11 Best Setting Powders for Dry Skin That Are Worth Buying

If you’re scouring the internet and searching all over Sephora for your fave beauty guru’s luminescent skin secrets, the way to silky, smooth skin is a layer of setting powder. However, if your skin is dry, most setting powders will make your makeup look cakey, scaly, and flaky, which is seriously not a vibe.

A setting powder makes or breaks your makeup. You’ll look like a cracked porcelain doll if you pick the wrong one. Yet a setting powder helps your makeup stay put and decrease shine if you have combination skin. We also have reviews of the Best Under Eye Setting Powders for a flawless look.

It’s a crucial step in the makeup process not to skip this step altogether. If you forget to add it, your foundation or concealer won’t last for hours, which is integral to remember if you’re battling humidity. 

For the best results, pick a setting powder specially made for dry skin to look radiant and refined. To spread your wings and soar, pick the perfect setting powder for your dry skin tone.

We have also reviewed the Best Blush Brushes for that fabulous, flawless finished look.

The Best Setting Powders For Dry Skin

Be on the lookout for lightweight, long-lasting, and hydrating on the list ahead. You may fear setting powders and aim to skip that makeup step altogether. If you’ve been through many trial and error periods, we’re here to end it right here and now with our narrowed-down, curated list.

We’ll break down the variety of powders from translucent powder and setting powder to loose powder and pressed powder.

Don’t be intimidated. You’ll be a pro in no time. It’s an uphill climb, but we’ll get you there. 

Best Matte Finish: Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose Powder

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Long-lasting
• Includes applicator

Cons:

• Expensive 
• Fragrance

From the legendary N°5 to effortlessly wearable foundations, CHANEL fragrances and beauty are sophisticated and timeless.

The best matte finish is the Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose Powder, might be a splurge, but it’s worth it with every penny! For a natural look, it’s worth the investment.

This setting powder perfectly absorbs oil and tremendously tackles shine. A loose powder like this unifies the skin for a matte finish without emphasizing lines. An ultra-fine, smooth, and translucent texture.

A perfecting powder with an ultra-lightweight and airy texture that mattifies skin without accentuating lines and enhances the complexion with a sheer finish. It is adapted to suit all skin types.

How to use: Turn the closed case upside down and back again. Gently tap the puff on the back of your hand to remove excess powder. Press lightly over the entire face. Then, take some Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre from the sifter with the integrated puff.

Best Pressed Powder: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder 

Pros:

• Vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free
• Absorbs oil
• Reduces shine
• Matte finish

Cons:

• Requires retouching
• Contains parabens

Charlotte Tilbury’s revolutionary Airbrush Flawless Finish powder delivers a super-fine finishing touch to your base makeup. Aside from that, it supports your skin through a breathable microfine technology and envelops it in a cashmere veil for a bright and illuminating finish.

The few flaws to this setting powder are that it requires retouching and contains parabens.

This product ensures your make-up routine is blissfully effortless by blurring away imperfections while avoiding caking, dusting, or sitting in lines.

Best Loose Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Pros

• Dermatologically tested
• Non-comedogenic
• Sheer to full coverage
• Hydrating
• Super finely milled soft matte texture
• Evens out skin tone
• Non-chalky application
• Non-drying finish
• Long-wearing

Cons

• Contains Talc

Pioneer of the ‘flawless face,’ Laura Mercier continues innovating the world of beauty with its bestselling translucent loose setting powder, perfect for fair to medium skin tones.

A silky powder that sets make-up and leaves a concealing veil over the complexion. This magical setting powder is an ultra-lightweight touch.

The expertly crafted powder contains a unique, light-reflecting ingredient that leaves a soft-focus finish.

An industry must-have for make-up professionals, it blurs the appearance of fine lines and imperfections.

Best Hydrating Powder: Hourglass Strobe Ambient Lighting Powder

Pros:

• Vegan-friendly cruelty-free brand
• Non-drying 
• Natural finish
• Light refracting
• Photoluminescent technology
• Clean beauty product
• Medium to full coverage
• Moisturizing
• Super finely milled satin texture
• Evens out skin tone
• Non-chalky application

Cons:

• None

Define the face with Photoluminescent Technology, naturally highlighting your best features with micro pearl particles.

The newest addition to the brand’s cult Ambient Lighting collection, this strobing powder from Hourglass is masterfully designed to sculpt the face with light, creating depth and dimension for a refined, natural highlight.

This stellar setting powder is completely imbued with ultra-fine micro pearl particles. Using signature Photoluminescent Technology, the Hourglass Strobe Ambient Lighting Powder refracts light to give off a naturally luminescent highlight.

