Compared

Setting spray vs setting powder

Powder absorbs; spray binds. Loose powder takes oil out of the surface so the base does not break up over it, and it is pressed where you actually shine, which makes it a targeted job. A setting spray is a mist that pulls the whole face into one layer and takes the powdery look back off. They are not alternatives. If you are oily, the powder is the one solving your problem; if the base is holding but reads as makeup rather than as skin, the spray is. Buying one when you needed the other is the usual reason neither seems to do anything.

Urban Decay

All Nighter setting spray

Anyone whose base looks powdery, and anyone out for a long evening

Pros

A fine mist rather than droplets, so it does not disturb what is underneath
Sets base and blush together instead of needing powder over each
A natural finish rather than a matte one, so it does not flatten the skin

Cons

It does not absorb oil — on very oily skin it is not a substitute for powder
There is alcohol in the formula, which very dry or reactive skin can find tightening

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Laura Mercier

Translucent loose setting powder

Oily skin, and anyone whose base creases or slides in the same places every time

Pros

Loose and translucent, so it goes exactly where it is needed rather than over the whole face
Absorbs oil at the surface, which is the one job a spray cannot do
Translucent rather than tinted, so there is no shade to match

Cons

Over-applied it reads as powdery, particularly on dry skin and in photographs
A jar and a puff: it is not something to carry

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Side by side

	Urban Decay	Laura Mercier
What it does	Binds the layers into one and takes the powdery look off.	Absorbs oil so the base does not break up over it.
When it goes on	Last, over everything.	After base, on the parts that shine.
Skin it suits best	Dry and normal, and anyone avoiding a matte finish.	Oily and combination.
Finish	Natural — skin rather than makeup.	Matte, where it is applied.
Portable	A bottle. It lives at home or in a big bag.	Loose powder and a puff, which is a mess to carry.
The tell you need this one	The base is holding, but it looks like makeup.	The base splits or slides by the middle of the day.

Everything above is about what these products are, not about tests we ran — we do not test products, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Prices live on Amazon, where they change hourly, so we never quote one.

Do you need both setting powder and setting spray?

The order is base, then powder only where you shine, then spray over the whole face: the powder does the absorbing and the spray takes away the dusty look the powder leaves behind. If you are only going to own one, own the one that matches the problem your skin actually has rather than the one that appears in more videos.

What neither of them can do

Neither will rescue a base that was wrong underneath. If foundation separates in the same place every time, that is a skincare or a formula mismatch, and nothing laid on top of it will hold it together.

Your turn

What should we dress next?

An occasion you cannot find anything for, or a product you want us to look at properly.