Product Review | Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Setting Powder

Product Review | Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Setting Powder, $32 (Sephora and Ulta)

Product Details (from Sephora's website):  A silky, lightweight powder that sets makeup for longer wear. This setting powder provides a veil of perfecting radiance for an ethereal, natural-looking finish. This universal shade complements all skintones, and it’s infused with coconut water to help replenish your skin’s moisture levels. Alpine rose helps brighten and boost your skin’s radiance while hyaluronic acid imparts a smoother, more youthful appearance. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT: 

- Parabens 

- Sulfates 

- Phthalates

Review: I was not going to purchase this powder, but I am a fan of Too Faced's Born This Way makeup line (I love the foundation and concealer) so this piqued my interest, plus it is a few dollars cheaper than my Laura Mercier ($38/29g) and CoverFX ($35/10g) at translucent powder.  I picked this up during a late-night Sephora run in San Francisco this past July and I do not regret this purchase even though I already have two translucent powders that I need to use up.  

First, let's talk about the classic Too Faced Born This Way line packaging - black with gold script typography with a nice frosted glass container with its pink and black box.  This powder is finely milled to the extreme which makes it super lightweight when applied on the skin (and if you know me by now, I am all about lightweight and light coverage makeup).  This powder has a slight sheen compared to Laura Mercier and CoverFx, so it provides a nice soft radiant glow but still natural-looking.  It does not give me any white cast (I have a medium tan skin color) on photos.  It sets my makeup nicely without the cake face - but I also use a light dusting all over the face instead of a heavy application (also, please note that I do not bake underneath the eyes to set my concealer especially when I am using my Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer).  This powder also does not make my face look dry and super mattified.  I noticed with the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder, while that product will keep everything budge proof, it makes my under eye area and some parts of my face look dry and mattified.  If you have oily skin, you might have a different outcome and enjoy the matte look.  The CoverFX translucent powder is nice but while it does not make my skin look dry, it takes away the luminosity or radiance once applied on top of foundation.   I like it better than the Laura Mercier, but honestly - Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Powder won my heart out of the two popular translucent powders because it is super finely milled, it sinks in the skin instead of sitting on top of it - plus the slight sheen adds luminosity when applied over foundation.  I am not about that matte life.  This girl is all about luminous and glowing skin.  Will I repurchase? Yes.