15 Best Setting Sprays, According to Makeup Artists | Vogue

Mar 07, 2025

Products are independently selected by our editors. We may earn an affiliate commission from links.

The best setting spray should feel weightless on the face while still delivering many beauty benefits. From priming skin for a smooth, even makeup application to keeping foundation looking fresh even hours after it’s applied, you can rely on the makeup artist staple to ensure a long-wear, smudge-free complexion without the need for touch-ups. It’s the perfect finishing touch that locks everything in place, ensuring that your makeup stays as flawless as when you first applied it—whether you’re dealing with a busy day at work or an evening out on the town. The beauty of a great setting spray lies in its ability to protect your look from the elements, whether it’s humidity, heat, or even that dreaded midday shine.

Plus, many formulas go beyond just locking makeup in place—they can prep your skin, hydrate, mattify, or add a glowing touch. After all, you’ve spent the time crafting your beauty look, so you won’t want your hard work to go to waste. Why not give it that extra layer of staying power, knowing your face will look just as polished hours later as it did when you first stepped out the door? Below, find Vogue’s edit of the best setting sprays for priming and setting a flawless makeup look, all the while hydrating and soothing the skin.

Charlotte Tilbury

Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray

NORDSTROM

SAKS FIFTH AVENUE

Ilia

Blue Light Mist

NORDSTROM

AMAZON

ILA

Tatcha

Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

AMAZON

TATCHA

VIOLET GREY

So Natural Powder 4 Room

All Day Tight Makeup Up Setting Fixer

AMAZON

YESSTYLE

ONE/SIZE

On 'Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray

SEPHORA

Morphe

Continuous Prep & Set Setting Mist+

AMAZON

NYX

Matte Finish Setting Spray

AMAZON

MAC Cosmetics

Prep + Prime Fix+ Primer and Setting Spray

NORDSTROM

Hourglass

Veil Setting Spray

NORDSTROM

AMAZON

BLUEMERCURY

Urban Decay

All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

AMAZON

Skindinavia

The Makeup Finishing Spray

AMAZON

Benefit Cosmetics

The POREfessional: Super Setter Pore-Minimizing Setting Spray

NORDSTROM

REVOLVE

Too Faced

Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer & Setting Spray

NORDSTROM

AMAZON

Fenty Beauty

You Mist Makeup-Extending Setting Spray

FENTY BEAUTY

Anastasia Beverly Hills

Impeccable Blurring Matte Setting Spray

NORDSTROM

DERM STORE

What is a setting spray?

“A setting spray is a spray that prolongs longevity to makeup, and acts like a sealant,” says makeup artist Natalie Dresher, who works with social media personalities like Dylan Mulvaney and Remi Bader. “It works by spraying a mixture of polymers and water to the face, preserving the makeup and setting it in place on the face.” Dresher’s go-to setting sprays are Cover FX High Performance Setting Spray for all skin types and One/Size by Patrick Starrr On ‘Til Dawn Waterproof Setting Spray for clients without sensitive skin.

How To Choose a Setting Spray:

“You have to know your objective for setting spray before making your selection,” says makeup artist and brand founder Jenny Patinkin. “Looking for keywords like ‘dewy,’ ‘oil control,’ ‘waterproof,’ or ‘lasting’ will help you get to the right formula for your desired outcome. There are also setting sprays that are marketed as protection from blue light.”

How do you know if a setting spray is working as it should? “In general, the spray should not feel drying, or make your skin feel itchy and taut,” says celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose, whose clients include Lily Gladstone and Lupita Nyong’o. “Your makeup should look fresh, and never dull, once the mist settles.”

How and When To Use Setting Spray:

“My favorite way to apply a setting spray is in a snowflake motion—up and down, in an X formation, and horizontally across the face—to ensure 100% of the face has been sprayed,” Dresher notes. She advises using a setting spray as the “very last step” of a makeup routine, though other facial sprays can be used at various points throughout the day to freshen up skin and makeup.

Alternatively, a setting spray can be used for targeted shine control. “I like to apply a mattifying setting spray to one of my damp Jenny Patinkin Green Tea Makeup Sponges, and then gently press it into the T-zone, only where oil and shine control is needed,” Patinkin shares.

Who is a setting spray best for?

“Setting spray is for anyone who knows that they need extra long wear time or wants their makeup to look perfect in any weather condition,” Patinkin says. “I use it more in the summer to protect makeup from melting off in heat and humidity, and I always recommend it for brides and bridal parties so that their makeup looks perfect in photos from start to finish.”

What’s the difference between a setting spray and a finishing spray?

Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, setting sprays and finishing sprays do have some differences. “Setting sprays create a barrier to help your makeup last longer,” says film and television makeup artist Vasilios Tanis, who has worked with Sydney Sweeney, Dakota Johnson, and Jennifer Coolidge. “They can save you time as you’ll need fewer touch-ups.” Some of his go-to setting sprays include Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray and Hourglass Veil Setting Spray.

On the other hand, Tanis says: “Finishing sprays provide more emollients to moisten the skin and create a dewy look, with or without makeup. They can also be used as a skin revitalizer—a pick-me-up for your skin.” His skin-rejuvenating picks include Lotion Yon-Ka Phyto-Aromatic Treatment Mist and Byroe Hibiscus Tea Glow Mist.

Meet The Experts: