Finishing Powder

Finishing powder, I have a love/hate relationship with the stuff. It can finish your makeup perfectly, helping to give the illusion of completely flawless skin and can help lock your makeup in place all day. On the flip side, it can make you look caked, give your complexion a chalky appearance and make you look flat and just plain rubbish.

I have found that using a good fluffy brush to pick up the product and to lightly move it across my face in (what I can only describe as) a stamping motion. This doesn't have any impact on the foundation and concealer which I have already applied. This sets my makeup and gives a light coverage, without looking chalky and caked.

I like to try different powders that are on offer - I think it is in the hope that I find one which I can get away with being slightly heavy-handed with. Numbers 1 and 2 on this list are quite difficult to go over-board with, but you need to be careful with the rest!

1. MUA Pressed Powder 2. Seventeen Stay Time Pressed Powder 3.Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder 4. Seventeen Miracle Matte Pressed Powder 5. Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Translucent Mattifying Powder

1. MUA wins hands down for me - it is a good powder all-round. It doesn't give much colour so doesn't interfere with your base, it helps control any oil or shininess on your face and it doesn't cake up. Also, it is £1. £1! Seriously, it is fantastic value for a product which works very well. You can't really complain at that, can you?

2. Seventeen come close second with their Stay Time powder. This too goes on very fine and doesn't leave much in the way of colour or chalkiness which is always a bonus! This is another great bargain product, but nothing will be as bargainous as MUA!

3. Bourjois' powder feels a little more luxurious compared to the rest, however due to it having a slightly more creamy consistency it can look cakey very easily! Being a bit lighter with your application is the way around this, you can always add more product, but taking product away is a bit tricky.

4. Miracle Matte is another goodie, like it's sister Seventeen product, it doesn't leave much colour on the skin and goes on more translucent. My only bug bare with this is it seems to gather at the sides of my nose if I apply a touch too much. I'm not a fan of sporting this look (who is?) so I do need to be careful with this product for that reason.

5. Last up is Soap and Glory. This isn't a finishing powder as such and is really only designed for use when you have shininess and oiliness coming through your makeup. It is fantastic at absorbing oil and moisture. However, you need to be so careful when applying this product as you can look so chalky and flat if you have put just a shade to much on. It is fab at doing what it does, just don't be too heavy handed when using this!

Do you use finishing powder? Which is your 'go-to' product?