Charlotte Tilbury vs Urban Decay: Which make-up setting spray is best?

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Whether you prefer make-up setting spray to powder (as many with dry or dehydrated skin often do), or you simply want every layer of insurance you can possibly get for your painstakingly crafted maquillage, make-up setting spray is an indispensable tool for many a beauty junkie.

After all, there’s little more frustration than watching your foundation melt away, your contour disappear and your complexion start to go blotchy, especially if you woke up early to apply it all in the first place.

For many years, Urban Decay’s all nighter has been the holy grail product, with glowing reviews across the board. As the UK’s number one best-selling premium setting spray, it’s achieved cult status for its staying power and long wear.

The classic formula is the firm favourite, but the brand also makes other versions, with mattifying and extra radiant finishes.

The challenger? Charlotte Tilbury’s airbrush flawless setting spray. From an equally-beloved brand, the new product claims to help keep make-up looking “just applied” and has a light, fresh scent. 

Unlike Urban Decay’s, it’s also designed to be used as a primer as well as a setting product, and aims to perfect your make-up without making it look cakey or dull, all while blurring pores for an airbrushed look.

Most make-up setting sprays, like these two, work by using a polymer dissolved in a solvent. When you spray it on your face, the solvent evaporates, leaving behind a polymer “film” that locks in make-up and provides some waterproofing.

The solvent can also diffuse your make-up slightly to make it look more blended. There are also setting sprays that don’t have polymers, but these are more of skin refreshing sprays which rehydrate the skin, like MAC’s fix+.

Both promise 16-hour make-up insurance, so there’s nothing left to do but put them in a head-to-head trial...

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