One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Setting Spray Review: One Allure Staffer’s 14-Hour Test, See Photos

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.

Once I completed my (very messy) smokey eye glam, I sealed the look with a few gusts of the setting spray, which completely caught me off guard with its weightless feel. I was expecting the usual wet, sticky burst of spray that most setting mists are usually cursed with, but this aerosol can features a continuous mister that spurts a fine, tackiness-free veil of product.

Since this is an aerosol spray, Los Angeles makeup artist Saisha Beecham recommends spritzing in a well-ventilated area. “After setting the look with a translucent setting powder, I spray the entire face using circular motions and immediately, with a fan on standby, fan the fumes away from my client’s nose,” she explains. “Then, I will have the client stretch and move their face and features all around, as it dries, to keep flexible movement in their face for the day.” Beechman notes that this prevents any cracking or creasing after the setting spray dries.

To really test the limits of On ‘Til Dawn, my first trial with the setting spray happened to be during one of my busiest days of the summer. My agenda for the day: an in-studio shoot at Allure HQ for some upcoming projects, a post-work pit-stop at my Brooklyn apartment, and a much-needed girls’ night with my hometown besties on Long Island.

This setting spray took the first half of my day like a true champ. Even on minimal, concealer-only complexion days, my look can easily become oily by hour three, but thanks to this spray’s mattifying magic, I was grease-free throughout my first nine hours of wear and even got a few compliments on my makeup from some fellow Allure staffers. Even through my trek through New York’s tri-state area, which included two trains and two automobiles, my makeup seemed as if it would make it out of the day completely unscathed…

…Then dinner (and post-meal bar hopping) with the girls, which inevitably included some sweat-inducing drinks, eventually got the best of my makeup. Though I truly convinced myself that I was serving fresh-faced glam at the moment (thank you, rosé, for the inebriated confidence), in hindsight, my makeup definitely started to see some wear and tear by the tenth hour. In my true night owl ways, I tapped out at 2 a.m., about 14 hours into my test, ready to rinse off whatever remnants of eye and face makeup I had left.

To my surprise, my eye and brow makeup somehow withstood my summer stupor, but my smokey eye was noticeably messier than when I first applied it. However, considering that I didn’t have the intense post-outing raccoon eyes that I usually have after a long night out, I consider the final eye look somewhat of a win. As for my complexion, there was some oil buildup and fading by the time my night ended. My foundation coverage faded out along my T-zone, and nearly all of the blush and bronzer I initially applied was gone. With that being said, my makeup was still somewhat existent by the end of my long, sweaty day without any reapplication after my initial spritz, which makes it impressive enough to get my seal of approval.

Want to try One/Size’s On ‘Til Dawn Setting Spray yourself? You can grab a bottle of this viral setting spray for $32 at sephora.com and kohls.com.

Read more about the Allure staff’s favorite beauty products:

• Milk_Shake Leave-In Conditioner Is My Desert Island Beauty Product
• The Best Blow-Dryer Brushes for Easy-Breezy Styling
• 11 Best Curling Irons to Boost Volume and Your Natural Texture
• 22 Red Lipsticks Allure Editors Keep In Their Makeup Bags

Now, watch Inside Out 2 stars Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke react to TikTok’s biggest beauty trends:

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