Makeup
Huda Beauty's TikTok-Viral Pressed Powder Is A Dream For My Oily Skin
The relaunched formula delivers an airbrushed finish.
It’s hard to admit, but I’m an influencer’s dream audience — I’ll buy anything if it looks cool enough. So when TikTok started blowing up with mini Huda Beauty pressed powder PopSockets in early January, I immediately checked to see where I could purchase one myself.
Spoiler alert — or maybe you already know, since the stunt went viral — those tiny powders were just samples, designed to hype the real launch. Yep, I fell for it.
But my efforts weren’t totally wasted. Huda’s Easy Bake Pressed Powders dropped on Jan. 8, so I ran to buy one. After all, influencers have been raving about the new formula — and the blurring effect looked legit online. As an oily girl, I’ll take anything I can get.
I usually avoid the mess of loose powders — even if my T-zone desperately needs help — so trust me, I’ve gone through my fair share of pressed products. My non-negotiables might sound nit-picky: Ideally, I want something that blurs without feeling cakey, controls oil without making my skin look flat, and doesn’t settle into my eye creases. So far, I’ve only found two that hit the mark (Fenty’s Invisimatte and Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish) — but could this one complete my holy trinity? TikTok seems to think so.
Keep reading for my honest review of the re-launch, including what some influencers left out: a wear test.
Fast Facts
- Price: $40
- Best for: Quick touch-ups that blur and mattify.
- Rating: 4/5
- What I like: The silky, superfine powder goes on without any cakiness and delivers just the right amount of sheer (but brightening) coverage.
- What I don’t like: A bit of shine started peeking through after a few hours.
Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake Pressed Powder
2016 makeup lovers know Huda Beauty reigns supreme when it comes to setting powders. The brand’s original loose powder — still a bestseller — practically set the standard for YouTube baking tutorials. After that success, founder Huda Kattan launched her first pressed powder in 2023, but it was quickly discontinued. (It had hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and an avocado derivative, which, admittedly, felt counterintuitive for a mattifying product.) The new formula, however, promises to right its performance issues.
Like the first iteration, Huda’s new Easy Bake Pressed Powder is talc- and fragrance-free, making it friendly for sensitive skin and setting it apart from other powder products on the market. But beyond that, the ingredient list got refreshed. Rice starch absorbs excess oil in place of talc, and the micronized formula — meaning crushed into ultra-fine particles — lets you layer it without ever getting cakey.
Another noticeable change is the packaging. The sleek compact is chic and modern, though OG fans might miss the old compartment that came with a triangle sponge — powder puffs are sold separately this time.
The new pressed powder pretty much contains the same ingredients as the fan-favorite loose powder — minus vitamin E, talc, and fragrance. They’re similar products, both intended to create a blurring effect, except now it’s in a gentler pressed form. Huda Beauty went back to the basics.
My Review
As a first-time Huda Beauty buyer, I had high expectations, and the initial impression did not disappoint. First off, the shade range is genuinely impressive — it offers the same options as the loose powder, ranging from a light pink Cherry Blossom to a warm Cinnamon Bun that doesn’t lean too orange. I went with Peach Cupcake, hoping it might subtly color-correct my dark undereyes, and I can confirm it does the job. (I’m not a fan of overly bright setting powders, so I stuck closer to my skin tone.)
But, honestly, I was stressing over the shade match for no reason. The formula is sheer enough to be forgiving, while still delivering the right amount of coverage. For context, it’s much less opaque than the Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder, which I’m not mad about.
Before application, my skin was visibly oily, but it didn’t take much product to mattify my T-zone. A little extra across the bridge of my nose instantly blurred without my emphasizing fine lines or under-eye creases. The formula feels silky and lightweight, and it delivers on its no-cakiness promise — even after I gave it my best shot at over-applying. The real test, though, happened throughout the day.
After nearly a full workday — seven hours, to be exact — my complexion looked slightly shiny but still controlled. There was some texture on my forehead and around my nose, where the formula clung to a few dry patches and visible pores, but my under-eyes still looked impressively smooth.
After documenting the moment, I reapplied a light layer across my face to finish out the day and was struck by how well it airbrushed my skin without appearing heavy. In fact, it melted into my makeup so seamlessly that it could have passed as a first application.
The Verdict
This isn’t a 12-hour wear powder (at least not for me), but it is a really good on-the-go option to throw in your everyday bag. Honestly, that’s why I wish Huda would release the PopSocket version already — or at least bring back the sponge compartment. It deserves to be portable.
Formula-wise, it’s definitely matte and might feel like overkill on anyone with dry skin since pretty much every ingredient is meant to soak up oil. But for oily complexions? It airbrushes. It layers. It gives just enough color correction. It’s actually the best thing I’ve used under my eyes, even though the talc-free product didn’t totally control my forehead grease.
Bottom line: If you have oily skin and already love Easy Bake loose powder, this is the pressed version you’ll actually use — just don’t expect it to replace blotting papers.
