A great setting powder is a critical step in any makeup routine. When doing makeup for photoshoots at Cheekbone Beauty, I love having our Mattifying Moon Dust on hand. As a makeup artist, I think it is important to share with our community how to use setting powder, and all of the tips and tricks I’ve learned in the industry.

Our Mattifying Moon Dust is a vegan, talc-free pressed translucent setting and mattifying powder with naturally derived Squalene sourced from olives, and sustainably sourced organic apricot oil. It is a velvety smooth, shine-reducing powder with no flashback that works on all skin tones, types, and textures.

Personally, I believe our Mattifying Moon Dust is a wonderful addition to anyone’s makeup collection. It comes housed in a compact tin that is easy to carry around. The compact is also reusable and refillable; it can be repurposed to hold a Mattifying Moon Dust eco-refill, or other small, loose items like tea. If you are a regular shopper with Cheekbone Beauty and own a SUSTAIN Classics Palette, you could also fit a Mattifying Moon Dust eco-refill in your palette alongside 4 smaller eco-refills as well.

 I love translucent setting powder because it is such a universal item to use and is helpful for setting each step of the makeup – whether it is your eye makeup, base makeup, or even cleaning up and diffusing harsh lines and contrasts. One of the most important functions of a pressed, translucent powder is the mattifying power. With your favourite brush or sponge, you can build up how much powder you need to mattify and set your skin in a way that you prefer.

Under Makeup:

Did you know that you can use setting powder underneath your makeup? After moisturizing and priming your skin, you can apply powder on areas where you are oily, such as your t-zone! Just lightly dust on some powder in those areas.

During Makeup Application:

Eye Makeup: After applying your preferred eye base, set your eyelids with your preferred pressed powder before applying eyeshadow, such as our SUSTAIN Eyeshadow Pencils. This creates a grip underneath the makeup to hold it in place longer. You can also use your setting powder to set on top of your eyeshadow, or SUSTAIN Eyeliner Pencils. This is such an important step when using Cheekbone Beauty eye products, as our pencils have a very creamy formula.   

Face Makeup: I love using a pressed powder after applying our SUSTAIN Complexion Pencils to set the product in place and prevent and creasing. Truthfully, I suggest setting your makeup after every step. Keep the application light!  Dust the powder on between each step to lock the makeup in place. Doing this affects is the longevity of your makeup, as the mattifying power of setting powder really locks in your look for all day wear. Makeup application is all about preference! Additionally, if you find that your skin looks too matte after application, or your skin is drier due to a colder climate, you can take a damp beauty sponge and press the rounded edge of the sponge into the skin to blend and rehydrate.

• Touch-up Tip: I always recommend using blotting papers before going back in for a touch-up with powder; blot the oil away wherever needed and then go back in and apply your powder.

Lip Makeup: This is one of my personal favourite techniques when it comes to a perfect lip application. Before applying your lipstick or lipliner of choice, lightly dust some powder over your lips as it stops your lip product from bleeding outside of the lines.

Makeup Artist Tips:

• Tip 1: Lightly dust some translucent setting powder over your eyelashes before mascara application to thicken your lashes.
• Tip 2: To keep your lipstick on longer, put a tissue to your lips and press a brush with setting powder on top of the tissue on your lips.
• Tip 3: Use your setting powder to clean up harsh lines on your face from contour. If you’ve applied too much blush, you could dust setting powder over the blush to diffuse the colour.

If you’d like more “how to” posts on our products, feel free to reach out to me at  zoe@cheekbonebeauty.com and share your feedback!