Holiday Gift Guide

Merit launched a limited-edition set for holiday called the Le Gloss Holiday Essentials Set ($80). It looked like a beautiful set with effortless kind of essentials for an easy glowing look so I ordered it immediately and I think it’s beautiful.

A number of you have messaged me over the years singing praises of the line. I don’t think I’ve ever done a full roundup review of the brand so today I’m giving you a closer look at the holiday set along with thoughts on everything I’ve tried.

Le Gloss Set

The Le Gloss Set has five products with a mix of full-size items and minis (it’s exclusive to Meritbeauty.com). Everything in the set is new to me and I thought it would be a nice way to sample some of their classics. In the set you’ll find:

• Great Skin Instant Glow Serum (mini) is something I have not yet had a chance to try yet as I’m in the process of testing other skincare right now but I’ve heard great things about it.
• Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara (mini) offers a nice lengthened and defined look and I plan on ordering the full size.
• Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade in Neutral is exclusive to the set, it goes on clear and I really like how it grooms the brows. I’m now intrigued and want to try one of the tinted options.
• Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner in Bespoke is a new product exclusive to this set. It has a really interesting formula to me. It’s sheer and glossy but still offers a minimalist hint of definition and color. On me it’s almost a taupe brownish shade with a tiny hint of pink.
• Solo Shadow Sheen Eye Color in Glace is exclusive to the set. This is the star product of the set in my opinion and I really hope they make this shade and formula permanent. It has a little bit more slip than the Solo Eyeshadow Mattes so the Sheen formula is easier to blend. It still sets very quickly so blending or patting on fast is still essential. The color is hard to detect on camera but in real life it gives you a really pretty wash of color. That being said if you have dry lids I think this could possibly emphasize fine lines.

Look wearing:

• Foundation – Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5
• Powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Powder Medium
• Blush – Merit Flush Balm Cheek in Fox + Chanel Joues Contraste in Alezane
• Eyeshadow – Makeup By Mario Master Mattes
• Eye shimmer – Merit Solo Eyeshadow Glace (exclusive to set)
• Mascara – Mini Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara
• Lip – Merit Signature Sheer Lip Liner in Bespoke
• Sweater – Revolve

By now I’ve played around with quite a few things from Merit. I know many of you are die-hard fans. Not everything has worked for me although I think there are solid staples for the minimalist who wants a no-fuss beauty routine.. Here are some quick thoughts on what I have tried. I’ve ordered most everything from Sephora although you can also order from the Merit website.

The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick ($38) is a twist-up style concealer + foundation in one. I like the concept and the portability. It offers medium coverage. For foundation I think it’s a little too pigmented and thick to wear all over, but it seems to be designed as more of a touch up product. I wear either Sand or Camel – the color matches are very good for me. I think this is a solid product but I don’t find myself reaching for it often.

Flush Balm Cream Blushes ($30 each for the full size, also available in limited-edition minis) are the blushes that seem to be most loved by readers. Unfortunately I found them too dewy for my skin type and most of the colors I tried do not show up very well on my skin tone. The darker ones do give a nice soft flush of color with a stain so those show up, but the neutrals and baby pink tones disappear on my skin once blended out. Lasting power is absolutely non-existent on my skin type.

Solo Shadow Cream-to-Powder Soft Matte Eyeshadow ($24) are pure love for me, although I will say that I’ve only tried the lighter shades. I love the tones, lasting power and the way they look as a subtle contour. It makes you look a little more polished without a lot of work. Feedback from many of you is split – those who did not like these found them too matte and dry and difficult to blend/work with. I do agree they are very matte and they set fast so blending quickly is KEY! The Brush No. 2 that was created for this formula is pretty good.

Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick ($26) is another super popular product that did not work for me. I will say I think the colors are beautiful, but I did not like the pigment (too sheer) and the texture was off.  These had good smooth coverage and natural looking color payoff, but the texture felt thick and waxy. It did not feel comfortable on my lips, almost had a drying feel and I had to wipe them off immediately.

Shade Slick Gelée Sheer Tinted Lip Oil ($24) is pure love for me. They’re sheer thin tinted oils which I find unique for an oil formula because they really don’t have an oil-like feel at all. They’re almost like a water tint – sheer put enough color to tint the lips in a really pretty flattering way. Unfortunately lasting power isn’t really there but I like how the look and feel enough to not really mind re-applying.

Overall some beautiful things for a natural fuss-free look. I am all about a natural makeup look but I didn’t really find any product from the line that stands out as an absolute must-have. I gravitate more towards Westman Atelier for natural looking makeup with sheer color payoff. That being said I’ve had fun testing and playing with the products I have picked up at Sephora. I think it’s nice when a makeup line is very edited and streamlined. Makes it a little easier to explore!

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That wraps up my Merit roundup! Have you tried anything from the line? What did you think?