Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I do a full face of makeup every single day. Because that wouldn’t be true. I’m also not going to mention that 95% of the time I’m actually makeup-free. Because you don’t want to hear that from a beauty editor. And I’m definitely not going to declare my love for Merit for creating a well-edited line of seven clean makeup essentials. Or publicly thank them, even if each product has upped my beauty routine in ways I never thought possible. Nope, I won’t do that at all. Because that would just be cheesy.
What will I do? Get you aboard my Merit love train. Because that just makes me a good person. In case you somehow missed the recent launch of Merit, it has quickly become the go-to brand for minimal makeup. For me (and many other editors), no-fuss beauty is where it’s at, and I’ve been relying on the line of multiuse products for creating an enhanced version of my everyday look of healthy skin and a natural flush of color. Keep scrolling to see my less-than-three-minute makeup routine—seriously, I’ve broken down the time each step takes below—that I’ve started doing every day. Because everyone, no matter how lazy or busy, can spare a couple of minutes for themselves.
I’m not a big foundation person, but I absolutely love The Minimalist ($38), aka the complexion stick. It’s creamy, lightweight, and just makes my skin look so, so good. I only applied it to areas that need it most: under my eyes, around my nose and chin, and above my brows. I almost always use my fingers for application, but Brush No.1 ($30) is just too good to not use. I just brush up and out, blending until there’s no product left to blend.
Next, I dabbed Flush Balm ($28) to the apples of my cheeks. I almost always use my fingers to blend in the color, but since I love the brush so much, I would also recommend using it to help soften up the edges if needed.
I love a good wash of color on my lids, especially when it’s the same shade as what’s on my cheeks. I did use my fingers to apply it, lightly tapping across my lid until I was happy with the color.
Clean Lash ($26) is a really, really good mascara. I have the most sensitive eyes on the planet, but they’ve never acted up from this. I applied a few generous coats to my top and bottom lash lines, focusing on the outer corners to help open up my eyes.
I love a good thick brow, and that’s exactly why Brow 1980 ($24) has become my favorite product, ever. It’s no joke. To get your arches fluffy like mine, use the spoolie to brush brows up and down a few times to coat every hair—it also just helps shape your arches.
Every look needs a highlighter moment. What I love most about Day Glow ($30) is that it feels super sophisticated. It’s not too glittery and has just the right amount of sheen to it. I used some above my brows and cheekbones, down my nose, and on my Cupid’s bow.
To top it all off, I dabbed a little bit of Shade Slick ($24) to my lips. I used the applicator directly on my lips and blended the color in with my ring finger. You definitely don’t need to do that. I just like a more subtle shine.
Voilà! This entire look took me a whopping two and a half minutes to do. If I can’t carve that amount of “me” time out in the mornings, then, honestly, I have bigger issues to deal with.
