1. Set Your Lipstick

Lipstick is one of the worst makeup items for wearing off quickly, thanks to talking, drinking and kissing! While there are long-lasting lipsticks, they can be drying on the lips. Here's where powder comes in. After applying your lipstick, blot with a tissue, then apply powder on top with a blending brush. Add more lipstick, blot, and blush again. Your lippy should now cope with anything you can throw at it!

2. Tone down Blush

Blush is great for giving our face that hint of color, but we've all overdone it and ended up with a great streak of blush that makes us look like a clown! But there's no need to panic and wipe off all the layers of makeup you've so carefully applied. Grab a cotton ball instead and carefully wipe off the excess blush, then apply some powder over the top. Voila! No more clown cheeks.

3. Between Primer and Foundation

Does it drive you to distraction trying to get your makeup to stay on more than a few hours? Here's a tip that may help. Try an extra layer of powder! You need to apply the first layer after primer and before foundation. This will act as an additional primer and help your makeup to last (whereas if you put too much powder on in one layer, you risk it caking.

4. Emergency Dry Shampoo

If you need to freshen up your hair and don't have time to wash and dry it, dry shampoo is a useful alternative. But what if you've run out? Grab your loose powder! Be careful not to overdo it though, and only apply a small amount at first; you can always add some more if you need it. Then brush out the excess.

5. Setting Eye Makeup

Does your eye makeup never last long enough? Your powder can come to the rescue again! If you don't have any eye primer, or don't want to buy yet another product, simply apply a little powder first (but be careful it doesn't get in your eyes). You can also use powder to set your under-eye concealer.

6. Removing Smudges

If your makeup problem is that you're forever wiping away flakes of mascara or eye shadow from underneath your eyes, powder is the answer. Dust it underneath your eyes before applying your eye makeup, and you can simply flick off those annoying flakes of mascara without smudging them!

7. Baking Your Makeup

If anyone knows about makeup, it's a drag queen, and here's a technique that mainstream makeup artists are now borrowing from them. Baking may sound alarming, but it simply means leaving translucent powder on for 5-10 minutes before dusting it off. This will set your foundation and concealer beautifully, and allow it to stay on for ages.

So now you know that powder is much more versatile than just setting your foundation, you can make the most of it! Do you prefer loose or compact powder, and which brand do you love?