Less is More
A non-influencer’s review of Merit beauty
Full transparency: Merit sent me these products to try and I gladly accepted the offer even though I am a writer and not an influencer because, well, writers wear makeup, too! As always, all opinions are my own. Photos were shot with my iPhone and a glass prism and are—by Merit’s request—filter-free.
I used to wear a lot of eyeliner.
Like, a LOT of eyeliner. I’m talking Avril-Lavigne-on-a-Tuesday, 90’s-Pamela-Anderson, Johnny-Depp-in-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean kind of eyeliner. For all of junior high, high school, college, and well into my 20’s, my bottom lash line looked like a third-grader had taken a black sharpie to it.
Along with regularly waxing my already-too-thin brows, excessive eyeliner is one beauty regret I have from my younger years. When I look back on photos, I can’t help but think: what’s with the raccoon eyes? Why black? Why so much?! I’m not sure if I picked this up from Seventeen Magazine (likely), but somewhere along the line I determined the best way to look older—my biggest dream—was to drag a smoky Maybelline sharpened pencil across my eyelids multiple times a day.
When I was 14, a friend showed me that if you held your eyeliner up to a flame, it would glide on darker and smoother. Cut to me sneaking my mom’s candle lighter up to my bedroom and melting my eyeliner like a teenage pyro.
My relationship with makeup has shifted pretty significantly throughout my 30’s, and I’d say I now land somewhere between “it’s complicated” and “still experimenting.” One thing I know for sure is that the style of makeup I used to love at age 25 no longer suits me/my skin/my face. The Instagram algorithm seems to be very aware of this tension because I am constantly being bombarded with “makeup tips for women over 40” ads which I do not necessarily appreciate.
As a teenager, I piled makeup on my face because I wanted to look older. And while that’s certainly no longer the case, I’m also not trying to pull a Real Housewife here, either. At the end of the day, I am trying to look and feel good at my current age, which is 38.
That being said, one of the biggest changes I’ve made with my makeup over the past few years is that I am simply wearing less of it. I don’t wear foundation anymore and these days I only bust out eyeliner for special occasions (no open flame necessary). My 38-year-old makeup philosophy-in-progress can best be summed up as: less is more.1
When I first heard about Merit, my curiosity piqued, mostly because I heard them pitched as a “no-makeup makeup” brand. I’ll admit I have rolled my eyes at that phrase in the past because in my personal experience, it takes a lot of effort to make your makeup look like you’re not wearing any.
Alas, Merit prides itself on being “makeup you can live in” and after trying a number of their products, I can confirm they live up to that slogan. I’d describe Merit as light, non-fussy, hydrating, and the kind of makeup you can wear every day. A lot of their products glide on like skincare, and give that dewy, glowy, just-got-out-of-a-facial feel. I wouldn’t have said this before trying the Merit line-up, but I realized I actually WANT my makeup to look like I’ve just done my skincare routine: fresh, bright, natural, and a tiny bit luminous.
Merit’s approach:
We believe in products that leave your skin looking better after wearing them. Beauty is not one size fits all, so we added skin-loving ingredients into our formulas, like plant-based squalane, vitamin B5 and antioxidants, to ensure our products work for everyone with dry to oily to acne-prone skin. All of our products are noncomedogenic, which means they are formulated with ingredients that will not clog your pores.
Without further ado, here are a few of my favorites from the Summertime Glow Set:
The Minimalist:
According to Merit, this is “not a foundation or a concealer, but it’ll replace both in your makeup bag.” I stopped wearing foundation a few years ago, opting for a tinted SPF instead. That being said, my under-eye area has been A Whole Situation and I am not kidding when I tell you I’ve tried something like four different concealers in the past six months. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved the coverage in the minimalist stick, especially for a product that feels SO light. FWIW: I find that most (all?) of the Merit products work best on a fully hydrated face. When your face is prepped well, the minimalist (and blush and highlighter!) glide on like your favorite chapstick. I’m wearing Ochre and it was a perfect match for me.
Flush Balm:
Holy smokes I LOVE THIS BLUSH. The colors! The easy-breezy application! This stuff glides on like a dream and gives you a gorgeous barely-flushed look. I took this balm straight to my face and blended with a beauty sponge. The pigment is pretty sheer so if you’re a real blush enthusiast, I’d recommend a darker/bolder color than you’re used to. I thought Beverly Hills would be my shade of choice, but I’ve actually loved Rouge more, to my own surprise.
Day Glow:
A hydrating highlighter that isn’t too overpowering or glittery. I am a bit of a highlighter snob and would put this in my top three I’ve ever used. I am running out of ways to say “glides on like a dream”—but seriously, this stuff glides on your skin like a stick of Aquafor.
Clean Lash:
An everyday mascara that lifts, tints, and lengthens. Confession: I had no idea what tubing mascara was until this product, but I can confirm this mascara doesn’t smudge at all. One day I even sneezed two minutes after applying it (#1 reason my mascara smudges: allergies), and nothing happened (!). While I believe this mascara is buildable, I actually prefer one easy layer across the lashes for a more natural, feathery look.
Final thoughts …
Overall, Merit feels like a makeup brand designed with your skin in mind. The products look good, but they also feel good when applying. I would not hesitate to say Merit Beauty is a great makeup for people who love skincare (hi, it’s me), or generally prefer a more natural look. The products complement and build on one another really nicely.
If you want to start with one or two products, I’d recommend kicking off with The Minimalist and/or Flush Balm. If you happen to be in the market for a full overhaul, you can save $26 on their limited edition Summertime Glow Set—which is a really nice introduction to the whole brand.
Every purchase of the Summertime Glow set will get a free limited edition TOVE makeup bag and every order over $40 gets free shipping!
What’s your makeup routine like these days? Are you in a less is more phase? A more is more phase? Something in between? Did you, too, burn your eyeliner in the late 90’s? I love to talk makeup and skincare so please give me all the recs (and beauty regrets 😜) below …
Not to be confused with my skincare philosophy, which is definitely “more is more.” 😜
Okay, but we need pics of the Avril Lavigne/ Jack Sparrow era. 🤣 You’re gorgeous!
You are beautiful, Ashlee! This post greeted me right as I started a no-shopping contentment challenge (let's just say Amazon Prime Day hit me hard) but I'm excited to check out these products once my challenge is up. I am definitely a less-is-more gal with makeup too. Also very interested in this glass prism you speak of?!