Merit Beauty review 2026: What to buy from the minimalist makeup brand

The latest launch to be introduced to the Merit wardrobe is the Signature Lip Blush. If you’re au fait with the Merit members, you may notice this looks fairly similar to the Signature Matte Lip, but they are very different in many ways.

The new Lip Blush lends a matte wash of colour – giving that effortless, blurred finish – while the Matte Lip is your classic matte lipstick, with a bolder and more pigmented payoff. In both cases, crucially, they are formulated with hydrating ingredients so they never dry out the lips.

What I particularly love about the new Lip Blush is the light and effortless finish. Without a mirror, I can glide the formula over my lips giving that blown-out, soft-matte look. Better yet, I tested this bb on a trip to Paris and not even a flakey, buttery croissant could budge it.

Less chunky than a traditional foundation stick, these fit perfectly in those narrower crevasses, like around the nose and under the eyes. The formula didn’t sit on top of skin like some I’ve tried and blended out seamlessly to cover my redness like a pro.

The finish is very natural looking – not too matte or dewy – and worked perfectly on my combination skin. However, it did sink into some dry patches – but then again, I do have a lot of them.

It took Merit two years to complete its first fragrance and you can really tell with every whiff. Much like the fan-favourite Glossier You, Retrospect is designed to smell entirely unique to each individual. Despite it being a wearable scent for both day and night, it's incredibly complex at the core: it's a rich, deep scent that evolves as the day goes on.

With notes of vanilla, pear and jasmine, it smells creamy, perfectly balanced and it's not too heady. The packaging is simply stunning, too.

These chubby blush balms are the perfect width to give your cheeks that just-caught-the-sun vibe, minus the UV damage. The satin finish is neither too matte nor too dewy, which leaves skin looking oh-so au naturel.

They’re extremely blendable and melt into skin to give you a lot of play time to work with, so you can build up the flush as you go. They’ve got the undertones so right on these versatile shades, that there will be a perfect match for every skin tone.

Like the Signature Lip – which I rave about below – the Signature Lip Matte Lipstick features the same balmy formula, but with a matte finish.

These feature the same comfortable and lightweight qualities as the other lipstick offerings in the range, but the shine-less finish leaves you looking less “done”. Perfectly effortless.

Unlike other matte formulas, these didn’t leave my lips bone-dry after wearing and the gentle warmed-tone colour range is *chef’s kiss* – seriously, you won’t be able to pick just one. I loved how diffused and velvety my pout looked, leaving an almost blurred effect, which gave my skinny lips a welcomed boost.

The era of the eyeshadow palette is well and truly over (Seriously, can you remember the last time you hit pan on one?) and tbh, until these hit my desk I couldn't remember the last time I had ditched my winged liner for a single eyeshadow, but I'm glad I did.

The range of shades is unusual – think 90s grunge – but all were surprisingly wearable. The texture is like a creamy putty that mattifies once applied to the lid. It's safe to say, one swipe is all you need but you can easily blend and build up the colour.

Longevity-wise, these do not budge. I experienced zero-creasing on the lighter shades, but some occurred with the darker shades (not really all that surprising in my experience). However, I'm so besotted with the grungy look of the darker options that I can forgive it. Be ready to fall in love with eyeshadow again.

Yet another stick formula just sums up how user-friendly these formulas are to use. This highlighter definitely gives a more metallic sheen to cheeks vs. a glitter attack, which leaves an almost wet finish to skin.

It didn’t cling to any dry patches and the rose gold shade, 'Bounce', really brought my complexion to life. 100 points to Merit for this one.

The formula of this one is on the drier side, which allows you to grab hairs and create fluffiness but doesn’t have enough colour payoff for me personally to use it on its own.

Its applicator is also larger than your average brow gel, which makes it easy to create that bolder look. It works great as a brow topper for me and I appreciate the cooler-toned shades that avoid any orangey-ness.

We’ve spoken to countless makeup artists and the one tip they all swear by for achieving that off-duty model look on and off the runway is ensuring your skin is well-prepped before makeup application. Thanks to trusty products like Merit Beauty’s Great Skin Moisturizer, it’s now easier than ever to achieve.

This ultra-lightweight moisturiser is perfect for priming the skin before makeup. It’s non-oily, making it suitable for all skin types. Trust us, your makeup will glide on effortlessly after just one pump of this magical formula.

Formulated with Merit Beauty’s Great Skin™ Complex, it features peptides, spermidine and barrier polysaccharides to support skin elasticity, firmness and tone.

How long does your morning routine take you? Cut it in half and then some with this killer kit.

Featuring everything you need to achieve a glowy look on even the most packed of trains, this set includes a Perfecting Complexion Stick, Cheek Colour, Tinted Lip Oil, Highlighting Balm, Blending Brush, Lengthening Mascara and Volumising Pomade – phew.