I Tried Tatcha's The Satin Skin Mist & It Convinced Me To Cool It On Baking My Makeup

A year ago, I baked my makeup for the first time and became obsessed. In case you're not familiar, baking entails applying a thick layer of setting powder over your foundation to set it and keep it oil-free for hours. While you can lightly dust it to apply, some people leave the setting powder on for up to 30 minutes, then dust off the excess before finishing with setting spray. Since I get super oily in the T-zone, baking has become one of my favorite makeup tricks to keep my makeup fresh all day. For the first time in a year, however, I ditched the setting powder to do a firsthand review of Tatcha's The Satin Skin Mist, and honestly, I may never go back.

In case you're wondering how a face mist could replace a powder product, think of this particular mist as a powder-liquid hybrid. It's an oil-free face mist that's actually packed with Okinawa clay. In fact, if you let the bottle sit long enough, you can actually see the clay settle into a powder at the bottom of the bottle. Similar to charcoal, Okinawa clay helps detox skin by drawing out impurities, reducing oil buildup, and keeping pores from clogging. Having this in a mist makes it easy to keep skin refreshed, set your makeup, hydrate, and mattify throughout the day, without having to wash your face or remove your makeup.

I figured there was no better way to put its mattifying powers to the test than to skip my beloved baking technique (really, setting powder altogether) and rely solely on this magic mist. Here's how it really went down.

I applied my makeup just as I always do. I started with the Dr. Brandt Skincare Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer ($45, sephora.com) and applied my Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation ($35, sephora.com) with a damp Beautyblender Sponge ($20, sephora.com). After doing my eye makeup — which included my new Fenty Beauty Baecae Vivid Liquid Eyeliner Trio ($35, fentybeauty.com) — my contour, and swiping on some blush, I finished off my look with a nude lip. Usually, this is when I'd pile on the setting powder, but instead, I opted for the Tatcha The Satin Skin Mist.

First things first, it's important that you shake the bottle really well before spritzing the mist on your face. Again, the clay settles at the bottom, so just make sure to give it a little jiggle to ensure the solution is fully blended — the mixing ball inside also helps. On my first spritz, I noticed just how fine this mist is. I almost didn't feel anything at all, which is surprising given the mist contains clay particles. The second time around, I held the nozzle much closer to my face and pumped away. Finally, since I love keeping my makeup as matte as possible, I spritzed my Beautyblender with The Satin Skin Mist and pressed it into my skin.

I'll admit that baking can leave my makeup looking a little dry and slightly chalky; this is why I've always finished with a setting spray, to combat some of that dryness. Now that I've skipped the setting powder and reached for Tatcha's new face mist, my skin feels bouncy and hydrated, without an ounce of chalkiness. It's not completely matte (it's "satin"), but I've realized that's not a bad thing. My skin looks and feels like skin, without looking greasy.

Two hours later after initially applying the mist, I was getting ready to leave the house and did one final mirror check. I got a bit greasy around the sides of my nose, but it was likely I just missed those spots. I misted again and head out the door. Before getting out of my car, I did yet another check in my rear-view mirror, and it seemed those extra pumps did the trick.

Not only does the mist work wonders for setting your makeup, but it's also perfect for soaking up excess oil throughout the day, without messing up your makeup. By the end of the night (about seven hours later), my nose was getting shiny. It was shinier than it would have been if I had baked, but it's not as oily as it used to get before I discovered baking. And you know what? I don't hate it. I look more dewy than greasy, and my makeup doesn't look cakey the way baking tends to make it look.

All in all, baking suppresses oils like magic, but Tatcha's The Satin Skin Mist makes my skin look natural and healthy. From now on, I'm reserving the baking technique for really long days and special occasions only.