i ADORE this powder foundation! i've been using it for 13 yrs (started when i was 19) and STILL love it! i'm a self-proclaimed beauty junkie and still venture out & try new powder and foundations but i keep coming back to this one!
it goes on so smooothly and i really like how i can build the coverage- from sheer to full on (although it can look a bit cakey if applied in that strength). personally, i like a bit more than sheer so my skin looks flawless.
some ppl do & some ppl don't like the smell- but i LOVE the smell. can't quite describe it but it smells kinda yummy to me! lol
i have dry skin in the winter and this is great over moisturizer. i have slightly oily t-zone in the summer and this is awesome over my spf lotion. seriously- can't go wrong. i think i'd die a little death if MN stopped making this as it's the ONLY product i've continued to buy since my teen yrs!

I have very dry skin and Im always looking for powders that don't make my t zone flakey looking but yet still set my foundation and in always come back to this one!!! You can wear it alone say You dont feel like putting on a lot of makeup you could apply this and get some coverage or apply after foundation and it makes you look flawless! It's amazing I think it's one of those products that are great for all skin types!!!

Shade reference: NC15 mac
My shade in this product: ultra cameo

This is my go-to foundation for all seasons. Even in the summer. Its light, gives coverage to where I need it and never gives me any problems. I think i might also be a bit bias to this foundation mainly because it was one of the firsts foundations I used when I first started with makeup. However that might actually prove how good it is. I started with makeup at 14-15 I'm now 20 and I still always keep a backup of this in my stash. I like to try different powders and different products but this will always be a staple.

Besides foundation I also like to use this to tone down blush when I get a bit too heavy handed. It never looks cakey or over done. It is matte, and light wearing. If you are wearing this in the summer you will need touch ups, but since I'm always home by mid day I just remove it and reapply before I go out.

Again excellent foundation.

This is AWESOME! It controls oil like nothing I have ever seen. I usually used the Everyday Minerals Finishing Dust but I was shiny by 11:00 AM so I had to reapply but no so with this powder and I am oily! I dont know why but I LOVE the smell too even though it fades soon after you apply. I put a little on with a blush brush after I moisturize with Lucy Minerals Ambrosia, then I apply my Lucy Minerals(excellent coverage like none other)then I finish with this and it perfection all day long and I mean all day! I have found my HG Finishing powder.

I've been using this for 2 years and seen it through 3 different packaging changes, all better than the ones before it (the design picture above was incredibly clunky and hard to use, now it is a small black compact that is easy to transport.) I bought it after I found a small compact of it in my grandmother's makeup. Clearly, this product has been around for quite a long time and is trusted to do the job. I am yet to find any foundation, let alone powder, that beats this. It can be applied for minimal or maximum coverage depending on the time of year and dryness/oilyness of my skin. It doesn't cause any breakouts (I've slept with it on one time and it did not cause any type of breakout then either). My only complaint is it can be a bit cakey looking if you haphazardly brush it on. It takes some time for me to make sure I don't get little flakes or dry patches because of it. It sets in about 10 minutes. Moisturizer goes on over it surprisingly well. It does wear off my skin, but I have bad combination skin so this is as good as it gets unless I use a primer. The price is a bit steep, but overall it's completely worth it.

I became a Merle Girl after trying this foundation, due to the great reviews it got on MUA; especially its oil control ability. I am oily and because I am oily I am acne prone. I'm always on the hunt to control the slick. I have even tried the milk of magnesia method (broke out) and a fantastic oil control sunscreen from Kao Biore (UV Perfect) which also broke me out. Seems anything that's labeled as "mattifying" breaks me out (why oh why...isn't that the opposite of what it's supposed to do)? Anyway - I bought this foundation in Ultra Golden in the summer and was super-impressed from the first time I used it. Very natural, buildable coverage (I would say up to medium) - it does not look chalky like most powder foundations I've tried - even if I get it on my eyebrows, they don't get that dust-coated look. It covers imperfections pretty well, although I'd be hard pressed not to use concealer (I do *not* have a peaches & cream complexion) but concealer goes on well over this foundation. And for those of us over 40 - I should stress that while it doesn't settle into lines (I don't put it under my eyes), it doesn't really disguise them either. Just makes my face even and helps control that oil. I still have to blot a few times over the course of the day but this foundation lasts and lasts through those blots and still looks great at 5 o'clock (not just-put-on, but not streaky, cakey or patchy either). I just bought another in Ultra Buff to match my winter skin. This is definitely my HG foundation - recently tried to switch away to save $$, and tried several liquid foundations - all of them broke me out (thank heavens for return policies). I have to stick with powder foundations and this is absolutely the best one out there that I've tried. Don't hesitate!

Use this as my foundation a lot. Covers well and sets makeup well. It does go on much better with a sponge than a powder brush because of the creamy consistency. The new black packaging looks very modern in my opinion. The cream and gold doesn't do much for me.

I began using this two weeks ago after using a Revlon product that looked fine but broke me up horribly. Since I began using this I have had no new breakouts. The color (Ultra Golden) is fantastic on me and blends beautifully. I find that if you apply it with a foundation brush it gives medium coverage that is buildable over trouble spots. If this doesn't break me out I will definitely buy it again. I use other Merle Norman products I absolutely love: blush, lip pencils, etc. I am not sure why I hadn't tried the foundation before but now I'm a fan.
ETA: As of 4/2012 I have stopped using this for a couple of reasons: 1) the Merle Norman store that I could easily get to has closed, but 2) more importantly, I've discovered that the Skin79 Pink BB cream gives me much better results.

Wow, absolutely amazing in all areas. I love powder foundation, as liquid typically breaks me out or feels heavy. Powder, however, can rub off, get oily, oxidize and have bismuth oxychloride. This is perfect: great lasting powder, decent coverage, transfer resistant, soft matte finish, very pale yellow shade for me (extrememly hard to find) and incredible oil control. No breakouts at all! I love Dior Forever powder, but it makes me a bit oily in the summer and my other beloved Lorac Wet/Dry has limited coverage for gross days. All-in-all, I can say enough and will stock up. I wear this with MN cover-up, flawless oil-control powder, cream blush, lasting cream eyeliner and Supreme Lash mascara and primer- still looks perfect 12 hours later. UPDATE: Can't imagine a better foundation. No breakouts and lasts so well, and looks completely natural. I usually blot every hour- with this and the Flawless Oil-Control powder, I didn't blot once today. Love it!! I'm also loving the cream eyeliner. Merle Norman is so underrated.

Wow. This is the powder I've been searching for all my m/u life. I've used several setting powders from DS to HE and this is the only one that doesn't look too cakey, powdery or separate a few hours into the day.

I lightly apply it over the Luxiva Lasting Foundation (which is another OMG HG) and I honestly do not have to touch up AT ALL. I use Ultra Neutral (I'm NC25) and it is the perfect color for me. It controls my oilyness and does not break me out.

I use an ELF complexion brush and lightly pat the brush in the powder. There is also not a lot of fall-out or waste because the powder is pretty dense.

The powder is fragranced too, so beware if you're sensitive to that. The packaging is a bit bulky. It's a black compact that is about 1/2 inch thick.

All in all, this is the BEST powder foundation I've used so far. I was also told by the MN SA that this is their number one selling product of all time. Go and try it!