Alexandra Anele has looked at a lot of powders. Out of 45 reviewed, she approved 41, gave one a mixed take, and passed on just 3, earning a Guru Score of 91% 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. She named three outright category winners: the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, the Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder, and the e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder. Those stamps of approval span a range of price points, which suggests she weighs performance over cost.
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'm going in with this Fenty Mist which I've been loving by the way. Very good, keeps your makeup set all day and night. But it doesn't manipulate it, doesn't make you look dewy. It just, however your makeup looks when you apply it, it's going to look the same. I love that."
"I'll go in with a more hydrating primer today. I use the Milk Hydro Grip, something that's like grippy that gives me a little bit extra moisture depending on how my skin is feeling."
"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."
"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."
How many powders has Alexandra Anele reviewed?
Alexandra Anele has reviewed 45 powders, for a Guru Score of 91%. 41 approved, 1 mixed, and 3 skipped.
What has Alexandra Anele skipped in powder & setting?
She skipped almost nothing, and that is useful information on its own. Of the three 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. A Tatcha powder she set aside simply because it was too shimmery for her taste. The third skip was a brush rather than a powder, which she felt was not quite the right tool for the job.
"The combination of one of the cones and the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer to me sounds like a bad combo. It feels like that's where we're going wrong. [...] I would suggest is trying to skip the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer in this situation and see if that does something. [...] The combination of the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer and the dimethicone in the moisturizer to me it just feels like those might be clashing. They might not be working together very easily."
"I just never use it. It's just like a little bit too shimmery for me."
"This is a brush from Rare Beauty. It's not a bad brush. I think it's the powder brush. It doesn't have a name on it. And it has synthetic fibers. So, you might think like, oh, this would be good for applying creams."
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 winners at every price point. 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
- e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting PowderNamed a winnerWatch at 45:05
- e.l.f. Power Grip PrimerSkipped itWatch at 1:39
- Tatcha Silk PowderSkipped itWatch at 3:15
- Rare Beauty Angled Powder BrushSkipped itWatch at 1:35
- Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting PowderRated itWatch at 28:26
- Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting PowderRated itWatch at 28:39
- Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Setting SprayRated itWatch at 19:07
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip PrimerRated itWatch at 15:47
- Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Pressed PowderRated itWatch at 28:47
- Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm PowderRated itWatch at 5:34
- Iconic London Underglow Blurring PrimerRated itWatch at 1:44
- Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting SprayRated itWatch at 21:06
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting SprayRated itWatch at 66:08
- Huda Beauty Easy Blur Silicone Free Smoothing Pore Minimizing PrimerRated itWatch at 5:45
- Fenty Beauty You Mist Makeup Extending Setting SprayRated itWatch at 9:19
- Tower 28 Jet Set Blur Plus Set Talc Free Pressed Setting PowderRated itWatch at 14:03
- L'Oreal Infallible Blur Perfection Powder 20 Translucent LightRated itWatch at 27:26
- 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
- Pixi Flawless & Poreless PrimerRated itWatch at 25:11
About this expert
See everything Alexandra Anele has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Alexandra Anele said across their videos about 45 products in powder & setting, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.