Beauty Talk: Loose Powder VS. Pressed Powder

Powder is a key product for me. I have reasonably oily skin and without powder my face will be a big mess! Therefore I have gone through about six million powders in my life, pressed powders, loose powders. I’ve tried them all. For the longest time I was all about the loose powder, but ever since I started using pressed powder again I realised that pressed powders are great as well. That sudden change inspired me to write todays post: I’m going to compare and contrast loose and pressed powders and talk you through the pro’s and cons of both. If you’re interested in finding out which type of powder works the best, make sure you continue reading!

Let’s start off with my old love: loose powder. I have discovered loose powder about 3 to 4 years ago. From the moment I first tried it I fell in love with it. It made my skin so perfectly matte and it managed to keep it that way all day. Back in high school I had terribly oily skin and loose powder was the only thing that could save me from looking like a discobal.

Loose powder does come in different shapes and forms. Some powders are very finely milled, some are a bit more chunky. Some have a tint to them, some are just transparent. My favourite type of loose powder is the transparent version. I do prefer it being very finely milled, but if it is a little more on the chunky side, I don’t hate it either.

Onto the pro’s and con’s!

Pro’s of loose powder:

• It keeps you matte longer
• If it’s very finely milled it tends to look less powdery
• It’s great for baking
• It’s easier to apply more product at once

Cons of loose powder:

• It’s messy
• You spill/waste quite a lot of product
• It’s not very convenient when you’re on the go
• You can’t bring it with you for a quick touch up

Overall loose powder is great. From what I experienced it’s better for keeping your oils under control and it’s a bit more longlasting. It’s also better for baking than pressed powder is and it’s better for those days you just really want to pack some product on.

The downsides are that it’s not very convenient for on the go, it’s very messy and therefore you will waste quite a lot of product and it’s not a powder you take with you for quick touch ups throughout the day.

Onto pressed powder. When I started off doing makeup, pressed powder is what I used. It was the only thing I knew of back then so I just went with it. Just like loose powder, pressed powder comes in many shapes and forms. You have the very sheer powders, the very powdery powders. Some are quite chalky, some are more on the satin side. Some are coloured, some are transparent. And some have coverage and some don’t.

My personal favourite type of pressed powder is the (nearly) transparent type with a satin-like finish. I do like it to be a bit powdery because I feel like that helps with keeping the oil under control, but it shouldn’t be too chalky.

Onto the pro’s and cons!

Pro’s of pressed powder:

• It’s very easy to use
• It’s not messy
• It’s great for on the go and touch-ups
• It’s not as powdery looking
• Some have coverage to them

Cons of pressed powder:

• It might not keep the oil under control as well as a loose powder will
• You can’t really pack on a lot of product
• Not amazing for baking

Overall pressed powder is just a lot more convenient. It’s not as messy, it’s quick and you can take it with you on the go. It’s also not as powdery looking (that does depend on which powder you use, obviously) and it can have some coverage to it. The main downside to pressed powder is that it isn’t as strong as loose powder when it comes to keeping your oil under control and it’s not that amazing for baking.

Overall I think powder is a great product, whether it’s loose or pressed. However, at this point I’m a little more into pressed powder, just because of its convenience. But if I really need something bullet proof I will still lean towards my loose powders!

And that was all for today. I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post and let me know where you stand. Are you in favour of pressed powder or loose powder?

XOXO, Nicole.