Setting powder and setting spray have different roles in your makeup routine, darlings. Learn the differences between setting powder vs setting spray and discover why you should be using them together.
7 minute read
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Setting powder is a makeup product that’s used to set, finish, brighten and blur the look of your complexion. The most common types of setting powder are loose setting powder and pressed setting powder. Powder makeup is generally applied after cream and liquid products like foundation and concealer to set them into place, creating a smooth-looking, velvety skin finish and improving the longevity of your look. Powder is also useful for mattifying skin in areas that are prone to looking oily like the centre of the forehead, around the nose and on your chin – it’s a must-have for makeup touch ups! Tapping setting powder onto smile lines and under the eyes can also help to prevent makeup creasing.
AIRbrush Flawless Finish is the setting powder of celebrities + stars! This award-winning compact powder is found in clutch bags around the world, standing by to give complexions everywhere my world-famous smoothing and blurring AIRbrush Effect. The micro-fine pressed powder formula veils skin and feels soft like cashmere, never looking too matte, too powdery or caked on. It’s the perfect finishing powder to make your complexion look airbrushed and flawless!
Discover the best shades of setting powder for your skin tone
Setting spray is a makeup step that’s designed to set makeup into place. They are sometimes referred to as fixing sprays because they are formulated to lock down your makeup, helping to prevent products from slipping and sliding around your face or fading away too quickly. Setting sprays can come in a variety of formulas and whether you choose a dewy or mattifying setting spray will influence the finish of your overall makeup look. The fine mist that setting sprays apply with can be useful for meshing powder products with your complexion, helping to melt away any visibly powdery texture to make your complexion appear smoother and more skin-like.
AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray is my high-performance setting spray that locks makeup into place for up to 16 hours!* I always finish my makeup looks with a fine mist of setting spray to create a magic mesh that brings the look together. Applying my setting spray ensures longevity and a flawless finish – it’s a must-have makeup secret that should live in every makeup bag! I like to prime skin with AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray before applying foundation to create a flawless base for makeup, then spray it on to complete the look, as well as spraying on throughout the day as a makeup refresher.
Shop AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray
Discover the differences between setting spray and face mist
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Setting powder and setting spray have natural synergy as they are both intended to set makeup into place to help it look smoother and last longer. However, there are some notable differences between setting powder vs setting spray that you should take into consideration when setting your face:
Liquid vs powder format: Setting powders are finely milled powders that sit on top of skin to create a smoothing and blurring effect, whereas setting sprays are liquid formulas that mist over skin to create an undetectable makeup-fixing film.
Removes excess oil: While mattifying setting sprays can help your complexion to appear more matte, they don’t have the same effect on excess oils as setting powder. Applying setting powder onto oily skin mattifies your complexion by soaking up excess oil, removing unwanted shine and helping to keep oily skin at bay.
Different shades: Setting sprays don’t contain makeup pigments and appear clear on the skin, whereas setting powders give your complexion a hint of extra coverage. Setting powders come in a variety of shades including skin tones that mirror your natural complexion, pinks and peaches that can be used to colour-correct dark circles, and translucent to provide an invisible finish.
Fills in fine lines: Both setting powder and setting spray can help to prevent makeup from creasing by setting it into place, but setting powders can also fill in fine lines to create a smoothing, soft-focus effect. Powder pigments veil over fine lines and wrinkles, creating cashmere-like coverage that makes them appear blurred and less apparent.
Waterproofs: Darlings, did you know that some setting sprays are waterproof? My AIRbrush Flawless Setting Spray is a waterproof formula that enables makeup to be ultra-longwearing for up to 16 hours* whether you’re at the beach or caught in the rain! Setting powder will help your makeup last longer, darlings, but setting spray is the secret to long-lasting, waterproof insurance for your look.
Meshes powder products with skin: Powder makeup products can leave a powdery appearance on skin if they are applied onto dry skin or caked on without sufficient blending. You can use a setting spray to alter their texture; it mists onto powder makeup and helps it to mesh with the rest of your complexion products, making it appear smoother and more seamless.
Primes skin: Setting spray can also double as a makeup primer. Once you have applied setting powder, you can run into difficulties when trying to apply products on top such as makeup lifting or caking. Setting spray on the other hand is formulated to create a flawless film that other makeup products like foundation can apply seamlessly on top of. It feels weightless to apply and can be used to prime skin for foundation.
Mattify oily areas of the face such as the T-zone
Perfect the look of your complexion in a flattering shade for your skin tone
Soft-focus and blur the appearance of fine lines
Makeup touch ups to remove unwanted shine
Waterproof your makeup look
Remove powdery skin texture
Prime skin before makeup application
Refresh makeup throughout the day
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With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.
