Facial Sprays 101
Facial sprays, if used correctly, can drastically improve your makeup application from start to finish. Refresher sprays, finishing sprays, and setting sprays are all must-haves in their own ways and are great additions to your makeup routine. I rely on facial sprays to keep my skin hydrated, avoid the dreaded cake-face, and ensure that my makeup lasts all day without budging. Here’s what separates them…
Refresher Spray
My Choice: Evian Facial Spray
A refresher spray is a water-based, mineral balanced, PH neutral facial spray meant to hydrate and freshen the skin. My mother always carried a travel size Evian Spray in her purse while I was growing up. It’s great to mist as a little skin pick-me-up while I’m on the go, and it’s TSA approved which makes it perfect to prevent mile high dry skin.
Many refresher sprays get bad reps because people try to use them as finishing sprays and setting sprays, while they are truly a category of their own. They do not have ingredients that interact with makeup and are just meant to provide hydration, although they will make your face look less cakey by oxidizing the makeup. This is what Evian says…
A delightful cool mist to rehydrate skin and revive makeup. This powerful cleansing mist removes perspiration, harmful salt, or chlorine. It instantly soothes and rehydrates sun-burned or wind-chapped skin, leaving you with a beautiful, radiant complexion. Spray your desired amount to keep makeup fresh and replenish much needed moisture.
Finishing Spray
My Choice: MAC Fix+ Skin Refresher/Finishing Mist
Finishing sprays are highly hydrating tonics; very similar to refresher sprays but with the addition of all natural ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, and caffeine. MAC Fix+ has a light, refreshing fragrance and is widely considered to be a “holy grail” product because of how multi-purpose it is. It provides a natural, dewy glow to skin while helping makeup mesh together, all the while preventing cake-face.
Fix+ helps to tone down overdone makeup without having to start over. It can be sprayed all over your face before moisturizing, before applying foundation, before applying powder, and after applying powder. I like to spray it on my buffing brush before blending liquids, creams, and powders alike. Fix+ is also my go to if I need to dilute a foundation, revive a cream, make shadows more vibrant, or turn a pigment into a shadow. Unlike a refresher spray, the added ingredients in a finishing spray allows for interaction with makeup. This is what MAC says…
An aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, and cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!
Setting Spray
My Choice: Urban Decay “All Nighter” Makeup Setting Spray
Setting sprays seal your makeup and should be the final step in your special events makeup routine. While refresher sprays and finishing sprays are all natural and can be used on a daily basis, setting sprays contain synthetic ingredients such as very gentle versions of vinyl copolymers which are also found in hairspray. While this sounds a little bit scary, it enables the setting spray to defend makeup against humidity and sebum.
Urban Decay “All Nighter” Spray is made in collaboration with Skindinavia, the makers of the original setting spray. Both sprays contain the same 17 ingredients, though in different concentrations. “All Nighter” is weightless and keeps makeup looking fresh for up to 16 hours. There are versions for both oily and dry skin, however, the original formula is the only I’ve tried and it is said to be the most powerful. Makeup really won’t melt, crack, or fade with this setting spray which makes it essential for a night out or extra long days on the job. This is what Urban Decay says…
Is makeup meltdown ruining your midnight mojo? Mist on this weightless spray to give your makeup serious staying power. Developed in an exclusive partnership with SKINDINÄVIA, this groundbreaking, clinically tested formula is suitable for all skin types and features patented Temperature Control Technology. It actually lowers the temperature of your makeup to keep foundation, eyeshadow, blush, and concealer in place—even in hot and humid or cold and windy conditions. The result? Smoother-looking skin and vibrant makeup that lasts all day (or night) without melting, cracking, fading, or settling into fine lines.
xxLK
(Some of these items may have been sent to me for review, however, all opinions and words are my own)
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Love this. I find setting sprays really good when you dont wanna look too powdery and it doesn’t make your foundation look greyish when you top it up during the night!
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I notice a huge improvement when I use setting sprays
xx
Good information. Thanks for posting!
Reblogged this on Janicesequoi.
Great info!
I’m really glad you made a post on the distinction!! I love the MAC spray, but I’ve been wanting to try the Evian spray for a while now–I always see it in the travel section in Sephora.
Love this post. Very helpful! X
Very helpful post. Does the Fix + last a decent amount of time considering all of the things it can be used for
I think for Fix + the purpose is to mix your makeup together seamlessly, to make eyeshadows more vibrant, and to avoid cake face. It isn’t meant to make your makeup long-lasting, for that I use the Urban Decay all nighter spray which makes things last realllllly long
xx
Oh okay, thanks for the clarification! Do you have any other recommendstions for setting sprays? I’ve been looking at the Model in a Bottle one
The setting spray mentioned in the post, all nighter by urban decay, is my favorite— that or Skindinavia which was the original setting spray, that helped create the Urban Decay spray and is what most makeup artists use I believe. Haven’t heard anything about model in a bottle
Oh okay. I use the All Nighter but it doesn’t work as well for me. I’ve also tried the De-Slick one, but that broke me out :/ I’ll take a look at the Scindinavia one, thanks!
Lovely. And very chic looking. It has given me an idea. Thank you!
So much info . I love it . X
Such a great informative post! I’m interested in trying Evian spray.
Thanks for this breakdown! :o)
Awesome post! Right now I’m using Lush Eau de Roma as a refresher spray. I guess they’re also good for hydrating the skin when travelling to places with harder tap water.
I have always wanted to try the evion setting spray! Thanks for the tips.
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I absolutely love fix plus!! I use it before i after i moisturize and for almost every eyeshadow! Just straight on the brush! It does wonders for the pigment! Love your blog by the way! So very put together. As a new blogger, literally my first ever, i could learn a lot frok yours!
So sweet 🙂 xx
Fix+ from MAC is great! Love your review 😉
Love this post! I think a lot of people get these sprays confused. At one point my Ulta was out of the Evian spray so I tried the Caramance spray. It was a bit cheaper and still pretty decent.
Great post! You cleared up a lot of questions I had about sprays 🙂
great post! I use MAC Fix+ and i love it! I need to try Urban Deceay now.
Very helpful post! I really hate powders but would love some setting power for my foundations on long days. Do you prefer the UD setting spray for long work days or just carrying the evian spray to spritz on as a refresher later in the day?
Mmmm it really depends. The setting spray is going to actually keep your makeup on and in place. The evian spray is only going to liven up your skin a little and make you feel refreshed– so it depends what the goal is. To be camera ready at the end of the work day, UD. To just not feel so bleh, Evian.
xx
I’ve been playing with the idea of trying out sprays for my makeup. this is easily the most useful review I’ve seen. Thanks so much for sharing.
Stile.Foto.Cibo
Thank you! If there are any other reviews or tutorials you’d like me to do, just let me know 🙂
xx
I mean, I’m working on getting to know make-up that isn’t eye or lip so any reviews or suggestions or really anything you have in the realm of foundations, powders, etc. would be very welcome. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing.
One more follow up. Apologies for two in a row. I nominated you for a thing. Here’s the thing
Haha I am guilty of that as well. The UD has a much finer mist than hair spray so it not only is better for your skin, it also works better.
xx
Excellent, ill be giving it a go! Thanks for the tip ☺️ xxx
OOOOO! definitely going to have to try!
I am in love with my MAC Prep & Prime. You can most definitely cancel whatever day it is if I don’t have it! BTW I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award <3
I am obsessed with the Urban Decay Setting Spray, I never leave the house without spritzing it all over. I keep hearing such good things about the MAC Fix + so now I am fully convinced that I need to go buy that. Such an amazing post! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Love UD All Nighter! Wouldn’t be without. Great post.
this is a great post! very well written, informative and useful to distinguish the difference between the types of product! xo
Love MAC Fix!!! It is the BEST! I also love the Evian spray. My other favorite is Caudelie Beauty Elixer because I love the scent. I have it stashed at my desk and in my travel bag 🙂
I have the Urban Decay All Nighter, I love it! It’s great to spritz on before work it keeps my makeup lasting those long 8 hour days.
I got this UD’s setting spray for a wedding, a good while ago, and only used it once. But I’ve been having some problems with my mineral foundation looking too cakey recently and am looking for a good spray – not really to preserve my makeup, but make it look less powdery…
Any NATURAL suggestions maybe?
: )
I like all your choices! I use a refreshing spray from a brand called Sukin and I definitely want to try out the UD setting spray! 🙂