Best Budget Drugstore Compact Powders For A Flawless Finish

For most of us, oil-free translates to fuss-free. Living in the tropics, a shiny T-zone is a given for most of us. If you’re blessed with oily skin, then a compact powder is probably your best friend to keep you from looking like an oil well on humid days.

If you’re not particularly fond of a really heavy base, or a full-coverage bb cream or foundation, compact powders can help you with a medium coverage and flawless-looking skin. Read on for our picks.

Maybelline Dream Matte Pressed Powder :

A light everyday wear powder, this compact comes in 4 shades, mostly which suit skin with pink undertones except for shade Beige. The shade range is the only drawback for this product. Pink undertones may seem a little ashy on olive skin. That said, the texture of the products is very light and gives a non-cakey coverage which is great. It also contains slight shimmer but it doesn’t look very obviously skimmery.

Price – Rs. 475

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder :

Every single blogger I follow, and I honestly mean every single one of them, has so many good things to say about this compact. It isn’t just very affordable, but is also available in a host of shades – which is one of the things I really look for, in a finishing powder. This one has a light finish and goes on quite sheer without leaving behind any sort of cakey effect.

Of course you might need a touch- up every few hours but that’s what compact powders are for, anyway ! This one is a cult favorite and it’s super affordable. Need more reasons to get it ?

Price – Rs. 195

Loreal Paris Mat Magique Compact Powder :

Something about this product’s name bothers me, I keep wanting to type “mat” as “matte” from force of habit(lol) , but pet peeves apart, Loreal has launched this recently and from what I’ve seen and heard, the product has received many positive reviews.

There are about 5 shades to choose from if you live in India, and they’ve got most of our skintones covered. I simply love the packaging on this one, it makes it easy to carry around and store as well. Again, there is no chalky feel to this powder, it is quite silky and applies with ease. It is one of those powders you can wear to work or a day out when you don’t require a heavily made up look.

It works well as a budget powder and needs a touch-up every few hours. Though not the best I’ve had, give this one a try – there’s nothing not to love about it.

Price – Rs. 399

Lakme Radiance Compact :

Since time immemorial I’ve seen the women I know wear this product and go back to it, despite most other products being launched. Personally I love this compact for its price, staying power, finish and the feel. The shades available are Natural Marble, Natural Pearl, Natural Shell and Coral. I use Natural Marble when I want to go a few tones lighter but Shell matches me well otherwise. It has a very slight yellow undertone and won’t look ashy on most desi tones.

It stays on pretty well and I LOVE the coverage and finish – it gives almost medium coverage without any hints of cakey-ness. I skip foundation when I wear this cause it makes me skin look almost flawless even without a correcting base. Love the price point as well !

Price – Rs. 150

Coloressence Compact Powder :

Not a household name for the most part, Coloressence dishes out some pretty neat budget beauty products in India. I’ve tried their lipsticks and loved them, tried their foundation and hated it… but this compact powder was the real deal.

It comes in three shades, I use CP3 Beige which is a really, really yellow shade. It gives the coverage of a powder foundation (yes, really ) and stays on it till you actually take it off. It can get cakey when worn over makeup so I mostly wear it by itself and it works fine. You might need to mix two shades of the compact if you’re medium toned though, cause the shades are either too light or too yellow.

What I like about the product is it’s incredible coverage and staying power, quite unlike any other product in its class or price range. Worth a try !

Price – Rs. 159