The Ultimate Setting Powders

The ultimate key to a long lasting makeup day consists of the right setting powder(s). But it's important to know the different types of setting powders and their purposes. We got to try out three setting powders that have been getting a lot of buzz in the beauty community: RCMA No Color Powder, Ben Nye's Banana Luxury Powder, and the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

Here's a breakdown of each product:

1) RCMA No Color Powder:

The Research Council of Makeup Artists (RCMA) Makeup is known to be top notch specialized professional make-up products for the film, television and stage industry. So when we heard about a 3oz. $10 setting powder by them, it was definitely worth a shot trying. Two beauty gurus are responsible for the popularity of this product: Wayne Goss and Kathleen Lights. Wayne Goss has been raving about this product since the beginning of his YouTube channel. Kathleen has reintroduced this product claiming to be better than the beloved Laura Mercier Loose Translucent Setting Powder that everyone and their moms swear by.

After many attempts of purchasing the item since it was always sold out, we finally got our hands on it. The RCMA No Color Powder is essentially what it is said to be, a no color powder. Do not hesitate from it's white form, it contains absolutely no pigment. Therefore, it will absolutely not alter your foundation/concealer/cream contour shade or natural skin tone. Another great thing about this product is that it will cause no flashback. When it comes to performance, we can see why Kathleen and Wayne love this product. It leaves your skin with a satin rather than an overly matte finish, creating a pore-free complexion. As a girl with dry under eyes and an oily t-zone, this product performs for both of my needs. 

2) Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder:

The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder has blown up all over YouTube and Instagram. Makeup artists and beauty gurus have raved about this product claiming to make their concealer absolutely creaseless. I personally find this powder overly drying for my under eyes. Therefore, we suggest applying a moisturizing eye cream before concealer application. As for my oily girls, you would love this to set your face base. It keeps you matte all day long with a soft-focus effect that subtly blurs the look of fine lines and imperfections. The product contains 1oz. and costs $38. 

3) Ben Nye's Banana Luxury Powder:

The Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder got on everyone's must-have list after Kim Kardashian's makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, claimed to love this product. So you know we had to give it a try! As a girl with light to medium, yellow undertone skin color, I recommend lightly setting your concealer with this powder. Baking with this powder will only cause an unflattering yellow tint on lighter complexions. With that being said, this powder works more ideally for medium to dark skin tones. We also recommend using this strictly under the eyes or anywhere else you have applied concealer for a brightening effect. As for the rest of the face, you can check out any of the powders mentioned above or even Ben Nye's Neutral Set Powder. The Banana Powder is $15 for 1.5oz jar. 

Final Verdict:

RCMA No Color Powder: For all over face, under eye, and baking for any skin type and color
Laura Mercier: For combination to oily skin all over the face, under eye, and baking for any skin color
Ben Nye's Banana Luxury Powder: For medium to dark skin tone for under eye setting and baking 

Brushes:

We love using the Morphe E2 brush for an all over setting application and the Morphe M438 for setting the under eyes. 

The Morphe E2 is a large, round, and full brush that distributes product beautifully. The Morphe M438 is perfectly tapered to reach any area that needs to be set. For more Morphe Brushes recommendations and in-depth review, check out our Morphe Brushes Overload post.

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XO,

RLS