Skip the cleanser, the experts tut, and you’re asking for blocked pores, blemishes, flare-ups and even premature wrinkles.
All of these things have been drilled into me as a beauty journalist, and 99% of the time I’ll dutifully double cleanse before bed.
But every once in a while, a little voice whispers in my ear: “It’s late. You’re tired. And besides, doesn’t Claudia Winkleman sleep in her makeup every night?”
That “What would Claudia do?” voice is obviously calling to me the day I hear about L’Oreal’s latest innovation because the concept sounds extremely naughty, shockingly slovenly, all kinds of wrong… and I can’t wait to try it.
Meet L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist, £9.99, which promises to seal your makeup in place for 36 hours. That’s right: three full days.
According to the brand, this ‘game changing’ technology goes on featherlight, dries in a flash and locks in your makeup with ‘the ultimate time-defying finish’.
I suspect that coating my face in a three-day, transfer-proof seal isn’t going to be my skin’s finest hour, but I can’t resist finding out if it actually works.
And what better time to test this stuff than on New Year’s Eve, to see if it really holds up through drinks, dancing, the inevitable hangover and onto the annual limp back into work on 2 Jan?
New Year’s Eve
Okay, it’s not a wild party. It’s not even an actual party: it’s me, my husband and our two kids at our house dancing around to Rick Astley and trying not to tread on the cat.
But there is quite a lot of champagne left in the house, so it will do just fine as my beauty laboratory.
Tonight’s big question is, what make-up to do? What will say ‘glam’ right now but not ‘walk of shame’ if it remains in situ for the office on Jan 2nd? I decide on a not-too-outlandish smoky eye, and whack on a Victoria Beckham black kohl pencil, plus some dark charcoal and shimmery gold eyeshadows.
My foundation is a full-coverage Clarins classic, and I throw on some long-wear blusher and lippy, hoping their staying power will tag-team nicely with the setting spray.
I’ve already got some salon eyelash extensions clinging on from party season, so instead of wearing mascara, I pad them out with some long-wear stick-on falsies. A cop out? Perhaps but you’re not the one facing walking back into work on Jan 2 looking like Alice Cooper.
The spray itself is, well, horrid if you’re heavy-handed and impatient (guilty x2). I squirt it towards my face, anticipating a gentle mist; and splutter in disgust.
Sure, NYE is a night full of alcohol fumes, but I’m not expecting such a heavy first round at my dressing table. The sensation is like being blasted full in the face with hard-hold hairspray.
Lesson learned: hold the spray further away, use a light touch, and do not keep your eyes even the TINIEST bit open out of curiosity. Then it’s all fine.
As promised, the spray dries almost immediately. My skin feels slightly tight and coated but at least it’s not shiny or sticky. As I take my first lot of photos, I’m impressed to note that my eye makeup hasn’t run or smudged one jot, despite the fumes having brought tears to my eyes.
Five hours later, we’ve had too much fizz, a ton of beige canapes, and some cringey Mum Dancing to Rick. The fireworks have burnt out, my tonged curls have dropped and most of my lipstick clearly got eaten along with the chicken goujons but even in my giddy state, I can see that the rest of my makeup is remarkably intact. I crash out for the night, grubby-faced and guilt-free.
New Year’s Day
I wake up and I’m still plastered. In make-up, I mean. My lipstick didn’t make it into 2024, but my smoky eye has scarcely shifted. I’m extremely impressed.
Even my foundation, concealer and blush are still holding up well, give or take the odd sunspot peeking through.
After lunch, I meet a friend for a dog walk in the park, and explain why I’ve rocked up looking unusually ‘done’.
She’s astonished. “That’s from last night?’ she exclaims. “It looks really good! I thought it was some New Year’s Resolution thing you were doing.”
I’ve never heard of anyone pledging to do a month of ‘Glam-uary’ but who knows, it might catch on.
On the less positive side, I’ve not dared to apply any skincare for fear of breaking the spray’s magic seal, and my face does feel dry without moisturiser. I don’t feel guilty about skipping the cleanser but I can’t say the same for my SPF50. My sensible inner beauty journalist is sighing.
January 2nd
How can Christmas be over already? The gold eyeshadow was clearly as reluctant as me to rejoin the rainy morning commute, as it’s mostly vanished into the night.
The smoky shades, however, are still there. They’re a bit faded, but at least they’re in the same place as I originally applied them, instead of being smudged halfway down my cheeks as they would normally be. It’s remarkable.
One false lash is flapping loose but – because it’s not actual make-up – I decide it’s okay to glue it back on, in the interests of looking reasonably professional.
My workmates are impressed at the end result, if slightly repulsed by the means. “I can’t believe your makeup has lasted this well – and you’ve not broken out in spots,” says one. Dr Tapan Patel from The Phi Clinic expresses similar sentiments when I seek his professional opinion.
“We know that leaving anything on your skin overnight – makeup, dirt, pollution – blocks pores and can trigger breakouts, so I don’t think this product for 36 hours sounds like a good idea,” he says. “Also it stops you using your skincare.”
I have to agree that my skin doesn’t feel its best. Although there’s no hint of spots, my face is definitely thirsty without its usual hit of serums and moisturisers. When it’s finally time to wash my New Year’s makeup off, I can practically hear my skin sighing with gratitude as I smother on my thickest night cream.
So what’s the conclusion? As a beauty journalist, I can’t endorse the idea of regularly wearing the same make-up for three days straight, and L’Oreal Paris, with all its expertise in skincare, firmly agrees.
“The claim is ‘up to 36 hours wear’ and can provide confidence that your make-up will last during long events, like a festival. This level of hold is unlikely to be required on a day-to-day basis and we encourage people to remove their make-up after use for healthy skin,” says a spokesperson for the brand.
With that caveat in place, I’m blown away by how well this setting spray works.
My eye makeup was still perfectly presentable after the full 36 hours, and I’ll definitely be using this product whenever I’ve got a night out.
I’m 99% sure I’ll wash it all off before bed in future, but if it’s that rare time when I can’t be bothered at least I’ll know I won’t emerge looking like a hungover panda.
It’s what Claudia would want for me.
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