Photos courtesy of MERIT Beauty
For Karen Pittman, beauty has never been about fitting into a standard. Rather, it’s about finding what fits around her life. That ethos makes her the perfect face of MERIT Beauty’s newest campaign in celebration of the Signature Lip Lightweight Lip Blush launching. Centered on joy, ease, and everyday confidence, the campaign reimagines bold lip color as something soft, wearable, and lived-in.
“At this stage of my life, I need things to be simple, easy, and effortless,” Pittman tells ESSENCE. “I want something that’s going to carry me all the way through the day. I don’t have time to be in front of a mirror all day—but I do want to feel pretty while doing the work of life.”
That philosophy mirrors MERIT’s approach to makeup: minimalist, clean, and designed to enhance rather than mask. The Forever actress has been a fan of the brand since 2022, when she first discovered it at a Brooklyn Sephora. “Up until that point, clean makeup hadn’t been working for me—it was chalky, made my skin look gray,” says Pittman. “Then I tried MERIT, and the colors actually looked good on my skin. I remember thinking, more women of color need to know about this.”
Years later, that personal connection turned into a full-circle partnership. “I was a client before they ever came to me,” says Pittman. “This wasn’t about me fitting into a beauty standard. It was about finding a brand that aligned with the beauty I already represent.”
The Signature Lip Blush is designed to blur the line between balm and lipstick. Think of a sheer, buildable formula that enhances your natural lip color and fades gracefully. For Pittman, that versatility is key. “It’s like amplifying what you already have,” she explains. “You can swipe it on lightly for everyday, or build it up when you want more intensity. That flexibility feels very modern to me.”
Her go-to shades? Bespoke, along with Andie, which closely matches her natural lip tone. Lately, she’s been reaching for Vendôme, a barely-there pink nude topped with a touch of gloss. “It’s perfect,” she says. “You look put together, but not like you spent all day getting ready.”
And while The Morning Show actress often opts for a minimal face, she loves the option of pairing simplicity with impact. “I’m definitely a simple face and a bold lip woman,” she shares. “Or a dramatic eye with a softer lip. With the lip blush, you really get the best of both worlds.”
And, if you can’t tell, joy, for Pittman, isn’t always loud—it’s intentional. Her beauty rituals are less about trends and more about peace. “A lot of it happens at night,” she says. “I put away my devices, turn on music, make tea, take a long shower or bath, and read. Beauty is about calm, contentment, and the people I love.”
That sense of ease extends to how she uses makeup, too. The lip blush often does double duty as a cheek tint, and there’s always a gloss in her bag. “I’m one of those Black women who’s always like, ‘Are my lips dry?’” she laughs. “A little sheen can shift your whole mood.”
That perspective is what makes this campaign resonate so deeply. “I truly believe there is no single beauty standard,” says Pittman. “The question now is: what brands fit around you? MERIT does that beautifully. It’s for women of all ages, skin tones, and undertones. Clean beauty is for us—and it doesn’t make us look ashy.”
Her hope is simple, yet powerful: that more women of color feel invited into beauty conversations that honor them as they are. “If I could walk every Black woman into a Sephora and help them find their shade, I would,” she says. “Because we deserve beauty that fits our lives and celebrates us.”
