The most trustworthy setting sprays for flawless makeup that lasts all day
Set it and forget it
In an ideal world we’d apply our makeup, and it’d last all day, and well into the night too.
But unfortunately, it doesn’t.
Instead, we live in a world full of sweat, rain, and 3pm oily skin spills.
So we arm ourselves with a face prepped with primer, a face powder for setting it all down, and a setting spray to melt and lock all the layers of our makeup together.
PSA: The best setting sprays are alcohol-free, packed full of skin care, and help to prolong the inevitable demise of your makeup — and our top picks do just that.
The Best Setting Sprays Of 2023
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
Meet the reason Charlotte Tilbury’s long list of celebrity clients are able to maintain perfect faces of makeup after hours in front of awards show cameras. It provides weightless hydration and a flawless finish for up to 16 hours after application. Plus, the skin smoothing and pore-blurring formula can be applied as a skin prepping step or as the final step in your routine to set your makeup.
$49 at Charlotte Tilbury
GUCCI Brume De Beaute Glow Hydrating Mist
A true handbag companion, Gucci’s hydrating mist preps, sets and refreshes the skin with a collection of soothing, protective and sealing ingredients (antioxidant-rich black rose oil and hyaluronic acid to name a few). These little helpers boost hydration for up to 48 hours, protect from environmental aggressors and leave the skin looking glowy and radiant.
$110 at Sephora
RARE BEAUTY Always An Optimist 4-In-1 Mist
If you love the way niacinamide and hyaluronic acid make your skin look, then you’ll love how this mist transforms your makeup. The multi-use formula contains the two skin care ingredients to plump and smooth skin.
$48 at Sephora
Smashbox Photo Finish Endurance Setting Spray
The ultimate makeup product for a ‘one-and-done’ kind of person, this setting spray creates a lightweight breathable barrier over makeup. It smooths, perfects and hydrates the complexion, and ensures your makeup is waterproof, transfer, sweat and humidity-resistant.
$53 at MECCA
Holme Beauty Setting Spray
We reach for this setting spray when we’re trying to achieve that laminated skin look. It’s infused with soft light-reflecting particles that boost radiance, while hyaluronic acid, Kakadu plum and radicare gold hydrate, brighten and refresh the complexion.
$49 at Holme Beauty
MILK MAKEUP Hydro Grip Makeup Setting Spray
To reap all the benefits of this dual-phase formula, you’ll need to shake before you spritz. The combination of the blue agave-infused gripping serum and the green cannabis-enriched glow serum sets makeup for up to 12 hours and instills skin with a glass-like glow.
$59 at Sephora
M·A·C Cosmetics Fix+ Stay Over
We love the original M·A·C Fix+ ($45 at M·A·C Cosmetics) — it’s a classic — but this alcohol-free version is a great alternative for sensitive skin. It utilises microscopic film-former particles to form a weightless barrier and lock in makeup for 16 hours.
$49 at M·A·C Cosmetics
MECCA MAX Life Proof Setting Spray
If dry skin is keeping you from being your best glowy self, spritz this stuff all over your face, and change the narrative. The formula is enriched with hydrogenated castor oil, which boosts water retention and prevents moisture loss.
$26 at MECCA
Morphe Continuous Setting Mist
Give your skin a boost of hydration before or after makeup with a light misting of this setting spray. It melts makeup into skin, minimising the risk of cakey and fading makeup.
$26 at MECCA
SEPHORA COLLECTION Makeup Setting Spray
Want to stop your makeup from settling into your fine lines and pores throughout the day? This setting spray creates a heat and humidity-resistant, and transfer-proof protective film over makeup. The result? Perfect makeup for up to 16 hours after application.
$29 at Sephora
Need more than just a setting spray to keep your makeup in place? These are the must-have waterproof makeup buys for an unbudgeable beauty routine.
Main image credit: @charlottetilbury
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
