I’ve tried a lot of makeup over the years, but the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray is one of the few products I recommend without hesitation – and it’s a worthy investment for Christmas party season (or makes a generous stocking filler). 

On my wedding day, my make-up artist used it and promised me it wouldn’t budge. She was right. Through dancing, drinking, sweating (it was a hot day), hugging relatives I barely knew, and crying at least twice. My makeup didn’t move. Not a smudge. Not a crease. Nothing.

So when Charlotte Tilbury went on This Morning last week to talk about festive make-up and called setting sprays something “the world needs to know about”, I was already nodding along. She said, “If you’ve ever wondered why a celebrity’s makeup looks flawless, poreless, glowing all night, it’s because they’re using a setting spray… Setting sprays lock in your makeup for up to 16 hours and it will not budge.”

While Charlotte Tilbury’s setting spray isn’t the cheapest, the travel size starts from £20, and I can attest to its brilliance. 

During the segment, Charlotte also demonstrated her “airbrush sandwich hack”, which is to apply powder, spray, powder again, stippling – pressing or tapping with a brush – rather than swiping. It may sound faffy, but the finish really is different: blurred, smooth, glowing but not shiny. Even the model on the show, Caroline, who’d never used a setting spray before, looked genuinely stunned: “It really has lifted my face… so natural as well… really blurred.”

My own experience is similar. I don’t use it every day, but any time I want my makeup to last, weddings, nights out, days when I’m working long hours, it’s the one thing I reach for. The mist is incredibly fine, so it doesn’t leave droplets or that tight, hairspray-ish feeling some setting sprays give. It has a light, floral smell that is very inoffensive. It just softens everything, takes away that powdery look, and somehow makes your skin look better than it did before you put makeup on.

And it’s not just me and Caroline who are firm fans, other users say the same thing. One person wrote: “I purchased the setting spray this month, and I understood the hype right after my first application. It gave me this glow, and my makeup was set for the whole day. Awesome product.”

A second wrote: “It keeps my makeup in place all day. I wear glasses and I often get makeup on them but not if I use this.”

A third shopper added: “The best setting spray out there, I have tried others, but this is number one. It’s long-lasting and doesn’t make face shine.”

However, not everyone is a devotee. One user wrote: “I like the setting spray as my make-up stays on ok, but it does make my skin quite dry.” While most reviewers say they like the smell, one said “an unscented version would be the dream” for them. 

The setting spray comes in three sizes, 34ml priced at £20, 100ml at £32, and 200ml at £49. Shoppers can currently get two 100ml Airbrish Flawless setting sprays for £60.80, saving 5% off the usual RRP. Or a travel-sized duo is available for £30, which is a £10 saving compared to if the products were bought separately.