Want "Angel" Skin? This Often-Overlooked Makeup Product Is a Tulle Veil for Every Complexion

Celebrity MUAs swear by it.

Images of the Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Alyssa Brascia wearing setting powder.
(Image credit: @alyssabrascia)
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We’ve been living in the age of glowing, "glass skin" for quite some time. So many makeup products are infused with radiance-boosting skincare (hey, we’re not complaining!), and 2016-esque highlighters are even starting to bubble back to the surface. But in the Icarus flight towards sunlit skin, it can be easy to forget a very necessary step that makes your makeup last three times as long and makes your skin look, we kid you not, "angelic." That, dear reader, is translucent powder.

“Translucent powder is a finely milled, pigment-free powder used to set makeup and keep it from creasing and transferring,” explains celebrity makeup artist and Who What Wear editor in residence Tasha Reiko Brown. The MUA explains that by applying this invisible powder over cream and liquid products—like foundation, concealer, etc.—you’re essentially sealing your look in place for hours-long perfection. “The end effect is slightly blurring and soft-focus,” she adds. Just a touch to the center of the face and a light sweep under the eyes (if you’re wearing concealer) is all you need.

If your mind immediately goes back to the overly matte skin days of the King Kylie era, fear not. Translucent powders, in both the loose setting and pressed varieties, have come a long way in the last decade. After much testing and expert advice, we found the 10 best translucent powders on the market in 2025. Below, the only powders you’ll need for bridal-level angelic skin.

An image of the Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

(Image credit: @alyssabrascia)

The Best Translucent Powders, at a Glance

Best Overall: Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Translucent Loose Setting Powder

Alyssa Brascia wearing the Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

(Image credit: @alyssabrascia)

Best Budget: Airspun Loose Powder Translucent

Best Drugstore: L'Oréal Paris Infallible Blur-fection Longwear Loose Setting Powder

Beauty director Erin Jahns with smooth, glowing skin.

(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Best Pore-Blurring: Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder

Alyssa Brascia wearing setting powder.

(Image credit: @alyssabrascia)

Best for Dry Skin: Saie Slip Tint Undetectable Baked Setting Powder

Best for Oily Skin: One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder

Best Shade Range: Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder On-The-Go

Best Radiant Finish: Saie Airset Radiant Loose Setting Powder

Best Color-Correcting: Kosas Cloud Set Loose Translucent Powder

Best Investment: Westman Atelier Vital Pressed Skincare Powder

What to Look For in Translucent Powder

  • Formula: While most translucent powders are available in loose powder form, some are pressed (or baked), which some users may find easier to apply. Loose powders, like the Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur, are versatile and can be used to simply set cream products or packed on with a sponge to “bake” your makeup. However, if you only want to set your makeup and skip the messy fallout, you should opt for a pressed version like the Saie Slip Tint.
  • Finish: Powder isn’t necessarily synonymous with mattness anymore. While you certainly can find matte finishes if that’s your desires look (One/Size’s Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder delivers fabulous shine control), you can also find a bevy of natural-finish translucent powders that look like real skin (the Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder is great for this), or you can go the radiant route and embrace the glow with something like Saie Airset.
  • Longevity: Depending on how long your days are (or how indestructible you want your makeup to be), the hours of longevity your powder can provide are worth looking into. For example, some very matte products (like the One/Size pick) can make your makeup last up to 24 hours, whereas more natural powders might preserve your look for half of that time.

What is translucent powder used for?

Translucent powder can be used for many different purposes: setting your skin, baking your undereyes, or blending your makeup more smoothly together. For instance, if you feel you’ve applied your bronzer or blush a bit too harshly, you can swirl a fluffy brush in translucent powder and swipe it over the area to marry your products together.

What’s the difference between translucent powder and setting powder?

These terms are often used interchangeably because they’re often one and the same—take the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder, for example. However, Brown says that there are a few key differences that separate them at the end of the day. “Setting powder typically has a slight pigment payoff and can be used to brighten or to add another sheer layer of coverage to the face,” explains Brown. “Setting powders tend to be oil-absorbing, while translucent powder has a sheer, blurring, soft-focus effect. Translucent powders are pigment-free in theory [and] add no color, just the texture payoff of a smoothing mattifying effect.”

Brown explains that she rarely uses setting powders because “there can be a learning curve” to these pigments, especially when you’re trying to get a skin tone match. “Translucent powders are a go-to for me over setting powders,” she adds. “Setting powders are what I would recommend to someone who needs very full coverage.”

What does translucent powder do for mature skin?

“Mature skin shouldn’t be left out of any beauty conversation or product choice, and translucent powder is no different,” says Brown. “There’s no product mature skin can’t use, you just have to be mindful of technique.”

Brown recommends using translucent powder to set any face makeup with coverage, like foundations and concealers, on mature skin. “Knowing all powders can settle in fine lines, I choose to dust on [the powder] with a loosely bristled fluffy brush to make sure powder is lightly and evenly dispersed and ‘dusted’ on instead of using a compact brush, which can add powder to face too densely.” If you apply the product with too stiff of a brush, it can enhance fine lines and dry out the skin.

How We Chose

We chose the best translucent powders of 2025 by researching the current top performers, taking into consideration both products new and old, before trying a handful ourselves. After analyzing our own collections and finding some new favorites, we asked a celebrity makeup artist for personal recommendations for no-flashback formulas after years of glamming her star clientele for the red carpet. Then, we compiled this shopping guide to make your product search ten times easier.

Why Trust Us

At Who What Wear, we know that beauty isn't one-size-fits-all. Over the years, our editors have tested thousands of products—including skincare, makeup, haircare, and nails—while also working closely with trusted experts, like renowned dermatologists, celebrity makeup artists, and other leading industry insiders. Together, this ensures every guide is well-researched, inclusive, and relevant to you.

We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they're affordable favorites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how, and what we'd truly recommend to our closest friends and family members.

Alyssa Brascia
Alyssa Brascia
Associate Beauty Editor, Who What Wear

Alyssa Brascia is an associate beauty editor at Who What Wear. She is based in New York City and has nearly three years of industry experience, with rivers of content spanning from multigenerational lipstick reviews to celebrity fashion roundups. Brascia graduated with a BS in apparel, merchandising, and design from Iowa State University and went on to serve as a staff shopping writer at People.com for more than 2.5 years. Her earlier work can be found at InStyle, Travel + Leisure, Shape, and more. Brascia has personally tested more than a thousand beauty products, so if she’s not swatching a new eye shadow palette, she’s busy styling a chic outfit for a menial errand (because anywhere can be a runway if you believe hard enough).

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