Wow... I have been looking for a HG powder compact foundation and I have not come close to ANYTHING like this product. Be aware that I have tried almost every brand known to mankind.. we are talking Laura Mercier, MAC, CoverFX, MakeupForever, Lancome, Bobbi Brown, Jane Iredale, Ferro Cosmetics, Bare Essentuals, Aveda, Sheshiedo, Chanel, Dior, Clinique, you get the hint.. Let me just say that the finish and coverage for this powder is very similar to MAC Studio Fix Plus Foundation, but smoother and waaay more easy to apply. I have VERY dark under eye circles and I wanted a powder that would make my skin tone even while covering my under eye circles (this is quite a tall order because most powder foundations require concealer first to get this effect) but this powder does it! I can't stop looking at my face in my compact! Now I just need to wait a few weeks and see if this gives my acne prone skin any new breakouts, but as for now, it is definitely my HG!!!

Why are there so few reviews?

This powder has been out for several years now, and I have been using it since it first came out around 2007-ish.

This is hands down the best powder out there for full coverage with a very matte finish.

I have a good amount of brown spots due to sun damage, and I find that this powder provides the best coverage to hide my flaws. It's smooth and velvety and powdery.

The only minus that I can think of is that the powder puff is paper thin. Also, it does get used up pretty quickly and no matter how many times I try to use the powder evenly - the middle is always the first to go. Once you use a good chunk of it and the middle is gone, the powder does crack. When this happens, I then just crush it all up and use it as a loose powder.

The salesperson at Macy's really pushed this powder on my so I bought the starter kit, which included a full size powder compact and 0.3 ml of gel foundation and primer each. The shade I got was a perfect match (Tanami) which is a neutral to yellow in tone. I applied it in the morning on top of primer and it looked great! It diminished my redness and made my pores less noticeable, but it didn't cover acne spots (which I didn't expect anyway).

However, by noon I looked in the mirror and saw just how caked the powder became. Wow. It sunk into my pores and clung to every flake of skin (flakes are all thanks to winter and acne). It is clearly not meant to last more than a couple hours, which for my oily skin is probably the worst powder for me. I tried it as a touch up to get rid of oil, but it just could not blend at all. It caked and it was completely uneven no matter how much or how long I buffed to blend. The brush that comes with it is trash. It's small and the bristles aren't soft at all. Either trash it or repurpose it for another piece of makeup.

As for ingredients, it's ok. It's talc based, which I normally don't like, but it has a few botanical ingredients hyped up to be good for the skin. I can't say whether it worked because I returned it after a couple days. It did give me a couple breakouts, which have calmed down by now.

Save your money, please. It's by far the worst powder I've ever used.

NO. It accentuated any minor imperfections on my face, caked on to look extremely powdery (as little as I tried to put on). Horrible, since I tend to use powder as oil control and want to reapply to look fresh but if I reapply this I just look like a mess - it builds to make my skin look darker and darker If i tried to use it for oil control and "freshen up". And, if you sweat it will streak on your face and theres no way to fix that without completely taking it off- forget about trying to touch up with more powder or foundation. Don't swim in this. A good powder I've found for oil control and a fresher look is: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (Honey Medium 3-4) which is the darkest color it comes in but it leaves a smooth finish and doesn't have to match your skin color perfectly to do the trick so its ok if its a little lighter or darker than your normal skin color. :-)

This powder is great. I use it on top of my Philosophy tinted moisturizer to set and add some extra coverage. Kimberely Plateau matches me perfectly. I love that this doesn't make me itchy or cakey. There's no oxidation, and I stay naturally matte all day long. I will absolutely be repurchasing this powder.

(Used it for 3-4 months now and haven't finished it)

One thing I wish it did: that the packaging was different so it came with a better brush that can increase the great look you can get with the powder).
Pros:

-Great finish (people noticed it)

-it evens out skin on people with minor imperfections (so I use this over my foundation cuz I did have bad skin but if used alone, the powder would not be able to cover it)

-I don't know if this was just me cuz it has actually been one of the powders that doesn't look to cake (if blended in correctly)

-lasts on my skin (for hours, not days lol) and doesn't transfer unless you really want to (so I suggest you clean your face twice so none of it is left behind)

-best for people that people that want a natural finish (but you have to really find out if your brush can help with the natural finish or not) hint: I use bareEssentuals (sp? :/) brush

-color choices are good (I would rather you guys try it before buying and look at what it looks like in different lights)...I think it's because it sorta wants to go into your skin rather than be your second skin

Cons:

-Major problems can't be tamed with this powder

-It WILL show things like dry patches (well, it did to me)

-you have to look at it's ingredients to know whether or not you're sensitive to the "seaweed" and other properties (I know this is common sense but understand that some skin just can't take it and can become irritated as hours go by . Try it at Ulta and and buy it there so you can return it if it irritated your skin later on!)

-sorta expensive, try it in a place like Ulta because you might regret buying it (we all have different skin so it's better to be safe with this product and any other product obviously lol)

I like this powder, I have combo skin (-now, I used to have super oily skin because I was using too many acne treatments) so it's difficult to say but it kinda helps with all areas...not overly greasy, not super drying in my opinion.

Last things to remember:
-be constant with washing your brush after using this powder (maybe every couple of days, maybe more)
-Dry skin/oily skin can try it and like it,in my opinion
-Make sure you are also being nice to your skin when using a product like this because it can turn out to be your worst enemy (good spf and moisturizer is a wise choice)

Btw, if anything does wrong with the product , I will not hesitate to say it here!
Peace!

UPDATE:
It's been several months since I updated (maybe 2? or more)
I love the finish but there's something that I'm wondering about...
I stopped using it for a week because I found out that my skin has keratosis pilaris and I had to maintain a simple routine for my face (gentle cleanser, exfoliation, and moisturizer) and it worked really well. Unfortunately I noticed that when I went back to put on this powder, it SEEMED to come back. It could be that the seaweed might be affecting and irritating my skin but I WILL try this experiment again and see how it goes without this powder and instead I will stick to Laura Mercier pressed powder. I'll update soon, PEACE!

I have sensitive oily acne prone skin. For some reason the last year or so my skin has become SUPER fickle. I have to use very gentale products or my skin will look rashed out. I was useing BE and it started to make me itch really bad. Then I swithced to LG Balance N Brighten. But it didnt cover like I wanted it to. Then I switched to Toni Brattin Power Powder. That covers nicely but it made my face itch a tad bit. So I went to ulta and was told to try the Sue Devitt powder. It covers really well and NO itch. It seems to sooth my face as well as control the shine. It makes putting makeup on that much easier as it covers so well. It doesnt settle into my fine lines or get cakey or blotchy. It is a tad but expensive at $28 but then again I was paying premium price for BE and LG. The compact is super pretty and makes it easy to carry around. It is also not messy to use like the other products. Would highly recommend to people with sensitive skin. UPDATE: 12/05/10 Hate this stuff. Make my face itch super bad. Had to quit using as I developed a dermitis on my face. I have to take steroids for it now. Yuck. Not sure if this did it but it sure dodnt help. WILL NOT USE AGAIN!!!!

Best powder I've found hands down. HG status for me. Perfect Match for NC42 skin (Granite Downs). Evens out my complexion without making me look "made up". I apply with a MAC 180 brush. My go-to product for spring/summer foundation. Very natual look.