On a trip to New York last July, during my usual browse around Sephora in the Meatpacking District, I noticed that a section that should have been filled with products by Merit Beauty was littered with “out of stock” cards. Not that my interest needed piquing; I was already mustard-keen to try Merit (a minimalist US makeup brand that takes a “capsule wardrobe” approach to your everyday face) because its founder is Katherine Power, the entrepreneur behind the reliably excellent Versed skincare, already available in the UK. So I grabbed what little I could and headed to the till.
This month’s arrival of Merit in the UK has filled the gaps. I’m new to The Minimalist (£40), a two-in-one foundation and concealer in 20 shades, but I’m already enjoying it enormously. It’s a velvety-textured, solid stick that glides directly across the skin, then is buffed in with the soft and easy-to-use No 1 brush (£32) – or whichever foundation brush you have already – or tapped on with fingers for more coverage.
Unlike many competing brands, Merit’s base is almost matte rather than dewy or oily, and suitable for any skin type. The finish is beautiful – healthy, alive, subtle. Its only weakness from my perspective is also its strength: the small, slim wand is so compact and handy that for an all-over-face product, it won’t last as long as an (expensive) everyday foundation.
I have no such reservations about Clean Lash (£28), a zero-smudge, true-black mascara that is removed easily with warm water. Like any “tubing mascara” (which uses polymers rather than traditional waxes to coat lashes), the effects err towards the natural rather than the faux, drag-show variety, but all Merit products are like that.
Its Signature Lip lipsticks (£28) are more like moisturising balms, and deposit a pretty, gauzy veil of comfy colour. Flush Balm (£30), a creme blusher that can just as easily be daubed on the mouth, is truly foolproof: even clumsy fingertips can blend it perfectly in five seconds flat (the peachy-pink Beverly Hills shade looks good on everyone).
Where Merit’s subtlety will prove most helpful, I think, is in its Bronze Balm (£32), a solid stick of super sheer, mistake-resistant bronzer that melts as it moves effortlessly under brush or fingertips. Bronzer-phobics – and I know you are many – can finally get their day in the sun.
