Pressed powder was always a staple product in my once minimalistic makeup collection: I took it everywhere, blotting myself throughout the day, and, let’s be honest, slightly over doing it! But, nevertheless, my Armani pressed powder for a long time was my save-the-day product – that was until I started using the loose translucent form. From here, I feel as though I converted into a loose powder lover, trying to find the best of the best, never going back unless I REALLY looked a bit oily, with a small pressed powder and brush living in my handbag for on-the-go emergencies. However, as I love to explore beauty blogs and listen to my fellow makeup-lovers on YouTube, I heard time and time again about how brilliant the Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder was for dry skin and how I MUST BUY IT.
For a long time though, I didn’t purchase the product. I used to get through my pressed Armani powders like there was no tomorrow, and I couldn’t bring myself to indulge in a product with such a high price point – £35, to be exact – especially when loose powders last for such a long time! Then again, I soon realised that my worries were based on the fact I used WAY too much back in the day, so really I shouldn’t be fretting. Plus, I want to find the best products.
Charlotte’s Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder is really nice – it’s extremely finely milled, meaning it helps to smooth out pores to give an, as the name suggests, airbrush look. It isn’t drying, it doesn’t feel tight on the skin, but it is very mattifying, which is fine if you prefer a more matte look or you really want to target oil-prone areas. If you’re someone who has dry skin and likes to set your whole face with powder, but doesn’t want to look super matte, you might like to dust a gentle satin-like highlighter all over your face on top of Charlotte’s powder to give you that glow if desired: the Nars Highlighting Powders are great for this (I specially love the shades Albatross and Capri, which can also be applied more intensely on the cheekbones) with a MAC 137S Long Blending brush.
I have a moderately oily T-zone and the oil does creep through after a few of hours using Charlotte’s pressed powder, especially if you’re in the sun, but this is the case for any powder that is designed for dry-skin-types to prevent the product feeling tight and uncomfortable. The big question when comparing suitable-for-dry-skin-powders is how the oils that naturally come through during the day interact with the powder of choice. For example, the Hourglass Veil Translucent loose powder combines with natural oils seamlessly, and, at least on me, hardly breaks up around my nose and chin (5% on the breakage-scale) – I just have to apply a little more throughout the day, but hardly any, really! The Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder only breaks up a little bit more than the Hourglass loose one throughout my T-zone, even more so if I don’t prep my skin appropriately (detailed below), but it holds up really well. Warm sun exposure will impact all powders negatively as more oil comes through, causing it to break up fairly badly, so just have the powder on hand for a top up when needed!
I’ve found that through using Charlotte’s pressed powder in different ways over the past few days, it applies and lasts best when I have gently exfoliated my skin. While I’m always cleansing and moisturising my skin, I can be a little inconsistent with exfoliation, so this has been a great reminder to not skip that step in my skincare routine!
Love, T x
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