11 Best Setting Sprays, Ranked From Natural Matte to Melted Popsicle

Size: 2.87 oz | Coverage: Light | Finish: Radiant | Vegan

Rating: Glow goddess | The Good: Ideal for the summer months, not only for keeping your makeup up intact but for keeping your face cool and hydrated — it was my favorite for that midday refresh or reset and has a divine scent | The Bad: Because it is more of a mist, with lighter coverage, I felt that I needed to use a lot of product to fully set my makeup

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty Optimist Mist goes one step further than Too Face’s three-in-one combination. The fan-favorite spray takes care of not one, not two, but four different steps: It can be used to hydrate, prime, set, and refresh. Yes, Selena thought of all the things — my favorite being that it has a refreshing spa-like mist and scent. When I sprayed it for the first time (using it as a primer), I immediately felt more relaxed, as if I were getting a treatment at a luxury spa. It really took me there! I also thought this is the type of product I want with me when I travel, so naturally, I bought the travel size. You can easily throw it in your bag for a mid-flight or mid-vacation day refresher. It’s also just great for the summer heat and anytime you need a second to cool down. I used the mist as both a primer and setting spray for a day of back-to-back events, which had me out into the evening.

And while I was concerned about sweat marks on my metallic dress, one thing I wasn’t worried about was the sweat melting off my makeup. My glam lasted for a solid eight hours (!). It was only slightly faded, and nothing smudged or smeared. Overall, I still looked acceptable by the time I left my last event at 10 p.m. after leaving my apartment around noon.

Size: 4 oz | Coverage: Waterproof, long-wear | Finish: Natural

Ranking: Natural matte | The Good: A full-coverage setting spray with true longevity that you can feel working right away | The Bad: Might be a little sticky when you first spray it on and the mist often gets on my shoulders (but as someone who always highlights their collarbone area anyway, I guess that’s not terrible?)

For the marathon events, like weddings and anything where you know you’ll be out for ten-plus hours, Charlotte Tilbury’s Party All Night and Stay All Day setting spray is the one that lives up to its 16-hour-long-wear promise. The spray, which also primes and sets, was my favorite for longevity — and I put it to the test with an outdoor wedding in peak humidity, 90 degrees, and, oh, and some rain. Halfway through the wedding-day extravaganza, after sitting outside during a humid and slightly drizzly ceremony and tented dinner, my makeup was still thriving. Despite the sticky atmosphere, I still had a nice matte finish and my face stayed pretty locked. One girl during the dinner even complimented me on my lasting visage and asked me how my face was holding up in the heat. After several hours of jumping, dancing, and truly soaking sweat, it was pretty inevitable that my makeup was going to fade by the end of the night — at that point, it had been almost eight hours outside.

When I finally got home and looked in the mirror, I was pretty shocked to find that my face had only slightly faded. And, honestly, I was sad that it was time to take it off because I was still feeling it. My eyebrows were actually still pretty fierce, which for me is a big deal and one of the things I always have to fix because I normally fill in my brows with a pencil, so if my eyebrows are still set and haven’t smeared, I’m happy and I call that a success.

Size: 3.4 oz | Coverage: Waterproof, long-wear | Finish: Matte | Vegan and Cruelty Free

Rating: Natural Matte | Good: This is one of those beloved setting sprays that is known for keeping your face in tact. Your pores tighten a bit as soon as you spray it on, so you have that feeling of “Okay, it’s working.” | Bad: Much like hairspray, the texture is a bit sticky and the smell is pretty potent.

If you’re someone who regularly uses setting sprays, you’ve probably heard the hype about Patrick Starrr’s version. Known for its mattifying properties, the ONE/SIZE On ’Til Dawn setting spray is a great option if you’re looking for a strong, waterproof formula. I really put this product to the test, wearing it on extra-sweaty days, in some blustering winds (that had my eyes watering), and even for 24 hours straight one day. Despite these conditions, my makeup still looked airbrushed. So when it comes to maintaining a natural matte finish, this spray reigns supreme. Of course, by the end of the day, there were some faintly smudged brow lines and under eye foundation creases, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a minor touch-up. The aerosol applicator — and the mist itself — mimic a can of hairspray. It’s potent but in a good way. Once you’ve sprayed it on your face, you can feel it working, melting into the makeup and tightening the pores. Much like Urban Decay’s “All Nighter” setting spray, it feels a bit heavy on the skin (since it really locks in your makeup). If you prefer a more luminous look but still want your makeup to last all day, I suggest layering this product with one of the glowy sprays from Rare Beauty or Charlotte Tilbury.

Size: 3 oz | Coverage: Long-wear | Finish: Radiant

Rating: Glow Goddess | Good: Succeeds in its promise of both long-lasting wear and fresh luminosity that looks effortless flawless. | Bad: It doesn’t have the best smell and doesn’t have the most wide-set spray, can also be a bit wet.

I am a NARS girl. From the blush to the lip glosses and shadows, NARS has always been one of my all-time favorite makeup brands. And if you’re a fan of the brand’s viral Light Reflecting Foundation, like myself, you can now take your foundation glow to the next level with NARS’ new hydrating setting spray made to further enhance skin for an illuminated, glow-perfect complexion. Excited to use the new skin-enhancing mist, I first put the spray to the test for a special glam red carpet evening where I needed my makeup to look radiant while staying in place for the duration of 8+ hours. To ensure an extra glow effect, I used the NARS Light Reflecting Hydrating Primer. In applying my full face of makeup, which included a bold red lip, I layered the setting mist to ensure extra hold. And while I’ll admit the scent of the setting mist isn’t my favorite and the way the product sprays on is a bit strong and wet (as opposed to a lighter micro mist), none of that matters because my makeup was firmly set. I could feel a slight tightening of the skin after spraying on the mist, but it wasn’t overbearing — just that affirming enough to know that the makeup was setting in and melting in place. Another thing I loved about the spray? It also locks in hydration giving your face a natural luminescent glow. When it came time to take it off at 3 a.m. the following day, apart from some slightly smudged red lipstick and light foundation creasing, my makeup was still well in tact to the point where I probably could have gone a few more hours with the same face. Call it the power of the primer-setting spray duo, or just the magic of NARS.

Size: 4 oz | Coverage: Waterproof, long-wear
| Finish: Matte | Vegan and Cruelty Free

Rating: Matte Goddess | Good: Smells like a sweet and fresh summary, floral perfume while holding up to its “Stay Spray” name. | Bad: Has a light, almost powerdy feel after it sets is certainly one of the better transfer-proof sprays, but not 100 percent.

If you’re a fellow “Tartelette” than you’re most likely familiar with the brand’s best-selling “Shape Tape”products and concealer. So it only makes sense to protect your face with the accompanying setting setting spray. Marketed for 16-hour wear, the popular Stay Spray is ultimately pretty light for a spray that guarantees long-lasting definition. But that’s the best part about it: It’s a micro-fine, weightless mist that lightly dissolves into the skin. And while I enjoyed the scent and lightness, on the flip side, I did feel like I had to mist my face more than probably recommended because it almost felt too light? But a little more spray never hurt anybody and if anything, more security? However, after wearing the spray a few times in 90-plus-degree temperatures, I did find the spray to be solidly water and sweat-proof, and less transfer-proof than most. Now, would I completely rub my face on my white shirt with my makeup on? No. But when it came time for the white tee pull-over-the-head situation, there was a lot less residue than there would be without the spray, that’s for sure.

Size: 3.4 oz | Coverage: Long-wear | Finish: Natural | Size: 4 oz | Size: 4 oz | Vegan and Cruelty Free

Rating: Glow Goddess | Good: It’s a clean beauty spray that smells like fresh oranges and sunscreen, so you instantly feel like you’re getting that natural summer glow. | Bad: The mist is indeed “ultra-fine” as described by Sephora, which almost propels you to spray it on more than 4-5 times it suggests just so you can really feel that your face is secure.

I wasn’t very familiar with Caliray before testing out the California-based clean beauty brand’s setting spray. But it has over 300 reviews on Sephora and a nearly five-star rating, so I knew I had to take the plunge. I tested this spray on a few warm beach days to see if it could live up to its “surf-proof” claim. And after a full day of sunshine, water splashes, sweat, and sandy wind — I was surprised to discover that it did (for the most part). It smells like summer in a bottle and the lightweight mist does a great of refreshing and shielding the skin. As someone with eczema and sensitive skin, I love the hydrating and clean beauty elements of this spray; it’s infused with skin-care ingredients like prickly pear and agave extract, so it won’t dry out your skin throughout the day. My only critique is that I didn’t find this spray to be super waterproof (I noticed some fading and smudging around the eyes, brows, and lips when my face got wet).

Size: 4 oz | Coverage: Long-wear | Finish: Radiant | Vegan and Cruelty Free

Rating: Glow goddess | The Good: Smells like a piña colada due to the fact that it’s infused with coconut water and probiotic-based ingredients to help revive the skin for both priming and refreshing | The Bad: Has a more forceful spray and feels very wet; I felt like my face was a little drenched after, resulting in me dabbing off a bit of product as opposed to letting it air-dry

If you’re looking to prime, set, and refresh your face, look no further than Too Faced’s Hangover Rx three-in-one, a fantastic combination of a reviving primer and long-lasting setting spray. It has a delicious peachy, piña-colada scent, so spritzing this setting spray on your face is a truly refreshing experience. I whipped it out on a 90-degree day to keep my full glam from melting off. First, I used the product as a primer, spraying a light layer on top of my face moisturizer before applying my makeup. Because the formula is more on the wet side (as opposed to a barely-there mist), you automatically get a moisturized complexion to start working your makeup into.

After applying my makeup, I proceeded to spray on a heavier layer to set my face in place. I found the dual prime-and-set claim to be effective. Even after a few hours of being out in the heat, my makeup was still locked in place. That same day, I was pleased to discover that my makeup was still intact after an impromptu neck massage I decided to get during an event. In fact, the masseuse even told me I had “good skin and great a complexion!” (And this was after being on several subways, running around outside, and, of course, sweating.) I honestly didn’t even feel the need to totally “refresh” my face with a spontaneous spray during the day … but I did pull it back out just for that yummy scent, which is a great reviving pick-me-up in itself.

Size: 1.3 oz | Coverage: Long-wear | Finish: Matte| Vegan and Cruelty Free

Ranking: Natural matte | The Good: Lives up to its mattie-ifying promise; my makeup was locked in with a supersmooth matte finish just minutes after spraying it | The Bad: Similar to the Too Faced, I also found this spray to be very wet and a little sticky upon application

If you want to ensure that your makeup is locked in and smooth as can be, this is certainly the answer to your shine-free prayers. Milk Pore Eclipse is the product that you want to use for that supersmooth finish that almost looks airbrushed. Just minutes after applying the setting spray (despite the somewhat wet texture), I noticed an instant matte-ifying effect — so much so that, after I set my makeup, I went back to try and touch up my brows and it was hard to wipe away my original browline. The product was truly locked. So for its matte-ifying magic, I gave the Milk setting spray a near ten out of ten. As for holding up in the heat? The formula did a pretty solid job of gripping my makeup and keeping it in place. On this particular day, while wearing the setting spray, I was dripping sweat from my forehead to around my nose and the top of the lip area.

And while I felt as if my face were legit melting, I was surprised to discover that my makeup was not. When I did eventually grab a tissue to dab my face, some makeup residue transferred, which is to be expected. However, the majority of the makeup that remained on my face was still supersmooth. It looked completely untouched! Once I relocated back into an air-conditioned room and my face had time to dry, my makeup settled back to a flawless matte finish. You would never know that ten minutes prior, my face had seriously been dripping.