Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Review

Hello friends!

How are you doing today? Hope everything is fine your side. Today, I am here to share about the latest addition to my summer skin care regimen which is from Clinique. We all know that Clinique is a blessing for oily/combination skinned beauties with problematic skin, like me. However, we do have our share of disappointments with this brand – be it the formulation or its performance,  sometimes! I have tried Clinique cleansers & facial moisturizers before and find them quite decent,  though I feel that Dr Dennis Gross skincare products work much better on my weird skin type than Clinique. But, the hefty price of Dr Dennis often alters my choice and I always have to look out for that perfect alternative which is still a mission impossible to me!

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Anyway, I picked this Sheer Pressed Powder from Clinique a while back for my daily use purpose,  especially for days when I am in hurry and just want to buff away oil off my face, exclusively for summers. I can say that it did fulfill my wish up to good extent, not completely though. I won’t say it disappointed me totally, but for 24 bucks I was really expecting great qualities and long lasting performance from it. Let’s find out more about it!

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Product Description:
Benefits: Controls Oil
Skin Types: 2, 3, 4

Shine-absorbing, oil-free formula. Ultra-sheer texture gives skin a perfected matte appearance. Great for oily skin and oily spots. Maintains a fresh look and feel, even after frequent touch-ups.

How to Use:
• Apply with Powder Brush or included sponge applicator.
• Can be used all over face, or just on oily spots.
• Sponge applicator is washable with soap and water; allow to dry completely before next use.

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Price:
$24 for 0.27 Oz (7.6 g), exclusive of shipping and taxes

My Experience with Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder:

Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Review

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Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder is available in a wide variety of some 13 shades and I am sure every Indian beauty will get her choice. I was so confused between “Invisible Matte”, “Stay Cream” & “Stay Buff” shades as they all looked more or less similar in store, but I finally zeroed in on “Invisible Matte”, a neutral beige shade considering my need for natural matte look. I am quite satisfied with this shade as it does not impart any color to my skin but removes oil off my face because this is what I wanted from my everyday skin care regime.

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The packaging of this pressed powder is so classy with textured sea green compact packaging and CLINIQUE embossed in silver near opening of flip top cap just looks ultimate! It also accommodates an inbuilt mirror and a sponge applicator of good quality. I am happy to see that sponge applicator is re-washable which is much needed in summers. However, I would have appreciated an extra compartment for keeping the sponge rather than keeping the used sponge over product.

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It really bothers me a lot even though they provide a sheer plastic sheet which ensures no direct contact between the sponge & product inside, but I am not sure how long I will preserve that thin sheet. 😛 Overall, I still find it user friendly and travel friendly, packaging wise.

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The powder seems finely milled and not chalky unlike other pressed powders. The sturdy sponge applicator picks up the right amount of product every time and evenly soaks up oil off my face. I can see that it effectively absorbs every trace of oil and grease off my skin leaving my skin perfectly matte for good 4-5 hours alone over moisturizer. I don’t see any significant reduction in my pore size, though!

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Moreover, using it over makeup does not make any special difference either as it performs well for same 4-5 hours even on my makeup. Now honestly, I feel even my L’oreal Pressed or Loose Powder performs the same way and for good 4+ hours on my skin alone and there is no such difference in their formulation. Then, why not choose L’oreal as it comes for almost one third of the price of this one? I was actually seeking for long lasting matte effect which is, sadly, not delivered by this Clinique powder even when we are not experiencing humid summers!

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I also observed that using it generously on skin sometimes accentuates my dry skin patches and fine lines. I see its utility as a good touch up powder to simply dab on skin to get rid of excess oil, but I cannot rely totally on this pressed powder the whole day! Since it does not give any coverage, it can be tricky for problematic skin when used alone, now that we know it hardly controls shine for 4-5 hours!

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Using it as a setting powder might be a good idea provided we use good quality foundation and primer as this pressed powder won’t do the trick! I can only recommend this to combination or oily skinned beauties with problem free skin — only if you are looking for a decent matte pressed powder to overcome shine, touch ups. Even it would work well for beauties with acne prone skin as it does not clog pores nor it ever caused breakouts on my skin.

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However, we do get similar quality in many drugstore brand face powders and they are much cheaper as well. Hence, I am not convinced to get it again anytime, I am searching for another alternative to this powder which gives me shine free skin in summers for 6+ hours, wish me luck guys!

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Let’s sum up pros and cons:

Pros of Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder:

• A lightweight, sheer pressed powder designed for every skin type
• It is mild enough to be used on acne prone skin
• It does not clog pores or make my skin to breakout
• It does soak excess oil and grease off skin for good 4-5 hours
• It works fine as a setting powder over foundation & primer like any matte pressed powder
• It does not accentuate any issues on my problematic skin, thankfully
• The shade does not impart any color, hence works fine as an everyday matte face powder for me
• The sponge applicator is of good quality and is washable
• Quite attractive and travel friendly packaging

Cons of Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder:

• Keeping a used sponge over the product bothers me even if they provide a thin plastic sheet to separate them
• I was expecting long lasting power of more than 5 hours
• I didn’t see any visible blurring of pores after using this powder
• It might be tricky for dry skinned beauties
• Using it generously might highlight dry patches and fine lines
• It seems pricey especially when it uses almost similar ingredients, like talc, mica, to any normal drugstore skin care formulation

Well honestly, I see no difference between this Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder and my L’Oreal Pressed Powders. Also, L’Oreal is way cheaper than this. I don’t see any logic of reaching for this powder when we can get any good quality matte powder in drugstore brands! This would be a skip for me!

IMBB Rating:
3.5/5

Clinique Blended Face Powder and Brush
Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Medium Dark
NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Foundation
MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder
Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder
NARS Sheer Matte Foundation

IMBB RECOMMENDS

8 thoughts on “Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Review

  1. I like the packaging; it is different from other pressed powders but sad to see that the performance isn’t!

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