Is Merit Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color in Studio worth it?

The gurus are split. 2 of the 4 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 2 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 63%.

What is Merit Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color in Studio's Guru Score?

Merit Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color in Studio holds a Guru Score of 63%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.

Merit

Merit Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color in Studio.

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Eye Makeup

About this product

A single matte eyeshadow in a cream-to-powder formula.

Full ingredients

Isododecane, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene, Synthetic Wax, Helianthus Annuus Seed Cera, [Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax], Mica, Silica, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, SH-Polypeptide-123, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Tin Oxide, Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77491 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77492 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77742 (Manganese Violet), Ci 77007 (Ultramarines), Ci 77510 (Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 16035 (Red 40 Lake), Ci 19140 Yellow 5, Ci 77400 (Bronze Powder), Ci 77400 (Copper Powder), Ci 77000 (Aluminum Powder)

Guru Score

63%

Mixed

4 experts · Moderate agreement

What the gurus are saying

Reviewers split on wear and durability. Some love their blend-ability and find the cream-to-powder formula sets and lasts, while others found them fragile without primer, gathering in the crease by four hours. The shades are muted, which some love as a base but others find too subtle, and reviewers note the formula dries to a dusty powder in the pot over time if not carefully sealed.

Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take June 2025

What they liked

Blends smoothly
Stays put without creasing
Works alone or as a base

What they flagged

Dries out and crumbles in the pot
Needs primer to prevent gathering in crease

Type

Eye MakeupPowder

Key actives

Vitamin CVitamin EPeptides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Sephora → Amazon → Google →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Beyond50Skin

32k subs

~Nay

"The Solo Shadows by Merit are really not my favorite shadows at all. They tend to dry out. They tend to get turn to dust. They desiccate within the pot, especially if you don't do there's an extra click that you have to do to really close them and keep them for as long as possible. Even so, they can get fairly stiff fairly quickly. I've been pretty good once I learned that hack about keeping it closed. And it's still a little on the dry side."

Allie Glines

829k subs

~Yay

"The Merit cream shadows won best cream shadow. These are the Merit Solo Shadows and I love them; I get the most use out of the shades Studio and Social. They were some of my favorites, so I wanted to mention them."

All 7 takes from Allie Glines

My PERFECT Makeup for Every Weekday 😍

"I bought two shades of this new Merit eyeshadow. I've only tried the purple one so far and I wanted to try this one. This is called Studio. I just think this would be like a really good quick everyday color. It also kind of looks like bronzer. I'm applying this to the eyelid and also whatever's left on the brush on the lower lash line too."

The Perfect Summer Date Night Makeup

"I'm going to take a little bit of the Merit cream shadow, this one is in the shade Studio. My hands are all moisturized. This is just like a really nice neutral color. I love this one for my skin tone personally for situations like this where I want a little bit of an eye look but not anything too over the top. I feel like less is more with this product. I just don't want to overdo it too much."

How To Make 2024 Your BEST Makeup Year, Ever.

"I just decided single cream shadows, I'm going to use this one from Merit. This is the shade Studio, which is just like a nice neutral brown color, and I'm just going to buff this all over the eyelid up into the crease and a little bit above toward the brow as my transition shade. I'm also going to take that along the lower lash line just to define things there."

The #1 Makeup from September 2023!! 😍

"I have the shade Studio which is a really beautiful kind of like neutral brown color. [...] This is a cream to powder formula, and once it dries down it really doesn't budge. [...] I couldn't get it off. This is something that I feel like is living up to the hype, so really loving this as well."

This NEW Makeup is INSANE 🤯

"I bought studio and social. Studio is a little bit purple, it's like a purpley brown. The packaging is so pretty. I've been seeing people swatch these and they don't budge on the arms after they try to wash them off. It's really sheer at least with a light layer, I'm sure I can build it up. It feels really easy to work with. How pretty, it's really gorgeous and this color really suits me."

I Tried The HIGH-END 2024 Winners 😱 Makeup, Skin & Body!!

THE BEST HIGH END MAKEUP OF 2023

"I've got some single shadows that I just love from Merit, the Solo Shadow in the shade Social, a purple color. This one looks so natural on me, it works great on its own or as a base, I tend to use it more as a base. Studio is what I use the most, a nice brown, and Social is that kind of purple taupe. I love these, they're so nice, they blend like a dream."

HotandFlashy

1.23M subs

~Nay

"Looking at the eyeshadow, that's probably the thing that I am the most disappointed in. It does probably need a primer to work. It's all worn off, it's gathered in the crease, it doesn't look good. I would like it if it would have done its job without potentially needing a primer or anything else to help it. I think it looked bad at 4 hours. So the eyeshadow is definitely going to be probably the fail of this video for me."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Yay

"There's no essential oils. I never understood putting fragrance in eyeshadows. Eyelids skin is really delicate and cosmetics can easily be irritating around the eye area. Their cream shadows I absolutely love for a few reasons. First of all they give, in my opinion, a really good color payoff, easy to work with. I'm not some sort of advanced makeup applier, I need something that's simple to do, easy to reproduce, and that I can do basically blindfolded."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Sunscreen filters

Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine