Now, tell me why we decided that in order for your makeup to last all day, it had to be matte, huh? Like, who's idea was that? Personally, I would like my skin to look juicy, plump, and hydrated by way of my fave skin tints and dewy foundations. But if I want my makeup to last, it seems I've gotta coat it with mattifying setting powders and setting sprays. In fact, nearly all of the makeup-setting formulas in my arsenal get rid of the glow I worked so damn hard to achieve. Wtf gives?
I finally have my answer: Milani's Make it Last Setting Spray. It's got a natural finish that leaves my skin looking like—you guessed it—skin, while keeping my face-full of products unbothered for a whole eight hours.
I know what you're thinking: Isn't setting spray just glorified water? Sometimes! But this one is way more special than that (more on the full ingredients list breakdown below, ofc). Needless to say, I fell in proper love, but before you pick up your own bottle, read all of the details on why I love it below.
Milani Make It Last Original Natural Finish 3-in-1 Setting Spray and Primer
Pros:
It primes and sets my skin.
Here's the trick to makeup that doesn't budge: Priming skin, and then setting your makeup. But who tf has the time or money to add both of those separate steps to their routine? Luckily, this setting spray formula acts as both. I spritz it on as the first step of my makeup routine (after sunscreen), do my whole face—foundation, concealer, powder, blush, mascara, brows, all of it—then spritz again. The spray really helps grip onto my makeup as I'm blending it on, then keeps it intact once it's applied.
I tested this a few different times—as just a primer, as a setting spray only, and as both—and I noticed the longest wear when I spritzed it on before and after my makeup application. This kept my makeup on for a solid eight hours, save for the concealer on my breakouts fading a bit more quickly than everything else (which is the case no matter what I do). And it was so quick and easy to incorporate into my routine with just a few spritzes.
Before I spritzed this on, my skin looks a little dull. But after (which is a whopping seven hours later, might I add), my skin has so much life. My acne is peeking through a lil bit and I have some shine on my T-zone, but overall, my skin looks good.
It gives my skin a pretty, glowy finish.
The star of the show is how freakin' natural, glowy, and fresh this setting spray makes my skin look. The formula is loaded with hydrators, like glycerin, niacinamide, and watermelon extract, to gently moisturize my skin, while castor oil adds a dewy finish to top it all off. Heck, I even have been spraying it on top of my tinted sunscreen before the gym or going on walks, because I just love the finish it leaves on my skin.
It's so. damn. affordable.
I'm talking less than $15 for a 2.03 fl oz bottle, which is damn good if you're used to dropping coin at Sephora. Plus, you can find it at basically any drugstore and at Amazon, where you'll get it in two days with Prime shipping—win.
The mister is so fine and ~luxe~.
You know those face mists that just douse you in liquid, leaving you perplexed and ~drenched~? This isn't one of those. The mist comes out so fine and delicate that I barely notice it on my skin (probably because the formula's glycerin absorbs so quickly). It makes the act of spritzing it on feel so fancy and not at all like I'm working with something that costs less than my lunch.
It feels so cooling (which I <3 for summer).
So I've def been over-spraying the hell outta this, because it just feels so good on my skin. And in the depths of summer when my face feels like it's overheating, I just know I'm gonna be stuffing this in my bag to cool me down.
Cons:
It doesn't mattify your face.
If you've got majorly oily skin, you're prob still gonna need to have a setting powder on hand to touch up any shine. I just always keep a mattifying powder on hand (my fave is the Fenty Beauty Invisimatte or Etude House Zero Sebum, FYI) to touch up throughout the day when my oil comes through, so it's an easy fix. IDK about you, but for me, dealing with a lil shine is totally worth it for the fresh, radiant look I get from this spray anyway.
It's not *the* most long-lasting setting spray I've ever used.
Sure, my makeup lasts longer when I spray this on than when I don't (especially if I use it as both a priming mist and a setting spray). But it's not what I would use before dancing and sweating at a three-hour Eras Tour show, tbh. I liken this formula to something to add some life and dewiness to my skin while slightly extending my makeup's wear, not something that's gonna make my full-coverage glam hang on for dear life. And for me, that's fine! But consider what type of makeup vibe's you need your setting spray to give ya before you hit checkout.
The bottom line:
If you, like me, will never, ever, ever go back to the flat-matte, overly powdered skin trend of the early Y2K era but find yourself needing a little something-something to keep your makeup on all day, you can't go wrong with Milani Make It Last Setting Spray. I mean, it costs less than my almond-milk matcha latte in NYC—it's a no brainer, babes.
It's not totally budge-proof (not like you should be wearing your makeup for 24 hours anyway), but it gives me eight hours of wear, no touch-ups required, all the while making my face look so healthy and bright. That refreshed, I-just-got-so-much-sleep-and-drank-all-my-water-and-had-amazing-sex glow? I'll take it over a crusty face that lasts all night.
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Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
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