8 Top Powders For Baking Makeup For A Flawless, Long-Lasting Finish
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Have you been searching for that one secret ingredient to having flawless, budge-free makeup? The top powders for baking makeup will do just about that!
You don’t need to be a celebrity or a beauty guru to maintain a camera-ready look all the time.
You just have to find the right recipe that will not only give you the best look of your life every moment but also do wonders for your skin.
Read on for a list of the 8 top setting powders for baking your makeup, and how to have the perfect skin that looks straight out of an Instagram filter.
- Feels breathable
- Dermatologically tested, non-comedogenic
- No flashbacks
- Gives the appearance of a smooth and soft look
- Long-lasting
- Buildable coverage that feels lightweight
- Long-wearing
- Leaves a blurring, airbrushed finish
- Invisible finish for all skin tones
Table of Contents
Why Do You Need to Bake Your Makeup?
The entire makeup process isn’t over once you’ve finished applying the very last pop of color.
If you want it to last and stay with you throughout the duration of your agenda, try baking!
There won’t be any flour and sugar involved, and you won’t have to preheat any oven. All you need is your trusty makeup setting powders and a good 5 to 10 minutes, then it’s done.
“Baking” is a technique originally used in the drag community and was popularized by beauty influencers and celebrities.
It’s supposed to set your makeup using the natural heat from your face for 5 to 10 minutes, helping it last longer and keeping it as mattified and as fresh as when it was first applied.
Sounds complicated? We’re here to give you everything you need to know about baking your makeup.
Which Powder Is Best for Baking Your Makeup?
To cut the story short, loose powders are the key to achieving perfectly baked makeup.
The ultra-fine particles from a loose powder can easily blend into the skin, blurring out the appearance of pores and fine lines for a seamlessly flawless look.
It often comes in as a translucent loose setting powder that has a sheer, buildable coverage or no coverage at all, but it invisibly ensures your makeup stays put throughout the day.
The Baking Essentials
Just like the baking you do in the kitchen, there are also ingredients, tools, and procedures that must be followed carefully to achieve the perfect result.
Don’t worry, you won’t be putting any edible items on your face! And there are no precise measurements needed here.
What to Consider When Buying a Setting Powder for Baking
1. Shade Match
This part is probably the most vital. As the setting powder locks in your makeup, this now becomes the outermost layer of your look.
Most setting powders offer a translucent variant or come only in that shade.
While you might be thinking that the translucent ones are the top and safest to get, you still need to test that out, read its claims, and scan through the reviews.
Why? Because as translucent as good setting powders may appear, some still leave a white cast or flashback on photos, or some may leave a tint that would alter the color of your base.
The same idea applies to other powders in various shade ranges. Choosing the shade that top complements your undertone is the way to go.
Try testing them out on your skin before making your purchase. Keep in mind, though, that base makeup such as foundations, concealers, and powders aren’t made to match the color of your forearms or the back of your hands.
Although it may give you a hint on what shade you’re getting, swatching the makeup directly on your jawline or chest is still your top option for the shade or undertone match.
2. Finish
We get it — your desired outcome may be influenced by the trends you see from different personalities and platforms. But as much as you want to cop those looks, keeping your skin healthy while you look your best matters the most.
The top makeup setting powders blur and mattify the skin and absorb oil on the face. At first, it sounds like something people with dry skin wouldn’t appreciate.
But thanks to the ever-so-adapting world of beauty, there are now powders that give off the same flawless effect while leaving a dewy finish.
3. Desired Coverage
Another purpose of setting powders is to be the invisible shield of the entire look. It means keeping everything in place without covering and changing what’s underneath.
When baking, you’re leaving the powder for a longer period and that may somehow build more coverage than the powder would provide.
But since we’ll be putting it on blank areas or areas to be highlighted, the extra coverage would also give a more brightened effect.
Nevertheless, there are powders with sheer and buildable coverage up to medium coverage available in the market.
What You Need to Prepare
The makeup products or the ingredients you need to prepare before baking your makeup are
- your skincare products (which should include products such as moisturizers),
- makeup base (i.e., primer, foundation, and concealer),
- contour product of your choice (optional), and
- loose setting powder.
