Moment of honesty here: I first heard of viral beauty brand Merit when I saw Joelle “Jo Jo” Fletcher (of “Bachelor”/”Bachelorette” fame) walk fans through her beauty routine on IG.
Jo Jo remains one of my favorite Bachelorette leads to date—not only because she is one of a very few to find her happily-ever-after—but because I loved her glam, yet relatable style on the show. Fast forward to me following her on social media years after her time on “The Bachelorette” ended and still continuing to be influenced by her beauty choices. After hearing Jo Jo gush about Merit, I promptly bought the brand’s Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick and Great Skin Instant Glow Serum. I haven’t looked back since!
Now, please allow me to do a little beauty influencing of my own. Merit is THE luxury brand to buy into if you want to get that “no-makeup makeup” look. Made with clean ingredients and inspired by minimalism, it’s perfect for those of us who want a little bit of coverage, but dread the idea of a full contour. With sets like “Five Minute Morning” and “The Complexion Set,” these are products that you can simply swipe on in just a few minutes and look like yourself, only better.
Merit has been steadily expanding its product portfolio since the brand launched in 2021, and just dropped a new product: Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner ($24).
Merit’s new Lip Liner is a sheer, buildable lip pencil that creates soft definition and comfortable all-over color. Formulated with pomegranate extract and hydrating jojoba complex, it keeps lips moisturized all day long, and glides on smoothly without tugging or crumbling. And, unlike most liners, it won’t settle into fine lines—instead, it gives you a soft, subtly shiny finish.
Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner comes in eight different shades:
- Beverly Hills: Soft, peach pink
- Bespoke: Pink brown
- Coupé: Cool pink
- Sportif: Warm peach brown
- Mayfair: Cool mauve
- Tabac: Neutral brown
- Brownstone: Warm brown
- Capricorn: Rich brown
According to the brand, the lighter colors (Beverly Hills, Bespoke) will look best on lighter, fairer skin tones, while the brown liner (Brownstone, Capricorn) will pop on dark and rich skin tones.
As part of this product launch, Merit also expanded its popular Shade Slick Sheen Tinted Lip Oils ($24), with four new shades in a new Sheen formula. Designed to pair perfectly with Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner, the new Shade Slick Sheen shades give you a perfect wash of color, plus a pearlescent finish. And like so many of Merit’s products, they’re packed with skin-loving ingredients—in this case, plant-derived squalane for moisturization, and quinoa seed oil for protection against environmental aggressors.
The Shade Slick Sheen Tinted Lip Oils are available in the following shades:
- Pointelle: Cool Pink
- Biarritz: Nude Pink
- Twin Set: Mauve
- Tabby: Rose Brown
Now, when Merit says that the tinted lip oils are meant to complement the new signature lip liner, they’re not playing. To help perfect your pout, Merit released a list of recommended liner + sheen shade pairings.
The Merit Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner and new Slick Sheen Tinted Lip Oils shades are now available. You can buy them online or in-stores at your local Sephora.
Whether you buy one or several products is up to you, but you should also know that Merit is offering “The Lip Duo,” an exclusive set including Signature Lip Sheer Liner and Shade Slick, available for a discounted price of $44. So, get your wallets ready!
P.S. When you order for the first time from Merit, you’ll receive a free signature makeup bag. I love my russet corduroy bag—it doubles as a clutch and I frequently use it to tote my miscellaneous toiletries around.
The editors at SheFinds wrote this post on behalf of Merit and received compensation as part of our agreement.
