using a water based foundation.
There are also oil based products that follow this same concept. However, these are becoming increasingly rarer to come across now a days. So I wouldn’t worry too much about this.
To find out if a product is water, oil, or silicone based, you’ll want to be looking in the ingredients list. Just because in the ingredients it has ‘water’ or ‘aqua’ near the top, it doesn’t necessarily mean the product is water based. Silicone based products will have words ending in ‘-cone’ and ‘-siloxane’. For example, ‘Methicone’ or ‘Disiloxane’. Whereas, oil based products will have ‘Olate’ or ‘Oil’ in the first few lines of ingredients. And water based products will not have any of these in the ingredients list.
Step 3: Apply setting powder on top of your skincare and primer
This is the step that you may be cautious over. And that’s perfectly fine. First time you try this technique it will feel very weird and not natural. However, I promise you will love the results.
The trick here is to lightly dust the powder over your face. Using too much powder product will cause your makeup to look heavy, cakey, and even like it’s separating on the skin. If you’re nervous about this I would suggest using a pressed setting powder, instead of a loose setting powder.
After you apply your primer, you’ll want to lightly dust a thin layer of setting powder all over your face. Above all, focusing on the T-zone area where naturally more oils build up throughout the day. With this in mind, the best brushes to achieve this are long fluffy brushes for loose setting powder. Due to fluffy brushes being harder to control product placement, it will cause more of a mess than if you opt for a powder puff.
Powder puffs are great when it comes to setting powder. Even though powder puffs are great, you’ll want to use a pressed setting powder to prevent too much product being placed on the face.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll want to focus the setting powder to the T-zone to prevent oil control throughout the day.
Top tips:
A little tip I like to use is when using loose setting powder, after you lightly dust over your face, take a clean powder puff and go over the face pressing the powder you have just laid on the skin. You shouldn’t be able to actively see the powder you have put on before this step. This helps press in the product even more to make sure the skin barrier is protected from the other products you will be laying. Whilst picking up any excess powder that will cause your makeup to potentially look cakey. This will usually happen when you start applying your liquid and cream products.
Another tip I like to use, is after using a pressed powder with a powder puff, take a clean fluffy brush and go over the face lightly swiping any excess powder away.
Remember, this technique uses very little powder. In this case, it’s true that a little goes a long way. With loose setting powder in particular it can be easy to use too much. What I do is dip my brush into the product once, then using the lid, stipple the powder onto the lid before tapping it a few times to get rid of the excess. By doing this in the lid, it will save you money as you’re not then wasting the powder as you can add it back to the pot once finished with.
Step 4: Apply a setting spray
This is the most important step of all for this method to work. Apply a setting spray!
After taking away moisture from the skin with the powder, you’ll need to apply a setting spray over the top. One, lock in that layer of powder to prevent it from budging. And two, to add a liquid layer on top to help cream products blend easier.
My favourite setting mists for this, are the beauty crop’s Oui Cheri Hydrating Dual-Phase Setting Mist, Glow Milk Seal and Set Mist, or the Vitamin Babe Hydrating Dual-Phase Setting Mist.
These products are infused with vitamins and minerals, adding extra goodness to your skin.
Step 5: Apply Foundation on top of setting powder
Given that you have just applied setting powder, it’s sometimes difficult to stop makeup looking heavy and cakey. As a result, you may be thinking ‘so, what is the best way to apply my cream products to stop this from happening?’. Generally, the best way to apply liquid and cream products is stippling and dabbing.
Liquid foundation is best applied either with a beauty blender, or a foundation brush. When using liquid foundation, you’ll want to apply it by stippling or dabbing depending on the tool you use. With foundation brushes, you’ll want to use the stippling technique. Unlike swiping your foundation on which will push around the powder on the face already causing it to clump, it will let the powder stay in place adding this layer over the top. In turn, stopping the makeup from shifting underneath.
After using a foundation brush, I like to go over the foundation with a damp beauty blender. Dab the beauty sponge over the skin to pick up any excess product that may have accumulated.
When applying liquid foundation with a beauty sponge, just like with the brush, you’ll want to dab the product into the skin. The best way to do this is to dab in circular motions. Ultimately preventing the shift of the powder underneath.
Top tip:
Beauty sponges work best when damp. Above all, preventing the product being soaked up into the sponge. Ultimately giving you more for your money. Even though you’ll want your sponge to be damp, you will not want it to be soaking. The aim of dampening the sponge is to make it bigger and fluffier making it easier to use. As well as making sure the sponge doesn’t absorb too much product. With this is mind, after wetting the sponge, wring it out to get rid of any excess water.
In the event that you do use too much water, it will affect the way your makeup is applied. After wringing it out, I’d advise squeeze it in a paper towel to be double sure the sponge isn’t too wet.
Step 6: Apply the rest of your makeup as normal
After these steps, you should be left with a flawless base. Finally, you can apply the rest of your makeup as normal. One thing to remember, is if you are applying anymore cream products, remember to dab them on the skin. In the same way as you did with the foundation.
Click here to find the best light-weight drugstore foundations
What setting powder should I use?
Best loose setting powders:
A favourite of mine and my friends is the vitamin babe loose setting powder by crop beauty. Given that it comes in many different shades, you are guaranteed to find a shade that suits your skin tone. However, these sell out very fast so I’d bag one whilst they are in stock. At only £10, you get a lot for your money. The loose powder comes with a powder puff too, so you won’t have to worry about buying a powder puff if you don’t already own one.
Another affordable favourite, is the MUA professional loose setting powder. At only £4.50, this is a good option if you are on more of a budget. Even though it’s low in price, this powder is very good and used by a lot of makeup gurus and artists.
Additionally, the revolution loose baking powder is another great option for a low-priced powder. At this time, it costs only £5.99 and it comes in 7 shades.
Best Pressed Setting Powders:
One of the best pressed setting powders is the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Powder. At only £5.99, this is a great choice for those who want less of a messy option when it comes to setting powder. Whilst also being low in price.
Not to mention, another great buy is the Collection Pressed Powder. The most affordable pressed setting powder at only £2.49, you can’t go wrong.
Above all, I have found the best pressed setting powder is the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. Coming in at £4.49, this is yet another low priced setting powder.
Overall, I would recommend to everyone trying this technique at least once. Without a doubt, it works best in the summer months, and for those who have more oily or combination skin.