Yahoo Lifestyle Is Merit Beauty's new Retrospect perfume worth the hype? We found out
It's been two years since Merit Beauty came to UK shores, and the industry is still buzzing. Seriously, take a peep inside the makeup bag of every beauty editor and you're bound to find one of its chic cosmetic products placed inside.
Aesthetics-wise, it has made a name for itself both for its classy packaging and buttery formulas. Think: if Dakota Johnson was a makeup brand; the beige suede pouch, the 70s muted tones… no? Just us?
Its curated offering contains only 15 products to pick from, which reminds us of the OG Glossier days. However, instead of millennial pink barely-there formulas, Merit’s mahogany packaged products pack more of a pigmented punch. Basically, we had to try everything – including the recently launched Retrospect perfume.
Whether this is your intro to the brand or you’ve been eagerly waiting to load up your basket but haven’t been sure where to put your money, we’ve done all the leg work and put all of Merit Beauty’s products to the test.
Here’s our review of the Merit Beauty products you shouldn’t be missing out on, plus the ones that maybe you should…
My Merit Beauty review
Retrospect
Merit's first foray into fragrance has arrived after two years in the making, and you can really tell with each whiff. Much like the fan-favourite Glossier You, Retrospect is designed to smell entirely unique to each individual. Despite it being a wearable aroma, both for 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.
Five Minute Morning
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.
Signature Lip Matte Lipstick
Like the Signature Lip – which I rave about below – the Signature Lip Matte Lipstick features the same balmy formula, but with a matte finish. That’s right, the return of the matte has begun.
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.
Flush Balm Cheek Color
These chubby 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.
Signature Lip Satin Lightweight Lipstick
When Merit first came on my radar, my eyes immediately went to the chunky crayon-like blushes (more on those later), but boy, was I wrong. One swatch of these lipsticks on my lips and I gasped (like an out loud gasp).
These formulas coat lips in the most effortless muted hues and apply like butter on warm toast. They feel so comfortable it’s almost balm-like, without compromising on pigment. They dry down a tad after the first application but don’t leave lips feeling tight or dry, and feel so comfortable, I forgot I had lipstick on, but when I went to freshen up, no top-up was necessary.
If I had to pick a favourite shade, the browny nude, '1990', literally does what it says on the tin and provides lips with a tawny pout that even Hailey Bieber would be envious of.
The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick
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.
Solo Shadow
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.
Bronze Balm Sheer Bronzer
If you’re looking for a contour stick, this is not the one. However, it’s perfect for if you want to look like you’ve been sunnin’ it up on the beaches of Ibiza for two weeks (a girl can dream).
It provides a natural expensive-looking glow to cheeks – as if you really have been kissed by the sun. As it’s not incredibly pigmented, I would worry it might be too subtle to bronze up deeper skin tones, but I do love the healthy finish it leaves on the skin and how quick and easy it is to blend out.
Day Glow Highlighting Balm
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 Casper-the-ghost-like pale skin to life. 100 points to Merit for this one.
Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil
These provide the perfect wash of colour to pouts and are a game-changer for those who have chronically dry lips (AKA, me).
As lip oils go, I was surprised by how non-greasy these were and loved the healthy flush that the shade ‘Au Naturel’ provided. However, if I had to pick one lip product, the lipsticks are the winners of this collection for me.
Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade
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.
Great Skin Moisturizer
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.
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