Five genius ways to use your facial sprays WITH makeup
We all want the same thing after spending hours of perfecting our makeup: a photo-ready look that lasts forever, or at least until the end of the day! Just as styled hair needs hairspray and manicures need a top coat, a finishing touch at the end of our primping session can make a huge difference!
Primer sprays, fixing sprays and facial mists may have differences in how they function but share a common advantage: an easy-to-use way to get your face looking on-fleek! Depending on your concern, there are three usual options: primer sprays, face mists, and setting or fixing sprays.
- Face mists are often formulated with skincare ingredients to restore hydration to the skin. It's often used as part of the skincare prep routine, or as a quick refresher throughout the day.
- Primer sprays are also part of the pre-makeup prep, in much the same way as normal primers. Because the mist is usually very fine, the product is usually more evenly dispersed and dries pretty quick.
- Setting or fixing sprays are for anyone who wants to extend their makeup wear, but mostly for those with oily skin. It keeps the product underneath intact, difficult to rub off, and resistant to slipping.
Of course, different formulas will have different results but more importantly, these products aren't just good for spraying on your skin. We tried five beauty hacks that make the most of these spray-ons, by mixing them with makeup!
Brow Tamers
It's a struggle keeping my unruly brows in place. Since I have very thin and uneven brows, I always brush them up before I apply any brow product. Forget about hairsprays and wondering if it's going to cause your skin to break out; get a proper setting spray that's actually designed for facial use.
I sprayed the Milani Make It Last Setting Spray (P550 at Chedelyn’s Cosmetics) directly onto my brow spoolie and brushed it through my brows my brows as normal. I like this better than merely misting over the area because the spoolie coaxes each individual hair into place without looking clumped over. It also gives a more polished look!
Killer Staying Pow(d)er
If your brow powder is just not cutting it, you can use a setting spray to keep your brow products from fading! Due to my current brow condition, I usually go in first with a brow pencil to outline my brows. Afterwards, I spritzed my brush with Nature Republic’s Aloe Vera Gel Mist (P260 at Althea) before dipping it into my favorite brow powder - the IN2IT Waterproof Eyebrow Colour (P349 at Watsons) - to fill in my brows. The colors look more vibrant and intense, too!
Intensify Eyeshadow Pigments
If your eyeshadow applies patchy or doesn't seem to pack much pigment, makeup artists recommend wetting the brush applicator in a technique called foiling. Instead of using just plain old water though, why not use a priming mist instead? The Ellana Multipurpose Mineral Pigment in Beam (P199 at ellanacosmetics.com) is a gorgeous, loose color pigment that can send powder flying everywhere if not applied with care, and a little extra help! To minimize fallout and make the colors really pop, I dabbed my flat brush into the pigment and wet it with a bit of MAC Fix+ (P1,200 at MAC Counters) before slowly patting the eyeshadow on my eyelids.
I used Fix+ particularly for this trick since it has a known bonding agent. This instantly reduced fallouts and it made the shimmery shadow appear more vibrant! You can also use this trick with matte eyeshadow.
Give Blushes an Extra Oomph
I always find blushes to be the first to fade throughout the day so I was particularly excited for this hack! I simply dip my brush into my Ever Bilena Blush Duo in Baked Fig (P220 at Watsons), making sure its evenly coated with pigment, before spraying my brush with the Nature Republic Aloe Vera Gel Mist. I gently deposit the product onto my cheeks in a slow circular motion until I get the right amount of color. Don’t panic if it looks intense as the color has a tendency to dry lighter after a few minutes. The face mist adds moisture to the brush so the finish is a bit dewy rather than flat matte, and I noticed that my cheek area did not get oily as quickly. My blush stayed on the entire time while giving me a healthy glow!
Amp Up That Highlight
Want your highlight to give full-on drama? Breaks some rules and take it to the next level - by putting on your setting spray before highlighting. After applying all of my face powder products, I misted my face with a couple of spritzes of the Milani Make It Last Setting Spray, focusing on the highest point of my cheekbones. After letting it dry, I packed my brush with pigment from the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter (P379 at Watsons) and tapped it lightly onto my cheekbones. By applying a setting spray first, it served as a “moisture” base for a slick, wet highlight!
Here is my face with all products freshly applied. The first thing I noticed is how my brows look perfectly defined, without a single hair out of place! My photos don't quite do justice to how the blush and highlighter blended seamlessly on my cheeks. The eyeshadow also stuck well onto my eyelids - there were no fallouts whatsoever.
I wore this look for a full eight hours to see if using the setting sprays mixed with my makeup will help it last longer. In the photos below, you'll see minimal fading on my brows. I didn't apply any primer but surprisingly, the shimmery eyeshadow is still intact, though with slight transfer to the lids. My blush and highlighter are also still present and give my cheeks a soft glistening effect. Love it!
I'm pretty happy with how this experiment turned out, and the new and different ways I've discovered for using my face spray collection! Of course, using a good makeup setting spray normally has its advantages but I find that incorporating it into makeup routine is just as promising!
Thinking of trying this out? Consider getting a face mist and a finishing spray. The Nature Republic Aloe Vera Gel Mist worked well for me but I'm trying it next with my Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe & Rose (P445 at Rustan's), which is supposedly more hydrating.
If you want a spray that instantly fixes and seals your makeup, go for the MAC Fix +. It has really impressive bonding powers, even for mixing with eyeshadow, that it's actually a cult status favorite among makeup artists.
Do you have facial sprays in your collection? What do you think about these beauty hacks? Will you be trying them out?
