A "baking" essential.

My first makeup school taught me to set my base (creams and liquids) with a pressed powder foundation. A pressed powder foundation not only sets cream and liquid products but it also provides more coverage to your base. Since then, I've always used pressed powders to set my base. When I went to my second makeup school, we used loose powder to set our makeup and I found that a bit of a hassle to use, honestly. The powder went everywhere and quite a lot of powder gets spilled and wasted every time I use it. So yes, between pressed powders and loose powders, I've always stuck with the former.

Around 6 or 7 years ago, loose powders became the "it" thing. One powder in particular, the Coty Airspun, became a cult classic. Local and foreign bloggers and vloggers were using it and raving about it. Coty Airspun that time wasn't locally available yet so local beauty gurus searched for a local and more available dupe. And boy they did, putting the Nichido Final Powder onto everyone's radar.

Nichido describes the Final Powder as an "ultrafine, smooth, and silky powder enhances the look of your foundation or powder and sets your makeup for lasting wear. It blurs and minimizes the appearance of fine lines that makes your skin photo-ready."

The powder only comes in a 25g twist cap hard plastic tub. Inside, there's a puff and the sieve is pretty much well-sealed. A 25g tub costs P153 (only P6.12 per gram!).

This loose powder is available in 4 shades but the most popular and most used and raved shade of this product is Creamy Glow. I quite like this shade because it's not stark white and it can match light to medium skintones. I personally see it as a neutral-toned powder as it's not too yellow or pink toned. When I bought this shade, my skintone was still quite a few shades darker but now that my skintone has lightened a bit, I think I can get away with using this shade.

Texture wise, this is definitely better than the Dermacos Fixing Powder that I used back in makeup school Since the Dermacos powder is more for theatre use, it's heavier and more full coverage. The Nichido Final Powder feels finer and lighter on the skin, definitely great for everyday use. I'm pretty much an amateur when it comes to loose powders but this was a breeze to use, plus it wasn't as messy as I was expecting.

I tested this powder by applying it two ways: one with a fluffy brush and one by baking.  With the fluffy brush, the powder was picked up easily by my brush and I had a breeze setting my base with this powder. The powder didn't cling to any patches and it easily blended onto my skin. Though my base was set and adequately powdered, my base still had a bit of dewiness which I personally didn't mind because it looked fresh without looking oily. I'd say the brush application wielded a more natural look that's just fresh and glowy.

If you like an ultra matte-looking base that's void of any shine but still looks like skin, then using this powder for baking is a great option. The powder did great when I used my sponge to pick it up because it didn't clump together and it went on my skin smoothly and again, it didn't cling to any dry patches on my skin. After letting it sit for a few minutes, I was able to dust the powder off without any problems. The finish I got was matte but my skin didn't look too cement dry. It looked smooth, even, and really well set. I think the word I'm looking for is plakado- flawless and picture perfect.

I now understand why this is such a well-raved local product- it works really well! It sets a base really nicely and the powder itself feels light and well milled. Baking with this powder is a breeze that'll give you such a flawless and even looking base. The oil control power is decent but I find that you still have to blot and/or reapply every now and then. There is white cast when it comes to flash photography but I don't think it's that bad. Also, super happy that I can use this on top of my darker foundations. It helps lighten them up so they match me a little better. Yay! (PS. Yes, I know I should get a foundation in my right shade but I don't want to waste the foundations I have now, you know?)

Would I recommend? 100%.