I Usually Skip Face Powders, But This Is the Glowiest One I've Ever Tried

As I am an oily-skinned person, you'd think that I'd be obsessed with face powders. After all, their very purpose is to mattify skin, increase the longevity of makeup and basically keep all of that excess oil at bay until mid-afternoon at least. However, despite being absolutely devoted to face powder as a teenager (honestly, who knows how many Rimmel Clear Complexion Powders I went through in the early noughties), face powder has been pretty much non-existent in my daily makeup routine for the last few years. After talking to friends and family, it would seem that I'm not alone in ditching it.

The obvious answer to our resistance to mattifying powders is that the last decade has seen an influx of skin-first makeup brands and formulations encouraging all of us to embrace our natural skin texture and tone and focus on glow rather than coverage. Brands like Glossier and Milk Makeup have revolutionised the way that many of us think about makeup—myself included—by encouraging us to let our pores, blemishes and dark circles shine through while we have fun with playful colours and innovative textures. Maybe it comes with age, or maybe it's a wider shift in the industry, but I personally no longer feel the need to cover up my skin with high-coverage foundations that need to be set in place with powders for fear of any apparent imperfections shining through.

However, there are, undoubtedly, occasions when I want my makeup to last longer—weddings, parties and work dinners to name a few—and on those occasions, I have found myself wishing that there was a face powder I could use that would help to set my carefully applied makeup in place without causing my skin to look dull or flat. And guess what? I've found it. Enter: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Light Catcher (£34).

Of course, when it comes to face powders, there are none more iconic than the original Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (£34). In fact, Megan Markle's makeup artist Daniel Martin told me that this powder is a staple in his kit, but he usually only applies it to the T-zone to prevent skin from looking too matte. And while the original is still the best-selling face powder in the US, Laura Mercier has obviously realised that when it comes to makeup in 2021, there's one thing that we all want: glow.

At first glance, I was dubious. How glowy can a powder really be? However, as soon as I applied it to my skin, I was amazed. Despite wearing my usual combination of skin tint, liquid highlighter and cream blush, my skin somehow looked glowier after I applied this powder. More than that, my skin just looked better—my pores were less visible, my tone was more even, and my skin just looked incredibly healthy. 

So how does it work? This powder is created using luminous, multidimensional pearl pigments that infuse the powder with that much-desired glow. Plus, it contains silky botanical blurring powders for that smoothing action and amino acid conditioning powders that melt into skin to ensure it looks healthy and soft. 

Even better, the powder is available in three versatile shades (I'm wearing Celestial Light), which means there are options for light, medium and deep skin tones. Honestly, I've been wearing this powder every day since it arrived, and I can't imagine it making its way out of my makeup bag any time soon.

Shop my new favourite face powder: