So, I fully admit that I’ve been very skeptical of the Setting Sprays that seem to be popping up everywhere over the last few years. I’ve finally decided to actually try them out and decide for myself if they’re worth taking an extra 5-10 seconds every morning to spray on my face.
Urban Decay has 3 sprays, which were recently somewhat reformulated. I’ve been using them over the past 6 weeks or so, and let me tell you it’s been quite the scientific experiment! I have notes galore, I’ve been spraying on half of my face or the full face, trying with different primers to see if it made a difference and tallying up oil control sheets, etc. Basically, I’ve been dramatically over thinking it.
Here are my findings.
All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
Yes, this definitely helps things last a lot longer than they would have otherwise. I don’t have a wild and crazy social life (I have a 2 year old!), but it definitely did help my makeup last over 14 hours and look perfect the entire time. I could really tell that it worked when I sprayed it on half of my face. By the time I was ready to go to sleep I looked fresh and perfect on half, with mostly gone foundation and smeared blush on the other.
De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray
I’m definitely oily in my t-zone, and I do sometimes resort to using Milk of Magnesia as a primer to help mattify my face. Nothing else compares to how much oil that Milk of Magnesia can get rid of, though I did have hopes that this would be a good alternative for days I was expecting less shine (like in the winter).
It definitely does get rid of some of the shine (you could see a huge difference between the left and right sides of my face on days I did half and half), but it doesn’t totally get rid of all my shine. I have combination skin, but I’m not super oily. It definitely isn’t enough alone, but I thought it was a good product to use in combination with powder or if the Milk of Magnesia even wasn’t quite enough for you. It also did a good job of increasing the wear of my makeup, though it isn’t quite the All Nighter. It’s about 90% All Nighter’s lengthening ability and the de-oily strength was about 50% of milk of magnesia for me. If that comparison helps.
Chill Cooling and Hydrating Makeup Setting Spray
Here’s the bit where I fully admit that I have no idea what the purpose of this spray is. That’s likely because I’m trying it out in Michigan. In the winter.
Yes, it does feel a little cool when I spray it on, but I don’t really notice that lasting for more than a few minutes. It does lengthen my makeup, but about the same as De-Slick. The All Nighter is definitely the best at that. I think this one I need to try out again in the humidity of a hot July summer.
Overall, I do think the couple of seconds spent spraying is worth it. The All Nighter is my Makeup Setting Spray of Choice, though if oil or heat are an issue you can sacrifice a little staying power for other added benefits. Are you spraying your face? What one are you using?
Iām a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!
So glad you did this review! I think the All Nighter needs to find a home in my makeup case. It may a necessary extra step needed for weddings in July.
I've got Skindinavia sprays that I bought a while ago. I'm on the fence about them. Sometimes they help but if it's hot flash time, forget it, nothing will help.
I've been really skeptical about setting sprays, but I really appreciate your "overthinking" and your very thorough review. I really think I'll give the All Nighter spray a try, or maybe the De-Slick š Thank you so much!
I love the idea of these sprays but the reality of their effect on skin is equivocal. They are, essentially, hairspray for the face. The second ingredient in every one, after water, is SD-alcohol a known skin irritant that promotes free-radical damage in skin cells, even at very low concentrations (<3%). Frequent applications of even low concentrations of SD-alcohol actually cause cell death and, while initially reducing oiliness, can cause irritation at the base of the pore which eventually increases oil production. While I might use one of these sprays for a special occasion, I would not even consider using them on a daily basis.
(Sources: Archives of Dermatologic Research, July 2008, pages 311ā316; Dermatology, January 2003, pages 17ā23; and Medical Electron Microscopy, March 2001, pages 29ā40), as quoted at beautypedia (dot) com.
moushka26 (at) yahoo (dot) ca
Very cool. I haven't heard of setting sprays but glad to learn of them.
I mist my face frequently, but to be honest I just use regular moisturizing facial mists instead of dedicated "setting sprays" because setting sprays often contain a high % of alcohol, which I find to be irritating. The trick is to find one that isn't too "wet" feeling, which I'd imagine is a bit harder if you have oily skin.
I got the De-slick for free when placing a large order and I think it's ok. I def. want to try the All-nighter now though!
Really glad you tested these so thoroughly! I have De-Slick and All Nighter mini sprays, and have been kind of using them interchangeably hoping that I'd notice the difference. I do think the All Nighter works pretty well for me, but the De-Slick doesn't make a big enough difference to be worth it, I think. I'd guess it's better to find a good mattifying primer.
I've noticed the all nighter and the de-slick have the exact same ingredients. Do yours have the same ingredients?
I don't have the boxes any more, so I can't check, but I wouldn't be surprised. The ingredients have to be listed in order of how much is in the product, but the proportions can still be slightly different. They do work a bit differently for me, so I don't think they're identical.