Merit, known for its clean, simple, and effective formulas that eschew fuss and trends, has launched the best mascara to land in my hands and on my lashes in quite some time. Merit Clean Volume offers a petite and precision brush that grabs, reaches, and coats each lash with a Japanese-created tubing formula that curls and lifts without clumping or weighing delicate lashes down.
It’s all about the brush, which allows you to get as close as possible to the lashes you are trying to accentuate. See how the silver-capped Merit brush stacks up against tubing competitors? It’s smaller and more effective.
I love how it gave me (and the model pictured above) those doll-like, Twiggy-esque, ’60s mod lashes without looking spider-y or outdated.
People were crashing out over POV Beauty’s Amp It + Contour It Lip Kits when they launched. The brand, launched by influencer Mikayla Nogueira, heard you, reformulated and refined the product to perfection. These lip treats — come on, the pretty pink is named “Cannoli,” while the “Boston Cream” is dreamy beige — go on smooth, can be worn over are lips or with the Contour It liners, which are a touch darker to add definition and the give the color a base to adhere to! These things grip lips and hold onto color. The gloss is a squeeze tube with a squishy tip that glides across your pucker.These are truly lip treats.
Sometimes, it’s where you start. Sometimes, it’s where you finish. With mostly skincare brand Versed‘s new Smooth Finish Brightening Setting Powder, the latter rings true. The brand’s two-tone compacts come in four shade pairings that brighten skin, set foundation, and add a soft-finish blur if you want to go “no makeup.” it doesn’t cake and it helps your makeup last, which is essential during the dog days of summer.
When it’s too hot to function but you still want to look pulled together, grab the brand’s Face Perfector Dual-Ended Complexion Brush. You can get in the corners and get precise with the tapered end or use the fluffier end to disperse as much product as you need to get buffed and blurred. These are two of the simplest, no-frills, and most effective products I’ve employed on my face since the temps started to hit 85 and over.
