Makeup Review | MERIT Beauty The Eye Set

 

MERIT contacted me a couple of months ago to ask if I’d like to try their eye set and after hearing such good things about their line it was a no brainer! To give a short introduction, MERIT is a clean, vegan, cruelty free and luxury beauty brand inspired by minimalism. They were founded by Katherine Power (also the founder of Versed) in 2021 and are based out of Los Angeles, California with the products being made in the U.S., South Korea, China and Italy. I received The Eye Set* which includes everything in this post and retails for $129 CAD | £102 | £94 USD. You also get the signature bag with your first order! 

 

The Eye Set includes the Solo Shadow in Vachetta ($33 CAD | £26 | £24 USD individually). This is a single, cream to powder eye shadow with a matte formula in a beautiful neutral shade with Vachetta being described as a warm beige. The formula can be applied either with your finger or a brush and the Brush No.2 ($27 CAD | £22 | $20 USD individually) is the perfect size, soft (vegan bristles) and dual ended so great for applying all over the lid or lash lining. The shadow itself is buildable so you can blend it out more to have a subtle hint of colour or add more drama if you layer it. It’s nicely pigmented and very easy to blend and hasn’t caused me any irritation and is safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers! I will say though that I have very oily lids so there is not much colour left on mine by the end of the day whether I use a primer or not. In its defence, it fades very evenly but it’s not quite as longwearing as I was hoping for or expecting! 

 

MERIT Solo Shadow in Vachetta (unedited)

Moving to brows next and the Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade ($33 CAD | £26 | $24 USD individually) has fit into my brow routine very nicely. I find when I keep on top of dying my brows I don’t need to pay so much time in the morning ‘doing them’ so this has been perfect to quickly brush through to fill any sparce gaps and give some volume and hold! I have the shade brown and it leaves my brows looking natural yet groomed and the formula isn’t flaky or crispy. There is only 2.4g of product though so this one definitely feels pricier than the other products based on that!

 

Lastly, and in my opinion the star of the show – the Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara ($36 CAD | £28 | $26 USD individually). This is a tubing mascara and oh my god have I been missing out. I have watery eyes and usually go for waterproof mascaras which still usually smudge halfway through the day. Not with this! The bristles make it easy to coat my lashes and it works well to lengthen. There are no clumps or flakes and definitely no smudging as the day goes on! Although this doesn’t give as much volume as some mascaras, I am a convert! I took this on my recent holiday to Mexico too and like I said, I am so impressed by the zero smudging or flaking! I still use my usual Nivea bi-phase eye makeup remover with this which works great!

 

Let’s also take a minute to talk about the packaging – I am in love! It feels weighty and so luxurious, I love the black and gold! The Solo Shadow also has a very satisfying extra click to it to make sure you have screwed it closed tightly enough. These are on the pricier side and I was hoping for a little more lasting power with the Solo Shadow but there is no doubt these are beautiful products and I will definitely be taking a look at their blush and lip oil next! 

 

Have you tried MERIT before? Or what’s on your wish list?

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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Skincare | Skinceuticals Vitamin C Review ft. CE Ferulic, Phloretin CF and Serum 10

 

 

We are focusing on the Skinceuticals Vitamin C range today! I have three of their powerhouse serums that are all empty now as I have been using them over the last year so let’s dive in! Skinceuticals is a US based, award winning, medical grade skincare brand founded in 1997 by Dr. Sheldon Pinnell. Their mission is to improve skin health and they do this by providing advanced skincare backed by science. Formulas are high potency and proven to penetrate optimally into skin to correct signs of aging, protect healthy skin, and prevent future damage.

 

This brand is super hyped in the skincare world and CE Ferulic in particular is seen to be the gold standard in Vitamin C products. Vitamin C of course being an antioxidant known for brightening skin, improving the look of fine lines and wrinkles and discolouration. I received these in PR almost a year ago at the end of April 2023 and I have been using them back-to-back as part of my morning skincare routine before moisturiser and SPF ever since, finishing the last bottle at the end of March. I started out with the Serum 10 AOX+ as this is the least potent then moved onto the Phloretin CF and finally the CE Ferulic. 

 

Skinceuticals Serum 10 AOX+ RRP $122 CAD | $76 USD | £98 GBP*

This is regarded as an introductory Vitamin C serum for sensitive or normal skin types and contains 10% pure Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) and 0.2% Ferulic Acid (another antioxidant enhancing the benefits of Vitamin C). My skin looked even, brighter and fine lines were less noticeable with use.

 

Skinceuticals Phloretin CF RRP $208 CAD | $182 USD | £195 GBP*

This one contains 10% pure Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), 2% Phloretin (an antioxidant that helps improve cell turnover and the appearance of discolouration) and 0.5% Ferulic Acid and is ideal for normal and oily/combo skin. This kept my skin looking bright and I didn’t notice my fine lines while using it! This also helped with oil control especially around my nose.

 

Skinceuticals CE Ferulic RRP $208 CAD | $182 USD | £165 GBP*

Lastly, this one contains 15% pure Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), 1% Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol to replenish skin lipids), and 0.5% Ferulic Acid to enhance protection against environmental damage caused by free radicals that can contribute to visible signs of atmospheric aging and is ideal for dry, normal and sensitive skin. It improves signs of aging and photodamage, the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles, and the loss of firmness, while brightening skin’s complexion. This worked really well to target my fine lines and leftover marks from spots faded much quicker. 

 

Overall, I am gutted to be finished these! They are out of my price range right now so will not be a repurchase unfortunately for me as I really do think they have benefited my skin! I find Vitamin C serums tricky and all three of these were beautiful formulations! They absorbed quickly, helped brighten my skin and kept it looking more even and marks from any spots that popped up while I was using them faded much quicker! I didn’t notice my nasolabial folds forming a fine line at all which is the first thing I normally do notice when it comes to signs of aging! I can definitely see the hype with these and if you are in a position to afford them I cannot recommend enough!

 

All three serums lasted me 11 months altogether with everyday use so just over three months each. Oxidation was minimal and I kept whatever bottle I wasn’t using sealed in a drawer until I was ready to open it. CE Ferulic definitely stands out most to me as it’s the most potent but the Serum 10 AOX+ is a great (slightly more affordable) option that worked really well too! I have a few serums from the hyaluronic acid range as well as a couple of moisturisers I am excited to try next from Skinceuticals!  

 

What’s your favourite Vitamin C or Skinceuticals product?

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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