Imagine a day outdoors without a dab of your favorite pressed powder — we can’t! Since they are everyday staples, you shouldn’t compromise when it comes to buying the best pressed powder. And if you thought pressed powders only enhance natural complexion, then get ready to be surprised! 

After hours of research, we found out that the best pressed powders help to mattify the face, control shine, and lend a natural-looking luminous finish. With a fluffy brush, you can easily apply it to your face and prevent your makeup from sliding off. We also tried and tested a few pressed powders and couldn’t resist drooling over their light coverage, distinctive powder formulas,  and soft, radiant, and smooth finish. The pressed powders on our list will not only make your skin appear flawless but also blur imperfections and control the unwanted greasy shine. 

We bet some of you run for panic touch-ups at midday or before meetings. But you don’t have to if you have the right pressed powder to start your day with. It helps control excess oil and shine, and leave a fresh natural matte look. A must-have for no-makeup looks or quick touch-ups, some even blur imperfections such as visible pores, blemishes, fine lines, and wrinkles! And we have them all on our list for normal, combination, oily skin, and sensitive-oily skin. So let’s go find the best matte for you!

• 1
  Best Overall

  GLO Beauty Faceglo Skin Beauty Pressed Base - Honey Medium

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The second-to-skin finish of this pressed powder from GLO Beauty will make your skin look naturally radiant. A must-have if you prefer an 'au naturel' look, it contains antioxidants such as vitamin E, green tea, and vitamin C to soothe and nourish your skin. It beautifully masks all imperfections with its semi-matte coverage and has triple-milled minerals that won’t dry, cake, or cause flashbacks. Also, it’s buildable from sheer to full! Suitable for all skin types, it’s free from toxic chemicals such as talc, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and gluten, thus making it a safe option for sunburnt or post-treatment skin.

2

Best for Oil Control

BOBBI BROWN SHEER FINISH PRESSED POWDER - No. 5 Soft Sand

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Mattify your oily skin, or simply touch-up those blushing cheeks with BOBBI BROWN’s SHEER FINISH PRESSED POWDER. Although it’s suitable for all skin types, it has oil-absorbing power to deliver a shine-free sheer coverage. Enriched with vitamin E for nourishment, it blurs imperfections and evens out skin tone to enhance your natural complexion. And it’s free from harmful chemicals too! This pressed powder does not include parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, gluten, sulfites, mineral oil, animal-derived ingredients, and triclosan.

3

Best for Blurring Pores and Aging Lines

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Setting Powder - Translucent

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No more photoshop! This pressed setting powder by it Cosmetics will mask those visible pores and aging lines and nourish your skin. Formulated with Bye Bye Pores Optical Blurring Technology, it blurs imperfections, pores, and fine lines to give you a seamless look. A versatile pressed powder, it contains skin-love silk with a high amount of amino acids to soften and smoothen the skin. And for a skin-firming and younger-looking glow, it has hydrolyzed collagen. The formula also contains antioxidants such as aloe vera, soybean oil, camellia sinensis leaf extract, olive fruit extract, rosa canina extract, grape seed extract, oat kernel flour, licorice root extract, and algae extract. Use it to experience its nourishing bliss on your skin!

4

Best Sheer Pressed Powder

CLINIQUE Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder - 02 Stay Neutral

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Banish the shiny-greasy look with this pressed powder that won’t turn cakey or creasy even after frequent touch-ups! With sheer-medium coverage to give you that flawless natural look, it’s enriched with minerals to nourish your skin. Use it on greasy spots or all over— it’s suitable for dry-combination, and oily skin. Available in multiple shades for moderately fair to deep skin tones, you don’t have to worry about the unwanted shine with this one.

5

Best for Hydrating Matte Finish

COVERGIRL CG Smoothers Pressed Powder - Translucent Light

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This pressed powder by COVERGIRL will enhance your natural radiance effortlessly. It has light-reflecting ingredients to blur imperfections and leave a luminous (not shiny) coverage. Apply it after foundation or on bare skin, it’s formulated with AquaCurrant technology and skin-soothing ingredients such as chamomile that feels soft and hydrating on the skin. With a second skin-like finish that’ll keep your makeup intact, there will never be a dull moment with this pressed powder.

