High-end compact powders

As someone with combination, oily but dehydration-prone skin, powders have always been some of my favourite makeup products. I found my holy grail loose powder many years ago (the Sensai Translucent Loose Powder), but finding the perfect compact powder has proved to be more challenging. I've tried many over the years, and want to share my thoughts. 

When reviewing my collection of compact powders, some of which have been used-up for a while, and refreshing my memory about them, several internet searches made me realize that many of these are no longer available. However, I still want to mention these products because while brands like to discontinue products left and right, I think whenever they come up with a new and improved version, it's probably quite similar to its predecessor, just with a different name, packaging and, hopefully, a formula that's better, not worse. 

Lancome's Poudre Majeur Excellence Compact is probably my overall favourite compact powder for oily skin. It's very finely milled and not entirely translucent, but I used to get either one of its two lightest shades and it worked nicely on my pale skin. I used to pile it on to minimize the look of too dark a foundation, back when the lightest shades that were available were easily 3-4 shades too dark for me. It also has one of my favourite compact designs – the hinges open to 180 degrees, which is fantastic for people who can't see very well. I liked the shape of the mirror, the puff was very nice and you got a solid amount of product. 

So, I was quite taken aback by the fact that Lancome seem to have discontinued this hero product. Why?! WHY?!? Looking at their current list of face products, not a single one seems like a suitable replacement for the Poudre Majeur Excellence Compact. I blame this craze for a “glowy” finish, which completely leaves behind those of use who have plenty of our own glow, and who, when using these glow-products, end up with tacky, sweaty-looking skin. Some people actually want to achieve a smooth, silky, dry to the touch complexion, which the powder they've discontinued used to help get. I purchased this product ten or more time over the course of many years. I thought it was such a classic it would always be available. I truly hope it will one day make its comeback. 

A powder that has very similar properties to the Lancome Poudre Majeur Excellence, is Shiseido's Translucent Pressed Powder, that – wait for it – has also been discontinued. On their website, Shiseido redirect you to a suitable alternative, their Synchro Skin Invisible Silk Pressed Powder. When I had a closer look at this new powder, it does appear to be very similar to the Translucent Pressed Powder, and very likely, is exactly that, just re-packaged. 

To be honest, I really don't care for the re-launched, re-designed look that Shiseido underwent a few years ago. Yes, the majority of my resentment comes from their doing away with my holy grail eyebrow pencil, but it's the little, unnecessary changes too. For example, one of my favourite things about the Translucent Pressed Powder was how tiny the compact was – no space wasted. It fit into even the smallest evening bag. The new version is more than double its size to accommodate the puff. To explain the new angular, black packaging with its red stripe accents, I assume they had some premium race car as their inspiration, where a black interior with contrast red stitching is quite common. I find all kinds of gimmicky, double-ended and allegedly multipurpose products to be a waste of time. They are usually not exceptionally good at either of the jobs they claim to do, and they tend to come in overly complicated, difficult (if not impossible) to recycle packaging. Nevertheless, as a Japanese company, I know Shiseido will have exceptional powders, and their replacement product is worth checking out if you're looking for a matte to satin finish. 

Another powder from Shiseido, their Matifying Compact SPF 15 Powder Foundation, is still available on their European website as well as at some department store sites. It used to be part of Shiseido's Pureness skin care line, which I can't quite understand whether they've discontinued or not. Something tells me if it's not officially out, it's definitely on it's way in that direction. 

This was my first experience with a powder foundation. The reason I chose it over a similar product from Shiseido – the UV Protective Compact, is that their lightest shade seemed to be a lot lighter and more suitable for me. In the end I was wrong, shade 10 was much too dark and I ended up using it as a bronzer. I wasn't a fan of the texture, it was quite thick on the skin and not all that matifying. 

It wasn't all bad, the effect was quite natural and it provided a little bit more coverage on my cheeks, where I had the most acne scarring and pigmentation to hide. I really didn't care for the packaging – it felt cheap and flimsy, the pan swirled around the compact quite freely, and the materials felt like something a toddler's toy should be made of. I also learned that powder foundation just doesn't last as long as liquids do. I think I hit pan on this product the second time I went to apply it, which was horrifying, and I don't even wear foundation all over my face! I wouldn't personally recommend this powder, or it's sibling the UV Protective Compact, however, if you are stuck with a powder foundation that's too dark, it can work brilliantly as a very natural bronzer or contour, so it won't go to waste. 

Moving on to YSL, their Poudre Compact Radiance was my go-to powder for a while when the Lancome was inexplicably out of stock in my shade for almost a year (where I live). In my experience, YSL regularly re-vamp their line and discontinue good products left and right. It's not uncommon for me to be thinking about a product and observe how it's name and packaging changes twice in the period of a few years that I'm still pondering whether or not to get it. I'm not really surprised that this powder is no longer available, however, I believe the one they currently sell – the All Hours Powder – is very similar to the Compact Radiance. I've swatched the All Hours and really liked it, especially the translucent one. If this powder is still available whenever I've used up all my current powders, it's probably the one I'd like to try most. 

