How to Save an Hour Each Morning — And Still Look Gorgeous

WHY to use: An unfortunate side effect of aging is that the full, feathery eyelashes of our youth start thinning out. To compensate, some of us wear false lashes, which take significant time and a whole lot of patience to apply. Others layer on twice as much mascara as they used to, in the hopes of bringing back some volume. But that practice will make your lashes spidery and clumpy, causing them to smudge much more quickly. And because your lashes will be full of more product than usual, when your mascara dries, it’ll flake onto your cheeks.

To combat these issues, try a tubing mascara. While the old-school variety clings to your lashes using oils and waxes, tubing mascara wraps around each individual lash so it stays on longer and won’t clump.

That’s why we love MERIT’s Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara: It’s a tubing version made from clean ingredients, so it lengthens, tints, and lifts lashes without irritating sensitive eyelids. It’s also lightweight, meaning it’s great for building volume — and the defined design of the brush ensures there won’t be a clump in sight.

It’s included in the MERIT Five Minute Morning set: A seven-piece collection that’s small but mighty, and includes every item you need to put your best face forward in just five minutes. 

HOW to use: Place the brush at the base of your lashes and wiggle it slightly as you brush your lashes up and out — this will ensure you don’t miss any lashes, and make you look more awake. Repeat this motion as many times as you’d like, to build color and height without worrying about clumping or flaking. To remove, just gently wipe your lids with water and a bit of makeup remover.

WHY to use: Thinning and graying brows are a fact of life; luckily, there are plenty of eyebrow-boosting products on the market. But while you may be used to using pencils, they can flatten natural hair, giving you a harsh, drawn-on-brow look.

To achieve a bold and natural-looking aesthetic, ditch your crayon for a pomade and brush. MERIT Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade adds volume via a precision brush, to mimic the pattern of your natural hair and fill in any sparse spots. The result is so natural, people will assume you were just born with robust, Brooke Shields-esque brows.

HOW to use: Start by brushing eyebrows down to coat each one evenly — this’ll accentuate your natural contour. Then brush up and out in the direction of hair growth, until you achieve your desired shape. (Pro tip: brushing the tails of your eyebrows out toward your temples and hairline, instead of down toward your jaw, provides the illusion of an extra “lift” to your eyes.)

WHY to use: The secret to reviving dull skin is a bit of blush. But if you’re still using the powder variation, consider this: As our skin forms more wrinkles, powder-based makeup collects in those creases, making them look even deeper. If you’ve got dry skin, it’s also going to cling to any flakes. While cream blush is the dream blush, not all cream varieties are created equal: Most are extremely pigmented, making them easy to over-apply and tough to blend, so you might accidentally end up looking slightly…clown-ish.

That’s why we love MERIT Flush Balm Cheek Color: The subtle tint helps control over-coloring, and it contains moisturizing Vitamin E for an effortlessly glowy look that says “I get a facial every day and nine hours of sleep every night.”

HOW to use: Dab the balm on the apple of each cheek. Then, using either your finger or a brush like MERIT’s Brush No. 1 (included in the Five Minute Morning set), gently blend the color to smooth out the edges. For a more dramatic look, apply another layer and blend again.

WHY to use: We’ve all got little spots and blemishes we’d love to erase — even if nobody else notices them. So it’s tempting to reach for the foundation and coat your whole face, especially if you’re looking sallow or have a bit of skin irritation. Unfortunately, wearing a full face of foundation makes you look like you’re wearing a full face of foundation…especially if the color is even slightly different than your natural tone. Wearing foundation daily also creates a vicious cycle — since it clogs your pores, it’s only going to further irritate problem areas. 

The best way to even your skin tone without going overboard is through a process called “micro-concealing.” This means applying color-correcting makeup just to problem areas and then blending it thoroughly. But liquid foundation isn’t thick enough to be concentrated where you need it most, and most concealer is too thick to blend properly, since it’s designed to spot-treat. What you need is the proverbial Goldilocks of complexion perfection — something lightweight without being excessively matte, so you can apply it only where you need it and then blend it seamlessly into the rest of your skin. Our recommendation? MERIT’s Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick. 

HOW to use: Swipe this stick over problem areas like dark spots, blemishes, or under-eye circles. Then, starting at the center of your face, sweep Brush No. 1 (included in the Five Minute Morning set) upward and outward on each side for a natural, even look. 

WHY to use: Some highlighters can make your face look comically glittery. While that’s a look some middle schoolers love to rock, it’s a bit much for most grown women.

But when used strategically, highlighters can transform your face, making you look like you’ve been professionally lit on a movie set (or are just glowing from within). For an option without the 90s-style holographic shine, we love a highlighting balm. MERIT’s Day Glow balm is made with micro pearls, not glitter, so it keeps skin looking sparkling without literally sparkling. It’s also packed with amino acids, to keep your cheeks looking plump and hydrated. 

HOW to use: This should be the last step in your skin routine, after you’ve used your blush balm and concealer. Swipe the stick across your brow bone, your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, or anywhere else light would naturally hit your face. Blend either with your fingers, or MERIT’s Brush No. 1 (included in the Five Minute Morning set).

If you want an overall look that’s a bit more dewy, you can apply this highlighter pretty much anywhere on your face: It’s almost translucent, but packed with hydrating vitamins, and won’t clog your pores.

WHY to use: We can sum up the most important step in your makeup routine with three words: blend, blend, blend. If you’re not the type to get your hands dirty, a brush is a perfect solution. Big box makeup stores will try to convince you to buy a separate brush for each step in your beauty routine, but we’ll let you in on a secret: One great makeup brush is all you need to perfectly apply and blend your blush, concealer, and highlighter. A high-quality brush should be soft, have a solid fiber density, and shouldn’t shed bristles during use. While finding all these traits in one brush might sound tough, they’re all true of MERIT’s Brush No. 1.

HOW to use: After applying your concealer, blush, and highlighter, gently sweep the brush up and out toward your hairline. Before you head out the door, check your profile on both sides for any unblended spots or obvious application lines.

WHY to use: Even the most hydrated of us suffers from dry lips from time to time. As with powder, most lipstick will collect in the cracks of dry or wrinkled lips and cause them to look flaky and discolored. But if you want a bit of color, standard lip balm just won’t do the trick — and can feel gummy and tacky.

Like its name suggests, the MERIT Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil offers a bit of color while keeping your lips soft and hydrated. It’s subtle enough to wear all day, but gives you a pop of color and a shine that won’t leave your lips sticky.

HOW to use: Use this lip oil in place of lipstick, lip balm, or anything in between.