I’m a sweaty girl living in a currently scorching world, but, according to just about every beauty vlogger on TikTok, that’s no heavy task for One/Size’s On ‘Til Dawn Setting Spray—after all, we’re talking about the viral mist that got Beyoncé through her summer 2023 Renaissance Tour. Usually, keeping my makeup intact during New York City’s hottest days requires a heavy mix of mattifying primers, powders, and mists reapplied throughout the day, but once I heard all the praise about this setting spray’s 16-hour hold on the fullest of glam, I had to experience this finishing mist for myself. After all, if it got Queen B through hours of belting and choreography, how can One/Size let me down during a summer night of debauchery with friends?
Think of this setting spray as your makeup equivalent to a max-strength hairspray, just without the stickiness or crunchy feel. According to Charlene Valledor, a Los Angeles-based cosmetic chemist and founder of brand incubation agency SOS Beauty, the key ingredient that gives this setting spray its look-locking abilities is methacryloyl ethyl betain/acrylates copolymer, a group of film-forming copolymers comprised of acrylic acid. “This additive creates a thin, waterproof, continuous film on the skin, protecting makeup underneath from sweat, water, and smudging,” she explains. Valledor adds that magnesium carbonate is also included in this formula to absorb excess oil and mattify skin.
As you can expect during the peak age of makeup’s skinification, One/Size’s setting spray contains two complexion-perking additives for your pores to enjoy: anti-inflammatory green tea extract and oil-balancing witch hazel, the latter of which is especially great for grease-prone skin types like mine. “Historically, in its purest form, witch hazel is used as an astringent to contract the skin’s tissues to give the appearance of smaller pores and draw oil [from the skin],” Michelle Henry, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, previously told Allure.
Before it came down to putting One/Size’s viral setting spray to the test, I pulled out the works and applied a full face of makeup, which is a rare occurrence for me, but duty calls in the name of investigative journalism.
When applying my full-frontal beat, I followed New York City-based makeup artist Glenn Brownell’s golden rule for makeup: less is more. “To get the longest wear out of your makeup, apply all of your skin prep from thinnest to thickest in texture, then apply your makeup products in thin layers,” he suggests. If you’re on the oily side like I am during the summer, Brownell says you can skip moisturizer and opt for a thinner serum and oil-absorbing primer.