Merit Makeup Review: The IT Minimalist Beauty Brand
I’m super pumped to write this Merit makeup review today because this brand has catapulted to success and can be found all over TikTok and Instagram. If you’ve been wondering whether Merits products are actually worth buying, look no further than my extensive Merit makeup review.
Merit Beauty is a line of clean makeup and skincare products that work to make your beauty routine a lot easier. Below, I go over almost every single one of the Merit makeup and skincare products and share all of my thoughts about each, so that you can make a more informed purchase.
My Honest Merit Makeup Review
One of the things I love about this brand is that it’s catered to folks with sensitive skin. None of their products irritate my sensitive, acne-prone skin, and I love that they are simple and no-fuss. This is a really great brand for anyone who likes minimal makeup. Or for a mom who doesn’t have a ton of time in the morning to do a full makeup look every day.
Merith came on my radar when a publicist emailed me about this new beauty brand that catered to minimalism. I loved that they had a foundation and concealer stick in one. I decided to call in some products to test out for editorial consideration for the multiple media outlets I write for.
Merit Beauty is a pretty new brand, and was only just founded in 2021. The brand’s founder, Katherine Power, is also the founder of the skincare line Versed, clean wine startup Avaline (which was co-founded with Cameron Diaz), and is a co-founder of the Who What Wear fashion and lifestyle site and clothing brand.
Best Merit Beauty Products
The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick
Available at Merit ($38)
I’ve written about the Merit Concealer before, and I am still in love with it. And so is everyone else in the United States. I think this is Merit’s best-selling product. It comes in 30 shades and can be used as a foundation and/or concealer. I like to use this pick on days when I just need a bit of coverage and don’t want to cover my whole face in foundation.
The formula is incredibly creamy and blends in absolutely beautifully. This is the one foundation/concealer product I’ve tried where sometimes I can’t tell if I have it on or not because it just blends into my skin sooo nicely. I use shade Dune and it matches my skin tone perfectly.
Flush Balm Cheek Colors
Available at Merit ($30)
This is another one of Merit’s best-selling products. The Flush Balm is a cream blush that comes in nine shades and leaves a gorgeous wash of color on your cheeks. The thing I like about this formula is also the thing I don’t like about it haha. It is pretty sheer, so sometimes you have to add a few layers to actually see any color on your cheeks. I also don’t think it lasts all day, but I would say that it lasts most of the day.
One thing I love about it is that it also gives a nice wash of dewiness to your cheeks. So if you don’t want to wear a highlighter, I feel like this is a good way to get a bit of glow and color to your cheeks.
Retrospect L’Extrait de Parfum
Available at Merit ($92)
This is one of the newer launches from Merit, and is its first foray into fragrance. I was really excited to test out this parfum and it exceeded my expectations. It’s a lovely everyday scent that smells clean and soft. You’ll find notes of florals, musk, vanilla, and moss in this formula. And because it’s an extrait de parfum, it’s made with nearly 30% fragrance oil and is super concentrated. Meaning it’ll last all day long on your skin.
Not only do I love the scent, but I also can’t get enough of the gorgeous, abstract bottle. This is definitely an everyday fragrance that I’ll be adding to my collection.
Brush No.1 Blending Brush
Available at Merit ($32)
This is a fabulous blending brush that works really well to blend in the Complexion Stick, Highlighting Balm, or Cheek Color into your face. It’s really densely packed and feels incredibly soft on your skin. I like that it’s multi-use and you can use it with so many of the brand’s products. It’s a little bit on the pricier side for a makeup brush, but I honestly think it’s so worth it—you can tell it’s really high-quality and will last you a long time. I have nothing bad to say about this pick.
Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color
Available at Merit ($24)
I’m typically not a huge fan of matte eyeshadows. It’s not like I don’t use them, because I definitely do, but I tend to opt for shimmery shadows more often. In terms of matte eye color, I do like these cream pots. They are super-pigmented and I feel like a little goes a long way. They dry down pretty fast, so you need to blend them out pretty quickly.
Sometimes they are hard to blend in the crease, which can be a bit tricky. Another plus is that they literally don’t crease all day. I don’t need any sort of eyeshadow primer before applying these, which isn’t typical for most of the eyeshadows that I use.
I really love to use these pots as a liner. I’ll use the Brush No. 2 Eyeshadow Brush liner end, dip it into one of the pots, and swipe it across my upper lash line—it’s so easy to apply. It looks so good and natural, and I love how the liner looks way more smudged and almost carefree-looking.
Brush No. 2 Eyeshadow Brush
Available at Merit ($20)
This is a nice little brush that is meant to be used with the Solo Shadows. I love that you can use the larger end on your entire lid, or you can use the smaller end and swipe it across your upper and lower lash line as a liner.
One thing I’ve noticed with this brush is that it tends to get stiff the next day after you’ve used it with the Solo Shadows. I think you need to wipe off as much excess product as you can after you’ve used it, so it doesn’t get stiff. Also, I do kinda think the price is high for a small eyeshadow brush, but I also think it’s high-quality and will last you a long time.
Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade
Available at Merit ($24)
I’d say this is your standard brow pomade. It’s a great product and it adds a good amount of darkness to my brows without looking too overdone. I use the shade Dark Brown and I think it matches my brow color pretty well.
I love how easy brow pomades are to just swipe through your brows quickly, but I often find that I have to go back in and use a Q-tip to clean up the edges. It’s not a huge deal, but can get annoying for some. However, I usually prefer a brow gel over a brow pencil because I just think it’s easier and takes a bit less time. I also like that it typically looks more natural than a brow pencil look.
Brow 1990 Sheer Gel Pencil
Available at Merit ($24)
This is a nice brow pencil that has a super fine tip for lots of definition. I use the shade dark brown and I like that it’s easy to use. Some brown pencils I’ve tried typically have a formula that feels dry and is hard to actually get product onto your brow without making a million strokes. That is not the case with the Brow 1990 Sheer Gel Pencil. You only need to go over the same area once and the brown pencil will cover it.
Day Glow Highlighting Balm
Available at Merit ($32)
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of this balm because I think I ended up getting rid of it. To be honest, I didn’t really love this product when I first tested it out a few years ago. It feels pretty wet on the skin, and I remember thinking that it didn’t add a ton of highlighty shimmer to my cheekbones, either. It kinda just felt like I was swiping something wet and dewy across my cheeks.
When I look at reviews on Sephora, a lot of people complain about the scent of the stick. I don’t really remember it smelling bad, but it easily could have—just can’t remember. Another issue reviewers have brought up is that this highlighter ends up taking off your foundation. I also don’t remember if that happened to me, but since it’s such a wet formula, I can see that happening.
I think if you like a really subtle highlight, and also like your cheeks to look extra dewy, this would be worth trying. Otherwise, I would opt for another highlighter. My recent favorites are the Ogee Sculpted Face Stick in Opal ($48), the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer ($40), and the Wander Beauty On-The-Go Blush and Illuminator in Coral Rose ($38).
Great Skin Moisturizer Priming Moisturizer
Available at Merit ($38)
I think this is a nice moisturizer, but it’s not my favorite. According to Sofie Pavitt’s Non-Comedogenic Ingredients Checker, this formula contains two ingredients that are known to clog pores—ethylhexyl palmitate and haematococcus pluvialis extract. That makes me weary of using it often.
I think the formula is elegant and feels nice on the skin. It feels pretty lightweight but hydrating. I noticed some pilling when I tested it out. Which isn’t great considering it is supposed to be a makeup primer.
Overall, I think this is a fine moisturizer, but I won’t be using it super often. I prefer to stick to my tried-and-true Skinfix Triple Lipid Peptide Cream ($54).
Great Skin Instant Glow Serum
Available at Merit ($38)
I did not like this product, and I don’t think my skin loved it either. When I first got this from the brand, I didn’t really understand what it was. It says you can apply it before or after your moisturizer. As the name suggests, I guess it’s supposed to add a glow to your skin.
When I applied this to my skin, it felt oily as hell. I waited a bit for it to sink in, and it never really did. I could feel the formula making my skin a little bit itchy. If I had left this on all day, I think it would have caused a breakout.
Personally, I think there are other products out there that offer a nice sheen to the skin that don’t feel so damn oily. I would probably pass on this one unless you like feeling greasy lol.
Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara
Available at Merit ($26)
I haven’t tried this yet because I currently have eyelash extensions on, but I will report back when I’ve tested it out!
Is Merit Makeup Worth It?
I absolutely think Merit Makeup is worth it. And I don’t really say this often about most beauty brands, but I think almost all of their products are worth it! They have done such a wonderful job of creating high-performing makeup products that come in beautiful packaging and a decent amount of shades for different skin tones.
It’s the perfect clean beauty brand that caters to minimalists who don’t want to spend an hour on their makeup routine every morning. The prices are mid-range, compared to luxury beauty products, and I think the pricing is pretty fair considering the nice packaging and quality, clean formulas.
I personally do not think this minimalist beauty brand is overhyped, and it deserves all the recognition it is getting. As you’ve seen above, there are some products that I like more than others, but I don’t think you can really go wrong with this brand.
One thing to note, though, is that if you prefer full-coverage, full-glam makeup, this brand is not for you. It’s for the minimalist gal who doesn’t want to cake her face in foundation.
Where To Buy Merit Makeup
There are only two places you can purchase Merit products. These include:
I hope you loved my Merit beauty review! If you’re interested in more makeup brand reviews, please check out my Laura Geller Makeup review, which is my most popular blog post!
*Please note: The brand gifted this product to me. I am under no obligation to review it, and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through the links on my site at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting my small business by shopping through my affiliate links. It’s what keeps my blog running and I am so appreciative!
