In choosing your powder shade, you need to find one that matches your skin tone perfectly or as closely as possible. It's the same with foundation. You don't want to ruin the way you look by appearing darker or lighter skinned. Even though i know that is exactly the objective for a number of people. The thing is, it can totally kill your looks. It is likely that you'll be spotted a mile off as a 'makeup miss road' event. When you wear powder or foundation, the objective should be to keep your face shine free, maintain a flawless, smooth appearance and still look natural.
Finding what powder works best for your skin is determined by the look you want to create. For a number of us, we do not want to have different types of powders to constantly reinvent ourselves everyday. What we want is a 'one size fits all' kind of thing. Something we can wear everyday to work and still rock it at a social event. I get it totally. So, depending on your personality and makeup needs, here are the popular types:
a. Loose Powder: this is sheer and silky smooth in your hand and is great for setting foundation and concealer. The downside is that it is messy when being carried from place to place. Many a makeup purse and an entire handbag have been ruined because of loose powders. It is best as a stationary makeup item. You keep it on your dressing table and apply it before you head out.
b. Pressed Powder is more opaque. It gives a heavier coverage than loose powder and is great for carrying around. Definitely no spills and it is great for touch-ups. I personally love the fact that i can whip it out at any point, blot my shiny face with blot paper and reapply my powder. and, i'm looking as if i just stepped out of my dressing room, even though i've been out for a couple of hours. Nice!
c. Powder Foundation: this is powder and foundation in one. It gives the best of both worlds. the full coverage of a cream foundation and the finish of a powder. A common example of this is the MAC Studiofix.
d. Mineral Powder: this is highly recommended for people with sensitive skin and of course, all other skin types can use it too. They come in both loose and pressed forms. They are chemical and fragrance free and are hypoallergenic. i.e. it has a decreased tendency to cause an allergic reaction. They also won't clog your pores and they provide long lasting coverage.
Good lasting powders generally do not clog pores. They are made from ingredients such as talc, kaolin, fatty acids, essential oils and collagen which help protect your skin from external aggressors such as UVA/UVB rays which are the primary cause of premature ageing. Also, please take off all your makeup before you go to bed as ignoring to do so at night causes dirt, oil and makeup to be trapped in your pores and consistently doing that will cause whiteheads, blackheads and acne.
In choosing what brand of powder to use, they are varied types and are priced differently. In my experience, i have found that my shade in one brand looks different when i wear it from my shade in another brand. For example, when i wear Iman's earth deep, i look different from when i wear Sleek's woodsmoke. i look better in one of the two even thogh both are my shade and so, that influences my choice on the brand i consistently wear. I choose the one that i look better in. There are some other brands that do not have my shade at all so it's a no-no for me regardless of how luxurious the brand is. I won't buy it for the brand name alone because i wouldn't be doing myself any favours. You get? The general idea is to go to a beauty store and ask them to test the various brands they have got in your shade and choose the one which suits you best. Another consideration can be pricing or availability of the product. There's no point in buying a powder produced in germany from a tourist passing through Lagos when you're not sure of how you'll get another one whenn that one is finished except of course the people who do not mind buying a product they like regardless f whether they can get refills or replacements. Also, some people would buy a product only within a certain price range and that works fine. Just ensure that you find a suitable product within your price range.
If you're wearing a foundation in a certain brand, do you have to wear powder in the same brand? The answer is no. If you love the matching powder from the brand, by all means, go ahead but if not, feel free to explore other brands.
Remember, don't be too serious. it's only makeup! and makeup should be fun.
