I tried a full face of Merit Beauty, these are my favourite products
words by lara daly
Testing out the five-minute face.
With its sleek gold packaging, creamy formulations and tightly-curated offering, Merit Beauty is a minimalist’s dream. After launching on Australian shores in September last year, the US-based brand has slowly but surely infiltrated the makeup bags of every stylish working woman I know (or follow on Instagram).
As a beauty-obsessed editor who also moonlights as a makeup artist, it takes a lot to convert me to a new brand. But the more I saw people, including Sophia Richie Grange, Hailey Bieber and Greta Lee, swipe on Merit’s stick bronzers, flush balms and highlighters, the more I wanted to try the ‘five minute face‘ for myself.
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I started with its cream blushes late last year, which quickly became my new favourite. Now, I have the beauty cabinet of a #cleangirl millenial influencer – I’ve tried nearly everything in the range, from the cleanser to the fragrance, mascara and makeup brushes.
Currently, if you live in Australia you can only buy Merit online, which makes ordering your shade a bit of a wild guess. So, if you’ve been wanting to try the brand but you’re still on the fence, let me take you through my full-face Merit routine, sharing my favourite products.
Skin prep: Great Skin Serum and Moisturiser
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I was excited to try Merit’s Great Skin Serum, one of the brand’s hero products. It’s a thin, dual-phase serum (meaning you need to shake it first) that feels incredibly lightweight going on and leaves your skin juicy and hydrated. Unlike a lot of hyaluronic acid serums, this one stays looking dewy for hours. Next, I add two pumps of the Great Skin Moisturiser which locks in the moisture and acts as a perfect primer for the next step.
Complexion: The Uniform and The Minimalist
I’ve tried many, many versions of tinted moisturisers and BB creams, but Merit’s The Uniform ticks the most boxes for me. It’s a gel-cream consistency that provides just enough sheer coverage for everyday and doesn’t cling to any dry patches. It’s also a mineral sunscreen with SPF 45, however I use my normal SPF50 before this if I’m going out in the sun all day. I went for the shade 24 which matches me well, and I’m usually a ‘Patagonia’ in Nars, a NC25 in Mac or a 05 Natural in Bare Minerals for reference.
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Personally, I find the finish looks smoother than Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue, and the coverage is slightly less than Nars Tinted Moisturiser, so I prefer using Merit on a normal work day.
The Minimalist is super handy as it’s a wind-up stick that doubles as a foundation and a concealer. It’s creamy and gives a medium-full coverage, so as long as my skin is prepped well (as above) I can swipe this sparingly over my face and blend it out as a foundation. Most of the time though, I just use it as a concealer over The Uniform, under my eyes and on any red areas. So far I haven’t noticed it clog my pores which is a bonus. I went for the shade Ochre, which matches my olive undertones well.
Cheeks: Flush Balm and Bronze Balm
Aside from the Great Skin Serum, the Flush Balm blush is my favourite Merit product, hands down. It’s super easy to apply, probably the most blendable cream blush I’ve tried. I very rarely use a brush to apply it and often swipe some on my lips if I’m in a rush.
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The shade ‘Cheeky’ is a medium warm-pink that I use for everyday, but I also use ‘Lusitano’ a lot, which has a hint of coral. My other favourites are ‘Persimmon’ (more orange) which looks gorgeous in summer as a sun-kissed blush and lip colour, and ‘Stockholm’ for a cool-tone pink in winter. The bolder colours are nice and sheer too, so you really can’t go wrong.
Next, I use the Bronze Balm in the shade ‘Clay’ on my cheekbones, top of my forehead and along the bridge of my nose. Again, Merit has really nailed the sheer, balmy formula – it’s foolproof to blend and leaves a dewy glow to the skin. I like to swipe this on my eyelids for a natural warmth, too.
Final touches: Clean Lash, Brow 1980 and Shade Slick
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By this point, my skin is looking healthy and dewy, which is more than I can hope for on a rushed weekday morning. It’s taken about four minutes so in my last 60 seconds, I brush my brows up with Brow 1980, a tinted volumizing gel that keeps my hairs fluffy without flaking throughout the day. I swipe on some mascara – Clean Lash is supposed to be a tubing formula but I wouldn’t say it is, although it doesn’t budge during the day. Lastly, a lick of Shade Slick in ‘Maraschino’ for a sheer hint of colour. This comes with me in my bag, along with the foundation stick for any after-work touch ups.
For more on Merit makeup, try this.
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