I’m an Ex-Makeup Artist and Here Are 3 Ways I Use Translucent Powder as Primer

Everybody loves a multi-tasker makeup product with hidden uses. But while we’re all familiar with lipstick as blush, there are a lot of makeup products with off-label applications.

One of my favourites is translucent powder as a primer.

I’ve been using the By Terry, Hyaluronic Hydra Powder ($89). It’s perfect for some of these less conventional uses because it’s finely milled (open the jar and the powder will waft up like smoke) and truly transparent and hydrating (you’ll see why this is important later).

While translucent over makeup, some powders leave a white cast or appear lumpy under certain products. However, if you would never spend that much money on a powder or are not keen on experimenting with off-road applications, I’ve found a dupe. Maybelline, MasterFix Setting + Perfecting Loose Powder ($18) or Innisfree, Pore Blur Powder, ($25) will serve you well.

As a Brow Primer:

Two years ago, I had a makeup tutorial playing in the background and stumbled upon something rare – a beauty hack I hadn’t heard of. Spencer Does Makeup glibly added: “I like applying powder to the brows because it absorbs any skincare leftover, so your brow product doesn’t smudge.” Life changed.

As someone with thick brows and dry skin, my lotions and potions have usually turned my brows into an emollient mess before lightly filling them with a pencil. A matte, long-wear surface is provided by dragging a bit of loose powder through them while the powder provides volume to the brows. Game changer.

As Lipstick Primer:

Want to make your lipstick super long wear? A very, very fine loose powder will do the trick. Make sure you remove any traces of balm before patting a very small amount of powder over the lips – the hyaluronic spheres in the By Terry Hydra Powder are why I love it for this technique, as it adds a little moisture while it mattifies.

This technique also smooths over natural creases in the lip. If you take it slightly over the outer rim of the lip it will provide a perfect surface for overlining, then paint on your lipstick. Set, and repeat. The layer of powder gives a waxy, emollient lipstick something to adhere to without disturbing the finish.

As a Concealer Primer:

Give me a moment! Powder under concealer – sounds like cakey hell, right? There’s a reason why backstage MUAs are in mourning after the demise of Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage Concealer.

One MUA I know said, “Yes, it’s dry as a chip, and that’s a good thing” when showing off her stockpiled haul. Most concealers have some emollience because they’re designed to go over blemishes and under eyes. But for a really angry, dimensional blemish, this isn’t a great thing, and it’s the reason concealers slip and slide. Makeup artists work with dry concealers backstage because they can mould them around the blemish, like clay.

Most of us will not stock a concealer we can only use when we have that once-a-year volcano erupting on our face. Instead, I prep my blemish with a VERY light dusting of translucent powder, a trick I discovered when working as a makeup artist. The translucent powder adds the much needed “grip” for the concealer to adhere to, as it does with lipsticks. It also creates a barrier for any oil the blemish produces throughout the day. We love.

BONUS HACK:

This hack is for those less than ideal situations when your hair is greasy and you’re sans dry shampoo. Scrunch it through the roots using your trialled and tested VERY translucent powder. It basically works like any styling powder (think the OG Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder – $42) bonding to the roots, absorbing oil, and giving lift and volume. Sure, it’s no Oribe, Dry Texturizing Spray ($68) – but really nothing is.