How Saie Reimagined the Clean Setting Spray

Radiance was the name of the game for the makeup at Kallmeyer’s SS26 show. It was the handiwork of makeup artist James Boehmer, who created a velvety, luminous base with Saie’s Slip Tint Concealer and Setting Powder. Cheeks were awakened with a wash of powder blush placed high for a lifted effect; lips yielded a lacquered finish with the help of the Glossybounce Lip Gloss Oil. The thing about a glow, though, is that you have to be very particular about its wear; if you’re not careful, it can drift into oily territory as the day goes on. Fortunately, Boehmer had a few top-secret bottles on-hand of the not-yet-launched Saie CitySet Setting Spray. And today, that exact miracle formula is available for purchase exclusively to Vogue readers; CitySet setting spray officially launches on December 26.

As the show look was centered around the texture of the skin—a multidimensional effect achieved via matte, radiant, and glossy finishes, selectively placed to sculpt and shape the skin with light—Boehmer wanted to ensure that these finishes were not compromised. “Flawless dimension comes from carefully applying the right finish to the right area, and how you set the makeup can so often disturb this delicate effect,” he says. “So many setting sprays feel heavy, almost glue-like on the skin, and ultimately blend all of these details together.” The first thing he noticed about the CitySet version, however, was its ultra-fine, weightless mist. “So often, how a setting spray actually sprays says so much about how it will ultimately perform on the skin.”

Photo: Courtesy of Saie

Photo: Courtesy of Saie

The performance Boehmer references speaks to why Saie decided to launch a setting spray in the first place. Per Saie founder and CEO Laney Crowell, this was her community’s most-requested product. “I was thinking about how full and layered our customers’ days are, and I wanted something that could keep up from your first meeting in the morning to dinner and dancing later that night,” she says.

Saie CitySet Setting Spray

• Why We Love It: Designed for 16 hours of wear time, Saie’s CitySet Setting Spray extends makeup’s longevity without toxic or irritating ingredients. “Our goal was to have a formula that would prevent makeup from fading, smudging, and melting throughout the day,” Saie founder and CEO Laney Crowell says. “We wanted it to feel weightless, comfortable, and hydrating—but never greasy.”
• Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed corn starch; propanediol; glycogen; mandarin orange extract
• Size: 95 ml; 30 ml

The thing about traditional setting sprays is that they’re often powered by harsh ingredients or deliver a tacky, hairspray-like mist that is bad for both your skin and the environment. “They rely on aerosols and synthetic film formers that can be heavy, irritating, and breakout-inducing,” Crowell continues. To that end, perfecting the spray’s delivery was one of the brand’s major focus points. Saie has been working on the product for five of the six years since its debut; Crowell notes they tested more than 10 options before landing on the perfect composition. The final result is a nonaerosol, ultrafine, continuous mist that skips chemical propellants altogether—allowing for complete control, even application, and quick absorption.

Photo: Courtesy of Saie

Photo: Courtesy of Saie

True to Saie’s “clean-meets-high-performing” philosophy, this not only feels elegant to apply, but it’s also packed with skin-loving ingredients. Hydrolyzed corn starch, which mimics synthetic performance polymers to lock the look in place for 16 hours, is the star ingredient. There are humectants to lend skin a fresh glow, and mandarin orange extract, which soothes the skin and protects against environmental stressors like pollution and UV radiation. And of course, it keeps compromised skin in mind: Per Crowell, it’s dermatologist-tested to work with all skin types, especially those that are sensitive, dry, and acne-prone.

I’ve been secretly testing this setting spray since September, and I can confidently say it was well worth the wait. I’d liken its feel on skin to that of a face mist; the formula dispenses as a delicate—and shockingly even—mist that never disrupts your makeup. Neither too drying nor too dewy, the finish here is somewhere in between—great for enhancing your natural glow while melting your face products together. “When you build a beautiful complexion layer by layer, finish by finish, you want to ensure that a setting product will not disturb that fine balance you’ve created,” Boehmer adds. CitySet delivers—it has served me well on a girls’ trip to Greece in the late summer heat, the New York City early winter chill, and everywhere in between.

“Ultimately, we wanted CitySet to prove that clean beauty can perform at the highest level and support anyone’s lifestyle,” Crowell continues. “Our North Star has always been to actually improve your skin when you wear our products. The fact that we’ve achieved that with a setting spray is game-changing.”