I don’t wear a lot of makeup, and I like a low-maintenance routine, so it’s fitting that one of my go-to products is called The Minimalist, a combo concealer and foundation stick from Merit Beauty.
A caveat before we continue this review: I’m not a beauty blogger, not particularly knowledgeable about beauty products and ingredients, and I haven’t tried a ton of products. But that’s also why I’m happy to have found something that works for me, a makeup lightweight.
Prior to using The Minimalist, I tried several brands of liquid foundation. I think the stick form is superior. I find it less messy and more convenient to apply.
Because I don’t like covering my whole face in makeup, it’s important that any foundation product blend well. For me, I’m just targeting certain areas that could use some help, like under the eyes, and around my nose or chin to reduce redness and blemishes. The Minimalist seems like it was made for just that, though you can also use it for all-over coverage.
I just swipe on those areas that could some improvement and blend. I find that using a brush yields better results than using just my fingers. Thankfully, it blends well into my natural skin color, leaving a pleasing matte finish.
Not following my advice, I didn’t moisturize my hand before applying this swipe of Merit’s The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick, but it still blended well. This shade is “suede.”
I was afraid that this stick would be drying. But it has a nice creamy texture. Still, I find it important to moisturize beforehand. And if I really want the coverage to look nicer and last longer, I use a primer as well. Perhaps because I’m able to better control how much product I put on as opposed to a liquid foundation, this stick product feels lighter and more breathable to me on my skin than liquid. Oh, and it doesn’t have any scent, which is important to me.
And the fact that it’s two products in one? Yes, please do save me time! I love the convenience.
The only con is that the whole stick has fallen out of the tube on me. (Reading reviews, it seems this has happened to many people.) So…I just picked it up and plopped it back in. Some people also say that it’s not good for acne-prone skin and seems to lead to more zits. I haven’t experienced that myself. But I also don’t wear foundation daily.
BTW, Merit is a cruelty-free brand. It also scores a 2 — that’s a good thing — on EWG’s Skin Deep database, which rates cosmetics and personal care products for ingredients and toxicity.
As a less-is-more makeup person, I recommend The Minimalist.
