gives me a flawless finish :) not enough oil control , my nose is an oil slick after a couple hours but before trying a new setting powder i will try a new foundation to see if it fixes the problem. i look poreless and never over powdered when i use this, actually i cant see any powder on my face at all ! looks great, doesnt break me out, doesnt alter my foundation ccolour like most setting powders do.
update: have tried about four other foundations since this review and i still wish that this product had more oil control so i'll take away a lippie

I'm a 17 Asian girl with medium-light yellow under toned skin. My cheeks are normal, my forehead and chin are dry, and my nose tends to get oily. At first I was skeptical about buying the powder because of it's price but the ladies at Sephora recommended it so I went ahead and bought it. I got home and THEN began reading reviews on it and immediately regretted my impulse buy because half of the reviews raved about the product and the other half condemned it. I was fixing to return it the next day and try the smaller size first but something made me wear it instead. Like one reviewer suggested, I did not peel off the sticker on top of the holes in the little jar but poked a safety pin through 2 of the holes through the clear sticker. (It was a VERY GOOD idea and works well at preventing any mess or accidentally shaking too much product out.) I used one careful, light layer over my regular moisturizer, primer, concealer and foundation and like the HD name implies, it gave me a matte, pore-less finish. I took a flash picture with my camera after 10 minutes just to make sure I didn't have the infamous white cast and thankfully I didn't. Throughout the day at school, though, I did have to blot my T-zone but not as often as I used to. I saw a youtube review in which the woman used two or three thin layers of the powder to enhance wear, avoid the white cast, and eliminate oily shine. Again, skeptical, I tried that method the next day and was SO HAPPY with the results at the end of the day. I put on my moisturizer then put the first THIN (keyword-thin!!) layer of powder over that, almost like a primer. Then I waited a minute or so for that to settle (you must let it settle) and then used my primer and concealer and then put on another layer of HD powder. (I put my eye makeup on while I waited another 2-3 minutes) Lastly, the foundation and then powder. It is true that you turn out a little light but that soon fades as you wear it longer. I would not recommend getting a slightly darker foundation to try and "balance" this effect out because you will probably just turn out slightly darker. This is not an ideal process if you're on a super time crunch but it works wonderfully if you have a few extra minutes in your daily routine to spare. I make it a habit to take a quick pic of my face before I leave if I'm suspicious of white-cast but so far, I haven't had any issues. Oh, right, AND I DIDN'T LOOK SHINY AT ALL THAT DAY. It was really surprisingly amazing that the powder stayed through school, a nap, and work. A total of 14 hours at least. Seriously, that is like miracle material for me.. I have another colored powder of the same price and I am so much more impressed with this one! I WILL buy this when I run out. :) I have yet to experience how it holds up in really hot summer weather but I have high hopes for it. I believe that being careful with this product is the key to getting a successful wear out of it. Correct quantity of product applied and time are required for the best results.

I think I will use this for a rest of my life. I bought this along with the hd foundation and primer but too be honest, the foundation and primer arent the best. I would definitely pair with with whatever future foundation i might use foreverr!! This made my skin look flawless and the makeup stays on all day!

I must have had this for a year or so and did not like it in the begining. I have medium and yellow based skin tone and gave a white cast to my skin (NC25).

Recently, I began using it with a BB cream. It made my skin look... I don't know how to describe it, just better. Removes any shine and my skin looks more diffused.

A little goes a long way, the full size would probably last me years.

This has been sitting in my makeup drawer for years. As a finishing powder, it did nothing to control oil for me. Absolutely nothing. I was still an oil slick not even an hour after applying. I remember it being expensive, and that is the only reason I never threw it out. SO GUESS WHAT I DID (I'm excited, sorry). I used it as a primer. And guess what it did. Controlled my oil the ENTIRE day. I'm talking blotting once... and for me, that is unheard of. If the oil that comes out of my face could be used as fuel, I could be a billionaire. That is how oily my face gets. I usually blot and powder multiple times throughout the day. I read one review, ONE, on the Sephora site, where the reviewer also used it as a primer. That was the only review I was able to find anywhere, where someone used it in that way. I figured what the hell? What did I have to lose? I powdered some on my face before applying my foundation, the same way you would apply it after foundation.. waited 5 minutes, and did my makeup as usual. I can't even begin to tell you the difference this made. I could actually go hours and hours and not worry about how oily I looked. I could touch my face and feel that it wasn't oily. If you're like me, and nothing you buy seems to be able to control your oily skin, and you just so happen to have this and currently hate it... try it as a primer!!!! I am beyond impressed, but am a little depressed by the fact that I'll now have to repurchase eventually :(

MY SKIN: Normal to oily, medium-dark skin, yellow undertones

PACKAGING: Loose powder in a screw top jar with a sifter. Packaging is sturdy and heavy weighted. The screw top doesn't allow the product to spill out - great or travel.

