Who's ready for a Spring makeup refresh?

Is it just me, or has makeup gotten way easier over the past year? Sure, I haven’t exactly had that many (or any) reasons to really go for the glam, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to put my best face forward on Zoom calls, or occasionally for my family. I find that my fingers now do most of the work (less brush cleaning!) and the end result is totally natural—pretty much me but better!

The latest brand to help me achieve this goal is MERIT Beauty… The brainchild of Katherine Power (who also happens to be the co-founder of Who What Wear and my Target skincare go-to Versed), this collection of  E.U.-grade “clean” makeup essentials can have you looking fresh-faced and fabulous in less than five minutes.

It all starts with The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick. A concealer and foundation in one handy-dandy stick (unless you want to go a shade lighter for under your eyes—which I have discovered is not necessary), all you have to do is swipe in on where you need a little coverage and blend it out with a foundation brush. (MERIT’s Brush No. 1 is amazing.) It’s almost miraculous how the lightweight formula becomes one with your skin to blur imperfections without looking like you’re wearing any foundation at all.

Next up is the Flush Balm Cheek Color, which is frankly the bomb. Again, no brush required, and the “Cheeky” shade is a dead ringer for my beloved yet sadly-discontinued Tom Ford Lip & Cheek Stain (R.I.P.) Even more, you can totally use it on your lips, too. 

Ironically, I’ve become way into highlighter over the past year—you know, so my laptop’s camera can catch the light in all the right illuminating places. The Day Glow Highlighting Balm is all about sheen instead of sparkle, making it totally appropriate (and essential) for my online existence.

MERIT’s eye offerings may be limited to the Clean Lash Volumizing Mascara and Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade (for now), but I’m obsessed with both. The mascara lends the perfect amount of oomph (without smudging—which has proven to be an issue when I wear a mask for some reason), and the brow gel adds a hint of hold and color that really pulls the whole look together. 

Then, I wrap up my look with the Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil in “Marrakech” and I’m on my way—to my office 25 feet away. Here’s today’s outcome (although I added a bit of Chanel’s Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream and Kosas 10-Second Eyeshadow in “Globe”):

I did a major makeup purge around this time last year, and these fabulous new additions are making me want to whittle down the excess even further. I actually moved my “old” foundations to a separate drawer since they are merely taking up space at this point, and I’m willing to bet that I’ll totally forget about them sooner rather than later—or at least until my next big clean-out. There’s (almost) nothing better than a brand-new makeup look, and thanks to MERIT I’m all set for spring!