To perform the art of baking, here are the tools you need to have:
- A puffy powder brush
- A makeup sponge
Top Setting Powders You Need to Bake With
Get the best bargain and be mattified in three different ways!
Primary Benefits: All-day shine control; soft focus, matte finish; not cakey, non-drying
Features:
- Sheer coverage
- Universally translucent shade
- Has micro-fine loose powder formula
L’Oreal never fails to deliver a good quality product at an affordable price!
If you’re not into adding extra coverage as you set and bake and also won’t let loose on extra cash, then this is the perfect sheer finish loose powder for you.
With the Pro Sweep & Lock Translucent Setting Powder, you have 3 options for how you’d want its micro-fine particles to do magic on your skin.
First, you may use it to set the entire face for a lightweight, soft-focus matte finish.
Second, you may use it to bake your makeup. This prevents oil and excess shine from peeping through the makeup while it stays in place.
Thanks to its universally translucent shade, you won’t have to worry about flashbacks; it’ll invisibly sit on the skin even for those with medium to dark complexion.
And finally, its mattifying effect can extend its magic into your lip products.
The downside most users can attest to this is the way the seal clings to the packaging and into the tiny sifter holes. You may also have to do a little retouch halfway through the day.
But don’t worry, this won’t get cakey and dry. It stays just as fresh as the first time. Still one of the top setting powders for its price!
It’s like your natural skin, and feels just like you’re wearing nothing on your skin, except it looks a thousand times better!
Primary Benefits: Shine and oil control; smudge-proof; leaves a photo-ready finish
Features:
- No flashback
- Has a blurring effect
- Cruelty-free, gluten-free, and vegan
The cute packaging is an instant sellout, but wait until you see what’s inside!
What started as an indie brand ended up winning the hearts of almost the entire population of makeup junkies worldwide. Even Beyonce loved this. Period.
This is by far one of the top setting powders for oily and combination skin types and all skin undertones.
Cross the shade match out of your worry list as this comes in six tinted setting powder shades that all have a translucent finish so it won’t mess with the original color of your makeup.
Although the name evidently says something about baking your makeup, this can also double its purpose as an overall face-setting powder or as a bronzer.
It also deserves an A+ on its adorable flour bag packaging, not to mention its jar itself has a mechanism that secures the lid to avoid any spills.
In addition, it lives up to its claims! The absorbency, the long-wearing formula, and the HD features will surely make you slay every makeup look.
Expect it to control the shine, blur out your pores, and just melt like butter into your skin. Definitely the top setting powder for oily skin.
And even if this builds a little more coverage as you bake, this is the only flour that won’t turn you into a cake, if you get what we mean.
The staple for a drugstore setting powders for years, and it doesn’t disappoint!
Primary Benefits: Gives the appearance of a smooth and soft look; long-lasting; buildable coverage that feels lightweight
Features:
- Exceptional coverage
- Dermatologically tested and aluminum-free
- Contains exclusive micro-spun loose powder formula
With a canister that big, you get twice as much product as the other leading setting powders but you spend half of their prices.
You know a product is good when it’s been using the same formula for over 8 decades, and people still rave about it. Yes, 8 decades. That’s almost a century!
It’s in the market longer than the rest of the powders on this list, but still, this is one of the top setting powders that even celebrity makeup artists swear by.
The Coty Airspun comes in a classic jar and comes with a powder puff. Although this is the type of loose powder that’s on the coarser and grainier side, it looks flawless once properly blended into the skin.
It leaves a poreless, evened-out skin tone, and a spot-on finish that doesn’t look chalky and dry even in high-definition photography, making this the best baking powder for dry skin.It also does great on oil control, but you might still have to do touch-ups as you go through the day.
And if you’re someone who’s into a subtle baby scent, you’d enjoy this even more!
For its price, the quality is just remarkable.
Who would’ve thought colorless would be this good?
Primary Benefits: Keeps your makeup fresh and flawless for hours; pigment-free formula; seamless soft-focus finish
Features:
- No flashbacks
- Free from pigments, fragrance, and fillers
- No caking, creasing, ashiness, or breakthrough shine
An affordable dupe to a high-end setting powder. Shh, find out which one.
Unlike other setting powders, RCMA’s “The Original” No Color Powder doesn’t come in a conventional jar.
It may not be as travel-friendly as you wish it should be as it comes in 2 sizes: 3 oz and 10 oz. Regardless of which one you’ll choose, nothing can beat the price point for how much product you’ll be getting.
Although this isn’t a commercial nor a drugstore brand, the price is pretty affordable and the quality has been greatly recognized by makeup artists and beauty influencers alike.
It may appear extremely white, which overwhelms and scares first-time users, but this leaves no white cast even in flash photography.
If you’re a bit tight on the budget, this translucent powder is considered a alternative for the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder.
They both work well on all skin types, leave your makeup lasting for a long time, add no texture to the skin, and leave a smooth, natural, and radiant finish.
For a product this promising, it’s 100% worth the hype.
Give your skin the luxurious glow inside and out.
Primary Benefits: Feels breathable; dermatologically tested, non-comedogenic; no flashbacks
Features:
- Works on all skin types
- 16-hour soft matte finish and shine control for up to 8 hours
- Formulated with vitamin C + E powders, botanical blurring powder, and natural amino-acid powder
A cult favorite and outstanding in all aspects!
If you’ve ever read through a decent number of resources on the internet, you probably know that this never misses the list.
This iconic and award-winning loose-setting powder earned perfect scores. Without a doubt, it’s a 10/10.
Let’s first make a breakdown of its key ingredients, shall we?
For the effect of an even skin tone over time, it has antioxidants such as vitamins C and E.
For the blurring effect and oil absorption, it has a finely-milled plant-derived botanical blurring powder.
Lastly, to make the blend seamless and smooth, it has skin conditioning powders in the form of natural amino acids.
Now we’re just getting started. This is recommended by professional makeup artists for the shine-free, natural-looking complexion that looks stunning in photographs.
It has the power to make your makeup last for up to 16 hours, without blotchiness, creasing, flashbacks, and texture. And for a powder this powerful, it won’t be cakey; rather, it would feel as light as air.
All three shades will translucently complement all skin tones. If you want to build up more coverage, it would also allow you to do so.
A product so versatile and exceptional — no wonder it’s a fan favorite.
This works so well in controlling and absorbing oil, your own T-zone will thank you for using this.
Primary Benefits: Suitable for fair to light skin tones; ensures melt-proof makeup; matte finish with a bit of sheen
Features:
- Formulated with vitamin E
- Comes in full and mini size
- Vegan, non-comedogenic, and paraben-free
The mini version can fit right into your pockets!
Want more coverage as you bake and set?
Huda Beauty is not new to the game when it comes to giving us an intense color payoff and pigment, even on its setting powder.
It comes in two sizes: a mini size for on-the-go, travel-friendly baking, and a full size that will come in handy for some time.
Also, it has a refined, extremely silky pigment curated in 8 shades to cater to all skin tones and claims to leave a translucent veil on the skin.
Huda tested their research on 20 different consumers, and it turned out to have a 100% blurring effect for up to 7 hours upon baking, making it an easy bake or easy-to-set formula with a guaranteed brightening effect.
This even works on normal to dry skin, without creasing and without looking flaky and cakey.
You’ll be giving your skin more love inside out as this baking and setting powder is formulated with vitamin E and is vegan, non-comedogenic, and paraben-free.
To make sure you all get to have the easy bake experience, here’s a step-by-step tutorial from the brand:
Be picture-ready like Rihanna with the inclusive shades from this setting powder!
Primary Benefits: Superfine and weightless; filtered, photo-ready finish; light as air
Features:
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Serves fair to very deep skin tones
- Free from phthalates and parabens
The best loose setting powder for dark complexion.
Want the celebrity-looking finish just like Rihanna’s?
Fenty Beauty is one of the brands known for releasing cosmetics that cover a wide range of skin tones, and their Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder is no exception.
Let me tell you why this powder has been getting all the love.
If you’re skeptical about getting the right shade for you, there are 8 diverse hues ranging from light to deep, plus a universally translucent one. Because of that, this is definitely the top baking powder for dark skin complexions.
