do i need this?

Do I Really Need Another Powder?

Photo: Ami Cole

What is it?

Ami Colé, a cult-favorite clean-beauty brand, is launching a new product: a loose powder. The powder, which comes in three shades — Rich/Deep, Deep/Medium, and Translucent — is a talc-free, blendable setting powder with full coverage without sitting on top of the skin. It is meant to be used on top of the brand’s skin tint and concealer as a way to set makeup and reduce the unwanted shine.

Founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and her team spent hours of TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram watching their community apply favorite products, and they noticed that a setting powder was missing from their steps. “We have melanated beauties with different skin types, so many in the oily combination category that wanted to lean into this skin look, but their focus was keeping shine at bay while still achieving a healthy glow,” N’Diaye-Mbaye tells us.

Do I need this?

Yes. I’ve been testing the powder for about a week — heading from being out all day to dinners and events— and I approve. My skin is combination to oily, and there were no breakouts in sight once I incorporated this into my routine, only more nourishment to my skin. I’ve tried a handful of powders, but most of them have the common denominator of a finish that is too ghostly on my brown skin. And the ones that do set in well on my skin tone don’t last all day.

The final selling point for me was how it set my foundation under my sunglasses. I wear shades all day whether I’m inside, outside, underground — it really doesn’t matter where I am. I often have my foundation wiping off on the nose pads of my glasses. A few dabs of this powder on my nose and there was zero foundation residue on the shades or even on my masks.

So how do I get it?

It launches on amicole.com today, April 5. It’s $22 and comes with a $20 powder brush that’s designed with the perfect precision for application (a few dabs and I was all done).

Why should I care?

The Black-owned brand started during the pandemic and quickly became popular for its lip treatment oil: a tried-and-true product that nourishes the lips and leaves a glossy yet not sticky finish. Ami Colé’s other products — a skin-enhancing concealer, a nourishing skin tint, and a lash-amplifying mascara — also quickly became cult favorites. The brand filled a void for Black women who love beauty and want products made for melanated skin. When it comes to the setting powder, N’Diaye-Mbaye said, “We all loved the ’90s supermodel look but now know that the bright, almost-white-under-the-eye ‘Naomi look’ was because the market did not provide solutions for melanin-rich women. We knew it was super-important to our customer who wanted a glow but not all over.”

Absolutely Need: Ami Colé’s Powder