7 best under-eye setting powders

The days of dreaded under-eye creasing are over, these products all promise a flawless finish

Bake tired eyes away with the perfect setting powder (Shutterstock)

When it comes to getting the perfect base, getting the makeup around our eyes right can make or break a look.

If you choose the wrong powder, you run the risk of encountering a whole host of problems – from under eye creasing and dry eyes, to patchy concealer.

We tried and tested the best powders for setting, baking, and brightening. All products that made the cut help diminish the appearance of fine lines and darkness – leaving you looking well rested and fresh faced. Here are our best picks.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder: £28, Cult Beauty

This lightweight powder comes in a range of shades. Huda's website also has a handy shade matcher that advises on which colour to choose, based on what you want to achieve.

Depending on skin tone, some shades neutralise dark circles while others give a brighter under eye area. Our tester found that the shade Pound Cake worked perfectly for baking on her medium skin, to give a bright, highlighted under eye.

This powder also came up top as it set concealer under the eyes perfectly. We found that even on skin which was prone to some creasing under the eyes, with this powder there wasn’t a crease in sight.

Huda's product felt weightless and non-drying as well as photographing perfectly, leaving no flashback.

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Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder: £29, SpaceNK

This has been a cult favourite for years and it's easy to see why. The universal shade Translucent can be swept all over the face to set makeup, or packed under the eyes to bake concealer. It's also great above the jaw to accentuate cheekbones.

It sits comfortably on the skin, and had the best lasting power when used to set the face, with our tester experiencing minimal shine throughout the day.

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NARS Soft Velvet Loose Powder, £28, Space NK

As always with complexion makeup, Nars really does deliver. The shades on offer also handily compliment their foundation range.

It comes in eight shades, so caters to a wide range of skin tones. Our tester went down a shade in her powder as she wanted to use it to brighten the under eye, but chose a shade with a warm undertone to compliment her medium skin.

We feel confident that everyone should be able to find their perfect powder in this range due to the variety on offer.

This powder contains significantly less product (10g) than the others we tried and can also be a bit more difficult to sieve out of the pot. But packaging aside it is super lightweight, brightening and gives a smooth, poreless finish.

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Charlotte Tilbury​ Air Brush Flawless Finish Powder: £34, John Lewis

Charlotte Tilbury’s powder is as smooth as butter and the most hydrating we have tried, thanks to the almond oil in its formula.

Although it only comes in three shades, they work for a spectrum of skin tones as they range from light to dark.

The powder feels the most comfortable out of all the ones we tried and gives a natural finish, however it is not as brightening as some of the other formulas.

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Becca Under Eye Brightening Setting Powder, £20, Cult Beauty

The Becca under-eye brightening powder does exactly as its name says. It is infused with light reflecting pearl particles which instantly help to bounce light away from the under-eye area, giving the illusion of brighter, lifted eyes.

The powder helps to blur imperfections and fine lines, only a small amount is needed. Unlike some of the other powders we used for baking, we recommend sweeping this one under the eyes lightly to set concealer and minimise the appearance of fine lines.

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Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder: £28, Bobbi Brown

This powder from Bobbi Brown is the most lightweight of all products we tried, giving a sheer wash of colour to the skin.

It comes in nine shades with different undertones to compliment a variety of skin tones. One of the shades we particularly liked was the Pale Yellow; the unique yellow base accommodates many skin tones when applied under the eyes to brighten the area.

It is also oil free and oil absorbing, with added Vitamin E – which means it won’t feel drying.

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Rimmel Stay Matte Powder: £3.99, Superdrug

The Rimmel Stay Matte powder is a firm favourite for many. If it wasn’t for the extremely affordable price tag, it would be difficult to tell this apart from some of its high end contenders.

The powder feels smooth and silky and will keep makeup on all day long. When used under the eye, it helps keep creasing at bay, but may be a little too drying for those who suffer from dry skin.

It can also be packed under the eye with a fluffy brush, left on for a few minutes and dusted off to reveal a bright under eye area.

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The Verdict: Best Under-Eye Setting Powders

For a powder you can trust to brighten, set and smooth under the eyes, we recommend Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake powder.

Other powders that came close to the top spot were the Nars Velvet loose powder for its range of shades to compliment all skin tones, and the cult favourite by Laura Mercier – which kept under eye makeup in place and patch free all day.