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When it comes to glam, a little effort goes a long way. Whatever your level of skill is, chances are that adding a swipe of blush here and a stroke of mascara there can do wonders for your confidence — and we want that mood boost to last. Although we love a setting powder for long-lasting coverage, some of the best makeup setting sprays also offer a super-quick solution for looks that stay put.
Related: The Best Setting Powders for Long-Lasting Coverage on the Red Carpet and Beyond
For the uninitiated, setting spray is essentially a makeup finishing spray that helps prevent makeup from smudging, creasing and fading, allowing you to look your best for a lot longer than without it. In addition to the consistency contrast, another difference between setting powder and setting spray is the former also helps mattify makeup while the latter adds a nice boost of hydration that’s shine-free or glowy, depending on the formula.
Whatever your setting style is, there’s likely an option for you. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best setting sprays to reach for right now, from MUA kit essentials to celebrity-owned favorites to a TikTok GRWM regular.
BEST long-lasting makeup setting spray
Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix 24HR Hydrating Setting Spray
All-day coverage in a nourishing formula
A MUA kit mainstay is Make Up For Ever’s hydrating setting spray, which contains hyaluronic acid and aloe vera to help set makeup while enhancing radiance and increasing hydration for up to 24 hours. (Celebrity makeup artist Priscilla Ono once used it on client Iggy Azalea at the 2015 Grammys.)
BEST waterproof makeup setting spray
Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray
Up to 16 hours of stay-put makeup
Urban Decay’s waterproof setting spray is a TikTok favorite with millions of hits for good reason. This Allure Beauty Award-winning spray keeps makeup in place with a unique, temperature control technology that helps keep skin cool while preventing makeup from smudging for up to 16 hours.
BEST Lightweight SETTING SPRAY
E.L.F. Matte Magic Mist & Set
A vitamin-packed spray for less than a latte
At just $6, E.L.F’s setting mist is a super steal and is formulated with aloe, green tea, cucumber and vitamins A, C and E. In addition to keeping face and eye makeup in play all day, the Jennifer Coolidge-backed brand‘s setting mist promises a matte, shine-free finish.
BEST AFFORDABLE MATTE FINISH SETTING SPRAY
NYX Professional Makeup Matte Finish Setting Spray
16 hours of matte, looks-just-applied coverage
NYX makeup artists (and beyond) love NYX Professional Makeup’s vegan Matte Finish makeup setting spray, which helps reduce shine and leaves a fresh, just-applied look for up to 16 hours. Want a different finish? The brand also offers Dewy and Plump formulas.
BEST pro artist-beloved makeup setting spray
Skindavia The Makeup Finishing Spray
A 16-hour formula for a natural-looking, smudge-proof finish
A favorite of professional makeup artists, Skindinavia’s The Makeup Finishing Spray comes in classic, bridal (read: sweat- and cry-proof) and oil control options — all of which offer a fine mist that protects your look no matter where you are or what you’re doing. The lightweight and breathable formula can be used before or after makeup to leave a natural-looking finish.
BEST Drugstore SETTING SPRAY
Milani Make It Dewy 3-In-1 Setting Spray
A dewy, illuminating finish for up to 16 hours
For a naturally dewy look, Milani’s setting spray comes in an illuminating formula that delivers a subtle stroke of refreshing shine that keeps makeup in play for up to 16 hours.
BEST dewy makeup setting spray
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Dewy Long-Lasting Setting Spray
Up to 12 hours of dewy wear
Milk Makeup’s setting spray‘s secret weapon is blue agave extract, which creates a layer of protection on skin to lock in makeup for up to 12 hours. Other key ingredients in this glow-promoting spray include hemp-derived seed extract, aloe and vitamin B3.
top-selling Makeup Setting Spray at sephora
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
A pore-blurring formula for a natural-looking finish
Beloved for her signature glam looks, celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s namesake line is filled with beauty best-sellers — and the Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray is no exception. The lightweight, alcohol-free formula contains aloe vera, Japanese green tea and a special resin sourced from a tree native to the Greek island of Chios, which all work to keep the pores clear, lock in makeup and leave the skin hydrated and smooth.
BEST priming and setting spray
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Always An Optimist 4-in-1 Prime & Set Mist
A celebrity-approved multi-tasking, glow-giving spray
Selena Gomez has a hit on her hands with Rare Beauty’s prime and set mist, which sets the skin with hydrating boost of glow. Ingredients include niacinamide to improve the appearance of skin, sodium hyaluronate for a plumping effect and a soothing botanical blend of lotus, gardenia and white waterlily.
BEST PORE REFINING spray
Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Super Setter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
Up to 16 hours of matte, pore-blurring wear
Benefit Cosmetics’ The Porefessional Super Setter pore-minimizing setting spray is a best-selling classic and lives on the favorites list of more than 30,000 Sephora shoppers. Not only does this waterproof and smudge-proof mist help makeup last for up to 16 hours, it also contains pore-blurring powders that visibly reduce shine for a mattifying finish.
BEST Makeup Setting Spray for oily skin
Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray
A long-lasting matte and waterproof finish for oily skin
Yet another winner from Urban Decay, the De-Slick Oil Control makeup setting spray lives up to its name and features the brand’s patented Temperature Control Technology for a smudge- and shine-free finish.