All of these shades are milled to an insanely silky loose powder that can melt into the skin like a dream while giving an air-light, flawless finish.
Taking Riri’s words, the Pro Filt’r is a red-carpet game changer, and it is. Achieve the makeup that lasts all day, without looking cakey and without giving any flashbacks to photos. This has been proven and tested on oily and combination skin tones as well.
One of the best beauty investments you’ll ever splurge on for real-life filtered skin.
Primary Benefits: Long-wearing; leaves a blurring, airbrushed finish; invisible finish for all skin tones
Features:
- Formulated without talc, parabens, fragrance, and nanoparticles
- 100% vegan and cruelty-free
- Infused with diamond powder for light refraction
- Has an innovative sifted and custom cap for clean, adequate product dispensing
The formulation is absolutely a winner!
If you’re on the oilier side of the skin spectrum and are looking for the top powder to set makeup with that could tick off all the qualities for the most outstanding, then this is it!
From the packaging to its formulation, everything is just on point! It feels just as luxurious as it looks, but the product isn’t designed for aesthetic purposes only.
Both the innovative gold sifter that forms the letter H and the black custom lid are designed for you to dispense an adequate amount of product with minimal waste and less mess.
The brilliant formulation is the overall selling point of the Veil Translucent Setting Powder. It’s expensive but is an investment and will last you a good amount of time.
This ultra-refined, talc-free setting powder swears to be long-wearing but weightless on the skin. Even if it only carries one translucent shade, it serves its purpose of blending invisibly on all types and tones, without leaving any tint.
Plus, it is infused with diamond powder to ensure no flashback appears on every photo, and it’ll lock in your makeup without any traces of creasing.
This lovely makeup setting powder is suitable for all skin types, not just oily skin but also acne-prone and mature skin.
Other Loose Setting Powders You Might Want To Try:
- La Mer The Powder
- Saie Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder
- Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Setting Powder
- One Size by Patrick Starrr Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder
- Rare Beauty Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder
Baking 101
Once you’ve found the right powder, it’s time to face the mirrors and get baking!
Step 1: Prepare and prime your skin.
Make sure you have a flawless canvas for your makeup to adhere to. In this step, hydration and proper skin nourishment is the goal.
Never skip on the moisturizers and eye creams, they will help smoothen and make sure there will be no cracking and creasing as you build up your makeup in the process.
Step 2: Build your base.
Coverage — that’s the keyword in this step. Proceed with your makeup routine and apply your usual foundation and concealer.
Since baking will take place, choose a concealer that’s at least one to two shades lighter than your skin tone. That way, we’re starting to highlight and lift the necessary areas in the face while still masking the imperfections away.
Now your face may look flat and colorless, but it doesn’t stop there. Bring out your contour product, and draw back the shadows and depths of your face. It’s usually on the hollows of your cheeks, along the hairline, jawline, and the sides of your nose.
If you’re using creams and liquids, the top way to apply them is through a damp beauty sponge or a foundation/concealer brush to evenly apply the product.
Step 3: Bake.
Now that the highlighted and contoured portions are distinguished, think of the areas on your face where oil tends to build up the most and the areas you’ve initially highlighted.
Generously apply setting powder in those areas. Most of the time, it’s under the eyes, above the jawline, on the sides of the nose, and in the center of the forehead and chin.
If you want a more visual guide, this video should help you:
Step 4: Brush the excess powder off.
It’s best to leave your face baking for 5 to 10 minutes, before brushing it off. So while waiting, you may proceed to do the rest of your makeup.
Once the powder has been baked for an ample amount of time, use a fluffy powder brush to dust off the excess. You can also use whatever’s left on your brush to gently set the rest of your face.
You can also use a setting spray on top of everything to ensure that everything stays in place for a longer period. Plus, this could provide a dewy and more healthy-looking glow.
What’s your baking secret? Let us know in the comments below!
Want To Know More About Baking? Read These Articles:
- 10 Products For Crepey Skin
- 10 Loose Powders For Mature Skin
- What Is Banana Powder + How To Use It Like A Pro