6

Most Long-lasting formula

PÜR 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup

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This 4-in-1 pressed powder from PÜR works magic on both your skin and your selfies! It's the multitasker that your skin needs – it covers, protects with SPF 15, and treats your complexion with skincare benefits. Additionally, it's very lightweight on the skin, and it conceals imperfections without settling into fine lines. All you have to do is just swirl it on your face to get a flawless finish – it's that easy! The best part is that the formula is cruelty-free and vegan-friendly.

7

Best Vegan Formula

bareMinerals BAREPRO

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Give yourself Instagram-worthy skin with bareMinerals' Barepro skin-perfecting pressed powder! This makeup lasts for a full 16 hours on the complexion, making you appear flawless while also improving the skin's texture over time. It also battles sweat, humidity, and transfers, allowing you to feel confident all day long. Plus, it contains plant-based squalene to keep your skin healthy while also being vegan and talcum-free. Depending on the type of your skin, you can apply it dry or wet to achieve your desired look.

8

FOCALLURE Longwearing Oil-Free & Matte + Poreless Natural Pressed Powder - 05 Beige

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Imagine no midday touch-ups to hide the pesky shine! Yep, it’s possible with this long-wear pressed powder by FOCALLURE. It has an ultra-fine texture that leaves an airbrushed and shine-free finish on the skin. Wear it alone or on foundation, it blurs imperfections, fine lines, and pores with its skin-perfecting and blendable coverage. And the best part is, it’s breathable! This means your skin will look fresh and radiant for hours after application. Also, you don’t have to worry about it leaving patches or spots because this powder does not transfer or smudge.

9

COVERGIRL Simply Ageless Instant Wrinkle Blurring Pressed Powder - Fair Ivory

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Here is a pressed powder to mask those premature and mature aging lines that seem difficult to conceal. Enriched with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, this hydrating bliss from COVERGIRL will float over your creases, pores, and wrinkles to leave a younger-looking glow. With an instant blurring effect, it glides on for a flawless matte finish, but without turning creasy or cakey by the end of the day. Apply it on bare skin or over foundation, this pressed powder is a must-try wonder for combination and mature skin.

10

Best Fragrance-free

PHYSICIANS FORMULA MINERAL WEAR PRESSED POWDER - Translucent

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Dermatologist and clinically tested, this one's a keeper for sensitive skin. Free from harmful chemicals such as paraben, talc, and gluten, it is powered by SPF 30 to protect your skin from harmful sun rays. And while protecting and enhancing your natural glow, it also nourishes with a blend of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients. These ingredients include green tea, matricaria flower extract, vitamin E, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, safflower seed oil, and panax ginseng root extract. With ultra-fine mineral powders, it blurs fine lines, pores, and prevents sun damage to give you a gorgeous airbrushed look.

11

Allergy-tested

MAYBELLINE NEW YORK FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS PRESSED POWDER - Natural Buff

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Meet this pore-blurring powder that’ll keep your skin smooth, shine-free, and flawless for up to 16 hours! For an airbrushed finish, it’s formulated with Perlite Mineral technology and has blurring micro powders to make your skin look just like you want it. It enhances your natural radiance by blurring imperfections like visible pores, creases, and fine lines. Also, if you have acne-prone skin, don’t worry! MAYBELLINE NEW YORK FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS PRESSED POWDER is non-comedogenic and suitable for normal to oily skin.

12

Non-cakey Texture

RIMMEL LONDON STAY MATTE PRESSED POWDER - Transparent

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If you don’t step out too often, this pressed powder with 5-hour longevity would be a great choice. Suitable for combination and oily skin, it controls shine and blurs visible pores with its natural mineral content. And lest we forget, it contains aloe vera, vitamin E, and coconut oil to nourish your skin under its flawless matte coverage. Wear it alone or with foundation, it’ll enhance your natural glow effortlessly.

13

jane iredale PurePressed Semi Matte Pressed Powder

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Our next recommendation is Jane Iredale PurePressed semi-matte pressed powder. Unlike translucent powders, this one in the shade of Golden Glow blurs fine lines and nourishes your skin. What we loved the most is the fact that it offers medium to full coverage and a weightless second-skin-like finish. Moreover, it is enriched with the goodness of plankton and algae extracts that deeply hydrate your skin. This product is indeed the best alternative to heavy foundations that you must try to incorporate into your everyday makeup routine.

