While I like the look of semi-matte skin, too much powder can look cakey and age you a few years. Being that I love the look of dewy skin, I tend to shy away from applying a lot of powder to my face. I typically only apply it to set my concealer or I’ll do a light full-face dusting if I’m wearing a heavier look, so I decide to try NYX’s Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation($9.50) after seeing one of the MUAs I follow on IG mention it.
I like translucent powder, but sometimes you want to use a powder with a little bit of color to help brighten under the eyes. This doesn’t give me reverse raccoon eyes (I hate that look) but because I have dark undereye circles, it helps to brighten + add a little warmth yet keep it from looking ashy. This is a fantastic alternative to wearing gobs of concealer.
It’s a lightweight formula, and while it does mattify skin, it doesn’t cake at all. Outside of days when it was extremely humid out (in which nothing you do can keep your makeup from sliding around), it lasted pretty long. And because I got it in a color that’s close to my skintone, if I don’t want to wear foundation I can use this to get light coverage as well. It comes in 20 shades in warm, cool, and neutral tones so it should be easy to find a close match.
As with any powder, make sure your skin is exfoliated and well moisturized so that you don’t have any dry patches.