My love affair with face mists has been well-documented on this site. I buy – and rely – on them time and time again because they do everything from prep skin for make-up to setting base and ramping up glow. As with all cosmetics, they’re not born equal. Here are two I’d recommend you get your hands on this summer, and some uses for them //
First up is Caudalie’s best-selling Grape Water. A reasonably-priced mist containing organic grape water (grape water is antioxidant central – this will be a dab hand at mopping up damage reaped by too much sun/sangria), the limited edition can pictured is ideal for slinging in a handbag as you shoot out the door and can accompany you on flights this summer as it sits under the 100ml mark. If you like this design, grab it before it goes – Caudalie limited editions have a habit of selling out.
Clarins Fix’ Make-Up is designed to ‘seal’ make-up by forming an invisible veil over the face. I usually loathe that sort of thing with a passion – make-up shifting oh so slightly makes it look living, and usually those sprays are teeming with noxious chemicals and alcohol
This one, not so much. The make-up life extending bit is, in my experience, not especially pronounced, but the other benefits really are: the aloe vera and allantoin soothe and refresh, while the rose water and grapefruit make it a really good option to prime skin too.
While it may only add a little extra time to the wear of make-up, it does make whatever you have on look better both initially and when re-misted throughout the day (without making base slide anywhere in a big wet slick), so I’d recommend it on the strength of that if you have a big occasion. It’s currently only available at Clarins online but will soon be here and here.
My top spritz uses /
– To refresh make-up and skin throughout the day (I sometimes pop mine in the fridge for a bit before spraying if it’s an especially hot day).
– To prep skin that looks a bit tired before make-up
– To set make-up once on
– To take the edge off a powder if it looks flat
– As a first skincare step post-cleansing
– To calm skin that’s inflamed as a result of sun or irritation (N.B. ALWAYS make sure your spritz doesn’t contain any alcohol whatsoever if you’re using it for this purpose. A good one shouldn’t contain any in the top 5 ingredients anyway).
– To pep me up during a flight. As I try to avoid putting fragrance on my skin, I’ll look for sprays containing naturally uplifting scents like orange blossom or rose.