14

Neutrogena SkinClearing Mineral Acne-Concealing Pressed Powder

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Neutrogena’s pressed powder is a makeup product that offers several skincare benefits. It flawlessly works to help you treat, cover, and prevent breakouts while being gentle on the skin. What left us impressed is the fact that it is formulated with salicylic acid and micro clear technology that unclogs pores for faster and more effective results. Moreover, it is specially crafted for those with oily and sensitive skin. The best part — this fail-proof weightless powder is found in every celebrity makeup artist’s kit.

15

Jouer Soft Focus Hydrate & Setting Powder

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Crafted for all skin types, this translucent setting powder from Jouer is widely popular for its ability to soften, blur, and hydrate your skin. Its lightweight coverage and soft-focus effect are the two main reasons why you should add this product to your cart. Furthermore, it is infused with allantoin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E and aims to deliver antioxidant properties, which then pave the way for youthful and plumped skin. So, why wait? Grab this product today!

16

ZEESEA Pressed Powder

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All you have to do is find the right shade! There you go, these are the 10 best pressed powders for a shine-free and gorgeous natural glow. Need more tips to pick the best pressed setting powder? We’ve got you covered below.

While researching for the best pressed powders, we found this one from Zeesea. It is a fail-proof setting powder that is super silky on the skin. What we liked the most is its triple-milled minerals-infused formula that promises to offer full coverage. Secondly, it is an ideal pressed powder to even your skin tone and smoothen the appearance of fine lines and pores. Trust us, with this product in your hands, you can seamlessly attain a naturally beautiful complexion.

17

M.A.C Cosmetics Blot Pressed Powder

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Lastly, we recommend M.A.C Cosmetics Blot pressed powder because of its excess oil-controlling abilities. Undoubtedly, it is perfectly crafted for oily skin types and known for being a highly versatile pressed powder. You can use it for touching up as well as for setting your makeup. The best part — this product comes with an impeccable sponge, making it the perfect makeup product to use on the go. C’mon, snag it right away!

All you have to do is find the right shade! There you go, these are the 15 best pressed powders for a shine-free and gorgeous natural glow. Need more tips to pick the best pressed setting powder? We’ve got you covered below.

• Skin Type:

Since most pressed powders on our list provide a mattified finish, they are ideally suited for normal, combination, dry-combination, and oily skin. Matte pressed powders are great for controlling excess shine and oil, which is common for those with combination and oily skins. Also, they do a better job than blotting paper if you are looking for the best pressed powder for touch-ups.

• Right Shade

If choosing a new brand, it’s best to refer to your skin’s undertone before buying. If your skin is on the deeper side, go for a shade you deem the closest but has orange or yellow undertones to enhance your natural complexion. If your skin is light, choose a powder with pink undertones. You can also go for 1 or 2 shades lighter to get that radiating look.

• Coverage:

Pressed powders provide 3 types of coverage— sheer, medium, and full. If you are not sure which one would suit your skin, opt for buildable coverage. They go on sheer and can easily build to medium or full, so you can experiment with your look.

• Staying Power:

It’s best to choose a long-wearing compact only if you are outdoors all day, or there are options for short wear and touch-ups to keep your look intact and flawless only for a few hours.

• Safe Formula:

If you are looking for an all-day-wear pressed powder, choose a safe formula free from harmful chemicals such as talc, paraben, phthalates, and more. You can also opt for a dermatologist-tested and clinically-tested powder to be safe. For acne-prone or sensitive skin, it’s best to go for a non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic pressed powder to prevent breakouts or skin irritation.

Never used pressed powder before? Or do you want to use it correctly, read along!

It’s easy! We’ll take you step-by-step:

• On bare skin:
• Step 1: Use blotting paper to remove grease or shine on your skin.
• Step 2: Gently dab the powder on the oily t-zone areas.
• Step 3: Once you’ve covered the creases and oil-prone zones, gently puff the powder on the other sides.
•  
• On foundation:
• Step 1: Make sure to blend out the brush strokes or foundation marks before dabbing pressed powder.
• Step 2: Start by gently dabbing oily areas and then moving on to other sides. If you have mature skin or dark circles, avoid applying too much around your eyes, as the drying texture of the powder can enhance the creases more.