No Time Like Summer to Make Good Use of a Loose Powder
In the summer months, our skin can produce extra sebum and a little more sweat. This has most likely affected how your makeup looked and stayed on throughout a warm day more than once. That’s where an effective, talc free loose powder, like our Silky Setting Powder, comes in! Let’s explore how.
Just what is translucent powder used for? And why use loose powder vs pressed powder?
We’re starting with the difference between the two, as while both can be used for setting makeup, they are not the same and they don’t offer the same effect either.
Pressed powder, considered more traditional, is meant to take down shine and offers a matte finish on top of makeup, usually in a variety of shades. Loose setting powder translucent in color, offers a finely ground loose ingredient blend that mattifies skin to a soft satin finish.
In this article, discover more about our bestselling Silky Setting Powder, like how and why it works.
More on loose powder vs pressed powder
Before we dive into what makes our Silky Setting Powder so loved by our customers, here’s a little additional info about the more traditional pressed face powders. (We promise to write a full blog on those and their use later this year!)
Pressed powders are designed primarily to take down shine and to ‘set’ a makeup. That typically involves adding a powder on top of a foundation; the powder mixes with the foundation oils and the skin’s natural oils, firming up the foundation and giving it a matte appearance.
These used to be commonly applied all over the face, to give a smooth look to the skin. However, today we celebrate a healthy glow, and spot treating shiny areas has become the new norm using pressed powder, which really does mattify where needed, i.e., around the nostrils, eyelids, forehead.
Why is loose powder used?
SAPPHO’s Silky Setting Powder is different:
6. It works for all skin types, and is the best loose powder for oily skin.
7. This powder does not cause flashbacks in photos.
8. It can be used all over the face but is also used for spot powdering.
9. As an ingredient, milled organic corn renders a mattifying aspect and works in conjunction with the next two ingredients below, that really make the Silky Setting Powder so beautiful and distinctive.
Star ingredients in our secret sauce
The first is ethically mined mica, with low heavy metal content. Mica refers to a group of minerals that are used to add sparkle and shine to many cosmetic products, including eyeshadows, foundations and yes, even setting powder. There are 37 different kinds of mica found in the world: SAPPHO is sure to purchase only mica from ethical sources that are child-labor free.
So why add shine to a setting powder? Well, we don’t want matte – we can achieve this with pressed powders – what we want is a soft glow with our foundation, and that is what our Silky Setting Powder can achieve.
The next spectacular ingredient is crushed dried aloe vera juice. As it hits the skin, it melts in with the combo of milled corn and mica, leaving the skin with almost a cooling feeling and looking fresh and glowy… and yet helping foundation and makeup to set!
A perfect pairing
So many serum foundations slide off the skin and can’t really be set, especially if you have oily skin. SAPPHO’s Essential Foundation formula is different – it has a generous amount of jojoba oil (which is not an oil at all but a wax ester) and so already has longer staying power than a serum foundation. By adding the fine Silky Setting Powder, you get more longevity with a truly silky-smooth finish, a healthy glow and none of the dreaded shine.
APPLICATION: With any big fluffy brush, sweep the Silky Setting Powder over the face, always sweeping up to apply an even finish. If you have some real problem areas, you can go in with a powder puff and tamp down the area. You can reapply throughout the day as needed. Also, if you must wear a mask, apply a little extra in the jaw area to help with friction.
Of course, we’re partial to our Blush & Powder Brush because it’s both fluffy and precise. Tapered with a dome shaped tip, it allows as well for more fine work like spot treating the areas around the nose or across eyelids yet with a light touch.