Review | E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder

Powder is not just a makeup product to me, it's a life necessity. Without powder I will feel like a human disco ball, or even worse a human mirror because my skin is excessively oily. Most people only get oily in their t-zone but I'd consider myself extremely lucky if I only got oily in those areas. I've tried my fair share of mattifying powders from both high end stores and the drugstore. In my quest to find the perfect inexpensive mattifying powder I stumbled upon the E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder at Target one night. As much as I would like to tell you that this is a must-have for oily skin girls, I sadly can't. In fact I think this product is not even worth the $3 that it retails for.


I would like to start the review by saying that I'm in no way a drugstore makeup hater, in fact most of the things I buy are from drugstore brands. I think drugstore brands have improve the quality of their products immensely since the days that I began wearing makeup. Some of my favorite mattifying powders of all time happen to be from the drugstore like the Neutrogena Shine Control Powder and the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. The reason why I really disliked the E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder is because it fails to keep me matte.

The powder comes in a very sleek black compact which resembles the NARS packaging a lot. The compact has a great sized mirror, a sponge, and of course the powder. If you've never opened the compact then you might assume that the whole compact is full with the powder but in reality you're only getting less than half. I've only been using the E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder for less than 2 weeks and I'm already close to finishing it! That's how little product is actually in the compact.

E.L.F. claims that this powder is translucent (after all, that is in the product's name) but the first thing I noticed was how dark the powder looks. If you have fair skin then this is not the powder for you because it does deposit some color on your skin. The texture of the powder is also off compared to other powders I've used. This powder feels thick, heavy, and has a tendency to look caked up. Another thing that I've noticed is that the powder seems to go everywhere when you dip your brush into the product.

But the worst thing about this powder is the fact that it does not keep me matte. I can see the E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder working on someone with normal to dry skin, but if you have oily skin then I would advise you to get something else. An hour after applying the powder my skin will look extremely shiny, not just in my t-zone but all over. My cheeks would look extremely shiny and my forehead would double as a small mirror. It just does a horrible job doing the one thing that it's meant to do.

I cannot recommend this product whatsoever. If you're looking for a good and inexpensive mattifying powder then I would recommend you to go with the Rimmel Stay Matte, or the Neutrogena Shine Control powder if you're willing to spend more money.

The E.L.F. Studio Transluscent Mattifying Powder retails for $3 and it can be found at Target, Walmart, and eyeslipsface.com.

What is your favorite mattifying powder? Let me know in the comments below.