The 14 Best Powder Foundations Ever (2024)

By

Reviewed by

Makeup Artist

• Hailey Hoff is a celebrity-favorite makeup artist who's clients include Charli D’Amelio, Ashley Tisdale, Noah Cyrus, Tinx, Stassi Shroeder, and more.
• Brielle Pollara is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist in New York.

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation

MAC Studio Fix is perfect for people with oily skin who want to minimize the appearance of large pores. "My favorite powder foundation is the Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus," says Pollara. "A powder foundation works best on someone with oily skin. it’s also great for setting your liquid foundation to give it a seamless look. The easiest way to apply it would be a powder puff or a fluffy brush."

Hoff agrees, "Powder foundations are definitely more on the matte side so it would be for someone with more of an oily skin type." The trick with Studio Fix is to find the right shade for your skin tone. And keep in mind, you may need two different shades for the different seasons of the year—most people are usually a bit darker in summer.

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers

If you care about putting only organic, natural products on your skin, mineral makeup is a great bet. Minerals are great for sensitive skin because the makeup is made of organic, fragrance-free ingredients. Thisparticular powder foundation from Neutrogena gets high ratings on the review websites. It's inexpensive but acts like a more expensive powder by providing full and long-lasting coverage. Users love how they can build it up for more coverage.

Palladio Herbal Dual Wet and Dry Foundation

Like most foundation powders, Palladio's foundation can be applied dry for a light finish or with a wet sponge for fuller coverage. You'll love the compact, which, though a bit bulky, does split into two separate sections—one for the powder and one for the sponge.

bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15

A classic mineral foundation powder, bareMinerals has been around for a long time now. This powder comes in 12 shades.It gives you all the flawless coverage you want with a no-makeup look and feel that should last up to eight hours. The creamy minerals diminish the appearance of imperfections without drying out skin and the groundbreaking formula is clinically proven to promote clearer, healthier-looking skin.

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder

Laura Mercier is known for making great foundations and this powder is no exception. You can get more coverage by applying it wet with a sponge or less coverage by applying it dry with a foundation makeup brush. Makeup reviewers claim it blends well, has great staying power, and is buildable—meaning you can layer to achieve as much coverage as you want.

Chanel's Ultra Le Teint Ultrawear All-Day Comfort Flawless Finish Compact Foundation

Chanel's best-selling powder foundation is an investment, and it's also one of Hoff's favorites. She recommends that you apply it with the Airbrush Brush by Charlotte Tilbury for a flawless finish. It will leave you with an airbrushed, glowy, yet smooth finish. This comes in 15 shades and SPF 10, which is rather low, so we advise using a sunscreen under it.

Cover FX Pressed Mineral Foundation

Sensitive skin types look no further than this oil-absorbing Cover FX foundation. The mineral-oil–free, paraben-free, and fragrance-free formula provides buildable coverage sans any threat of irritation. In fact, all of the brand's foundations are developed in a hospital dermatology clinic to ensure they won't agitate even the most easily aggravated skin.

Jane Iredale PurePressed® Base Mineral Foundation SPF 20/15

This mineral makeup is pricey, but from what the reviewers are saying, it's well worth the money. The pressed base goes on beautifully, won't settle into fine lines or wrinkles, and leaves one looking rather air-brushed and gorgeous. It is on the lighter coverage end of the spectrum, however, so you may need to layer a few applications to achieve a heavier coverage.

Too Faced Born This Way Pressed Powder Foundation

If you're looking for a multi-tasking powder, this one is it. It can act as a stand-alone foundation, a setting powder for your liquid foundation, and a blotting powder to get rid of pesky shiny spots. The best part? It has a non-cakey, natural skin-like finish that works with oily and dry skin types alike.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Powder Foundation

Fenty Beauty's powder offering is all in the name—it really gives you a soft, matte look that lasts all day. You can use one layer for a barely there finish, or go for a full-coverage look with multiple layers. Don't worry, it's not cakey at all. And it comes in 40 shades, so you're sure to find the perfect match for you.

Kosas Cloud Set Baked Setting & Smoothing Talc-Free Vegan Powder

This powder is the perfect marriage between makeup and skincare. It's formulated with ingredients like bamboo stem extract, passion-fruit leaf extract, and Chinese peony that work together to eliminate shine and blur pores. Plus, it has a silky, mousse-like texture that gives your skin a lush, lightweight wash of color for those Zoom-heavy, WFH days.

Pur Cosmetics 4-In-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15

In our humble opinion, a true full-coverage foundation should eradicate the need for other veiling products and that's exactly what this 4-in-1 formula does. What comes packaged as a pretty little powder foundation is also a concealer, setting powder, and sunscreen (though we'd apply extra as this is only SPF 15) all in one. Its buildable consistency is a dream for achieving a skin-like finish as it works overtime to improve the skin with ingredients like shea butter, vitamin E, and Waltheria extract.

One/Size Turn Up The Base Versatile Powder Foundation

We'd expect nothing less than perfection from MUA Patrick Starrr and this powder foundation definitely delivers. The matte, medium-coverage formula blurs skin to perfection with photoshop-like precision, thanks to its infusion of rice silk powder. Plus, it has a 12-hour wear time and can also be used to set makeup or get rid of mid-day shine.

Maybelline Super Stay Up to 24HR Hybrid Powder-Foundation

Need superhuman staying power? This budget-friendly hero packs a serious punch with its promise of 24-hour coverage. If you thought such feats were only for liquid foundations, you may want to take a seat for this: The soft, buildable full coverage powder foundation also evenly covers discoloration, hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and under-eye circles just as well, too.