The 15 Best Pressed Powders of 2023

Best Overall

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder

4.8

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Designed to set and refine, this iconic pressed powder from Charlotte Tilbury glides over the skin, reducing shine and blurring the look of pores. It’s matte but not thick or chalky, so it will help you achieve a glamorous makeup look without dulling the skin. There are only four shades, but because it’s a setting powder (as opposed to a powder foundation), they are quite versatile. 

Charlotte’s powder also comes recommended by Brown: “Everything Charlotte does has a brilliant texture. A good pressed powder should be oil-absorbing but super lightweight to blur and smooth skin. This does exactly that!”

Price at time of publish: $46

Shades: 4 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

Best Budget

Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder

4.5

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With Pearlite mineral technology to absorb oil and suppress shine, this pressed powder from Maybelline is a cheap, cheerful, and welcome addition to almost any makeup kit. It does have a very matte finish though, so it is best suited for oilier skin types.

Price at time of publish: $7

Shades: 24 shades | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Splurge

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder

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Prefer a featherlight pressed powder that can be used to set makeup and impart a healthy-looking glow? Look no further than Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder. Like its namesake liquid counterpart, it diffuses skin for an airbrushed finish, but the sheer coverage means there’s no dulling or flattening of the skin.

Price at time of publish: $64

Shades: 10 | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Shade Range

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Powder Foundation

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When it comes to shade diversity, it’s hard to beat Fenty Beauty. With 50 different colors across all skin undertones, this light-as-air powder has a soft matte finish for that glamorous, poreless look Rhianna is known for. Use it to either set your foundation or on its own.

Price at time of publish: $39

Shades: 50 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Light Skin Tones

La Mer The Sheer Pressed Powder

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“La Mer may be luxury, but the texture of this pressed powder is a dream on the skin, especially if you’re dry or dehydrated in some areas,” says Brown. Matte without being flat, it’s an excellent choice for those who prefer a light, weightless makeup look.

Price at time of publish: $100

Shades: 4 | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Medium Skin Tones

Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Setting Powder

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Laura Mercier is known as an amazing complexion brand and has one of the most-used loose powders by all celebrity makeup artists, so it makes sense to have this gem in your handbag for extra setting powder when on the go,” explains Brown. 

Because it’s colorless, try to set your liquid products to ensure they go the distance.

Price at time of publish: $42

Shades: 2 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Dark Skin Tones

BLK/OPL Oil Absorbing Pressed Powder

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Made especially for people of color, this creamy, silky powder glides on easily for a glamorous, polished skin finish. Use it either on its own if you’re super oily or throw it in your bag to touch up on the go.

Price at time of publish: $11

Shades: 8 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Dry Skin

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder

4.6

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This baked powder is a great pick for dry skin since it's boosted with a few hydrating ingredients, plus it has a soft, slightly radiant finish that doesn’t crease or settle. Try it swept over the high points of the face for instant luminosity.

Price at time of publish: $40

Shades: 14 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Sensitive Skin

Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder

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With its surprisingly radiant finish and super light texture, this is the powder for those who hate powder. Instead of mattifying, it just softens and blurs the skin, reducing shine but keeping radiance intact. It’s also a super clean formulation, and the fact it doesn’t contain any sulfates, parabens, talc, fragrance, or silicones makes it a smart choice for ultra-sensitive complexions.

Price at time of publish: $35

Shades: 10 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for a Luminous Finish

Sephora Collection Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Powder

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With a luminous but long-wearing finish, Sephora’s Microsmooth powder is proof that you really can have it all. The baked formula has a very subtle shimmer that illuminates the skin, but it still does a great job at absorbing excess oil. You can use it as a light foundation to set your liquid products or just to sculpt and contour.

Price at time of publish: $20

Shades: 15 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Long-Wear Option

NARS Soft Velvet Pressed Powder

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Designed to lock in makeup for all-day wear, this compact from NARS is seriously impressive. Not only does it blur and smooth the pores, but it prevents excess shine and creates a bit of a seal, keeping your makeup intact no matter the conditions. It also uses what’s called Photochromic Technology to ensure your face looks fab in every light—we won’t say no to that.

Price at time of publish: $40

Shades: 8 shades | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Oily Skin

NYX Professional Makeup High Definition Finishing Powder

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This silky pressed powder comes in three shades (translucent, banana, and mint green) to set and correct your makeup. While the translucent does a stellar job at suppressing shine, the banana will pep up dark circles, whereas mint green will combat redness. And because they don’t have much coverage, you can top them up throughout the day without that chalky, heavy feeling.

Price at time of publish: $11

Shades: 3 universal shades | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Acne-Prone Skin

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Setting Powder

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Brown loves this one because of the way it “blurs and smooths the skin without looking dry or cakey.” The It Cosmetics line is also free from common irritants like fragrance, making it a nice choice for sensitive or acne-prone skin.

Price at time of publish: $30

Shades: 3 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Under the Eyes

Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Blurring Under-Eye Setting Powder

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Finding the perfect pressed powder to set your makeup can be tricky, but finding one that won't crease under your eyes or settle into wrinkles is an actual challenge. We're happy to say that this pick from Pat McGrath fits the bill—it was specifically formulated to blur and illuminate your under-eyes (no drying or cakiness here). Reviewers love that a little bit of product goes a long way and the seamless finish lasts all day.

Price at time of publish: $32

Shades: 4 | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: No