RCMA stands for the Research Council of Make Up Artists and it was founded by renowned make up artist Vincent JR Kehoe in 1962. He developed the renowned Color Process Foundation ( an industry favourite) and this little baby, the No Color Powder.
It comes in a very unassuming jar (very reminiscent of spice jars) and seems like something you would have in your kitchen. It used to come in two sizes: the 3oz jar and the massive 20oz jar, but since a certain YouTuber made it uber famous, you can't get the 20oz jar as easily as you could before.
It is very very finely milled and almost silky to the touch.
My Impressions
As an under-eye Concealer setting powder:
I love this powder. I rarely do serious highlighting under my eyes so I don't really want a super bright highlight. because this does not contain any pigment, it does not add any additional colour to my under-eye highlight, which I really like. I also find it works great for super light-complexioned clients who may not be able to use the famous Sacha Buttercup powder (which I use and like, by the way). When I use it on myself though, I tend to mix it with the Laura Mercier Transluscent setting powder only because I have a super dry under-eye area with fine lines and I'm lazy with eye cream. An MUA friend of mine says it works beautifully with cream concealers. I mostly use liquid concealers on myself so I haven't tested that on myself. I would say to be light handed with this. Even though it does not cause flash back in flash photos, using a heavy handed WILL give you flashback.
As an all-over face powder
I LOVE this for setting my foundation. Again, it does not alter the colour of what is underneath it so it sets my foundation perfectly.
What I especially like to do is, after I've set my makeup with my "Finishing"spray, I let it dry and then take a really large fluffy brush, dip into some powder ( a light hand remember) and ever so lightly, dust it all over my face again. It blurs out any visible pores and adds another layer of defence against my oils (I have very oily skin).
I would say this powder is great for oily skin. if you have dry skin, just really prep the skin well with a good moisturizer and again, use a light hand when dipping into the product.
For "sand bagging"
I dust a light layer of this powder right under my lower lashline after applying a pencil liner. I have oily skin and I live in a really hot climate so, most liners tend to get a little runny on my lower lashline and slowly start to run. This layer of powder helps it to stay in place and not run down into my under eye area, This technique is called "sand-bagging",
Price and Availability
I first heard about this gem about 5 years ago. I made a mental note to get it but because it was only $10 at the time, I kept procrastinating until, well I didn't. Fast forward to 2015, there was so much buzz about it, demand became really high and the price increased to increase the price to $12, which is still not bad at all, considering how well it works.
RCMA is sold in the major professional makeup stores, Camera Ready Cosmetics, (online) Beautylish (online), Nigel's, Naimies and Alcone.
In Nigeria, one place I'm sure you can get it is at Stellas Addiction Store in Lekki Phase One. You can also get it from Girly Essentials Shop here .
Have you tried this powder? What are your thoughts? How do you use yours? I would really love to hear from you!!
Great review!
ReplyDeleteI really want to try translucent powders, either this or Airspun but the fear of looking ashy is real.
Hi Bookie,
DeleteThank you!!! If you use too much of any light powder, ashy-ness will abound, lol. Heard a lot about Airspun. I want to try the Laura Mercier Transluscent Powder in Medium Deep.