Lock It In: 9 Best Setting Sprays You Need for All-Day Makeup Wear
What’s all that hard work on your makeup application if it’s only going to melt off? Regardless of the weather or amount of glam, implementing one of the best setting sprays is key to your makeup routine the way skincare is key to the health of your body’s outer layer. Spritzing a setting mist or fixing mist over your complexion will lock your makeup in place for the day or night ahead. Forget this step, and you’re bound to regret it hours (or minutes) later. At the end of the day, who wants runny mascara and crusty or creasing eyeshadow ruining your outing?
“Setting spray helps your makeup last longer, while toning down the powdery effect that setting your makeup with a loose or pressed powder will give your skin,” says makeup artist Cristina Montemayor.
“It can lock makeup in place for 12-16 hours, and you can wear your makeup for a long time knowing it will be set in place until you’re ready to wash it off.”
Setting sprays are a dime a dozen these days, but there are only a handful we'd dare deem the best in the makeup setting spray game. Whether your skin type is dry skin, oily skin, or combination skin, or you want a natural finish, dewy finish, glowy, or matte, there's the right mist for you on this list.
Meet the Expert
Cristina Montemayor is an Austin-based makeup artist who specializes in beauty, bridal, and commercial makeup.
1. Best Waterproof Setting Spray:
URBAN DECAY All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray
We love a two-for-one! Not only is URBAN DECAY’s iconic launch a long-lasting setting spray (we’re talking 16 hours here), but this one also helps protect your skin against environmental damage. “URBAN DECAY All Nighter is the OG to me, the best setting spray. It doesn’t give you a super matte or shiny finish. It locks everything in place without changing how your makeup looks,” says Montemayor.
We can thank minerals, including zinc, magnesium, and copper, that protect against free radicals within this formula. These free radicals can lead to signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles. It also features temperature control technology so your makeup never melts off. Sweat and humidity is no match for this setting spray.
2. Best Setting Spray on a Budget:
BEAUTY CREATIONS COSMETICS Strawberry Setting Spray
If you love BEAUTY CREATIONS for their deep, longwear pigments, you can expect the same reliable wear with this setting spray. We love that even in the hottest temps, our makeup stays on like glue. We also get a nice mist of hydration with every spritz. For an on-the-go drugstore product, this really meets the mark.
3. Best Longwear Setting Spray:
ONE/SIZE On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray
TikTok raves about this product, and for good reason! Created by OG beauty guru Patrick Starrr, this award-winning spray offers 16-hour waterproof, rub-proof, transfer-proof, mattifying benefits. It also smells good, thanks to a mix of green tea, cucumber, citrus, and melon.
4. Best Setting Spray for Oily Skin:
KIMCHI CHIC BEAUTY Stage Proof Matte Setting Spray
Ready set, set! This positively reviewed product ensures oiliness is gone, makeup is here to stay. We love a little shine, but no need to look greasy. This easily transportable spray offers a smooth, longwear finish that won’t slip and slide.
5. Best Pore-Minimizing Setting Spray:
BENEFIT COSMETICS The POREfessional: Super Setter Pore-Minimizing Setting Spray
Consider this setting spray your secret weapon in the ongoing battle to minimize your pores. This mist offers a matte finish, and we also notice a huge difference in the appearance of our pores before and after using it. Excess shine won't be a problem either, thanks to the spray's microfine mattifying powders.
6. Best Setting Spray for Sensitive Skin:
SHADES BY SHAN The Setting Spray
Setting sprays can be chock full of toxic or excessive ingredients that can compromise our skin—especially if we have sensitive skin to begin with. We’re big fans of this spray in particular because it’s a water-based, alcohol-free formula infused with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ginseng extract to help visibly minimize pores and leave a soft-focus finish.
7. Best SPF-Packed Setting Spray:
COOLA Organic SPF 30 Makeup Setting Sunscreen Spray
There’s nothing worse than finishing a full makeup look on a hot summer day only to realize you forgot to apply sunscreen. Thanks to COOLA's Organic SPF 30 Makeup Setting Sunscreen Spray, we’re able to set our makeup and apply sunscreen in one invigorating, green tea-scented spritz. It’s also great for touchups while you’re out in the sun.
8. Best Multitasking Setting Spray:
TOO FACED COSMETICS Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer and Setting Spray
This setting spray is so much more than just a setting spray. It also works as a primer and refreshing facial mist, so we love using it before applying our makeup products, after applying our products, and all throughout the day to keep our skin looking and feeling refreshed. Why use three products when one does all the work? Consider your beauty routine simplified.
9. Best Setting Spray for Mature Skin:
LAURA MERCIER Translucent Pure Setting Spray 16Hr
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Therefore, it only makes sense that the brand with arguably the most beloved translucent setting powder happens to have an equally solid setting spray. Not only is it longwear, but it goes on gently and feels comfortable on the skin. It also ensures the makeup looks smoother, keeping it from seeping into fine lines and wrinkles—which is tough as we age.