For most people, setting powder is a necessary part of the makeup routine. It is used to set makeup in place so it won’t move throughout the day, reduces the tacky feeling of foundation, and also absorbs excess oil. Setting powder is a must for people with oily or combination skin types, and may even need to be reapplied if too much oil comes through during the day. I have combination skin and almost always use setting powder to set my T-zone or my whole face. If I don’t powder my T-zone, I look greasy very quickly! I’ve almost always used pressed powders since they’re easily portable and simple to use, but have recently been feeling like I might be missing out on something with loose powders. Loose powders are generally more finely-milled than pressed powders which means they have the ability to blur imperfections. They are also less likely to look cakey on oily skin because they don’t contain any kind of oils or waxes to stay pressed like a pressed powder. 

E.l.f. released a new loose setting powder this year, called Halo Glow Setting Powder. It has gotten a lot of positive reviews on YouTube and on ElfCosmetics.com. It was also recommended to me by a friend, so I had to include it in one of my recent e.l.f. orders. I was intrigued by the name, because the other setting powders I have in my collection are very mattifying.

Product claims directly from ElfCosmetics.com

Want to make your skin look like it’s wearing a beauty filter? The silky, weightless texture of this setting powder drapes the skin for a dreamy, blurring, soft-focus finish. Created with finely-milled synthetic sapphire particles to give your skin a soft glow, help smooth the appearance of fine lines, and blur imperfections.

Formulated to keep shine at bay and ensure makeup looks and feels fresh throughout the day.  

Disclosure: IntegriBeauty includes affiliate links within product review posts. I receive commissions for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. IntegriBeauty is independently owned and all products discussed within IntegriBeauty product review posts are thoroughly tested and given honest reviews.

Other product details

• Price: $8.00
• Net weight: 0.24 oz.
• Made in China
• Cruelty-free
• Vegan
• Shelf life: 12 months
• Six shade options
  • Light
  • Light Pink
  • Medium
  • Medium Beige
  • Tan
  • Deep
• Ships to USA and Canada only
• Where to buy: ElfCosmetics.com or Amazon.com (please note that only the Medium and Deep shades are available for $8.00 on Amazon at this time)
• Overall rating: 8.2/10
  • Inclusivity: 8/10
  • Luminosity: 7/10
  • Blurring effect: 8/10
  • Oil-control: 8/10
  • Price: 10/10

Please note that I am not a makeup artist. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, as a regular person that loves makeup.

Inclusivity

This powder comes in six shades and that is great! E.l.f. is doing better on inclusivity with this product than most competitors with their loose powders (a lot of brands only offer one option that is “translucent” but may be visible on deeper skin tones). 

The one problem I have with this product’s shade range is that deep and very deep skin tones might find the “Deep” shade to be too light for them. To me, the Deep shade looks like it would suit medium skin tones better. It’s possible that I’m off-base on this judgement since I have fair skin myself, but I always think the more shades available, the better. 

Luminosity

Since the name of this product is “Halo Glow Setting Powder,” I expected it to provide luminosity for glowy skin similar to the model in this photo (I know that’s not exactly a realistic expectation since her skin is perfect). While I don’t think this powder has a flat matte finish like most setting powders, I also wouldn’t call the finish “glowy” or “luminous.” I would say this powder provides a satin finish that may look very slightly luminous in certain lighting situations, and makes the skin look healthy.

I have to wonder if the other shades might provide more luminosity than the Light shade, which is what I have. I compared the ingredients for each of the six shades online, and Light is the only one that doesn’t contain mica. Mica is a commonly used mineral powder that reflects light, and it is the first ingredient in every shade other than Light. I’m not sure why e.l.f. made this decision. 

Blurring effect

According to the product details on e.l.f.’s website, this powder should perfect skin and make it look like you’re using a real-life beauty filter. I’m not sure I believe any powder could be capable of that, truthfully. 

However, I do find that because of the lightweight finely-milled texture of this powder, it significantly blurs the enlarged pores around my nose. It also has a smoothing effect on the rest of my face. I did a side-by-side comparison with Halo Glow Setting Powder applied to one side of my face and one of my old pressed powders applied to the other side, to see which side looked better. The Halo Glow side definitely won that contest!

I’m not sure if the skin-perfecting aspect of this powder is visible to anyone standing more than a foot from my face, but it’s definitely obvious to me. I love the way my skin looks with this powder! 🙂

Oil-control

The primary reason I use setting powder is to lock my makeup into place and prevent my excess oils from quickly breaking through in my T-zone. I usually find that with my pressed setting powders, my makeup lasts about four hours without my oils coming through. I get the same wear-time with this setting powder. I don’t think this is unreasonable since I do have an oily T-zone and can apply more powder if I get too shiny. 

Price

Unsurprisingly since this product is from e.l.f., the price is very affordable! At $8.00, it’s not the cheapest loose powder at the drugstore, but it’s less expensive than many competing products. It also has an added perk that is uncommon for drugstore-priced loose powders, and I believe that adds value. I’ll discuss that in the next section. I think this setting powder is well-worth $8.00, and probably more than that (but don’t tell e.l.f. I said that!).

Packaging

I always have five categories that I use to rate products in my reviews and packaging didn’t make the cut this time, but I still wanted to mention it. 

Loose powders are notorious for being messy, largely because of their packaging. There’s always a sifter to control the amount of product that comes out, but if there is no cover for the sifter then at some point the product will go everywhere in the packaging. If you drop it or travel with it, you’re guaranteed to have a mess on your hands when you take off the lid. For that reason, most loose powders are not travel-friendly. 

E.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder looks like any other loose powder on the outside, but once you open it you’ll find that there is a “lock” on the sifter. By lock, I mean there is a cover that you turn to open and close the sifter. The design is brilliant and makes this loose powder much easier to use than others with sifters that are always open. It’s also travel-friendly thanks to this design.

---

Halo Glow Setting Powder is another winner from e.l.f.! I’ve really been enjoying this product and I’m so glad it was recommended to me. 

I think this setting powder would work well for any skin type. Plus, because it’s so finely-milled, I believe it would work well to touch up oily skin throughout the day without ever looking cakey.

Do you prefer pressed or loose setting powders? Which powder is your favorite? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Lauren

---