I’m not going to lie, I’m not someone who adheres to the minimalist, clean makeup concept. It’s not that I don’t want to or like it or respect the conviction. I just like makeup, and I like trying whatever beautiful products I can get my hands on. However, when I saw a press release about Merit Beauty, I knew I wanted to be pick up a few products. Everything about Merit — from the brand aesthetic to the overall mission, I found it alluring. Since the less is more notion in makeup has been trendy and in full swing lately, this whole range gave me a very model off duty vibe that I have, like a lot of people, been gravitating toward. I purchased most of the line and have been familiarizing myself with the formulas for about a month. So let’s see how they perform in this Merit Beauty Review.
Here’s what we’re going to do:
We’re going to breakdown the brand basics: the brand mission, the products, the packaging, any fun bits to be had. Then we’ll go into the products I have purchased and tried. And after, we’ll talk final thoughts. Sound good? Good.
The Basics
Merit Beauty is brain child of Katherine Power, CEO of Who What Wear and founder of clean skincare brand Versed. As a simple makeup wearers, she wanted to offer a scaled-back, minimalist approach to beauty, where she prioritized “well-edited essentials that have earned a place on your vanity.” She also outlined in the press release:
“Beauty and self-care have reached a fever pitch, a saturated market with products coming out every few days, palettes with 50 colors when we only use two, and more and more additions to the list of what it takes to ‘look good.’ This year, we’ve reset. We learned we don’t need much. We’re accustomed to bare nails, natural hair, and days without makeup. We’re indulging in comfort and minimalism and brand that bring us more with less. Merit was created to reimagine luxury beauty by making it well-edited, holistic, and accessible. We’re focused on responsible luxury, creating products that are safe for the body, skin, and planet.”
You can read her informative letter about the brand and its mission here.
At launch, Merit consists of just seven products that Power considers essential in her touted five minute makeup routine. According to Power, she designed each product for makeup wearers like her, who aren’t big on makeup but still wanted to add a little oomph to their look. She says, “I felt compelled to create a brand that would reimagine luxury beauty for modern consumers like myself, by making it cleaner, well-edited, and accessible. [Merit] is built around the concept of minimalist beauty and the fact that we just want to look like ourselves, but better.” A concept I love and can get behind.
The Product
The line launched with a base complexion stick, cheek color, highlighting balm, tinted lip oil, tubing mascara, brow pomade gel, and a complexion brush. The prices range from $24-$38, putting it somewhere I’d consider mid-range.
The brand has high beauty standards, which we’ll touch base on in more detail in a moment, and touts itself as responsible luxury. The brand is EU compliant, vegan, cruelty-free, and Leaping Bunny certified. They also claim to eliminate as much virgin plastic as possible from the products and operations.
You can shop Merit at Sephora, sephora.com*, or on the Merit Beauty official site.
The Packaging
Packaging isn’t everything in beauty, but I was definitely attracted to the sleek, minimally decorated aesthetic of the brand’s packaging. The gold accents add such a luxe finish, and I love seeing these peeking out of my makeup bag. For the most part, I think the packaging looks luxe and feels luxe in the hand (with the exception of the Flush Balm. It feels a little cheap.)
But what’s really impressive about the packaging is that they’ve done their best to eliminate as much virgin plastic from the product and operations as possible, and the mailer packaging is recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable.
Another touch that proves Merit is a serious contender in the luxury beauty space is the inclusion of The Merit Bag, a double-lined bag included complimentary to every first order. It contains no wasteful hardware or toggle, and is made to last.
The Merit Beauty Standard
Merit is built around the notion that you can use makeup to look like yourself, but a little better. And that better extends to taking a holistic approach to the formulation of products. Each Merit product is vegan, cruelty-free, and is EU compliant. Power also worked with celebrity esthetician Biba de Sousa to formulate the products in accordance with her ‘no list,’ leaving out another 73 potentially harmful ingredients.
EU Compliance
Merit is EU compliant, meaning the products have been formulated to meet the European Union’s strict standards for clean beauty, including a ban of more than 1,300 potentially harmful ingredients
Biba de Sousa
Power also worked with celebrity esthetician Biba de Sousa to formulate the products in accordance with her ‘no list,’ leaving out another 73 potentially harmful ingredients.
Merit Beauty Ingredients
Merit’s formulas also are said to not only make your skin look better while you’re wearing them, but to improve skin health. Here a few of the ingredients Merit highlights:
- Sea Daffodil Extract: Merit uses this ingredient in their complexion stick to help diminish the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots.
- Vitamin E: The Flush Balms contains vitamin E to condition the skin while you wear it and help ensure it never cakes on the cheek.
- Nourishing Oils like rosehip oil, grapeseed oil, and jojoba oil are found in several of the formulas.
- Fatty Acids are included in several products, like their lip oil and the complexion stick to give the skin a healthy barrier function and provide antioxidants to the skin.
- Squalane is an ingredient I love. It’s great for locking in hydration, conditioning the skin, and supports elasticity. You can find this is the highlighting balm.
- Shea Butter is conditioning and is included in the lip oil to soften and nourish.
No. 1 The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick*
Let’s kick off this Merit Beauty review with the product that interested me the most at launch. The Minimalist complexion stick* retails for $38 for .13 oz. of product and comes in 20 shades. I purchased the shade Cream. I love a good stick foundation, so I knew I was going to want to pick this up. To preface, Cream isn’t the right color for me. I wanted Silk (the second lightest), but it was sold out. I find Cream to be just a little too dark and a little too yellow for me. But I can make it work.
This claims to be neither a foundation or concealer, but one product to replace both. It’s described as being lightweight with medium coverage. And I agree; it feels lightweight on the skin and offers a solid light-medium coverage. Upon first application, the formula was thicker than I anticipated. But I found it blended out smoothly and left my skin with a natural, skin-like texture and finish.
The point of this isn’t to cover your skin entirely; you want a little to show through. So I definitely saw a little of my texture and redness peeking through, which I don’t mind. And my skin looked more even overall.
I’m glad I waited a few weeks to do my review for this. Because at first, I absolutely hated it. So much so I almost got rid of it. I can’t quite pin point why; I just wasn’t getting on with it. Then I wondered about the brush. I didn’t buy the brush from Merit, because I usually don’t find them to be necessary to get on with the product. However, I used a brush similar to the one they offer, and I find that this is the way to go with this product. You also may want to set this as it does tend to transfer quite a bit – at least on my skin.
MY TIP: A little goes a long way. I think this product looks best when used sparingly.
Merit The Minimalist Complexion Stick*, $38
No. 2 Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil*
I think this is my favorite product from the line, especially since I have been reaching for it almost every day since receiving it. The Shade Slick* is a tinted lip oil provides slick sheer color infused with rosehip oil + shea butter for healthier lips all day. It retails for $24 for .23 oz. of product and comes in 4 shades:
- Au Naturale* – warm blush
- Marrakech* – bright peach
- Pink Beet* – cool pink
- Sangria* – deep berry
I find the texture on these to be a little thinner than a balm, a little thicker than an oil. But incredibly comfortable on the lip. It doesn’t feel heavy or sticky and makes my lips feel hydrated. Plus I love how high shine they are. The shade Au Naturale* is the most perfect blushy pink on my lips, and I’ve been wearing it so often.
However, I have 2 major qualms with this product. The first is that the color doesn’t last the longest. Your lips are left feeling hydrated, but the color and shine fade pretty quickly. So I find myself reapplying often. Having said that, though, I find it reapplies nicely throughout the day and doesn’t look goopy or messy. I also like throwing on a lip liner under this, just to add color when it eventually starts to fade.
The second is that while I love them, and will rebuy them when I run out, I’m going to run out quickly, especially considering I’m wearing them so frequently.
Merit Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil*, $24
No. 3 Flush Balm Cheek Color*
Flush Balm is a sheer, cream tint that melts into the skin for lit-from-within color that stays flush all day, according to the brand. It retails for $28 for .31 oz. of product and comes in 5 shades:
- Terracotta* – warm crème
- Beverly Hills* – soft peach
- Cheeky* – cool pink
- Raspberry Beret* – deep berry
- Mood* – soft burgundy
This is one of those products I am glad I have, and I’ll use it. I have been using it very often. However, I’m not sure I’d repurchase or buy any more of the shades. I picked up the shades Mood and Beverly Hills in my order. They’re both beautiful, and my thoughts are consistent between both shades.
