I Hate Setting Powders, But This One Product Has Totally Changed My Mind

When it comes to beauty products, anything with the word "matte” in the description is enough to make me shudder. The minute I see those five letters spelled out on a pot or tube, I’m out. You see, I like my skin to glow. I like it when skin is dewy and luminous. When it comes to foundations, I pick the sheerer options that promise to boost radiance, for bronzers and highlights I always choose liquid formulas for added dewiness and I categorically never apply finishing powder.

Of course, my choice to opt for dewy makeup and skin finishes does have its pitfalls. For example, my makeup has a tendency to slip throughout the day and needs constant touch ups. On top of that, my naturally oily skin doesn’t gel particularly well with the watery or oily textures of the products I like, and many of those products cause my already large pores to appear even larger.

To manage the situation, in recent years, I have opted for matte concealer formulas and long-lasting setting sprays. Until, that is, when a few weeks ago, I tried the new By Terry Hyaluronic Pressed Hydra Powder (£38) for the first time and suddenly became a powder person.

Before applying By Terry Hyaluronic Pressed Hydra Powder.

The thing about finishing powder is that, although I know it’s great for adding longevity to your base, most that I have tried drastically take down the glow I work so hard for. In fact, most formulas leave my skin looking dry and lacklustre. For years, makeup artists have told me that the key to powder application is to limit it only to the areas that you need, which for me is usually on my T-zone and under my eyes. However, this is also the area that I find best gives the illusion of glow.

So for all of these years, my only solution was to skip powder altogether. I swore that until the perfect product existed (something that managed to keep makeup put while maintaining a glow), I wasn’t going to partake in any sort of powder application. And now, after all of this time, the perfect product finally exists. It mattifies, sure, but not like anything else I have ever tried. It also blurs pores, perfects and still leaves skin looking like skin.

For some time now, I have been aware of hyaluronic acid–infused face powders. They look just like your average powder but they contain hyaluronic acid to give a silky, dewy and refreshing touch. My issue with them has been that such powders are usually loose, which nearly always results in me applying far too much of the stuff. The new By Terry pressed powder, however, is different. 

In a pressed compact, the powder itself is totally translucent, leaving no visible cast on the skin. Like others, it contains hyaluronic acid to deliver moisture and ensure it doesn’t look dry, but it also contains mica pearls and other soft-focus powders to blur skin and somehow disguise my ginormous pores. The thing I love the most about it, though, is that because it is a pressed powder, it’s insanely buildable. Going in too heavy is virtually impossible.

After applying By Terry Hyaluronic Pressed Hydra Powder.

For many moons, I have sworn by By Terry products for giving me the glowing base I so crave. Using the likes of the iconic Cellularose Brightening CC Serum (£61) for a just-stepped-out-of-the-sun glow and Baume de Rose skincare, By Terry has been my go-to for natural-looking radiance for as long as I can remember. But now, it really has gone above and beyond as a brand, achieving a task that I had previously deemed impossible. 

If I had to describe Hyaluronic Pressed Hydra Powder in just a few words, I’d say that it’s basically an IRL Paris filter. It gives the illusion of airbrushed skin, but still somehow manages to maintain glow and let all of the products that sit underneath it shine through. Because of this product, I can say that I am officially a powder person.

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