1 Brand Review—Merit: What Works And What Doesn’t For Mature Skin

Beauty Thought Leader: Elise Marquam-Jahns

Launched in January 2021, Merit is all about the less is more approach to minimalist makeup. Katherine Power (whose name you might recognize as cofounder of the fashion and beauty site Who What Wear) founded Merit to fill what she felt was a gap in the market for a beauty brand that’s clean, effortless and elevated.

Let’s Talk About Merit:

Merit is a clean beauty brand which means they use non-toxic ingredients which are both natural and lab created. Although there is no regulated definition of clean beauty, Merit meets the Clean at Sephora brand standards and uses an EU compliant formula which is free from over 1,400 potentially unsafe ingredients. The brand also excludes artificial fragrance from their products. 

“So whether you’re short on time or just don’t like to wear a lot of makeup, Merit may be your brand.”

So whether you’re short on time or just don’t like to wear a lot of makeup, Merit may be your brand. Hopefully you’ll find out which products might work for you in today’s article and accompanying video. 

Merit has recently come out with two skincare products: their Great Skin Instant Glow Serum and their Great Skin Priming Moisturizer. The serum is designed to hydrate and plump the skin, be lightweight and create a dewy finish. It’s meant to absorb quickly into the skin leaving no residue and contains niacinamide, four types of hyaluronic acid, caffeine rich cacao seed extract– which stimulates blood flow– for an immediate pluming effect and Japanese goldthread root which helps soothe the skin. 

Great Skin:

The Great Skin priming moisturizer is supposed to prep the skin for makeup application, smooth the skin, provide time release hydration throughout the day and make the skin feel firmer and more elastic in one week. It’s supposed to be a lightweight formula which is important if we’re wearing it under makeup. 

Merit’s Brow 1990 is a sheer gel pencil with a microfine point which comes in four shades. I’ll use it to outline my right brow both on the top and bottom and then gently fill it in with some soft strokes

The second brow product Merit makes is really one of my favorites. It’s their Brow 1980 which is a volumizing pomade that adds both color and volume to create fluffy, natural looking brows. It comes in the same shades as the pencil.  It has a tapered brush which makes it easier to coat different areas of the brow — and contains Vitamin B5 which conditions and strengthens the brows. With this type of product, I first like to brush the brow down and then backwards to make sure I coat every hair.  Then I brush them back into their normal shape. 

Cream Eyeshadows:

Merit makes cream eyeshadows in eight colors—four neutrals and four statement shades in mauve, warm green, soft grey and classic navy. These are buildable cream to powder shadows that give a soft matte wash of color. There’s no creasing or fall-out and they are very blendable. They’re also opthamologist tested and safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Two ingredients—chamomile and calendula—help soothe the eye area and magnolia bark extract helps smooth the appearance of the skin.  One thing to be aware of with these eye shadow creams is that once they set, they can no longer be blended and they’re on to stay. 

Merit’s Minimalist Complexion Perfecting Stick is a very innovative product which is described as not a foundation or a concealer, but a product that will replace both in our makeup bag.  It’s billed as light to medium coverage that stays breathable all day and contains fatty acids to condition the skin and lock in moisture as well as sea daffodil extract which helps diminish the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots.

Merit’s Bronze Bomb Sheer Bronzer:

It frankly feels and looks a bit thick and heavy when first applied but it does sheer out easily. It does work well as a concealer. In the video I’m going to try a different way to apply it by mixing it with a small drop of my NOOMI Facial Oil to see if it feels and looks softer and lighter.

“Merit’s cream blush comes in nine shades and has a unique applicator.“

I know some people really love Merit’s Bronze Bomb Sheer Bronzer, but I simply couldn’t make it work. It was so sheer that it really didn’t show up well on my skin—and, it seemed to disturb the makeup underneath. But if you prefer a really sheer bronzer or contour look, it may work for you, so I’d recommend you check out some other reviews—both online and on YouTube—to get some other opinions.

Merit’s cream blush comes in nine shades and has a unique applicator. It’s a balm that deposits a creamy, transparent veil of color that lets the skin show through. It contains vitamin E– which conditions the skin–and it doesn’t clog pores.

I have the shade “Stockholm” which is a baby pink, “Rouge” which is a sheer red, “Cheeky” which is a cool pink, “Apres” which is a soft berry, and “Raspberry beret” which is a deep berry. Also included in the collection is a soft peach, a warm taupe, a soft orange red and a soft burgundy. In the video I’ll mix a little of the baby pink shade Stockholm with the cool pink shade “Cheeky.” 

Highlighting Balms:

Merit’s Day Glow Highlighting Balms come in four shades. These highlighters are meant to give a lit from within glow since they contain micro fine pearls which reflect light and illuminate the skin. They have a vitamin rich base which replenishes moisture, Squalane to lock in hydration and a Phytosterol and Amino Acid to promote healthy skin barrier protection. They are described as being moisturizing, buildable and blendable and create a dewy looking finish.

The Merit Lipsticks are really special because of how extremely comfortable these lipsticks feel on the lips.  They’re hydrating, buildable and light weight. There are eight matte shades and 9 satin shades.

Merit also has a line of lip oils called their Shade Slicks. There are 8 classic shades which include a clear and 4 gelees. These lip oils create a lovely high shine finish, and are also moisturizing without feeling sticky.  

Now let me give you my impression of Merit’s new products—and my take on the rest of the products I tried today. 

Brow 1990 Pencil:

Merit’s 1990 Brow pencil is very thin and precise which can be very helpful when shaping brows, but I think it’s really difficult to create a brow pencil that really stands head and shoulders above any other product out on the market. So although it’s a definitely a good product, it’s not a must in my makeup routine

Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade:

Merit’s 1980 Volumizing pomade is incredibly easy to apply and lasts all day. It’s a translucent color that is buildable. It’s a great product to get a natural looking, fuller brow.

Solo Cream Eyeshadows:

If you love a one and one cream eyeshadows, these Merit Solo individual cream eyeshadows may be just what you’re looking for. They blend in extremely easily with fingers or a brush and come in some beautiful neutrals as well as pops of color. They do set very quickly and are budge proof, so you need to apply them one eye at a time fairly quickly.

The Great Skin Instant Glow Serum:

This serum should be shaken well before using and does create some glow. It’s important to let it really sink into the skin and dry thoroughly before applying makeup. Because of its thin consistency, I do wish it came with a dropper.

The Great Skin Priming Moisturizing:

I loved how this moisturizer felt and will definitely keep using it.

The Minimalist Complexion Stick:

This product definitely provides light coverage. If you like a no makeup makeup look, the complexion stick is a great option, but if you’re looking for good medium coverage this probably isn’t the foundation for you. 

Bronze Bomb Sheer Bronzer:

This was a definite no for me, but if you’re looking for very light bronzer coverage this might be your perfect bronzer.

Flush Balm Blushes:

This blush feels lightweight on the skin and there are some beautiful colors. And most importantly, it’s easy to apply and blend into the skin.

The Day Glow Highlighter Balm:

This highlighter gives a subtle dewy looking glow—without being shiny or sparkly. It creates a beautiful soft, pearlescent look.

Satin Lipstick/Matte Lipstick:

If you’re looking for a comfortable, velvety soft feel on your lips, you’ll love this both the satin and matte lipsticks.  They’re some of my all time favorites.

Shade Stick Tinted Lip Oil:

The Merit lip oils are sheer and moisturizing due to the rose hip oil and shea butter ingredients.  And best of all, they’re shiny without feeling sticky. This is another winner.

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