Cream vs. powder.

Both start with pigment. The difference is what carries it.

Cream color disperses pigment in oils, butters, and waxes. The wax gives it enough structure to sit in a pan or a stick; the oils and butters let it soften and spread when you touch it.

Powder color mixes pigment with fine powders, such as mica, plus a small amount of binder, often an oil or ester, so it can be pressed into a pan. It stays dry until it meets your brush.

Cream melts into the skin. Because it sits in the same layer as the skin's own surface, it tends to look like part of it, usually with a satin or dewy finish.

Powder sits on the surface and scatters light. That gives a softer, more diffused look, often matte or satin, and it can blur the edges of whatever is underneath.

Cream

Use your fingertips. Their warmth softens the texture. Dab a little on, press, and blend outward. Build in thin layers rather than one heavy one; it is easier to add than to take away.

Powder

Use a brush. Swirl it lightly, tap off the excess, and sweep in small circles. For more color, make another pass instead of pressing harder.

Cream goes under powder, not over it. A light dusting of powder over cream sets it and softens the finish. Cream on top of powder tends to drag and turn patchy.

So if you wear both, put down skin tint, concealer, and cream blush first, then any powder last.

Reach for cream when you want skin to look like skin, when you are wearing little else, or when you would rather not carry a brush. Reach for powder when you want a softer, more diffused finish, or to set cream underneath.

There is no rule that you have to pick one. Plenty of people wear a cream blush with a sweep of powder on top on longer days. See how the textures compare on the finish glossary.