I’ve been down this rabbit hole, trust me. Scrolling through TikTok, lurking on Reddit (shoutout to the OliveMUA community, y’all *get* the struggle!), and basically just throwing money at random pouches on Amazon hoping something sticks. And tbh, it’s a MIXED bag.
See, the thing about Merit is, it’s not just the bag, it’s the *vibe*. It’s that effortlessly cool, “I woke up like this (but spent 45 minutes carefully applying my makeup)” feeling. So a dupe has to nail that. It can’t look like something you got at a Claire’s in 2007 (no offense, Claire’s, I still love you).
I’ve seen some decent contenders, tho! Like, a few clear pouches on Etsy that are giving me *serious* Merit vibes. They’re see-through, which is key, because you wanna show off your carefully curated collection (or, in my case, the five lipsticks I rotate between). They’re also usually a bit more personalized, which is a plus.
Then there’s the whole “does it hold everything?” question. Like, the actual *functionality* of the bag. Because let’s be honest, most of us aren’t just carrying around a tinted moisturizer and a lip balm. We’ve got concealers, eyebrow pencils, maybe even a rogue eyeshadow palette hanging out in there. And if the dupe can’t handle the weight, it’s a no-go. Big oof.
Also, and this is just me being petty, I kinda want it to be ethically made. Like, I feel bad buying something super cheap knowing it probably came from a factory where people are getting paid pennies. So, that adds another layer to the dupe hunt. It’s a whole *thing*.
Honestly, sometimes I wonder if it’s just worth biting the bullet and getting the real Merit bag. But then I remember I could buy, like, three really cute dresses for the same price. And, well, priorities, right?