These feel really emollient. Honestly it’s how I wanted the complexion stick to feel. They’re lightweight and easy to apply. But they are sheer, man. So if you like a blush that adds a lot of punch, skip these. I find the two shades I got to be pigmented and to last a decent amount of time for a sheer, cream formula. However, I always make sure to add more blush at the end of my routine. I also have been enjoying using these on my eyes and on my lips as well. They work well as an all over mono-chromatic product that I’ve been enjoying.
In comparison to the rest of the line, the packaging on these feels cheap, which kind of sucks. But it’s not that serious.
Merit Flush Balm Cheek Color*, $28
No. 4 Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade*
I’m a sucker for a brow gel, and this one spoke to me. It retails for $24 for .08 oz. of product and comes in 3 shades:
- Blonde* – blonde with cool undertones
- Brown* – light to medium cool brown
- Black Brown* – dark brown/black with warm undertones
Merit describes the Brow 1980* as a nod to the brows of the ’80s, adding color and volume for healthy, fluffy arches. And I agree with that. I picked up the Brown shade, which I think is a really nice shade. The formula leans on the drier side in terms of consistency, which I like. It’s a little easier to work with, in my opinion.
I love this brow product. It gives me fluffy brows and adds a little bit of color. However, if you’re someone who typically needs to draw/shape your brows, you’re going to want to grab something else to accommodate this. Likewise, if you like a super strong hold, like you get from the ABH brow gel*, for example, you might not get on with this one. I don’t find it holds my brows in place very long.
Merit Brow 1980*, $24
No. 5 Day Glow Highlighting Balm
The Day Glow Highlighting Balm* is a highlighting product made for daytime, according to the brand – meaning it gives a dewy, balmy sheen with zero sparkle. It retails for $30 for .14 oz. of product and comes in 2 shades:
If you’ve been around a while, you know how much I love a glowy face look. And my favorite highlighting products lately are those with little shimmer, little sparkle, little base color, but offer a ton of natural, wet-looking glow. And I get that from this. I love popping the shade Cava on the cheekbones, under the brown bone, Cupid’s bow, and tip of the nose. I’ve also been using it on the lid when I haven’t wanted to wear any shadow, too.
Because the base isn’t pigmented, a variety of skin tones are going to be able to use this on actual no makeup days, because it won’t leave behind color, just a glossy highlight.
Merit, Day Glow Highlighting Balm*, $30
No. 6 Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara*
I didn’t purchase these next two products, but figured I’d include them for reference, since this is a Merit Beauty Review highlighting the entire brand.
The Clean Lash* retails for $26 and is available in black. It’s described as everyday mascara that will separate and lengthen for a wide-awake look with no smudging. It is a tubing mascara, so the formula should define and life without clumping. (And removal is a breeze.)
Merit Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara*, $26
No. 7 Brush No. 1 Tapered Blending Brush*
This is a shorter, dense brush that is perfect for blending complexion products. It retails for $30.
Like I said, typically I don’t buy brushes that come with product launches. On one hand, it makes sense that the brush would be designed to specifically complement the product. But on the other hand, makeup brushes are so multi-functional that I always think, “Surely something I have is similar and will work.”
Merit Brush No. 1 Tapered Blending Blush*, $30
Final Thoughts
Alright let’s finish up this Merit Beauty Review.
My initial thought of this brand, and, let’s be honest, what drew me to it to begin with is the aesthetics. It’s a very Instagrammable brand. The packaging is sleek and pleasing. The general vibe of the brand and its products is reminiscent of Glossier — cool girl makeup — but the sophisticated older sister version.
I like the general vibe of the brand — clean, minimal, less is more, responsible luxury. Merit touts this 5-minute beauty routine that will leave your skin looking better over time, and I definitely think the products adhere to that messaging. The product selections are concise and to the point. They are intentional and well-placed. However, they don’t offer a lot of variety. And by that I mean, your makeup look will look the same every time. That’s not a bad thing, just a note.
I do want to comment on the price. These are little luxuries. And by little, I mean little. You don’t get a lot of product per unit in this brand, and the price tags are up there. So keep that in mind.
But overall, I am pleased with all of the products I tried.
The standouts for me are:
- Shade Slick* – I am constantly reaching for these. I’ll definitely repurchase Au Naturale* when I run out.
- Day Glow* – I’m a sucker for a sheer, glossy highlight.
Hopefully this Merit Beauty Review was helpful if you were interested in trying the brand or any of the products. What are your thoughts on the brand?
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