Beauty Post: Makeup That Lasts – FIXERS

Everyone wants makeup that doesn’t budge, that allows you to walk back home at the end of a long day or night looking like you did when you left.  We all know that higher quality makeup that is well applied lasts longer than cheaper makeup but there are also a few other tricks that aren’t as well known. 

In my previous post I told you about how to make eye shadow last for ages by using a special base – now lets focus on the rest of the face.

Fixers work in the same manner as hairspray, they seal. This doesn’t mean you can use hairspray on your face; you can’t, what you can do is buy a special spray fixer especially meant to be sprayed upon the face. I have personally tired three of the more popular products Model in a Bottle , All Nighter by Urban Decay and Dewy Finish Setting Spray by NYX. I tried the matte formula for sensitive skin of Model in a Bottle, the Urban Decay one only comes in a standard formula and the Dewy finish of NYX (the is a matte finish too). The first two similarly priced at around 22 euros per bottle and can easily be found on ebay for international readers, the one from NYX is only about 10 euros an can be bought locally in Malta and online.. 

Basically the idea is that you apply all your makeup and when finished spray the product onto your face as directed – remember to wait for your mascara to dry or it might run.

Model in a Bottle gives a perfect result, makeup really does NOT budge; at the end of an eight hour work day, my makeup looks exactly as it did when I left home that morning. I even tried it at the beach and found my makeup was somewhat waterproof. 

The downsides are – upon spraying it feels greasy, over-spraying can cause makeup to run, the matte version matted my makeup a bit too much (didn’t try the other one) but worst sin of all of all – I felt my skin a bit tight and unhappy if I used this too often. Also, the glass packaging makes it impractical to tote around.

All Nighter by Urban Decay also gives great results but perhaps is not as smudge proof as the previous product. I found that makeup could still be accidentally wiped off rather easily say by resting my phone against my face, my makeup didn’t generally look as perfect at the end of the day as it did with the other one. However, it feels very lightweight when applied, does not feel at all greasy, doesn’t change the finish of my makeup in any way and can easily be used daily with no apparent consequences. 

The plastic packaging also makes it more convenient to carry around in your bag. 

The NYX product has a lot of things going for it – small, plastic packaging and the price is on the cheap side, it does somewhat he same job as a finishing powder…it seems to even out makeup and add a sheen to it. It does help m makeup to last longer but I won’t say my makeup looks the same after 8 hours, touch-ups would be needed if going out after work. However, it does help increase staying power especially if also combined with a primer and ca easily be carried around in your bag and used after touch-ups.

So my verdict is – to invest in the Urban Decay All Nighter and have one less thing to worry about 🙂 


*NOTE apparently Model in a Bottle have since changed their packaging and it now comes in a plastic bottle.