I used to think skincare mists were a pointless gimmick. Why use something that’s been watered down to work in spray form, when you could use a regular serum or cream that contains more concentrated ingredients instead? Plus you’re wasting all that product that doesn’t make it onto your skin!

But I’ve finally seen the light. Mists aren’t meant to replace serums and creams – they’re meant to be a convenient addition to your routine. Mists mean:

• you can quickly and easily apply products when your hands might not be clean
• when you don’t want to disturb the stuff you already have on your face
• when you’re in a rush
• when you’re just lazing out (admittedly this is the real reason for me most of the time)

I usually don’t use a separate moisturiser in the morning and just rely on my sunscreen to carry me through, since my skin is too oily to handle a proper moisturiser in the morning. Mists have been awesome at providing hydration that’s lighter than a proper lotion, especially now that we’re heading into winter and my skin is starting to flake.

I recently tried out 4 face mists from Pixi Beauty: Glow Mist, Hydrating Milky Mist, Vitamin Wakeup Mist and Makeup Fixing Mist.

Packaging

First, a note on the spray packaging. All four mists come in the same 80 mL spray bottle that takes a bit of getting used to. It sprays quite straight, but the droplets are quite large, so if you spray too close you end up with a really wet circle. I recommend spraying from at least 30 cm away to avoid the wet circle, especially if you’re applying this over makeup since the water can make it go patchy (this happened to me a lot during testing). An alternative is to spray it directly upwards and let it rain down on your face, which worked really well for me. You can also unscrew the bottle and pour the contents into another spray bottle.

Glow Mist

Glow Mist is the original mist from Pixi. It’s designed to be used over makeup to add a dewy “glow” to your face, but you can also use it as a moisturising step.

It comes as a rose-scented watery liquid with a layer of yellow oil sitting on top. It contains a ton of different oils (21 of them in fact, but the main ones are olive and argan oils), propolis extract, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and aloe vera. Oils and hyaluronic acid are great for softening the skin, and niacinamide does pretty much everything – lightens hyperpigmentation, strengthens skin, reduces sebum and acne, and acts as an antioxidant. I’m pretty new to propolis but there are a couple of studies that suggest that it could be good for repairing damaged skin.

When I tried Glow Mist I found that it really delivered on its promise to dewify powdery makeup, but as mentioned previously, take care to avoid patchiness if your makeup isn’t waterproof. I prefer using it before sunscreen and makeup if my skin’s feeling dry that day – it’s quick to apply and absorbs in seconds, and it’s impossible to mess up during the morning rush. I’m not a huge fan of the two-layer format because it feels like I never shake it enough to mix the oil perfectly evenly and I’m pretty sure I’m going to end up with just oil at the end. On the bright side though, it means that you can reduce the amount of oil by using it without shaking, if your face is feeling particularly oily that day.

Ingredients: Water, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Propolis Extract, Niacinamide, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Panthenol, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Adenosine, Rose Flower Oil, Tagetes Minuta Flower Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil.

Hydrating Milky Mist

Hydrating Milky Mist is like the less oily, more humectant (water-boosting) form of Glow Mist. This is my favourite of the four mists, since dehydration is my biggest skincare woe, and the high glycerin content of this mist makes it really good at hydrating my skin without being sticky. I use this before sunscreen and makeup to make my skin feel plump and soft, although you can also use it after makeup to get rid of the powdery look. I also use this a lot after I shower, if I’m not quite ready to do my whole evening routine yet and I don’t want my skin to feel tight.

As well as glycerin, there are a few other humectants like glycosaminoglycans and ethylhexylglycerin. Hydrating Milky Mist also contains a couple of light emollients (ethylhexyl palmitate, cetyl ethylhexanoate and lecithin) that soften skin without making it feel greasy. Small amounts of anti-irritants like black oat and allantoin add a slight soothing effect. It has a slightly floral moisturiser sort of smell.

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dipropylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Allantoin, Ceteareth-20, Trideceth-10, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-12, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Lecithin, Avena Strigosa Seed Extract.

Vitamin Wakeup Mist

Vitamin Wakeup Mist is Pixi’s newest mist. It contains magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (a stabilised form of vitamin C), glycerin and niacinamide in an orange flower water base, and smells like a freshly opened can of lemonade. It’s very refreshing and a nice way to wake up in the morning. Pixi recommend it for use either before or after makeup. As with the other sprays, I prefer it before makeup, but I haven’t found myself reaching for this as much since the hydrating effect it gives is weaker than the Hydrating Milky Mist and the Glow Mist. I think this mist is better suited to summer.

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Adenosine, Tropolone, Disodium EDTA, Arginine, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Maltodextrin, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pryidoxine HCI, Silica.

Makeup Fixing Mist

Makeup Fixing Mist is the only mist in this quartet that required a lot of effort for me to make it work. The difficulty in controlling the spray was the closest thing to a deal-breaker – despite holding it quite far from my face and spraying in quick lines, I ended up with most of the mist landing on a concentrated section of my face so it was soaking wet. On the bits where there was a fine mist my makeup looked great, but on the soaking wet part my foundation would go patchy. When I transferred it to an el cheapo mist bottle from Daiso it worked great, but I feel like it should really work well in the container it comes in. There are lots of reviews out there where people got good results, but I can’t quite get the original spray bottle to work right.

This makeup setting spray is a bit unusual in that it uses polyvinyl alcohol as the ingredient that forms the protective film over your makeup, instead of the far more popular PVP. Once I changed the mister, it worked nicely to keep my makeup in place, even through sweaty exercise. I’m not the biggest fan of the rose scent, which smells like old woman perfume to me, but it fades quickly once you’ve applied it.

Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Caprylyl Glycol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Trideceth-10, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glycerin, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Soleirolia Soleirolii Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract, Fragrance, Butylene Glycol, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Pinus Densiflora Extract, Thuja Orientalis Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Niacinamide, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Maltodextrin, Ethyl Hexanediol, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pyridoxine HCl, Silica.

Pixi have also recently launched Sun Mist, an SPF 30 spray designed for easy reapplication. I’m still yet to try any spray-on sun protection products so I’m quite intrigued!

Have you tried any Pixi mists? What are your favourite skincare mists?

These products were provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. This post also contains affiliate links – if you decide to click through and support Lab Muffin financially (at no extra cost to you), thank you! For more information, see Disclosure Policy.