To Cast Away Dark Under-eye Circles And Banish Any Blemishes
These days, your concealer can do everything from hydrate your skin, conceal dark circles and blemishes, brighten up your under-eyes and even replace a full face of foundation. Multi-tasking they might be, but finding the right formula for your skin type or desired result isn’t always as straightforward... So, from line-smoothing to pe-puffing, we’ve rounded up the best concealers to help narrow down your search.
How we choose the best concealers
Whether you’re looking for staying power or colour correction, brightening or hydrating formulas, we’ve considered every ingredient and benefit and made sure the concealers we pick cover a range of skin tones, skin types and coverage: from lighter, dewy formulas packed with skin-boosting ingredients to full, long-lasting coverage that cover blemishes, dark circles and any uninvited spots. We’ve also looked at things like applicators, longevity and five-star reviews. Here are the fifteen that came out on top…
Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer SPF10
Best for: A matte finish
If you’re a die hard Double Wear fan, you’ll know all about the famous lightweight but buildable coverage synonymous with Estée Lauder’s iconic formula, one that’s been going strong since 1997. An extension of its foundation range, Estee Lauder’s Double Wear concealer is oil-free and transfer-resistant to create a matte finish. If your skin is naturally quite oily, this is a great choice as it won’t ever dry it out and stays put for up to 15 hours.
The hype: “The oil- and fragrance-free formula is silky, blendable, and provides just the right amount of coverage. It's opaque enough to diminish the appearance of dark undereye circles, while a dose of hyaluronic acid keeps skin smooth and crease-free. Even better, it comes in an impressive array of shades.” - Allure
Vanish Airbrush Concealer
Best for: Airbrushed skin
This high pigment, full coverage concealer has high-tech microspherical powders that camouflage imperfections, blur pores, hide dark circles and evens out the skin tone all in all creating the ultimate filter effect and airbrushed finish. A flawless result, yes, but the best thing about Hourglass’ Vanish Airbrush Concealer is that it still feels featherless on your skin; the flocked applicator also ensures no dragging (read: no creases) for a bright and perfect result that lasts all day.
The hype: “Don't you hate when your concealer clumps or flakes after just a few hours? Same! Fret no more; this product can last for hours and hours and hours. Whether set with a powder or standalone, this gem from Hourglass leaves your makeup looking airbrushed and ready to stand the test of time.” - ELLE
Magic Away Liquid Concealer
Best for: Brightening
Like a magic wand for your skin, one sweep of Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic concealer creates a flawless, pore-free finish that never feels too heavy on the skin. The Magic Miracle Precision applicator acts like a beauty blender by rolling over imperfections, hugging your skin and smoothing over any fine lines to create a second-skin effect. It’s no wonder why it’s been nicknamed: “spanx for your eyes”. TIP: use the concealer first, and follow up with Charlotte Tilbury’s Genius Magic Powder to boost radiance.
The hype: “I literally needed just one swipe of the stuff and it erased those bags that were telling the world I'd had three hours sleep and far too many takeaways this weekend (that'll be the Persian silk tree bark extract, which Charlotte hails ideal for youthful and contoured looking skin).” - Glamour
Touche Éclat High Cover Concealer
Best for: Highlighting
You can’t talk concealer without the OG and iconic Yves Saint Laurent Touché Eclat. In fact, the original formula gained cult status back in the day and, when everyone started using it as a concealer, the brand created a hybrid formula—the same illuminating, luminous effect with just a little more coverage to whizz away dark circles: the Touché Eclat High Cover Concealer. Click, contour and highlight your way to your brightest complexion yet and get that signature YSL glow.
The hype: “A hybrid between a highlighter and concealer, this click-pen product boasts a multitude of uses. Apply it beneath eyes to brighten dark circles, on top of cheekbones for a subtle highlight, around the nose to diffuse redness or wherever you want skin to generally look a little more radiant.” - Who What Wear
Radiant Creamy Concealer
Best for: Buildable coverage
Beauty editors and experts literally rave about Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and with good reason. It’s the cult formula you go back to again and again, the old friend in your makeup arsenal that’s always there to brighten up your complexion, conceal any imperfections and give you full but light coverage with a glowy finish. With a botanical blend packed with skin-loving ingredients to protect the skin barrier, it also has mineral tone balancing powders which optically correct the skin (as opposed to covering up or masking it, and looking too heavy on the skin) meaning you always have a lightweight finish.
The hype: “YouTuber’s like Jackie Aina coerced me into buying Nars’ Creamy Concealer, but it was the illuminating formula and seamless blending that proved its staying power.” - ELLE
Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer
Best for: A lightweight finish
The USP? Long-lasting and water-resistant, Laura Mercier’s Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer has a very lightweight feel; it’s easily blendable and uses Skin Fusion Technology which ensures that daily life - pollution, perspiration and so on - doesn’t get in the way (meaning those dark circles stay blurred and concealed for a whole 12 hours!). Guaranteed: flawless skin no matter what your day throws at you, medium-to-full coverage and a light, featherless finish that keeps skin moisturised.
The hype: “This formula is incredibly lightweight with a finish that's not too matte or too shiny. It looks totally natural when it goes on. As in, it looks like my own skin, not like cake batter smeared under my eyes. It still helps even out the texture of my skin, though. I have a very small number of tiny bumps under my eyes, and this definitely helps to cover them and smooth them out.” - Allure
Luminous Silk Concealer
Best for: Dry skin
The skin under your eyes is thinner and more delicate than any other part of your face, which makes it more susceptible to dryness—and if your skin is dry, it’s likely to cause your concealer to crease, crack or become cakey throughout the day. The solution? Infused with caffeine, Vitamin E and glycerine, Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Concealer ensures an incredible 24 hours of hydration to avoid creasing and nourish dehydrated skin where it needs it most. A full coverage but lightweight moisturising formula means it never feels heavy and creates a luminous finish.
The hype: “Luminous Silk Concealer proved to be the magic bullet when it comes to crease-free coverage. I suspect the secret is the super-pigmented — but still lightweight — formula.” - Allure