Budget Beauty: Six good setting powders under P600

Setting makeup with loose powder is a non-negotiable step for an oily girl like me, but what other people may not know is that it’s something even non-oily types should be doing, too! After perfecting your base makeup, you really don’t want all your hard work to transfer, get shiny, or fade away in this humidity. A good setting powder can save you from all those mishaps, and you don’t even need to spend a whole lot of money for one that really works. We rounded up some of our under P600 favorites for you to try, or you might want to consider switching if your current HG is making your wallet cry!

3W Clinic Professional Natural Makeup Powder (P250 from Mei Satsuki). Formerly known as DoDoPalgantong Theatrical Powder, this very popular setting powder from Korea comes in huge tubs of 30g and 50g each. It was popular among theater actors since it keeps their makeup from melting due to the hot lights on stage! It comes in three shades: Translucent Pearl (for that glowy look), Light Beige (for light skintones), and Medium Beige (for medium skintones). Use this if you’re heavy-handed and tend to apply too much: it still won’t cake! The light floral scent is quite nice, too.

Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder (P260 from Althea PH). It’s constantly sold out and it’s not hard to see why. The white powder has a very fine texture that becomes “invisible” when applied on the skin. It has a pore blurring effect and helps control sebum production, plus the mild, minty scent also makes it feel more refreshing.

Catrice Nude Illusion Loose Powder (P599 at SM Beauty). Don’t let the white, flour-like appearance fool you. This product is the secret for creating “a soft focus effect for a flawless, and long-lasting matt effect”. It instantly makes your skin look smoother and keeps you shine-free for hours.

Nichido Final Powder (P150 at department stores). You can’t get a better or cheaper bargain than this drugstore find! It’s often been called a dupe for Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, because it keeps skin matte but doesn’t cling to dry patches.

Etude House Zero Sebum Drying Powder (P398 at Etude House boutiques). The cocktail of citrus oils and other extracts in this powder formula work to make the skin look and stay matte. The lemony scent is lovely, and you only need a small amount to stay shine-free.

Ellana Sheer Velvet Primer Powder (P399 for a refill at ellana.com.ph). This is a dual purpose powder that can be used as both a primer or a finishing powder. The finish is HD-worthy, much like a local dupe for another much more expensive powder, Make Up For Ever HD Powder. However you choose to use it, you can be sure that this white powder will do a good job of blurring your pores and lines as well because of its smoothening abilities. Take care not to accidentally breathe in the powder while applying though, because the powder is extremely refined and can cause irritations if you inhale it. Very little goes a long way!

Do you use finishing powders? What are your favorites?

Crystal Rodis-Concepcion

Age range: 24-29

Skin type/shade: light with yellow undertones, oily, sensitive and acne-prone

Skin concerns: large pores, scars, blemishes, whiteheads/blackheads, spider veins

Hair type: naturally curly, thick, color-treated

Hair concerns: hairfall, dandruff and frizz

Eye shape: hooded

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