Merit Beauty - Entire Collection: Review and Swatches
Katherine Power, founder of Who What Wear, Versed, and Avaline, has officially launched her fourth brand, MERIT Beauty. “ A luxury makeup collection featuring well-edited and clean products for your vanity.” Merit launched at Clean at Sephora (which focuses on products free of parabens, sulfates SLS and SLES, phthalates, mineral oils, formaldehyde, and more) in February. The brand has released seven vegan and cruelty-free products for a minimalist beauty look. They are a true believer that less is more and promise a five-minute routine. I received the entire line and will be sharing my thoughts below on a few items.
The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick - $49 CAD
A complexion stick that is meant to replace your foundation and concealer. There are 20 available shades and I picked Khaki - medium tan with golden undertones. It’s lightweight and provides light to medium coverage. The texture is soft and it blends nicely into the skin. I applied it directly from the tube and used the No. 1 Tapered Blending Brush in the collection to blend it out which worked very well. It wasn’t too dry nor moist. I did apply it over prepped skin. It contains fatty acids to condition the skin and lock in moisture. It can be layered and built up to medium coverage. It also contains Sea Daffodil Extract that diminishes the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots. The foundation stick masked any redness I had but if you have stubborn dark spots or circles, you may need additional coverage. The finish was very natural and skin-like. I set it with setting powder and I didn’t notice any creasing. It’s so easy to use and carry on the go. The Perfecting Complexion is the hero product in this line ( in my opinion). It’s perfect for that minimal look hence the name.
Day Glow Highlighting Balm - $39 CAD
The Day Glow is a dewy highlighter stick in a balm formula. It has a translucent base that leaves a light sheen. It contains so many great ingredients to condition and nourish the skin like plant-based squalane, olive fruit oil, phytosterol an amino acid blend. There are two different shades. I used Bounce which is a rose gold shade. It glides on smoothly leaving a natural dewy finish. On my skin, it’s very light and it doesn’t show in indoor lightning but as you can see below in the sunlight it is very beautiful. There are many cream highlighters on the market that have more pigmentation that would work better on tan skin tones. If you’re light skin and don’t like a beaming highlight this might work for you.
Flush Balm Cream Blush - $36
This balm is described as “a foolproof, flexible balm that deposits a creamy, transparent veil of color to let your skin show through.” It is said to be soft and flexible and glides on beautifully and contains micro-fine pigment powders that deposit a touch of color. There are five available shades in this range and I got Terracotta. Described a warm crème it is a light brown shade with light undertones. I wanted to love this blush because I love cream blushes. Unfortunately, the colour just melted and disappeared into my skin. The pigmentation is sheer and even when layered the colour does not last long. Perhaps I should have picked a darker shade however I don’t have high hopes for the other shades. There are better cream blushes on the market.
Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil - $31
A sheer-tinted lip oil infused with rosehip oil and shea butter—for healthy-looking lips all day long. I really like the formula on this lip oil. It’s moisturizing, not heavy or sticky. I was pleasantly surprised with the pigmentation. Most lip oils leave a tint of colour but this oil reminds me of a gloss. No base is needed to show up on my pigmented lips. I did wear a liner in the below pic so you can get a feel for the true colour. I’m wearing shade Marrakech that is a bright peach. There are three other shades available.
Highlighter Balm - Bounce, Complexion Stickm- Khaki, Flush Balm Cream Blush - Terracotta and Lip oil - Marrakech
Brow 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Pomade Gel - $31
“A tinted, flexible pomade designed to give you your most face-framing brows yet, shaping and grooming them into place for a natural, bold look.” I found this gel a bit underwhelming. There are three shades. I used Dark-Brown and the pigment was light. The formula is dry but it does have some flexibility and doesn’t leave your brow hairs hard.
Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara - $34
“An everyday mascara that defines, separates, and lengthens lashes for a wide-awake look, with no smudging—ever.” I have to agree with the claims of this mascara. It is a good clean mascara. It lengthens without clumping or smudging. It’s hard to find a mascara that does not transfer to the lid upon application and there was minimal transfer. For more drama, you can pair this mascara with a lash primer.
Products used: The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick - Khaki, Flush Balm Cheek Color - Terracotta, Day Glow Highlighting Balm - Bounce, Clean Lash Mascara - Perfect Black, Brow 1989 Volumizing Pomade - Black- Brown and Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil - Marrakech
Merit Beauty is all about accentuating one’s natural beauty. They did deliver on a five-minute routine. However, I had some hits and misses. If you’re not a fan of over-the-top products and enjoy natural makeup look and I think this line would be great.
Samantha
xoxo
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