The buildable coverage will take you from an everyday, wearable strobe highlight to a dramatic evening glare.

Best Natural Finish: Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose Setting Powder 

Pros:

• Vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free
• Natural finish
• It doesn’t contain parabens

Cons:

• Messy storage

Anastasia Beverly Hills, best known for its transformative brow products, has expanded its offering to cover all aspects of your beauty routine.

Its loose setting powder fixes your make-up in place, absorbing oil, minimizing shine, and leaving you with a flawless matte base from which to start your face of the day.

If you’ve got a long day ahead, this setting powder will extend your make-up’s staying power long into the night.

Best Hyaluronic Powder: Terry Hyaluronic Tinted Hydra Powder 

Pros: 

• Vegan friendly
• Hydrating 
• Balances out skin tone
• Non-drying matte finish

• Masterfully milled silky texture
• Non-chalky application
• Sheer-to-full coverage

Cons:

• Contains talc

Combining the unrivaled skincare benefits of hyaluronic acid with the ultra-smoothing qualities of a light-coverage foundation, By Terry’s Tinted Hydra Powder floods the skin with moisture to give the illusion of a glowing complexion that’s innately lit from within the skin.

The weightless, mattifying formula forms a silky veil over the skin, which works to blur imperfections, set make-up, control shine, and ensure an invisible, smooth finish that lasts all day long.

You’ll be sure to find the perfect shade for your complexion with eight shades and never look back.

Best Water-Based Powder: bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder 

Pros:

• Vegan and cruelty-free
• Clean beauty product
• Sheer to full coverage
• Hydrating
• Evens out skin tone
• Non-chalky application
• Non-drying soft-matte finish
• Water-based formula

Cons:

• None

Achieve the perfect glowy yet non-greasy makeup with bareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder.

This water-based setting powder is equally hydrating and nourishing, leaving the skin feeling refreshed and replenished and made from natural ingredients to not cause breakouts for those with sensitive skin.

It easily blends, lifts, and sculpts the face from your forehead to your cheeks. 

Best Silica/Silicon Powder: Make Up for Ever Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder

Pros

• Sheer to full coverage
• Extremely hydrating
• Evens out skin tone
• Non-chalky application
• Non-drying natural finish
• Finely milled satin texture
• Minimal ingredients
• Clean beauty product

Cons

• None

The remarkable Make Up for Ever Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder is a lightweight, non-drying, silica-and silicone-based formula that ensures the ultra face-defining, ultimate light-diffusing color contour effect.

Not only does this setting powder reduce pores, but it also minimizes fine lines. It delivers a flawless, airbrushed finish. 

Best Overall: Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder

Pros

• Vegan and cruelty-free
• Clean beauty product
• Medium to full coverage
• Hydrating
• Finely milled satin texture
• Evens out skin tone
• Non-chalky application
• Non-drying natural silky finish

Cons

• None

Give your skin some love with the Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder.

It’s infused with green tea leaves and vitamins C, E, and F to give you the glow you need. Not to mention protect the skin from free radicals, soothes, and smoothes the skin.

This setting powder is the perfect after-sun aloe vera alternative that calms skin redness by revitalizing and restoring the skin’s natural barrier.

This small but mighty wonder delivers buildable coverage. It’s cemented its high-standing position in the K-beauty realm across the globe. 

Best Brightening Powder: Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder

Pros: 

• Long-lasting
• Blurring
• Affordable

Cons:

• Tinted

Looking for a budget-friendly setting powder that won’t break bank? Then why not order the marvelous Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder.

You’ll look luminous and feel luxurious. This illuminating setting powder doesn’t oxidize or dry up the skin.

One drawback, though, is that it’s too brightening, so a little goes a long way.

Don’t overdo it, especially under your eyes on your way to work. Been there, done that. 

Best for Sensitive Skin: Always an Optimist Loose Setting Powder 

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Talc-free
• Convenient packaging
• Radiant finish

Cons:

• Tinted
• It doesn’t disperse a lot of product 

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez’s Always an Optimist Loose Setting Powder provides a radiant finish.

The two-for-one exceptional foundation and liquid blush combination have solidified this beauty product as a fan favorite in the beauty community.

It’s great for those with sensitive skin, as it’s talc-free. Talc is an ingredient that absorbs oil and controls moisture. 

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Final Verdict 

Our favorite setting powder, by far, is the Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose Powder because it screams beauty and grace. It ensures an ethereal and natural makeup effect.

Our second favorite is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder for a photoshoot-ready, perfect complexion.