Bobbi Brown's loose retouching powder comes in six shades: white, yellow, peach, pink, rose, and brown. And each one does something different. The white gives skin a luminescent glow while minimizing shine. The yellow can be used to balance out redness. The pink-ish shades can brighten sallow complexions, and also double as barely-there blush. And the brown looks beautiful on darker skin tones, or it can be used as a sheer bronzer.
Want skin that looks bright, healthy, and alive? These powders will do it.
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Chanel Mouche De Beaute Illuminating Powder, $80
This limited edition pressed powder is a work of art. It's embossed with a gorgeous garden motif, and it comes in a classic Chanel compact. The powder itself is gold with pink highlights, which makes it ideal for illuminating the angles of the face. Dust it on your cheekbones and you'll look perfectly contoured -- instantly.
Milani's version of an illuminating powder is a lot like blush -- but it's blush plus. It's a mosaic of different shades of pink, bronze, beige, and pearl, and you can use a big brush to swirl them together and dust it on your cheeks for color. For more targeted contouring and highlighting, I like to use a small brush to pick up individual shades. The shimmery beige is pretty on cheekbones, and the bronzer is ideal for contouring the sides of your face and jawline.
If you're looking for a powder to set your foundation and make your makeup look even better in the process, this is it. This new loose powder from Nars is made with Photochromic technology. Translation: It contains invisible particles that bounce light off your skin, hiding fine lines and discoloration. It feels like nothing, it looks like nothing, yet it magically makes your skin appear perfect. Amazing.
It all started at New York Fashion Week, the Spring 2013 season. I went backstage at more than 30 shows, and every makeup artist I interviewed was obsessed with the same thing: skin.
But it wasn't the dewy, makeup-free skin of seasons past. Instead, it was perfectly highlighted and contoured skin. The key ingredient? Face powder. And -- no shocker here -- dozens of new face powders are now hitting the market.
Now, when I think of face powder, I'm reminded of the chalky, cakey powders I wore in high school. The color never quite matched my fair complexion, but I spackled it on anyway -- an attempt to get rid of shine and hide my freckles. But those are not the same face powders makeup artists used backstage at Fashion Week.
Skip ahead to learn more about the best new face powders.
The new generation of face powders is completely different. Most notably, the colors are sometimes ... well, a little bizarre. The new powders range from white to green to pink, which may make them look intimidating, but makeup artists swear they're foolproof.
Plus, the particles are micronized, which means they are so tiny it's impossible for them to clump. And the purpose of these new face powders is different, as well; instead of covering imperfections like a foundation, they do the opposite -- they highlight your best features, make your makeup look flawless, and give your skin a serious glow.
So, once you get over the initial shock of a green face powder, grab a fluffy brush and get started -- you'll be amazed by how pretty your skin looks.