Compared to the Lancome and Shiseido powders, it's not as dry, tightly packed and matifying. The Poudre Compact Radiance also had a more pronounced tint, which again I found useful when trying to minimize the fact that my foundation was too dark. It wasn't my favourite packaging – I like round pans for face powders, and the compact didn't open all the way, which is another preference of mine, as mentioned earlier. Overall, a beautiful formula, one that I think lives on in the All Hours Powder, and would recommend checking out for someone with combination skin.

Christian Dior's Diorskin Matte & Luminous Sheer Pressed Powder, no longer available, was a confusing product for me, having gotten so used to the Poudre Majeur Excellence. As mentioned, there was a period when the latter was not available in my shade, so I went on a bit of a journey to find an alternative. The first other powder I tried was the Dior. I remember being extremely disappointed by it. It was expensive, my mom had bought it for me, and I felt so ashamed that I didn't like it and that she'd spent all that money on me for nothing. I remember actually crying when I admitted that to her, and her telling me to not worry so much about such stupid things. 

The reason I didn't like it, is because not all products are formulated for all skin types. I just assumed that powders, which are meant to control oil, would all be matifying, and this one was not. It even contradicts itself in the name, by claiming to be both Matte and Luminous. I remember desperately applying more and more product, hoping to look matte, and it was just not happening. 

It lived in a drawer until a few years later when I was doing a course of Roaccutane, and a lot of the products I was used to felt too drying. This was when this powder really charmed me. I was so happy I could finally use it! I think it would have been perfect for someone with dry skin as a finishing powder, or as powder to refresh your foundation later in the day. The amount of product was also very generous. Looking at Dior's current products, their Diorskin Nude Air Powder seems like it would perform quite similarly, so I think it's worth a look for those of you with dry skin, that still want to incorporate a powder in your complexion routine. 

Moving on to something that's actually still available, Clinique's Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Powder. I had such high hopes for this powder – I thought it would smooth out pores, control oil and neutralize redness, which are all reasonable expectations to have based on it's description. It ended up being one of the worst makeup products, not just powders, that I've ever made myself suffer through. It made my skin super greasy, inflamed and made the texture look even more rough than it was. Maybe I didn't have the right skin type for this powder, but based on how unpleasant my experience was, I wouldn't even recommend it to someone with dry skin, especially because at the time, I was using Roaccutane and my skin was quite dry. I can't even imagine how bad it would have been had I not been on that medication and had my usual oily-combo skin.

The Kanebo Sensai Triple Touch Compact is, unfortunately, no longer available, ever since Kanebo re-designed their packaging to glossy, fingerprint-magnet black and decided they wanted to be referred to as just Sensai, minus the Kanebo. I got this product because of how much I love their translucent loose powder, and wished they'd do a compact version of that. This, to me, was the closest thing. Their other powder products were powder foundations, which were all quite dark and pigmented. The powder in this compact isn't as pigmented as those foundations were, but it's definitely not translucent and not imperceivable on the skin, like the loose powder. 

You get two bonus “concealers”, one of which is actually more like a pore-smoothing primer. While I'm not a fan of multipurpose products, this compact does a good job of separating the three products, and overall, it's actually a great way to get a total complexion solution. It's especially nice to travel with (remember when we used to do that?). I think it's better suited for dry, mature skin though. If it's still available at some counters, travel is a major part of your life and you like these kinds of minimalistic, one-stop-shop solutions, I'd really recommend getting a hold of the Triple Touch Compact, before it becomes totally extinct. 

Last but not least, Mac Studio Fix Powder Foundation. This has been around forever. I was made aware of this powder foundation whenever I first went on a serious hunt to try and find a foundation that actually matched my skin. I have it in NC15, which was the lightest shade you could get. The lightest yellowish shade was NW20, one shade darker. My ideal shade in Mac's universe would be NW10. 

I haven't really gotten on with this powder, not in the way it's intended to be used – all over the face, as a foundation, either dry or applied with a damp brush. It looks OK immediately after application, but gradually you begin to see flakes of pigment and dryness that isn't very nice. Instead, I use it as a concealer on blemishes. I find that works really well for me, applied with a small eyeshadow brush. For some reason, on me, this powder looks less like powder on blemishes, than for example cream concealers. I'm happy to have it, but not sure if I'd buy it again.

There are two morals to this story – one, powders can be formulated for both oily and dry skin, to be either sheer or pigmented, and you might not know if a given powder works for you before you actually wear it for a whole day. And two, sitting on an idea for a blog post for too long is not very wise, when by the time you get around to writing it down, the majority of the products you're writing about are no longer sold. That's definitely something I need to work on. Still, if you're in the market for a new compact powder, I hope this will point you in the right direction. 

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