When I first began using face makeup primers, I reached for the kind with a gel-like consistency that came with pumps or in tubes, such as the Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Primer (reviewed back in 2010) and the Make Up For Ever All Mat Face Matifying Primer (reviewed in 2011).

(Wow, I just took a walk down memory lane, and it made my eyes water a bit because of some happy thoughts. I forgot about those old posts until I sat down to write this review. I’ve been on quite a blogging journey when you compare posts from back then to now. Hopefully I continue to improve for years to come!) 🙂

Then, I was curious about the makeup setting sprays on the market and tried those. (You may remember me reviewing the Urban Decay All-Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray back in early 2014.)

Makeup priming and setting sprays are my favourite because they feel lightweight, and you just need about three sprays of each for your entire face. One regular-sized bottle lasts for several months, and they are quite affordable.

The Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray and Skindinavia The Makeup Primer Spray in the Oil Control version are my favourites, and they’re the only makeup sprays I have used since finishing up my Urban Decay setting spray.

This review was a long time coming because although I’ve ordered from Skindinavia several times now and went through about 2 or 3 bottles of each, I finally am sitting down to share my thoughts.

I always order these sprays from the Skindinavia website when I’m running low, and by the time they arrive, I need to use the new ones right away. By the time I remembered that I needed to photograph them so I can work on a review, the bottles have some foundation on them from my fingers or have other smudges and marks.

Finally, this time I decided to order the set of Skindinavia makeup sprays a little early to ensure that I wouldn’t just crack open the bottles before photographing them. Hehe, my plan worked, and here we are with this review!

Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray & The Makeup Primer Spray (Oil Control) Pictures

 Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray (Oil Control) Picture & Ingredients

 Skindinavia The Makeup Primer Spray (Oil Control) Picture & Ingredients

 

Claims: TRUSTED

• Lightweight (Yes)
• Holds for up to 16 hours (Not sure – I don’t leave my makeup on for that long.)
• Great for oily/combination skin (Yes)
• Help foundation, eye shadow, concealer, and/or mascara go on smoothly & stay smudge-free (Yes)

Key Notes

• Name: Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray Oil Control & Skindinavia The Makeup Primer Spray Oil Control
• Amount: 236 mL (8 oz) each
• Retail Price: $50 USD for The Makeup Artist Kit (contains both bottles and is available for anyone to purchase, not just makeup artists) or $35 USD for the Primer Spray and $29 USD for the Finishing Spray
• Products: I purchased these sprays.
• Where to Buy: Skindinavia website

Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray & The Makeup Primer Spray (Oil Control) Review

Efficacy

The reason I keep repurchasing the Skindinavia Primer Spray and Finishing Spray in the Oil Control formula is because even in the summer when it’s hot and very humid, it locks my foundation in place and keeps it from separating. (If I don’t use these sprays, my foundation tends to separate along my T-zone, especially around my nose and forehead.)

My combination skin can sometimes feel oily in the summer, and using the combination of sprays keeps my liquid foundation looking matte and feeling comfortable for longer.

How It Feels & Looks

I also love how it’s so heavy-duty yet it’s very lightweight and doesn’t feel sticky when it dries. It’s very comfortable. (But it’s important to note that I spray this only after applying my skincare and not before. I have no idea how well or badly the sprays would work if you don’t use good skincare beforehand.)

To me, it doesn’t feel like I have anything on my face, which is exactly what I expect from primer and setting sprays.

When it dries down, it leaves my skin semi-matte – not chalky and not shiny. It looks natural and doesn’t feel tight or dry.

Nozzle Spray

Also worth mentioning is the nozzle. It sprays a fine mist, which I prefer because some setting sprays have nozzles that push out large droplets of liquid, which can actually mess up your makeup plus take longer to dry.

The nozzle seems to work great when it’s new, but I find that whenever I get closer to the end, the nozzle tends to shoot out larger droplets. Maybe that’s just normal for all spray nozzles, so it doesn’t bother me much. As long as it doesn’t do that right from the beginning, I’m okay with the mechanism slowly wearing down. (So far, it has never gotten clogged completely and been unusable. I can always use it up to the last few drops, which means less wasted product.)

Fragrance

It doesn’t have a strong smell, so you won’t have to worry about a perfume-y scent lingering on your face all day.

I’m sensitive to scents, but this just smells very mild and just fresh. But within seconds, you can’t detect anything, and it dries completely.

How I Use These Makeup Sprays

I’ve only ever used these sprays as a duo, so I’m not sure if you just use the Finishing Spray if you’ll get the same results.

