It took me 5 minutes to switch to a natural hair style. Yet it has taken me years to adopt a vegan minimalist beauty routine.
*todays post contains affiliate links and gifted products.
After months of keeping up with my pre-pandemic makeup routine, I decided it was time for real change. Although we are turning the pandemic corner, many of us will continue WFM well into the Fall.
True, some will show up to work in person. But companies have fully embraced video-conferencing for the long term. This means showing up, on camera.
On the other hand video calls can be nerve racking if the lighting is poor, audio cuts in and out. Family members bursting in, messy house, etc. Depending on who is hosting the meeting you may appear on 4 different platforms in any given day. Each with its own A/V settings and controls. No one has time for that! Sure I’ve often turned my camera off so that I can focus on the content of the meeting. But, there is something to be said for seeing the person; to read the nonverbal cues critical to effective communication.
Also, in this time of racial reckoning I feel it’s necessary for me, a Black woman, to show up on Zoom calls. Taking a seat at the table in predominately white spaces is one of the few ways that I might inspire another POC to show up and speak up.
When MERIT reached out to me to try their new line of vegan beauty products, guaranteed to have you ready in 5 minutes, I did not hesitate.
Founded by Katherine Power of Who What Wear fame, the MERIT line consists of 6 core products. All are designed to make you look “natural, but better”. Finally! Makeup I don’t have to hide behind.
As I approach my final year of my 40’s I’m really not here for a makeup routine where I’m literally troweling on foundation to cover up my flaws. Even though COVID freed me from my commute, my old makeup routine was still a time suck.
All of the products in the line are BEYOND easy to apply. I tried the 5 products below. Click through to for my impressions of each product.
- The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick (20 shades) – *Gifted by Merit. The stick foundation works as both concealer and foundation. Apply it to just the areas you want to look more refined and blend. I use the my own foundation brush for speed and to keep my fingers clean. Merit sells their own brush too. The formula blends to mimic one’s natural moisture which gives you a skin-like finish. This no fuss complexion stick works well for my lifestyle on the go, which for me these days, is rushing onto a Zoom call with 5 minutes to spare. You can still see my skin including flaws but this contributes to a more realistic look. It looks great on camera as well. It does react with my oily skin, but since the product doesn’t claim to control oil don’t expect it to. I had to color match online and so my selection Sienna came a bit too orange. I plan on trying a neutral undertone shade to counter the oxidation. Oxidation is what happens when a foundation turns a shade or two darker (or more orange) on your skin over the course of the day (source: theskincareedit.com)
- Flush Balm Cheek Color (5 shades)– *Gifted by Merit. This is my favorite product in the line because it imparts a dewiness that doesn’t slide off your face. If you have flawless skin you could just apply this cheek balm by itself. I chose the shade Terra Cotta because I’m obsessed with finding the perfect peachy hue. I struggled in my decision to chose this color because the description made it clear that it doesn’t show up on darker skin tones. And I really didn’t want the berry toned balm because that deep of pigment tends to “age” me. But I desperately wanted this peachy hue so I rolled the dice. I’m not disappointed but it does require a few layers to build up the color. I apply it to my cheeks, chin, bridge, and forehead as a highlighter. I hope that MERIT takes this base and injects more pigment to show up better on darker skin tones.
- Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil (4 shades) – This was my first experience with lip oil. Describing it as a lip tint doesn’t do it justice since most lip tints tend to be dry. Shade Slick is hydrating and washes the lips with a sheer color. Best of all it is not sticky, which we don’t like. I purchased the shade Sangria. Most deep berry lip glosses are too richly pigmented on me, which is why this lip tint oil exceeded my expectations. The color is rich enough to read as “deep berry” but it’s also luminous enough to see my actual lip texture, which gives it the natural look I want in a lip gloss. The product lasts a few hours on me. I reapply it a few times during the day after drinking or eating, but since it goes on lightly, it’s not a chore to reapply.
- Clean Lash (1 shade) – Let me start by saying that I have very short lashes and there is no product out there that I haven’t tried. What I enjoy most about Clean Lash is that my eyes aren’t irritated by the lengthening ingredient. Which is proprietary. The results are similar to most similar products (adding about 1/4 inch) but this one gets points for being vegan and cruelty free.
- Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade (3 shades) – Kudos on this brow gel which fluffs up brows while adding no-smudge color. For best results, you must watch Katherine’s video which demonstrates applying from the top down. I know, sounds confusing, but just watch the video here by scrolling to the bottom of the product link.
The cheek color looks great on you. I love swiping on cheek color from a stick or roll rather than powder. It does seem to cut down on the application time a bit.
Author
Thank you! I had to layer it to bring the color through on my skin tone but terra cotta is a great universal color. It is very easy to blend; you can use your finger tips or a stipple brush ( Elf makes an affordable stipple brush that also works well for powders and cloud paints)