When 'baking' first came to rise (no not that kind, I mean the type that locks your base into place with a loose setting powder), I wasn't on board. I worried that my combination skin wouldn't be able to handle, what I presumed would be, a heavy, cakey finish. I tried it, of course, only to be repelled - but I was using the wrong product. The day I got my hands on the cult classic Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, £38.50 everything changed. To this day, I refuse to finish my make-up without packing powder along my under-eyes, t-zone and any other particularly oily area of my face. But a new product from the brand is coming for my go-to base locker. Enter: Laura Mercier's Translucent Hydrating Setting Spray Ultra-Blur, £32.
Messy make-up girls (guilty as charged) can finally rejoice. Now, the brand has cooked up a liquid, spray all-over version of its bestselling Translucent Loose Setting Powder, which means no more spilling powder all over yourself and your precious carpet mid-bake. Mega fans of the brand will know, this isn't the first time Laura Mercier has reinvented its cult buy. While it originally launched alongside four other products when the brand first hit the market in 1996, almost 30 years on the well-loved formula now boasts an Ultra-Blur version, various shades, and Talc-Free options, too.
In 2022, the brand made an attempt to bottle up the same sorcery into its first-ever setting spray, the Laura Mercier Translucent Pure Setting Spray, which was met with mixed reviews and discontinued. But like any brand that listens to its community, Laura Mercier is back with an all-new formula that may well give your beloved setting powder a run for its money.
What is the Laura Mercier Translucent Hydrating Setting Spray Ultra-Blur?
At it's core, the new launch will set your make-up in place – an aspect of make-up that Laura Mercier is so versed in, it is renowned at the number one setting brand. In fact, Laura Mercier herself explains, 'Setting is essential. It’s the key step to make sure all the work that has been done on the face is not going to smudge or disappear, and just stay in place.'
Shop: Laura Mercier Translucent Hydrating Setting Spray Ultra-Blur
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With a 98% skincare-based formula, this game-changer promises to do just that. It contains moisturising hyaluronic acid and French mineral water, pore-refining niacinamide, barrier protecting ectoin (my personal favourite), and soothing lily, which collectively prevent trans-epidermal water loss and protect against free radicals. Armed with a skin-first approach, the micro-fine, continuous silky mist provides 24 hour hydrating wear (yes, really, not that we'd recommend wearing make-up that long), alongside a 24 hour crease, fade and shine-proof finish. What you're left with, as the name suggests, is an ultra blurred, flawless base that is set with comfort in mind.
Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'The spray is ultra-fine and glazes over skin comfortably to a traceless finish, the slight scent adds to the comfort factor – I can only liken it to a French pharmacy. As for finish, there is a hint of tackiness but this soon settles into the skin to reveal natural-looking, all over glow. And while I certainly won't be testing it's 24-hour make-up wear test claims, I can confirm my base holds up perfectly well after a long day at the office.'
Pros
- Ultra-fine continuous mist
- 98% skincare base formula
Cons
- Slightly scented
My honest review of the new Laura Mercier Translucent Hydrating Setting Spray Ultra-Blur
Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'As a Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder stan, I was keen to get my hands on the setting spray version to see if the magic of its powder format could be replicated into a mist-all-over iteration. To give the setting spray a fair trial, I used it over a number of days both with and without the OG setting powder laying underneath to asses how the mist performed alongside its counterpart as well as in silo. I'll preface this by saying, the two do similar things: they blur, they control shine, they allow for long-lasting make-up wear, but of course they perform uniquely. The powder allows you to get targeted and provides a physical layer of product that sits within your base routine, while the spray is an all-rounder that finishes make-up to perfection. Can one be used in place of the other? I personally don't think so. But I do love the combination of both. The spray is ultra-fine and glazes over skin comfortably to a traceless finish, the slight scent adds to the comfort factor – I can only liken it to a French pharmacy. As for finish, there is a hint of tackiness but this soon settles into the skin to reveal natural-looking, all over glow. And while I certainly won't be testing it's 24-hour make-up wear test claims, I can confirm my base holds up perfectly well after a long day at the office.'
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia's beauty writer, covering all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
