Beauty Debate: Should I Use Setting Powder or Setting Spray?

It seems like there’s a setting product for everything — whether it’s to quickly dry our nail polish, perfect our eyebrows or lock-in our makeup. And while the product options for setting our look are very straightforward when it comes to nails and brows, when we’re talking about the rest of our makeup, it’s just not as easy. How do we choose between different setting powders and setting sprays, and is there even a difference between the two? Tap in to find out.

The Case for Setting Powder

According to the web, setting powders are designed to absorb excess oil and moisture from your face. “Because skin is a porous surface and produces oil, you want to set your face makeup with powder to help it last longer without melting away.

Because of this, setting powder is applied during your makeup routine to set foundation, concealer and any liquid or creamy products you’ve applied. Setting powder often leaves the skin with an ‘airbrushed’ finish and can help to blend as well because it diffuses what’s under it. This is not to be confused with finishing powder, which is used after setting powder and adds even more of a blurred look to imperfections of the skin (lines under the eyes, pores, etc.) and control shine. Thus, setting powders are a great option if you have issues with creasing, cracking or excess oil throughout the day. 

The Case for Setting Spray

As far as setting sprays go, they’re designed to be applied after your whole makeup routine is complete. Setting spray is a fine mist which is applied after finishing the makeup routine. The setting spray can have different finishes such as matte or dewy, and it elongates the amount of time the makeup will last. It can also be used to amplify highlight or to apply a shadow damp — simply dust some product onto the brush and spritz the brush after.

Setting spray leaves behind a lightweight, skin-like finish but can not be absorbed into your pores like a powder can. Even mattifying sprays don’t mattify your face the way a setting powder can, in which making it a better option for those who have drier skin and need a boost of hydration.

urban decay all nighter ultra matte, dermablend loose setting powder

So, Which One Should You Use?

While powders tend to work better for oily skin and setting sprays for dry skin, if you really want to set your makeup and extend the life of your makeup, I recommend using both a loose powder and a setting spray. 
Pack on a setting powder like the Dermablend Loose Setting Powder to smooth your skin and finish it with a setting spray of your choice, like the Urban Decay All Nighter Ultra Matte.

Help! How Do I Remove Eyelash Glue From My Lashes?

Falsies are a girl’s best friend — bring on the volume and length. But if sticky eyelash glue gets stuck to your real lashes, it’s game over. The buildup and tackiness can make reapplication nearly impossible and cause unwanted irritation. To ensure that our false lashes can be used more than once and our real lashes stay healthy, it’s important to keep ’em clean. For some advice on the best way to do so, scroll down and enjoy!

Tip #1: Use Less Glue From the Start

To prevent a buildup of gunk and glue on your lashes at the end of the day, try to use as little glue as possible during application. My best tip is not to apply too much glue on the false lash to begin with. Think you may have gone too heavy with your glue? Recommended wiping it off and starting from scratch. Not only will this make it easier for you to take off your falsies at the end of the day, but it’s also a way to ensure that too much glue doesn’t get on or around your eyes.

PRIMP TIP: Apply Lash Couture Strip Lash Adhesive on the eyelids like an eyeliner then apply your favorite pair of lashes. Its easier and quicker to apply the lashes plus it is just less messier overall. Lee wished she came up with this brilliant beauty trick but she actually received it from Raye Boyce.

Tip #2: Don’t Pull Them Off 

Time to take off your lashes for the day? Don’t start pulling them off, tugging or scrubbing. You won’t get all the glue off your lashes, and you risk getting glue in your eyes. What’s worse? You’re going to end up ripping your own lashes. 

Tip #3: Use a Gentle Eye Makeup Cleanser

eyelash glue

Instead, to get your fake lashes and glue off cleanly, Lee recommends using a soft and gentle eye makeup remover. For years I’ve been using the Lancôme Bi Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover; it’s the best for getting rid of lash glue. Just pour some onto a cotton pad and dab it over your lashes until the strip falls off cleanly. Plus, you can also use the product to clean glue off your falsies so they’re good as new for reapplication. 

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Dry Hand Tips

If you’re constantly washing your hands and using sanitizer around the clock, your hands are probably dry AF. While it’s important to wash your hands as often as possible, it can wreak havoc on your skin. Your skin is your body’s first defense against bacteria, so you need to ensure you keep your hands hydrated. Cracked, dry hands and damaged skin means a weakened skin barrier, which makes it easier for germs to enter.

Fortunately, we’ve got some easy solutions so you can say goodbye to dry hands, for good!

