Compared

Laura Mercier loose powder vs Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder

Loose powder sets better and travels worse. If your problem is a face that slides by the second course, the loose powder at home does more. If your problem is shine at hour four and no way to fix it, the pressed one in a bag is the only one of the two that can help you — a jar of loose powder in a clutch is a decision you make once.

Laura Mercier

Translucent loose setting powder

Setting a face properly before you leave

Pros

Finer milled, so it sets without leaving a visible layer under restaurant lighting
Translucent rather than tinted, so one shade works as skin changes through a year
Loose in a jar rather than pressed into a compact, so the container holds more powder for its size

Cons

Loose powder in a bag is a spill waiting to happen
Needs a brush, which is a second thing to carry and a second thing to keep clean

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Charlotte Tilbury

Airbrush Flawless Finish setting powder

Fixing shine away from home, without a mirror and a brush

Pros

Pressed, so it goes in a clutch and survives being carried
Comes with its own applicator and mirror — the whole point is that it works in a bathroom you do not know
Blurring finish suits a touch-up, where the goal is knocking back shine rather than setting a full face

Cons

Pressed powder builds more quickly than loose, so a heavy hand shows
A compact holds less than a jar, so it is the smaller of the two by weight

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Side by side

	Laura Mercier	Charlotte Tilbury
Where it is used	At home, before.	Out, during.
Format	Loose, in a jar.	Pressed, in a compact.
Needs a brush	Yes.	No — applicator included.
Portable	No.	That is the whole idea.
Best at	Setting a full face so it lasts.	Taking shine off without disturbing what is underneath.

Everything above is about what these products are, not about tests we ran — we do not test products, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Prices live on Amazon, where they change hourly, so we never quote one.

Powder only where you shine

Whichever you pick, this is the part people get wrong. Powder over a dry patch settles into it and outlines the thing you were trying to hide. Set the centre of the face and leave the cheeks alone if they are the dry part.

The honest answer is often both

They are not the same purchase. The loose powder does the work; the pressed one is insurance you carry. If you are buying one, buy for the half of the evening that actually goes wrong for you.

Your turn

What should we dress next?

An occasion you cannot find anything for, or a product you want us to look at properly.