Setting powders can be tricky for those of us with dry skin. Here are three powders that set my foundation for longevity without accentuating dryness or creating dryness where there was none.

Please check out my 2025 Version of Setting Powders For Dry Skin by clicking here.

DISCONTINUED– Best for Luminosity: Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (shades 4 and 5)

I like to pair the Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder with one of my favorite foundations, the Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation. Because the Clinique foundation has a satin finish that feels tacky on the skin, I like to set it without taking away the satin finish. So by using this as a setting powder, I get the longevity and dried down feeling, but the glow of the powder keeps my skin from looking dry or looking matte.

This powder is designed to catch the light, so keep that in mind when you are considering the shades. Shade 4 is the best shade for my skin tone (Estee Lauder 4W4/5W1, MAC C8, NARS Tahoe) and shade 5 is a little dark for me. I mainly use shade 5 when I have a foundation that is a little too light for me. I do know that shade 5 works for people who can wear NARS Macao, MAC NW43, MAC NC47, Lancome 460, Fenty 385, and Fenty 390. This isn’t to say it won’t work for any other deeper or lighter skin tones, this will just hopefully give a reference point.

Overall, this is my preferred setting powder but it can also be used as a finishing powder. If a foundation accentuates my texture, I find that layering this powder on top improves the way it looks. Laura Mercier claims that this powder has a “diffused, soft-focus finish” and I guess that is the benefit that helps with the look of texture.

The Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder retails for $39.00 on the Laura Mercier website.

Update, January 21, 2022: Unfortunately, it seems that the brand has discontinued shades 2, 4, and 6 in this line. Shade 5 is still carried and is in stock. While shades 1 and 3 are currently out of stock they will be restocked at some point. When I contacted the brand in November 2021, they confirmed that shade 4 has been discontinued. So that leads me to believe at least for the time being that the whole line has not been discontinued.

Continue reading “Setting Powders That Work for My Dry Skin” →

Right now at MAC, you can purchase either the Studio Fix Fluid or Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation for $25 until 3:00 am EST on 9/21/2020. Studio Fix Fluid comes in 63 shades and Studio Fix Powder comes in 53 shades, making it one of the best shade ranges on the market. I wanted to share some swatches for anyone who might want to take advantage of this deal.

Studio Fix Fluid Foundation, $35

UPDATE JUNE 12, 2024: This information is based on a discontinued formula. MAC released a reformulated version of Studio Fix Fluid in 2024. If you are looking for reviews, you can spot the difference because the new formula now comes with a pump built into the packaging.

I’m sure I’m one of the last makeup-wearing people to try the iconic MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. I always avoided trying it out because of the SPF 15 and the promise of a matte finish. My curiosity finally got the best of me, and surprisingly I ended up liking it. C8 is a better color match for me (click this link to see it applied), NC45 is too red-orange when applied all over my face (click this link to see it applied). For reference, other good shade matches for me are Estee Lauder Double Wear shade 4W4 Hazel (click this link to see it applied) and NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation shade Tahoe.

Continue reading “MAC Studio Fix Foundation Swatches (liquid and powder)” →

Being underrated is obviously very subjective.  Amanda from Makeup.Just.For.Fun on YouTube got me thinking about this topic when she posted a recent video on her underrated neutral palettes under $30.  For me, an underrated product is one that no one ever talks about, or they used to talk about it, but now you don’t see it mentioned.  Let’s dive into my opinions about some underrated palettes.

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e.l.f Nude Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette, $11 (reformulated and now falls under the Perfect 10 Eyeshadow Palettes. The new formula is different than the one I reviewed.)

Update September 27, 2025: The e.l.f Nude Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette featured here has been reformulated and now falls under the Perfect 10 Eyeshadow Palettes. The new formula is different than the one I reviewed. I have seen this palette available on Target’s website, but I’m not sure if they’d send the new formula in its place if you tried to order it.

This one is underrated to me because you used to hear a lot about these 10-pan palette options from e.l.f., but now people are really focused on either their bite-sized Eyeshadow quads or the 18-pan eyeshadow palettes.

I was trying to branch out and get a different color story than I usually pick out, so I opted for this version of e.l.f.’s 10-pan palettes instead of the warmer Rose Gold Sunset Palette.  As I indeed could have predicted, I mostly only like the warmer shades (6 and 8).  I found that I could only get use out of shades 5-10, as 1 and 4 were too light, and shades 2 and 3 were too light and sheer in application.  Shade 5 was a bit sheer and took more building, and I wasn’t crazy about the shade on the eyes.

Continue reading “Underrated Eyeshadow Palettes (with swatches)” →

Every time I turn around I swear there is another new bronzer being released.  Out of the new bronzer releases that have caught my eye I have purchased one limited edition and one permanent release.  I already did a full swatch post of my purchases from the limited edition Mac 2020 Summer Bronzing Collection if you want to check that out.  But in this post, you will get to see how the shade Totally Taupeless from that release compares to some others.

I also purchased the newly released NARS Bronzing Powder in the shade Punta Cana, if you have been wondering how that shade compares to other bronzers on the market.

Since Mac’s Bronzing Powder is the newest bronzer to the market that I’ve personally purchased that is the shade I used in every comparison grouping.  I included limited edition (LE) products that I own just in case anyone might be wondering how these new bronzers compare to items they may already have.  For foundation shade reference I am Mac C8 in studio fix fluid and Estee Lauder 4W4 in double wear (click this link to see them applied).

Continue reading “The Summer of the Bronzer” →