As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. POPSUGAR has affiliate and advertising partnerships so we get revenue from sharing this content and from your purchase.
Go-To Skincare Founder Zoë Foster Blake is very with her fans on social media – and despite the multiple range extensions this year, they’ve been hounding her for one product incessantly — a face mist. She listened, and now, the Go-To, Prep Step ($29) is here.
You might think, ‘why a face mist? Isn’t it just water in a spray bottle?’ Turns out, Foster Blake shared your thinking.
On Monday when the product launched, Foster Blake posted to Instagram: “For over a century I thought face mists were either, a) wanky and overkill, or b) incredibly drying.” Then she, along with skincare obsessives like myself, discovered the truth.
Face mists are one of the quickest ways to increase the effectiveness of the products in your routine and they drastically improve the appearance and performance of your makeup.
Despite their effectiveness, there’s still a long history of face mists being dissed. It’s kind of understandable — just decades ago, face mists were actually “water in a bottle” (although usually fancy water from the French alps). The ones that had added benefits, like the iconic French Pharmacy Caudalie, Beauty Elixir ($46) were pricey and full of essential oils that some skin types found irritating. I happen to keep Beauty Elixir by my desk at all times because it’s better than a triple shot flat white at waking me up around 3 pm, but it’s not for every complexion, and should never be used as a toner.
Related: I’m a Beauty Writer Who Doesn’t Use Face Masks — Can Go-To’s The Repair Shop Change That?
Face mists have changed a lot, though, and you can now find them packed with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, panthenol, antioxidants and skin-nourishing oils. Still, the good ones are often expensive and housed in heavy glass bottles. That’s why Go–To’s Prep Step caught my eye. Lightweight and made of 30% PCRP plastic, it looked like a handbag and wallet-friendly option. And who better to advise us on how to use it than Foster Blake herself?
Zoë Foster Blake Tells Us How to Use Prep Step:
Foster Blake fell in love with face mists when she realised how much more effective they made every product in her routine.
“Face mists help prime the skin for optimal product absorption,” she tells POPSUGAR Australia. “They help ensure the rest of your products and routine work as hard as possible.” That’s because most hydrating products in your routine contain humectants that bind water to the skin, fighting the effects of dehydration, plumping your complexion and giving you that longed-for “glass glow.”
But where is the water coming from? In 2022, the year we returned to office air conditioning, air travel and switched on dehumidifiers, there hasn’t been much to be found. Rather than relying on natural resources, using a hydrating mist packed with science-y skincare extras can give your serums and lotions something to “grab” onto.
That’s why you shouldn’t think of Prep-Step isn’t a standalone product. “It needs a lid,” she says, “always lock in humectant ingredients with a follow-on product, like an oil or moisturiser.” Think of a face spray as the cement that binds the bricks of your skincare: be they serums, oils, lotions and/or potions.
How I Use Prep Step:
I don’t need convincing on the benefits of face mists.
As someone who experiences dehydrated skin, the second the air conditioning is cranked or the dehumidifier switched on, I’m reaching for my face mists.
When Go-To launched their Much Plumper Skin Serum earlier this year, I detailed how I used hyaluronic acid, in conjunction with a face mist and oil to “slug” my skin.
I find that incorporating a face mist not only gives my skin a lusted-after glazed doughnut glow but stops my makeup from cannibalising itself throughout the day. Yes, cannibalising. One of the best ways to check if you have dehydrated skin is by keeping an eye on your foundation throughout the day — if it seems to be cracking and flaking, it’s because your thirsty face is trying to extract moisture from it.
Related: My Vaseline-Free Slugging Routine: Featuring Go-To’s New Much Plumper Skin Serum
But, I am also well-versed in the shortcomings of face mists. Some face mists are overly drying, annoyingly fragranced, or poorly designed. There is nothing worse than trying a new face mist only to find yourself blasted with the force of a garden hose (RIP, non-waterproof mascara).
Prep-Step immediately impressed me on the “mist” front. One spritz of prep-step and a super fine cloud of particles are released, coming to rest gently on your skin like a veil. There are no visible water droplets that leave you looking like you’ve just gone for a dip.
I was also tickled by the ingredients. Prep-Step includes hyaluronic acid and glycerin to plump and bind water to your skin, keeping you dewy and bouncy all day. It also includes some lesser-known ingredients like Sodium PCA, Betaine and Propanediol. Sodium PCA is found in human skin, but dry skin has less of it. It’s been shown to reduce inflammation and protects the skin’s “microflora” — our first defence against irritation and inflammation.
Tasmanian pepper leaf (sounds alarming, but actually anti-inflammatory), berry extract and wild rosella extract further soothe and boost moisture levels.
How Does Go-To Prep Step Perform?
I’ve been using Prep-Step as prescribed, as the “sandwiching” step in my skin routine. Post-shower I tone with Prep-Step, wait a few minutes, and then follow with my “active” serum. I then apply my hyaluronic acid and give myself another spritz before following with an oil or moisturiser (or both, depending on how I’m going.
Prep-Step is perfectly suited to its purposes. While a lot of face mists are used as toners, they’re usually designed for the midday makeup refreshes I referred to above. This means they’re often heavily fragranced and loaded with essential oils. For me, these are fine and even enjoyable over makeup, but they’re not something I would directly apply to my skin post-shower.
Prep-Step doesn’t have a strong scent and is packed with soothing ingredients. Because of the super fine spray, I’m not left feeling like I have to towel off before moving to the next step in my skincare regime.
Using Prep Step, I find I use less of my serums, and my skin looks less crepey and dry throughout the day. If you’ve been on the fence about adding a face mist to your routine, at $29 Prep Step is a superior bet.
Go-To, Prep Step ($29) is available at gotoskincare.com and MECCA.
