Merit has released a limited edition holiday set called the Le Gloss Holiday Essentials Set ($80). It looked like a beautiful set of effortless essentials for an easy glamorous look, so I ordered it right away and I think it’s beautiful.
Several of you have messaged me over the years singing the show’s praises. I don’t think I’ve ever done a full review of the brand, so today I’m giving you a closer look at the holiday set along with thoughts on everything I’ve tried.
Le Gloss set
The Le Gloss set has five products with a mix of full size and mini (exclusive to Meritbeauty.com). Everything in the set is new to me and I thought it would be a nice way to try out some of their classics. In the set you will find:
- Great Skin Instant Glow Serum The (mini) is something I haven’t had a chance to try yet as I’m in the process of trying other skincare products at the moment, but I’ve heard great things about it.
- Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara (mini) gives a nice long narrow and defined look and I plan to order it full size.
- Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade in Neutral it’s exclusive to the set, goes on sheer and I really like how it grooms the brows. Now I’m interested and want to try one of these tinted options.
- Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner Liner in Pre-order is a new product exclusive to this set. It has a really interesting formula for me. It’s clean and glossy, but still offers a minimalistic note of sharpness and color. On me it’s almost a taupe shade with a slight hint of pink.
- Solo Shadow Sheen Eye Color in Sugary is exclusive to the set. This is the star of the set in my opinion and I really hope they make this shade and formula permanent. It has a bit more glide than the Solo Eyeshadow Mattes, so the Sheen formula is easier to blend. It still sets very quickly, so blending or quick tapping is still necessary. The color is hard to detect on camera, but in real life it gives you a really nice wash of color. That being said if you have dry lids I think this could potentially accentuate fine lines.
Look to wear:
So far I have played with quite a few things from Merit. I know many of you are die-hard fans. Not everything worked for me, though I think there are solid staples for the minimalist who wants a no-fuss beauty routine. Here are some quick thoughts on what I’ve tried. I’ve ordered most from Sephora, although you can also order from the Merit website.
The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick ($38) is a styling concealer and foundation in one. I like the idea and portability. It offers medium coverage. For the foundation I think it’s a bit too pigmented and thick to wear all over, but it seems designed more as a touch-up product. I wear either Sand or Camel – matching colors are really good for me. I think this is a solid product, but I don’t find myself reaching for it often.
Flush Balm Cream Blushes ($30 each for the full size, also available in limited edition mini) are the blushes that readers seem to love the most. Unfortunately I found them too cool for my skin type and most of the colors I tried didn’t look very good on my skin tone. The darker ones give a nice soft stain color so they show up, but the neutral and baby pink tones disappear on my skin once blended. Lasting power is absolutely non-existent on my skin type.
Solo Shadow Cream-to-Powder soft matte eyeshadow ($24) is pure love for me, although I will say I’ve only tried the lighter shades. I love the tones, the lasting power and the way they look like a subtle contour. It makes you look a little more polished without a lot of work. The feedback from many of you is mixed – those who didn’t like it found it too matte and dry and difficult to blend/work with. I agree they are very matte and set quickly so quick blending is KEY! Brush No. 2 created for this type is very good.
Signature Lip light lipstick ($26) is another super popular product that didn’t work for me. I will say that I think the colors are beautiful, but I didn’t like the pigment (too sheer) and the texture was off. These had good smooth coverage and natural color payoff, but the texture was thick and waxy. It didn’t feel comfortable on my lips, it almost felt drying and I had to wipe it off immediately.
Shade Slick Gelée Sheer Tinted Lip Oil ($24) is pure love to me. They are sheer thin tinted oils which I find unique for an oil formula because they really don’t feel like an oil at all. They’re almost like a water shade – sheer enough color to paint the lips in a really flattering way. Unfortunately, the lasting power isn’t really there, but I like the look and feel enough that I don’t mind reapplying.
All in all some beautiful things for a natural look without fuss. I’m all about natural makeup, but I haven’t found any products from the line that stand out as an absolute must-have. I gravitate more towards Westman Atelier for natural makeup with sheer color. That said, I’ve had fun testing and playing with the products I’ve gotten from Sephora. I think it’s nice when a makeup line is highly edited and refined. Makes exploring a little easier!
Buy the Post
That concludes my value summary! Have you tried anything from the range? What did you think?
