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AD info | This lip liner was kindly sent to me by Merit to review. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
A new Merit launch is always super exciting and last month we actually got two! Starting 2025 off with a bang, the brand dropped two new products… well one new product and one revamp.
They introduced a new Shade Slick collection, ‘The Sheens’, which is not just a new finish for their well-loved lip oils but a whole new formula. Don’t worry, I’ll be reviewing these soon! What I want to focus on today is their new Signature Lip Liners, which seem to be the true scene stealer of this whole double launch!
Merit lovers have been calling for a lip liner for quite a while. The brand did actually release a one-off Signature Lip Liner (in the shade Bespoke) as part of their limited edition Winter 2023 Le Gloss Set, but a full lip liner collection never hit the shelves. Well, until now that is!
In true Merit style, though, this isn’t your typical high-precision pencil liner, and this review will go into detail about what makes it so different.
I’ll explore a little bit of everything, from the packaging to the formula, the application to the wear time, to help you figure out whether this Merit Lip Liner is worth adding into your makeup routine.
Merit Lip Liner Shades
Merit’s Signature Lip Liner comes in eight neutral shades. We’ve got:
- Beverly Hills – a soft peach pink
- Bespoke – a pink brown
- Coupé – a cool pink
- Sportif – a warm peach brown
- Mayfair – a cool mauve
- Tabac – a neutral brown
- Brownstone – a warm brown
- Capricorn – a rich brown
If you’re looking for vibrancy you may be disappointed as these shades are all very muted. But everyday minimal makeup is what Merit does best so the shade selection does feel pretty on brand.
Packaging
The packaging of this lip liner very much fits Merit’s luxury aesthetic. It’s simple and understated, despite being coated from top to bottom in gold (not real gold, I hasten to add!).
Aside from looks, Merit have thoughtfully added a couple of extra features that set this product apart from other lip liners on the market.
The first being that this liner is retractable. The one downside of pencil liners is that you have to make sure you have a sharpener on hand, otherwise you end up with a product that’s practically unusable. This you can twist up and down at will….
Leading perfectly onto the second key feature. This liner comes with its own built-in sharpener. You just pop the bottom off and voilà, you can shave down your lip liner wherever you are – no extra tools needed!
In all honesty, I’m not sure how useful a sharpener is on a retractable liner, though I understand that the tip becomes rounder and less precise the more you use it. It just feels like you’d be wasting valuable product if you were to sharpen it (more on that later though!).
Formula and finish
With its ultra-soft gel formula, this might be the creamiest, butteriest lip liner I’ve ever tried. It really does melt into the lips – I’m not sure how Merit have made this so weightless and comfortable!
In actual fact, this feels more like a lip balm than anything else. You could definitely apply this all over your lips (without getting that dry, waxy feeling you get with some other liners) if you felt that way inclined.
Most lip liners tend to have a matte finish but this one is hydrating and satiny. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying it’s a bit dewy – not what you’d expect from a lip liner at all!
Application
This lip liner applies effortlessly. Because it’s so soft and buttery, the product glides onto the lips without any tugging or dragging. You hardly have to press down at all for the colour to transfer, even with a very, very light touch you’re able to start building up pigment.
Does it lend itself to precise application? I wouldn’t say so. As I mentioned above, the tip does tend to dull quite quickly. However, I prefer a soft, diffused liner, rather than a thin, harsh outline, so this suits me pretty well. And, with the built-in sharpener, it is obviously possible to bring it back to a point if you did want more precision!
Pigmentation
This is a sheer formula (I know, I didn’t even realise that was possible in a lip liner!) so this isn’t going to be intensely pigmented. I actually do thick it provides a nice amount of colour, but it’s not opaque by any stretch.
What’s great about the sheerness is that you can easily wear the lip liner by itself. Blurring the edges a little makes this blend really naturally into the lips, especially if you’ve gone for a shade that’s only a step or two above your lip colour.
Of course, if you do want to go a bit more glam, you can pair this with Merit’s Shade Slick for some extra shine and hydration.
Wear Test: How long does it last?
Because this is a soft gel formula, and it’s designed to be quite sheer, this is isn’t going to be quite as long lasting as other waxier lip liners.
I can get a couple of hours wear out of this Merit Lip Liner before it starts to fade, and that’s if I’m not eating or drinking much in the meantime.
I usually find that I do need to top this up throughout the day but, on the bright side, it is a really easy product to reapply if you’re on the go, mostly due to the lack of precision needed to make it look good.
Where to buy the Merit Signature Lip Liner
If you’re in the US, UK, Canada or Australia, you can buy this lip liner directly from the Merit website. It’s £21 by itself, or you can save a bit of money by getting the Lip Duo set (which also contains a lip oil). You get free shipping on orders over $40 USD, £50 GBP, $50 CAD or $75 AUD.
Merit is also available at Sephora (it recently launched in Sephora UK!), so you can even shop these products alongside all your other beauty faves.
Final Verdict: Is the Merit Lip Liner Worth It?
I’m not exaggerating when I say this might be my favourite lip liner formula ever. It’s SO soft and smooth, and it applies onto the lips like a dream. It’s not at all drying, chalky or waxy. Quite the opposite, it actually makes my lips feel healthy and hydrated!
Because I love the feel of this Merit Lip Liner so much, I find myself reaching for this A LOT… which is a little bit of an issue given there’s only 0.3g of product in here.
That’s my only real gripe with this liner, I just wish there was more of it!
The retractable mechanism probably takes up some room so you’re naturally not going to get as much product as you would with a pencil liner. But it’s just quite expensive for the amount of product that’s in there – even an extra 0.1g would make the price tag more worth it!
Aside from that though, I really have no complaints. It could be a bit more long-wearing but I think you’d have to sacrifice the lovely gel texture for that, and I love the texture as it is!
This Merit Lip Liner definitely deserves its place in my makeup routine, joining the likes of the Merit Flush Balm and Perfecting Complexion Stick as everyday makeup staples.
If you’re looking for a super comfortable lip liner, and are willing to splurge a little, I do think this one is worthwhile.
Do you like the look of the Merit Signature Lip Liner? Do you think you would buy it? Let me know in the comments!
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