Finishing Touch: Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

Some products aren't exciting, but necessary. The primers, powders, concealers, and now, setting sprays of the world. They aren't glamorous like a red lipstick or edgy like a black glitter eye liner, they aren't lovely like an embossed highlighter or transformative like an eye shadow quad. However, they're the products that pull a look together, hide the flaws, or make everything just work better. Urban Decay's All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray is in the latter category.

I've been using foundation primers for quite a while now with varying levels of success. My current favorites are from Korres and Benefit. However, I've found that with my dry skin, I walk a fine line with primers. The ones that are developed for dryer skin types are made to hydrate the skin, with the effect of giving a dewy complexion. I don't much care for the dewy look on my skin (it always looks great on others...on me, it tends to veer towards greasy), so the dry-skin formulas rarely work for me. Unfortunately, the primers meant for oily skin dry me out and leave me flaky. Right now, I've settled on using either Clarins Beauty Flash Balm or my Elta MD tinted sunscreen as a primer, and they've both been working well for me. But they aren't primers, and I still have occasional issues with foundation longevity.

When I saw the new line of makeup setting sprays from Urban Decay, I was intrigued. Previously, I'd only used hydrating sprays over my makeup to give me an added moisture boost. Those don't really help makeup last longer, they just ease the tightness and keep flakes at bay. I needed something that would actually help my makeup last all day without getting too matte and dry or too glowy. All Nighter fits the bill.

All Nighter is a lightweight, unscented spray that sets foundation and extends its life. I love to use a few sprays after applying powder, as it helps the powder "melt" into my skin. I'm left with a velvet finish and no powdery residue on my face. I find that when I use All Nighter, my makeup lasts all day without fading, separating, pooling, or settling in fine lines. I also don't get shiny in my T-zone...ever. My face is left relatively comfortable (on dry days I still often need a shot or two of hydrating spray), smooth and soft, with no residue or stickiness.

All Nighter has become an indispensable part of my daily routine. I use it any time I use a powder product...which currently is every day since I've gotten addicted to Jane Iredale's loose powder foundation. For once, I've found a simple, relatively inexpensive product that actually DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT WILL DO. Will miracles never cease?

Bottom Line: All Nighter is a fantastic tool to add to your arsenal. It holds makeup fast all day without causing oxidation or stickiness. Skin is left soft, smooth and velvety, with both shine and flakes kept at bay all day. I definitely notice a huge difference in the appearance and wear time of my makeup when I use All Nighter as opposed to when I don't. It's not a product I would ever have seen a use for in the past, but now that I've started using it, I can't be without it.