| Seint | Merit | |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Highlight, a cream foundation in a slim tin, applied with fingers or the IIID brush. $16 a color, 24 shades. | The Minimalist, a foundation and concealer stick, $38, 30 shades. |
| Contour or bronzer | Contour, a cream. $16, 14 shades. | Bronze Balm, a cream stick whose narrow edge sculpts, $32, 5 shades. |
| Lip and cheek color | Lip + Cheek, a cream for lips and cheeks in gloss, semi-gloss and satin. $16, 40 colors. | Flush Balm, a cream for cheeks and lips, $30, 13 shades. |
| Highlight and glow | A second, lighter Highlight shade, or Illuminator. $16 a color. | Day Glow, a highlighting balm, $32, 4 shades. |
| Palette | Build your own: empty IIID palettes from 2 to 27 colors ($14 to $45), refilled one color at a time. Or a ready-made No. 4 Collection, $127 (often less on sale). | No refillable palette when I checked. Preset sets instead, such as the Complexion Trio ($100, on sale for $90 when I checked). |
| Shade help | Free personal color match from me, a two-minute quiz, and Seint’s 30-day return policy. | A Find My Shade quiz on its site. |
The biggest differences
- Sticks or tins. Merit products are individual sticks and balms. Seint colors are slim tins that click into one palette, so your whole face fits in one compact.
- Price per color. Seint colors are $16 each. Merit’s range from $30 to $38 each, in a different size.
- Shade range. Seint: 24 Highlight, 14 Contour and 40 Lip + Cheek shades. Merit: 30 Minimalist, 5 Bronze Balm, 13 Flush Balm and 4 Day Glow shades.
- Both blend with fingers. If you love a one-swipe stick you can toss in a bag, Merit’s format is made for that. If you like everything in one palette, that is where Seint shines.
Why I chose Seint
I wanted fewer products that do more, and colors I could swap one at a time. With Seint I put the color on first and the base last, only where I want it, so my skin and freckles still show. One palette holds my whole face, and when I run out of a color I replace just that one tin. If that sounds like you, I would love to match your shades, free, before you buy anything.
Curious about the shades? See every Lip + Cheek, Highlight and Contour swatch, or read Seint levels, explained. More comparisons: Seint vs Jones Road, Seint vs Laura Geller.