Smashbox’s Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder Vs. Make Up For Ever’s Super Matte Loose Powder.

First, let me apologize for the lack of posts; between NXNE and a couple real estate transactions, last week was a very busy one.

But today I've been able to carve out a bit of time to write up a comparison of two loose powders that I've been testing out: Smashbox’s Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder and Make Up For Ever’s Super Matte Loose Powder.

So which one is best? Well, that depends on your skin type and your wallet.

Let me start by addressing that last point. At $72 for one container, the Smashbox powder is, unquestionably, expensive. Yes, that one container will likely last you a year (or even longer) but still, $72, is a lot of money for a product. Meanwhile, you can pick up the MUF powder for a more reasonable $32.

But, depending on your skin needs, you might want to cough up the extra $40 and go with Smashbox. While both powders leave skin looking fantastic and help to keep foundation/concealer in place, the MUF one can sometimes settles in fine lines, dry patches and enlarged pores, something that never happens with the Smashbox one, even though both powders have the same fine, silky texture. Because of this, I would recommend opting for the Smashbox product over the MUF if you have mature skin or are prone to dry patches or enlarged pores.

But if you have oily skin, you’ll want to go with MUF. While both powders do an equally excellent job at immediately mattifying skin, the MUF does a visibly better job at minimizing shine over multiple hours. I did repeated split face tests with both products and, as long as my face was well hydrated, both products initially looked and performed identically. However, after about an hour, I could tell which side of my face had the MUF powder on it and which had the Smashbox one on it (the latter side was shinier).

And which one is best if you have normal skin? Well, I would say the MUF simply because it’s cheaper. But if price isn't an issue, and you want something in a fancy package, then you might want to go with the Smashbox product. But really, both powders are excellent, high quality products that I think most people would be impressed with.

For more details on these two products, check out my original Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder review here and my Make Up For Ever’s Super Matte Loose Powder review here.