Find a Nourishing Hand Wash

Many celebrity dermatologists recommends avoiding bars of soap as they can seriously dry out your skin. They explains, “Soaps have a special molecule that finds oils and strips them from the skin. We need our natural oils for retaining moisture.” Therefore, trade-in your traditional soaps for a nourishing hand wash instead. We’re currently using the Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps, $8.50, as they’re infused with essential oils, as well as vitamin E to nourish and clean the skin. Plus, they foam into a rich lather that smells so good – it makes washing your hands feel luxurious! Another hydrating soap that’s a little more boujee is the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash, $52. The formula boasts orange, rosemary, and lavender essential oils to cleanse and restore the skin.

If you already have a liquid handwash, you can try adding in a tablespoon of coconut, olive or grapeseed oil, which will help to lock in moisture while you wash. After you wash your hands, try to follow with a moisturizer almost immediately.

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Use Oils

If you don’t have any hand creams use oil instead and massage it into your hands. Our favorite oil to use is extra virgin olive oil, a recommendation we got from Julia Roberts. It’s super-hydrating and packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids that help hydrate while repairing damaged skin. It’s also suitable for all skin types and is anti-microbial. If you don’t have olive oil in your cabinet, you can use coconut oil (our go-to DIY oil), or any other oil.

If your hands are super dry, create a DIY hand mask by massaging oil into your hands, then put on a pair of plastic gloves. If you don’t have gloves, you can wrap your hands in clingwrap. Try to leave them covered for up to an hour for super soft, hydrated skin.

Apply a Rich Cream or Balm

As you can probably guess, applying hand cream RN is essential. In fact, we’ve gotten into the routine of applying lotion immediately after we use hand sanitizer. You can also keep hand cream next to your sink for easy access after hand washing.

Look for a hand moisturizer that contains rich, hydrating ingredients like shea butter and oils like apricot and avocado oil, as they’re packed with natural goodness that will help seal in moisture and repair the skin. Here are three of our faves:

soft hands

Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion, $16.26: While this may not be the most luxe hand cream on our list, it’s a household staple. The fast-absorbing formula is clinically proven to heal dry skin within five days. Plus, it doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy or tacky.

L’Occitaine Honey Harvest Hand Cream, $29: This hand cream leaves our skin feeling so smooth! The rich combination of shea butter and honey hydrates while strengthening the skin, helping prevent future moisture loss.

Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, $28: This cream is infused with sesame oil, avocado oil, and olive, which are all packed with essential fatty acids to nourish and repair dry skin.

Check out more of our all-time fave hand creams here.

What’s your fave hand cream? Let us know in the comments below.

6 Places You Never Thought to Apply Concealer

Here at Makeup.com, we have a very special bond with our concealer stash. It’s one of our most trusted makeup products that’s always there for us, even when it seems like our skin isn’t. Whether that means dark under-eye circles or a spontaneous blemishconcealer can help make our skin woes disappear with each swipe from its magical wand. That’s not all it does, though. In fact, your concealer can do so much more than simply camouflage imperfections, depending on where it’s placed. Find out six places to apply concealer, ahead.

Above and Below the Brow

Blend a thin line of concealer on top of and underneath the brows to make eyebrows pop and open up the eyes. This also helps with reshaping your brows or defining your arches. Be sure to use a full-coverage formula like the Maybelline New York Superstay Concealer to really clean up those edges and give you precise-looking brows. 

maybelline-super-stay-concealer

The Inner Corners and Under the Eyes

To get rid of dark circles, conceal only the blue or purple tint beneath your eyes. To brighten up the eyes even more, tap a little concealer in the inner corners of your eye to really disguise any late nights with no sleep. We love using the Maybelline New York Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser for this area. The sponge tip applicator makes it extremely easy to tap on just the right amount of product you need.

Across the Bridge and Down the Center of the Nose

Apply concealer on the bridge and down the center of your nose to bring light to the center of your face and help make the nose appear slender. This is also a great contouring trick, making your face catch more light on the high points.

Around Each Nostril

This area is commonly plagued by redness and broken capillaries. Brightening around the nose will help skin tone appear more even all over — and we love the Urban Decay Full Coverage All Nighter Concealer because it’s incredible at canceling out that excess discoloration.

Corners of the Mouth

Unfortunately, as we age, the more our skin begins to lose elasticity, which results in loose skin. Conceal the outer corners of the mouth to lift up downturned lips and show off your smile.

Center of the Chin

Combat redness or darkness by blending a small semicircle of concealer right at the crease in the chin. This is also a great spot to place concealer because not only will it catch light to bring more attention to the center of your face, but it’ll also help to further accentuate a great lip color — thank us later. 

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