TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.9* Why: "This is not the product for you if you are over 21, need coverage, and have sensitive/oily skin," says one reader. Many others agree, saying this foundation "has no coverage," is "too shimmery" and does "nothing for [their] faces as far as complexion improvement." For fair-skinned readers, "the lightest foundation shade is a little dark" and "gave [their] skin a strange, orangey cast." Readers also say that the "tiny pot won't last you long" and the foundation is more like a "sample-sized" product.
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.8* Why: Readers find this powder "too shimmery for everyday" use as no one "[wants] to sparkle all the time." One reader says, "whenever I wear this and step out into the sun, I get negative comments about the intense shimmer." Others complain that this powder is "not finely milled" making it "very noticeable in pictures." Facebookers beware.
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.8* Why: This product "doesn't seem to do much in terms of looks or setting makeup," say readers. One reviewer says, "I saw no difference WHATSOEVER with this powder," while another says, "if anything, it makes my concealer look worse." Others also claim "it has a texture that [leaves] concealer awkward and noticeable." One reader complains that "the [brightening] effects are much more noticeable in pictures" so "don't waste your money."
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.7* Why: "Dollar store makeup is better than this stuff!" says one reader. This product "looks really cakey on the skin, and is not natural looking at all," making one reader say it makes her look "like an old lady who wears too much makeup." Another reviewer says, "It claims not to be heavy, cakey, or irritating, but I [found it to be] all three." Others say it doesn't hold up on the t-zone and it "emphasizes tiny fine lines."
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 6.6* Why: "I don't believe that this [powder] is the softest or most micro-milled powder in the market," which it claims, says one reader. It gives "a muddy finish" that provides "different coverage on different areas on [the] face," leaving "patches here, patches there, patches everywhere." Readers say this is "not for the more mature skin," since the "powder settles into lines and makes you age." It is a "real disappointment" because "it makes skin look cakey the way cheap stuff does," says one reader. And to top it off, "it [also] emphasizes pores."
For a product whose entire reason for being is to make your skin look great by setting foundation and keeping skin matte, it rarely gets the attention it deserves. People never gush about how great your powder looks, do they?
Instead, it's always about how natural your face makeup is or how your complexion is so clear and glowing. Never mind that without powder, foundation slides off your face, leaving behind an oily mess in its wake.
No, powder doesn't get any love. But it easily gets hate. Just think, when you witness a powder screw-up on a co-worker or a friend, you wonder, "What cheap-o powder did that?!" and "I sure hope that powder isn't sitting in my purse right now."
But what makes one powder better than another, and are the super-expensive products more foolproof than their drugstore counterparts? After combing through thousands of reviews from readers who've dusted and pressed them all onto their faces, we were surprised to find that some of the lowest-rated products are from high-end brands.
How can this be? Makeup artist Anabel DeHaven says today, well-stocked drugstores offer such a wide variety of shades and textures that it frees women from relying on high-end beauty counters to find a perfect match. What's more, DeHaven says that if a woman is paying top dollar for a powder, she's going to expect it to work miracles and be absolutely flawless.
Want to know which powders actually do work miracles? Here they are. But just as important is knowing about the ones that'll make you look like you have flour thrown on your face. Read on for that list.
