Brenda Song on Blush Blindness and MERIT Beauty Routine

Even though she’s grown from Disney Channel darling to Running Point star, Brenda Song still has a little London Tipton in her. Sharing her GRWM on MERIT’s instagram, Song claims that her 2003 self would hate her current routine. But to us, this five-minute masterpiece is everything.

Brenda Song Shares Her Makeup Mistakes

Gone are the days of the block brow and serious contour, and Brenda Song is the first to say so. “I love that my version of crazy now is to put a little eye shadow underneath [the eye],” she notes, reflecting on the maximalist nature of her early 2000s makeup and fashion choices.

“And trust me, I have overdone it [on blush],” Song says, applying MERIT’s Flush Balm in shade Cheeky. “I have this picture of me on a red carpet from 2006, where I literally had bright pink magenta blush, it literally haunts me in my sleep. How did anyone let me out of the house like that?”

And unfortunately, blush wasn’t the only area she had a little makeup blindness. “My makeup artist wanted me to look a little bit more like a teenager, so we did some plucking,” she says. “And I literally had little worm brows for all my formative years.” When the trends changed, she jumped in headfirst to a bolder brow.

“It traumatized me. So, when the trend came in the mid-2000s to microblade your brows, as you can see, I did that. It wasn’t the smartest choice because I had big bold brows with no makeup on.” When her mother questioned her choice, she insisted that she was trying to regain the bold, full brow she lost. “My mom showed me a picture from when I was like 10 years old and I was like ‘oh no, I never had any brows!’”

Her Can’t-Miss Lash Tip and Beauty Advice

“My makeup artist on The Suite Life, she really taught me to pick on focal point of my makeup and stick with that,” Song shares. “Right now I really like to focus on my skin and enhancing, instead of masking.” And to enhance her lashes, Song opts for a tubing mascara and a moisture-focused cleansing routine.

“I have a hard time finding a good mascara, because I have Asian straight lashes,” she says. “A makeup artist told me that you have to moisturize your lashes the same way you moisturize your hair,” she says. “So, I use a combination of avocado, coconut and castor oil to take off my eye makeup, and I just make sure it’s rinsed off really well. But I feel like it’s helped my lashes grow so much.”

Shop Brenda Song’s MERIT Must-Haves

Shop every MERIT Beauty product in Song’s routine, below.

1 / 10

This weightless serum is powered by niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to deliver serious multi-level moisture and hydration while brightening skin.

2 / 10

Peptides and hyaluronic acid help skin feel firmer while oat extract and glycerin soothe and prep skin for makeup.

3 / 10

This multi-tasker is a buildable formula that blends easily into skin for use as a medium-coverage foundation or concealer.

4 / 10

Warm up your look with this glide-on cream bronzer for perfect sculpted skin.

5 / 10

The blush you “can’t overdo,” according to Brenda Song, MERIT’s Flush Balm is an editor-loved formula that blends effortlessly into skin for a natural flush.

6 / 10

This soft matte eye shadow is infused with chamomile extract to provide a soothing wear that won’t crease or cause fallout.

7 / 10

Get the ideal hair-like strokes with this micro-fine gel pencil, infused with sunflower oil and safflower extract to soothe and promote healthy brows.

8 / 10

Even straight lashes can see serious and impactful length with this defining tubing mascara.

9 / 10

This non-drying liner delivers a soft and buildable definition to the lip that can also offer comfortable all-over color.

10 / 10

This hydrating lip oil is a glossy, plant-derived squalane-powered formula that provides a sheer wash of color.