To me, Katie Jane Hughes is more than a celebrity makeup artist—I’m officially appointing her to Director of Dewy Skin. A well-hydrated beat is her MO, after all, and she somehow nails *just* the right amount of shine using minimal product. Her immaculate yet approachable techniques are the ones I often feel most confident replicating for my own daily looks.
So imagine my surprise when I attended a virtual masterclass with the queen of dewy skin herself and found out it was centered around setting powder. Um, isn’t powder known for mattifying oil and thus dulling your shine? It turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong. (Phew!) Keep scrolling for the genius dewy skin tip I learned from Hughes. If perfectly luminous skin is on your mood board like it is mine, I promise you it’s worth your while!
One of Hughes’s gorgeously dewy looks I’ve saved
First thing’s first: The powder you choose can totally influence your dewy results. Hughes demonstrates her routine using Tower 28’s new GetSet Pressed Powder, a breathable, pore-blurring formula infused with hydrophobic silica to gently wick away sweat. It comes in four shades—a translucent, deep, and brightening pink and yellow—and like all of Tower 28’s offerings, it’s safe for sensitive skin. I personally used the pink shade since the hue can brighten under-eye circles and neutralizes dark, greenish tones, while Hughes used the translucent version.
Tower 28 Beauty
GetSet Blur + Set Talc-Free Pressed Setting Powder
Okay, but back to the tutorial! After applying her liquid base products (Tower 28’s SunnyDays, Swipe Serum Concealer, and BeachPlease Tinted Balm) with a complexion brush, she taps the powder puff into the compact and blots areas of her face prone to sweat (the cheeks, forehead, and chin, primarily). She then takes a fluffy eyeshadow brush, swirls it into the powder, and blends it on her lids.
Tower 28’s powder puff also has a pointed edge that makes it wonderful for pressing powder underneath the eyes, which prevents concealer from settling into fine lines. Hughes calls it “freaking genius” because that sharp point helps you set all the hard-to-reach crevices.
You can either use the puff or a small brush, but no matter what, she encourages finishing all your powder steps before slicking on mascara. You see, powder is made of super-fine, loose particles; even pressed powder is technically “loose” when you pick it up from the pan. If you apply that loose powder near your wet lashes, “it will make your lashes dusty as hell,” Hughes warns. Noted!
After applying mascara, she then goes back in with her complexion brush (either the one you used for concealer or blush—both work!) to bring back the skin’s radiance. This is the part that blew me away, because I was always taught to use powder as a last step to avoid any pilling. According to Hughes, this cream-powder-cream method is what really makes your skin appear dewy yet sweat-free. Note, you’re not applying another full layer of concealer or blush on your face. Rather, the brush already has wet product lingering in its bristles that you’re re-introducing to your skin, and it’s enough to “bring a little bit of that life back in,” says Hughes.
I’ve been solely using this technique in the weeks since Hughes’s masterclass, and it makes my skin look practically airbrushed with just the right amount of glow. I’ve been sticking to Tower 28’s GetSet, but the lesson has honestly made me rethink how I use some of my other favorite powder products. The phrase “glowy powders” may seem like an oxymoron, but take it from Hughes’s own megawatt beat—a light dusting can catapult your dewy look to the next level.
More Glow-Enhancing Powders You’ll Love
Prada
Refine Blurring Extending Primer
Don’t be nervous by the powder’s mint green hue; on the skin, it applies totally sheer.
Pat McGrath Labs
Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Blurring Under Eye Powder
The pink version of this brightening powder went viral for its ability to disguise dark circles. It has since sold out, but the brand’s banana version does the same if you have golden undertones.
bareMinerals
Original Mineral Veil Pressed Setting Powder
Whenever I use this powder, my skin looks velvet-soft.
The adorable half-moon brush is reason alone to snag this sheer powder.
For all my loose powder fans out there, this option is divine. It’s light as air and imparts a soft glow.
Kosas
Cloud Set Baked Setting & Smoothing Powder
It’s impossible to use “too much” of this powder. I, for one, have really piled it on and still looked glowy all day.
Clinique
Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder
It’s a classic for a reason!
Westman Atelier
Vital Pressed Skincare Blurring Talc-Free Setting Powder
Another pink option, this brightening powder makes me look wide-awake.
Fenty Beauty
Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder
This powder comes recommended time and again by makeup artists and celebrities (including Simone Biles, who used it to touch-up her makeup during the 2024 Olympics!).
Charlotte Tilbury
Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder
The brand calls this powder a “cashmere veil on top of your skin,” and I couldn’t agree more.