After applying my usual skincare (serum and moisturizer with sunscreen), I vigorously shake the spray bottle and use approximately three sprays of the Skindinavia Primer Spray over my entire face, including the eye area. (I always make sure to hold my breath prior to spraying it because breathing it straight into your lungs probably isn’t a good idea.)

After using my hands to fan my face a bit, the primer dries fairly quickly, and I begin doing my eye makeup and then my liquid foundation.

Right afterwards, I shake the bottle, and I hold my breath while using about three sprays (this time with the Skindinavia Finishing Spray) over everything, but cover my eyes. (I do this only because I don’t want to wet my lashes. It could weigh them down and cause them to lose the curl. Since I wear glasses, it’s very important that my eyelashes are curled because if not, they will touch the lens, and it’s very frustrating to feel it constantly sweeping with every single blink.)

Then, I use my hands to fan my face a bit again, and do my hair. When I’m done with my hair, I apply loose powder to set my face makeup and then I put a light bronzer and blush along my cheeks.

For my makeup routine and my skin type, I’ve found that applying the sprays in this order works the best.

Some people use the finishing spray at the very end, but I didn’t get good results that way. When I lock my foundation with the spray and then go over with powder and blush plus bronzer, my face makeup won’t budge for hours.

I swear by the Skindinavia spray duo because I’ve been caught in a rainstorm before, and was shocked when after I came home, I looked in the mirror and saw that my face makeup looked about 95% the same way it did in the morning!

Why I Stopped Using & Buying Urban Decay Setting Sprays

I enjoyed using the Urban Decay setting sprays, but since some of my readers told me that Skindinavia actually manufactures the sprays for them plus maybe even Kat von D’s sprays, it only makes sense to buy from the source.

Plus when you compare the price of Urban Decay’s and Kat von D’s sprays per mL, Skindinavia’s spray is more economical.

The only advantage about the Urban Decay spray is that you can walk into a Sephora store and buy it right away, whereas you have to order the Skindinavia sprays online. (I’ve never seen Skindinavia sprays sold in stores, but if you have seen them in Canada, please let me know because I’d be interested.)

Value

Urban Decay’s All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray contains 118 mL (4oz) of product and costs $36 CAD (approximately $29 USD).

Skindinavia’s setting spray contains 236 mL (8 oz) of product and when you buy it from the website, it costs roughly the same as Urban Decay’s 118 mL bottle. However, you save even more if you buy Skindinavia’s kit, which makes the finishing spray only about $25 USD (or approximately $31 CAD).

That’s the only reason why I jumped from Urban Decay to Skindinavia. The formulation seems to work exactly the same, so the only difference is the price to me. Obviously, I’d rather pay less.

Additionally, the Skindinavia website ships worldwide, and they offer free shipping to Canada and the United States. Plus they always seem to be having a promotion where if you order the primer and finishing sprays, you get two travel-sized sprays for free.

Also, even though you can purchase the sprays individually, if you buy the primer and the finishing sprays together, the kit is discounted, so you save. It’s a win-win situation.

I’ve never been charged any hidden fees like customs or tax when they shipped it to me in Canada.

Last year or so when I first ordered from them, I got my package lightning fast in about a week. However, this year, it has taken about 1.5 to 2 weeks for it to arrive.

(While I wish that shipping was fast like before, I don’t mind waiting. It just means that I have to remember not to wait until the last minute when I finish my sprays before I order more.)

Also, since a little goes a long way, I find that I can typically get each bottle to last for about 3 to 4 months of daily use, which is pretty good!

Pros Help keep my face makeup intact for hours (even in a rainstorm!) Feels lightweight Free shipping to Canada & the US on the Skindinavia website Skindinavia often has promotions where you can also get 2 free travel-sized sprays Nozzle dispenses a fine mist that doesn’t disrupt your makeup

Cons Only available online (as far as I know) Nozzle tends to wear down as you get to the end & it could spray out larger droplets, but it’s nothing terrible

Final Verdict: 9.5/10

I really enjoy the Skindinavia makeup sprays, and unless I find other sprays that work better or that do the same thing for less, I will keep repurchasing them because I notice a significant difference when I use them compared to when I didn’t.

Do you use makeup-setting sprays? If you’ve tried the Urban Decay, Kat von D, and Skindinavia sprays, can you detect any difference in terms of performance? Do you prefer to buy something online for less, but have to wait for it to ship or to buy it in-store but for a bit more?