HOW I APPLY: Sephora HD foundation brush (which I do frequently use as a powder brush). I use this over Revlon Colorstay. I tap very lightly into the sifter and swirl it into the cap to distribute it evenly on the brush. I then brush lightly to my T-zone.

THE FINISH: Since this is marketed as "HD", there are a few finishes I have observed:
1) Natural light: Very matte finish, does not settle into fine lines. Give a lovely, smooth appearance. This will not, however, replace a highlight. You will need to blush, highlight, and countour to get a truly "finished" face. Otherwise your face will look almost too matte/flat and dead.
2) On camera without flash: Still maintains airbrush finish.
3) On camera, close up, with harsh flash: HELLO WHITE CAST! Here is where you see the ghost-like appearance that has been a frequent complaint. My face had a distinct white sheen that is evident compared to my neck color. Keep in mind this is only very close up and in BRIGHT flash.

WEAR THROUGHOUT THE DAY: Wears well and controls oil. However, I am not extremely oily, so I don't know how it would really hold up in that situation.

OVERALL: In person and in natural light, it's a wonderful product, but in harsh flash, it's horrendous. I would not recommend this at all for a wedding or any occasion with many pictures. I like it enough to use up the rest of it, but I don't think I will repurchase (considering the hefty price tag, although note that you do get a ton of product). I am positive there must be a finishing powder out there somewhere that will look good both in person and in pictures.

When I first used this I was pretty frustrated that I blew so much money on something that looked so cheap and powdery. But then I was due for a new kabuki so I got the Make Up Forever brush that you're supposed to use with the powder (it was two bucks cheaper that the other brush I was eyeing at Sephora and I like that it's small and travel friendly) and it worked! It's all in the brush!!

I hate that it's so expensive, I still feel a bit ashamed that I spent so much money on it... but I probably will re-purchase when I eventually run out (I'm pretty sure this is going to last me a very long time).

It can be a bit messy (it's loose powder!) but because it's white so it's not REALLY a problem. It doesn't make a mess I just feel like I'm wasting product.

I think it does what it's supposed to do. It doesn't look powdery but it helps control the shine. It's good stuff.

This powder is nothing extraordinary in my opinion. It does mattify but the results vary... too little, and you start to shine after a few hours, too much and you look chalky. I've used it dozens of times with different brushes and over different foundations and I don't feel that it makes a big enough impact to justify the price. It's okay but not something I would rebuy.

I love this powder! It is a finely milled white silica powder that mattifies skin and gives a beautiful, velvety, flawless, airbrushed finish. My skin tends to be dry, but I do get shiny nose during the day and often find myself touching up with powder. In the morning after I apply my foundation, I use a small amount of this powder buffed in with my MAC 182 buffer/kabuki. As with all HD products, you need to buff very well to blend, and apply this with a very light hand. You only need a tiny bit for your entire face - don't apply this with the same gusto as you'd apply a regular loose powder. Then I apply my regular loose powder atop that. This keeps my skin flawless and matte all day, with minimal touch-ups. I do think this is quite expensive for the amount of product you receive, but that said, you need to use such a small amount that one container will last a very long time. I also own the ELF HD powder and it is practically identical to this for much less money and a larger package, so if cost is an issue, that's something to consider. My one word of caution is if you're going to be flash photographed for an important event like a wedding or a prom, you may want to avoid this as it *can* leave a white cast. (Google image search "Make Up For Ever HD powder Nicole Kidman and Eva Longoria" to see what I'm talking about.) This is an awesome product and I will continue to buy it.

The first few times I used this I didn't like it. When you use it a fine mist of powder flies off everywhere. Also it made my skin look too dry. Then I read somewhere that the trick is to use *very* sparingly. Since then I apply it lightly to my t-zone only and I've been much happier. The cost is a bit too high for me to use it on a daily basis, so I save it for special occasions or when I'm going out. The jar is annoying to me because once you've used it a couple times every time you open it you end up with powder on your hands/legs/counter/etc. Or at least I do. I don't know if there's anything they can do to help that, though. Also don't be alarmed by the stark white color, or if you look in the mirror and feel like Casper the friendly ghost. After a couple minutes the powder "settles" on your skin and doesn't look white anymore.