My daily make-up bag is minimal to say the least, but I have a few non-negotiables which always help me feel pulled together at the start of the day. A decent concealer to cover blemishes and dark circles and an eyebrow pencil to polish up my often unkempt brows are crucial but, most importantly, a brightening blusher is essential to reawaken my tired skin. Generally speaking, cream blushers are my weapon of choice—although there are some brilliant powder formulations available these days too—however over the last few months there’s been one in particular that I’ve had exclusively on rotation. Enter: Merit Flush Balm.
In my opinion, Merit is one of the most exciting make-up brands to launch in the last couple of years and I’m yet to try a product from the lineup that I haven’t enjoyed using. Merit products are the perfect blend of looking and feeling luxurious, yet having wearable finishes and brightening textures that make them ideal for everyday wear and easy application. And the Flush Balm is no exception.
Upon cracking open a new pot of the shade Stockholm—a fresh, vibrant pink colour—I realised that I can probably count on one hand the amount of blushers that I’ve ever totally finished. So the fact that I’m now onto my second one really is testament to how good I think this is. But what exactly makes it stand out from the crowd for me?
My honest review of the Merit Flush Balm
First impressions
Nice packaging is no use if the product inside is rubbish, but let’s just take a moment for the design of the Merit Flush Balms. Firstly, I love how cute and compact the design is. It’s lightweight enough to chuck into your handbag, and the gold base makes it look really chic when you whip it out for touch-ups. There’s something incredibly tactile about the way it fits into the palm of your hand too and it’s really comfortable to use—just scribble it directly onto your cheeks, like the grown-up equivalent of a chubby crayon. In terms of application, the dome shape is really innovative too. It seems like a small detail but actually it means that the product glides over cheeks to deliver the perfect swatch of colour that can then be easily blended out using your fingertips.
The texture and finish
It feels silly to point out that a cream blush is, well, creamy, but the Merit Flush Balm is just that. It’s really creamy—almost balm-like, in fact. As someone with oily skin I am always slightly concerned about whether cream products will last well on my skin, but while this texture definitely has some slip and sheen to it, I want to stress that it doesn’t feel oily at all. In fact, it has a beautiful natural radiance to it which is so brightening and illuminating on the skin that it’s basically made my favourite liquid highlighter redundant since I’ve been using it. If you want a natural dewy flush of colour on your cheeks to make you look glowy and healthy then I can’t recommend it enough.
The staying power
Okay, so this is probably Merit Flush Balm’s only downfall—it definitely isn’t the most longwearing blusher that I’ve ever tried. If you have drier skin then likely you’ll enjoy more longevity from this product, but all of the things that make this product so beautiful (it’s radiance and dewy texture) naturally mean that it doesn’t have the best staying power. It doesn’t look bad as it fades though—it wears off naturally and evenly, and means that you can reapply it without your skin ending up looking cakey or heavy.
Personally, I am more than happy to apply this in the morning, top it up around lunchtime and then reapply it towards the end of the day if I have plans later on. It’s so effortless to apply and easy to use that it really is no effort at all for the results that it gives. Of course, using a setting powder or setting spray would also help to bolster its wear—but I’m far too lazy for that.
The shades
The Merit Flush Balm shades are one of the biggest draws for me—there are nine beautiful colours to choose from in a great spectrum of hues for all skin tones. There are soft berries, punchy pinks, tawny neturals and vibrant reds. And while Stockholm is my absolute daily essential, I'm sharing a few of my other favourite shades below.
1. Merit Flush Balm in Stockholm
My go-to daily blush of choice is the Merit Beauty Flush Balm in Stockholm—a bright baby pink that works really well on pale skin like mine to add a natural flush of illuminating colour to cheeks.
2. Merit Flush Balm in Beverly Hills
If you're not sure on pink shades then Beverly Hills could be a great option. It's a soft, wearable pink that gets my vote as a great everyday colour for paler complexions.
3. Merit Flush Balm in Rouge
It looks somewhat scary in the pot, but Rouge might just be a surprise new discovery for me. Described as a sheer red—it's a colour that's going to be everywhere for winter 2024 and it really does give that just-stepped-in-from-the-cold flush. This would look so beautiful on deeper skin tones too.
4. Merit Flush Balm in Persimmon
Possibly one of the most unique blush shades that I've ever tried, Persimmon is a soft orange red that gives an almost sunkissed look to my paler skin. Basically, if you love warm, glowy, bronzy skin then you'll adore the sun-stripped effect you can create with this.
5. Merit Flush Balm in Raspberry Beret
