The Minimalist, Foundation by Merit
I am not one of those women who “loves to go bare-faced.”
I think I look better with foundation, therefore I feel better with foundation. But as I entered my 40s, all my old go-to liquid foundations seemed to age me, and yes, even the dewy “age perfecting” ones.
I tried switching to lighter products like BB creams and tinted moisturizers and Jones Road WTF foundation. None gave me the coverage I wanted. I’ve always had a lot of red in my skin, and I need actual coverage to even things out, not just some sort of dewy veil.
Meet: Merit’s “The Minimalist” … it’s perfect for my skin needs right now. I have no idea how this little stick can somehow completely cover up my redness and not look like I’m wearing anything, but it does. I suspect witchcraft, and I support it.
Most days I’ll just apply it where I need it most (chin and nose), but on events where I want a more “flawless face” look, I’ve used it as all over foundation and it works well for that as well. It gives me a totally even complexion, but no “mask” look.
My color is Bisque. nless I’ve added self-tanner to my routine; then it’s Sand. I would say the shades definitely run on the warm side relative to other foundations. I’m often Warm in other foundation brands, but I stick with the neutral range here. Merit’s warm shades are very yellow on me; almost orange.
A word of warning
If you have dry or even normal skin, you’ll want to put this on immediately following moisturizer or use a primer.
The first time I used The Minimalist I ate hated it; it dragged on top of my dry skin and looked almost powdery.
In fact, I actually set out to return it! Merit customer service was amazing. Gave me a full refund, but told me to keep it or give it to a friend. A few weeks later, I decided on a whim to try it over top of a serum/primer, and it was like a completely different product. I’ve been a convert ever since, but heads up if your skin is dry you’ll want to put this on immediately after lotion or primer, before it’s had a chance to “dry down.”
