Make Me Over: The Powder Lowdown: Pure Evil or Pure Genius?

Fri, 23 July 2010 8:18AM

And the answer is, of course, Pure Genius. Or PG for short. (I like using nicknames. But only if you are actually good friends. And PG and I go way back. So much so that we even go to the pub every Friday night for a bevy or seven.) But powder can be Pure Evil if you’re not using it properly. And unfortunately, Naomi Watts knows this all too well.

Remember her EPIC powder disaster from Cannes? Here is a refresher:

Gosh, that’s not a pretty sight. In fact, it’s an excellent demonstration of Pure Evil at work. (No, I’m not on nickname terms with Pure Evil. And he is definitely not coming to the pub tonight. Not even if he offers to shout me all night.) You see, Naomi has gone a little overboard with the powder. It’s actually a very common mistake, Primps. One that allows Pure Evil to come out and play in the guise of making you look older and leaves your skin looking as dry as hell. Naomi’s powder of choice is also too light for her skin tone, which makes her look a wee bit ghostly. I realise Naomi is on the red carpet and needs her slap to stay put, but she also wants to look good at the same time.

Now let’s take a look at Gwyneth Paltrow, who has totally got the whole powder thing down:

Glorious, isn’t she? Yes, she is. But why does Gwyneth’s application look awesome and Naomi’s so disastrous? It’s because she’s studied up on her powder tips, Primps. These ones right here, listed in this very blog. (Well, she didn’t read them in this actual blog, but she certainly knows how to apply her powder superbly. She uses it to make her makeup stay put, but still amps up the glow factor, too.)

A short, but still delightful, list of powder tips:

• Always use a loose translucent powder instead of one that is pressed. A loose powder can be easily swept onto the face, whereas a pressed one tends to go on too heavily. Use a pressed powder for touch-ups during the day instead.
• Translucent powder is pigment-free so it is able to be used on any skin tone because it literally disappears once applied to the skin. Before purchasing one, always test it on your skin. A true translucent powder will not turn ashy on those with a darker skin tone.
• If you’ve got a darker skin tone and wish to use a powder that matches your actual skin tone, sweep on a fine layer of translucent powder first, then apply the darker powder over the top. Doing this will make the coloured pigments go onto the skin oh-so evenly.
• Always touch the translucent powder before buying it. Make sure it feels wonderfully smooth and silky. Make sure that it looks sheer and natural on your skin. If it doesn’t, you could end up with a massive case of chalky face like our dear friend Naomi.
• When applying the powder, always, ALWAYS tap your brush on the side of the lid like a mad woman. Tap, tap, tap away until you can see no more powder fall off. Then, and only then, should you brush the powder over your face. You may feel like you’re not even applying any product, but you are. Trust me. This is the key to setting your makeup in place, without the extreme matte, powdery finish.

The Pure Genius characteristic of powder isn’t about removing all the glow from your face, it’s about making your makeup stay put. When applied before blush and eye shadow, it also prepares your skin for holding onto colour. Without a fine layer of translucent powder, you’ll find your coloured blush and eye shadow pigments will grab onto oily or dry patches in the skin, causing it to look blotchy. And that’s not fun, Primps. Not at all.

Here are some smashingly good translucent powders, also known as PG:

Estee Lauder Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder, $68.00 for a luminous finish
Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher, $34.95 for erasing flaws and touching up
Covergirl TruBlend Microminerals Finishing Veil, $18.95 for those with sensitive skin
Maybelline New York Shine Free Oil Control Translucent Pressed Powder, $16.25 for oily-skinned ladies
Jurlique Rose Silk Finishing Powder, $43.00 for refining the skin
Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Translucent Powder, $44.95 to eliminate shine and even out skin tone

So, Primps, tell me…

Do you use powder?
Do you ever get chalky face?
Do you see that powder is actually a good thing when used properly?

Posted by: Cherie Herrmann

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Tags: chalky, dry, make me over, makeup, powder, pressed, sheer, skin, translucent