Alexandra Anele has looked at a lot of powders. Out of more than 30 reviewed, she approved most, gave a few a mixed take, and passed on only a handful, earning an approval rate of 81% for this category. That record says she is not hard to please here, but the few she skipped are worth knowing about.
What does Alexandra Anele recommend in powder & setting?
In her approving takes, a clear pattern comes through: she likes powders that do exactly what they promise without disturbing the rest of your makeup. She praised the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Setting Spray for locking things in without shifting the finish, saying "however your makeup looks when you apply it, it's going to look the same." She has also spoken warmly about silica-based and rice-based powders. On rice-based options, she noted they tend to be gentler and less likely to feed bacteria than cornstarch alternatives. That is a practical point for anyone who has wondered whether their powder is behind a breakout. Her outright category winners are the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray and the Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder.
Alexandra Anele's setting powder picks, in her words
"Laura Mercier, the original powder is good for oily skin."
"Translucent setting powder is ultra fine silica based with a blurring finish. [...] If like me you've been using a cornstarch powder and you're like oh, maybe this is breaking me out, in place of cornstarch though, you could use rice based powders. They're typically gentle and they're less likely to feed on bacteria. So if that's something you want, if you love the idea of having a cornstarch powder but now you're worried about it, you could try a rice based powder."
"I have this little deep depotted thing from Danessa Myricks, it's the Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder. [...] I'm just mixing my own little concoction of brightening, just added a little bit of the balm, and I'm doing a little extra highlighting in certain areas, mostly just in the center of the face because I personally like the way that looks."
"I love this so much. This might actually be my favorite Fenty product that's launched in a long time, and I know it's just a makeup mist, but it's so good. First of all, [...] I like it. It goes with everything in the line. This is the makeup extending setting spray, you may have heard me talk about it."
"I'm going to set it using the Easy Bake Setting Spray from Huda Beauty."
"I'm going to go in with a teeny bit of the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Powder, this is the white one, just to do a little gentle brightening. I feel like I lost a little bit of the brightening when I applied that powder. I'm not placing it on my dark circles, I'm just placing it underneath, just right here, just to kind of brighten and bring focus back to around the eyes."
How many powders has Alexandra Anele reviewed?
Alexandra Anele has reviewed 32 powders, for an approval rate of 81%. 26 approved, 3 mixed, and 3 skipped.
What has Alexandra Anele skipped in powder & setting?
She skipped very little, and that is useful information on its own. Among the few she passed on, one came down to ingredients clashing rather than a bad product. She felt the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer combined poorly with dimethicone in a moisturiser, and suggested that people in that situation try skipping the primer to see if it helps. She found the Huda Beauty Easy Bake and Snatch Pressed Brightening and Setting Powder far too drying. A Tatcha powder she set aside simply because it was too shimmery for her taste. Another skip was a brush rather than a powder, which she felt was not quite the right tool for the job.
"I really don't get the powder that I use. The easy bake setting powder is so drying, so drying. It's not a good look."
"And by interesting I literally just mean the fact that it's flexible. That is the only thing that's different about it. So I really just kind of am like not impressed. [...] The marketing around it is a little strange too. The idea of having people try things early is cool, [...] but this is not like oh I'm already buying something and I have this add-on. It's pay us $34 to basically make us money so that you can tell us what we should do with this thing."
"I just never use it. It's just like a little bit too shimmery for me."
What should you take from Alexandra Anele's picks?
Alexandra Anele is one of the more approving voices you will find on powders, but her reasoning is clear and consistent enough to be useful. She points people toward options that hold makeup steady, flags where ingredients might clash on certain skin types, and has named a couple of clear winners. Her record is a reassuring place to start if you are shopping in this category.
Watch Alexandra Anele say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Urban Decay All Nighter Setting SprayNamed a winnerWatch at 45:52
- Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose PowderNamed a winnerWatch at 9:02
- Huda Beauty Easy Bake and Snatch Pressed Brightening and Setting PowderSkipped itWatch at 9:27
- Leaked Labs Flexible PowderSkipped itWatch at 27:35
- Tatcha Silk PowderSkipped itWatch at 3:15
- Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting PowderRated itWatch at 28:26
- Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting PowderRated itWatch at 28:39
- Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm PowderRated itWatch at 5:34
- Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Setting SprayRated itWatch at 9:19
- Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting SprayRated itWatch at 21:06
- Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Pressed PowderRated itWatch at 28:47
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting SprayRated itWatch at 66:08
- Tower 28 Jet Set Blur Plus Set Talc Free Pressed Setting PowderRated itWatch at 14:03
- Haus Labs Bio-Blurring Loose Setting PowderRated itWatch at 26:37
- About Face Curtain Call Set and Smooth Loose PowderRated itWatch at 1:29
- Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Mattifying Setting SprayRated itWatch at 14:40
- NYX Mineral Matte Finishing PowderRated itWatch at 11:57
- Coty Airspun Translucent PowderRated itWatch at 37:28
- d'Alba Setting Mist Spray SerumRated itWatch at 1:06
- Huda Beauty Sugar Cookie PowderRated itWatch at 3:51
- Cover FX Perfect Setting PowderRated itWatch at 28:33
- e.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting SprayRated itWatch at 0:43
- MAC Fix+ Setting SprayRated itWatch at 21:04
- Milani Make It Last Matte Setting SprayRated itWatch at 34:47
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Alexandra Anele said across her videos about 32 products in powder & setting, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.