The Best Setting Sprays for Makeup That Won’t Budge
April 28 | 5 minute read
Words by Danielle Gay
These next-gen setting sprays do more than lock in makeup. Delivering hydration, oil control, radiance (if that’s your finish of choice) and – of course – serious staying power, that final spritz might just be the hardest-working part of your routine.
Setting sprays have had a glow-up. Once simply considered the finishing touch to hold makeup in place, now, the best setting sprays are designed to help address your skin concerns, too. Boasting an ingredient list to rival your favourite serum, these sophisticated formulations can provide deep hydration, control excess oil and even target visible signs of ageing.
A surprisingly hard-working product in your beauty arsenal, the right setting spray can do it all, while leaving you with a flawless finish. And the beauty of a setting spray is that it allows you to do exactly that: whether it's a matte finish, dewy and glazed or an impossibly lit-from-within glow, there’s a setting spray to match.
These are the standout setting sprays we know are worth the hype. Lock it in.
Best Setting Spray for Long-Lasting Makeup
Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
A bestseller for a reason, this setting spray has recently been reformulated to reach even greater heights. Now promising to lock in makeup for longer than 24 hours (yes, really!), All Nighter works by leaving a flexible, skin-like film over the complexion that literally will not budge. Beloved by makeup artists globally, it uses patented Temperature Control Technology to regulate heat, keeping makeup from smudging, melting or fading. Never drying, this transfer-proof mist can also be used to prep the skin, as a spritz between layers to set your base, or as an instant refresh to make everything look freshly applied.
Best Setting Spray for Oily Skin
MECCA MAX Life Proof Setting Spray
Want oil control without the matte effect? This formula uses fast-drying, film-former particles to reduce shine and prevent foundation from smudging, fading or separating, particularly around the T-zone. Hydrogenated castor oil is a hero ingredient, giving this super setting spray a good dose of hydration without the slip. A MECCA Makeup Specialist favourite, keep it on hand for a quick afternoon spritz or to control midday shine in seconds.
Best Setting Spray for Sensitive Skin
Clinique Set The Day Setting Spray
Backed by Clinique’s sensitive skin principles, this multitasking formula will set your look without leaving your skin feeling flushed or tight. Made without fragrance or alcohol and approved by dermatologists, it doubles as a salve for reactive, redness-prone skin that needs some extra love. Packed full of soothing aloe water and a boost of vitamin E to shield against aggressors that age the look of skin, this fine mist protects both your makeup and your skin barrier. Did we mention it leaves behind the most natural, barely-there dewy finish?
Best Setting Spray for a Flawless Look
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
You’ll find it on every ‘best of’ list – Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray lives up to its name (read: airbrushed, flawless). Loved for its long-lasting hold, the formula acts as a veil over the skin, preventing makeup from creasing, fading or settling into lines. Part of its secret is in harnessing an aromatic resin from the bark of a tree grown on the Greek Island of Chios, which has a blurring effect and actively works to clear pores. Using super hydrators like aloe vera and Japanese green tea, the result is a glowy – never oily – just-applied effect, even in a Euro summer heatwave. This cult product does it all: primes skin for makeup, sets it in place, adds radiance and lets you forget.
Best Setting Spray for Hydrating Skin
M·A·C Cosmetics Fix+ Stay Over
A long-wear setting spray that’ll ensure your base is budge-proof, while flooding it with hydrating ingredients like glycerine and panthenol (and without alcohol, so it’s non-drying). Not quite dewy, not quite matte, Fix+ Stay Over offers a soft, second-skin luminosity. One spritz binds moisture to the skin, creating a flexible, light-reflective layer that prevents foundation from looking flat, patchy or powdery. Plus, it’s long-wearing, weightless and totally transfer-resistant.
