Sienna Miller’s clever setting powder hack proves you don’t have to pile on makeup just to make it last

Sienna Miller has always subscribed to the idea that less is more. Rather than reinventing her beauty look with every passing trend, she's stayed loyal to a signature aesthetic: brushed-up brows, radiant skin and a slick of kohl liner.

Having worked with Charlotte Tilbury for years, it's fair to say Miller has picked up a few insider tricks along the way. Now the face of the brand's new Pillow Talk in Bloom campaign, she's recently shared one of her favourites: the 'airbrush sandwich hack' – a technique she says keeps her complexion looking fresh and alive while ensuring her base "will not budge".

Rather than relying on heavy layers of makeup that can leave the complexion looking cakey, the three-step technique is designed to lock everything in place without sacrificing that skin-like finish. Especially useful during a heatwave, scroll on to discover the steps and products involved.

What is the 'airbrush sandwich hack'?

The 'sandwich' element comes from the order in which products are applied. Miller begins by misting her complexion with Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. While it's still drying down, she lightly stipples Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder over the areas she wants to stay shine-free – focusing on the T-zone rather than dusting powder across her entire face. She then finishes with another veil of setting spray to lock everything into place.

"I'm just going to use the Airbrush Setting Spray – so hydrating and nourishing. While that is setting, I'm going to re-powder, and that's going to sandwich it all in and keep everything airbrushed," she explains in the Instagram video.

"I know that my makeup will not budge. It still looks dewy and glowy and fresh and alive, but we all know it's been powdered and sealed. It doesn't feel that way – it feels like my skin can still breathe, but it's not going to move."

The key to achieving that fresh, skin-like finish is choosing a setting powder that won't leave skin looking flat or chalky. Charlotte Tilbury's best-selling formula is finely milled and blended with moisture-boosting emollient ingredients, allowing it to blur the complexion without emphasising texture. As Tilbury previously explained on This Morning, “if they're finely milled and have lots of emollients in them, they are actually incredible smoothing and blurring.”

If you're as taken with Miller's understated approach to beauty as we are, it's also worth taking a look at the effortless heatwave bun she's been relying on this summer, as well as the affordable lip balm that's become a permanent fixture in her makeup bag.