My last unsponsored Merit Beauty review got the attention of the folks over at Merit and they kindly gifted me with the following items for review. However I was not paid for this post and as usual all opinions are my own.

Solo Shadow

The item that I really wanted to try and was willing to purchase with my own money during one of their sales, was the solo shadow. I don’t wear much eye shadow but I do sometimes swipe some eye color on the lids every once in awhile. The folks over at Merit kindly gifted me the color Brun along with their Brush no. 2, their eye shadow brush. Unfortunately I have greasy eyelids and no primer so I found that by the end of the day there was a bit of creasing with the eye shadow.

Great Skin

This is their “instant glow serum” which is sort of like a moisturizing priming serum that preps your skin for makeup. I was actually kind of skeptical about the product, but have since been converted. I don’t really see a difference after I use it per see, but I do notice that my makeup stays on longer and doesn’t degrade as much when I remember to use this primer. I think it works especially well with The Minimalist Complexion stick (in my last Merit review) because the stick foundation can be on the drier side. So when you combine the two you get a really nice finish that lasts.

Day Glow Highlighter

I’m a big fan of their bronzing balm (in my last Merit review) so I was eager to try the highlighter version as well. And I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint. A couple swipes give me the glow without any glitter and I find I don’t have to rub it into my skin as well (just a couple pats to blend). It gives a nice glow also without any greasiness nor does it rub off any makeup underneath. Overall I really love this for a subtle highlight under the eyebrows, high on the cheeks, down the nose, and a bit on the cupid’s bow.

Signature Lip Matte

And even though I didn’t ask for these matte lipsticks, the people at Merit were nice enough to throw them in for me to try. Now I’m biased here because I don’t like matte lipstick. I usually find them to be drying and they enhance the lines on my lips so I think I looks like I have old lady lips. BUT I have to say these are the least drying matte lipsticks I’ve ever tried. They actually didn’t make my lips drier nor did they enhance the lines of my lips. But I’m still not a convert and when given a choice, I always reach for my original signature lipstick from Merit (which they are now calling the Satins) or the lip oil (both of which I looove and are reviewed in my very first Merit Beauty review here). I’ve purchased multiple signature lipsticks and lip oils with my own money, though I don’t really see myself purchasing any of the matte ones.

The left two are my old Signature lipsticks in Satin while the two right ones are the new Signature lipsticks in Matte. The top is in direct light, the middle is indirect bright light, and the bottom is indoors in dim lighting.