Concealer is a reliable item that almost everyone has in their beauty collection. However, it can become challenging to find the perfect formula for you when there is such a wide variety of products available. The right concealer can be your secret beauty weapon, helping you look wide-awake on less than eight hours of sleep or helpfully obscuring that massive hormonal zit that takes up residence on your chin every month.
But it can be difficult to find the right one that won’t settle into fine lines or slide off after a few hours of wear. We then disseminated a range of products to a panel of professional makeup artists, who evaluated each product’s performance, from ease of use to coverage to smoothness. All concealers were blinded to remove brand bias.
No matter what skin issue you’re trying to blend away, these are the best concealers you can buy for every skin type and gripe:
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
The NARS Radiant Creamy concealer is the perfect product to use if you aim to highlight the undereye area and brighten your complexion. This formula is created with a creamy consistency to provide a radiant, luminous, and luxurious appearance of the skin. It is a buildable product that begins as highly lightweight with full coverage; however, it can be built upon for more of an effect. Due to its non-heavy formula, this concealer would be perfect for hiding dark circles under the eyes of any skin type, as well as highlight areas around the face.
Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer
In our latest Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab test, this earned a perfect score for coverage and beat out the competition to snag the highest ratings for performance, satisfaction, and smoothest coverage. Our testers raved that it’s “great for dark spots, blemishes, and severe undereye discolouration,” and with a massive shade range, there’s a perfect match for every skin tone. The only con is that the product can be difficult to squeeze out of the tube.
Fiona Stiles Light Illusion Perfecting & Brightening Stylo
If you prefer sheer coverage, Fiona Stiles Light Illusion Perfecting & Brightening Stylo will do the trick. Micro pearl particles help blur and brighten the eye area, and thanks to the mess-free brush applicator, it’s great for on-the-go touch-ups.
HD Photogenic Concealer Wand
Among the most affordable concealers out there, this drugstore formula impressed testers with its coverage. They rated it easy to use, easy to dispense, apply, and spread. The thicker formula is great for disguising redness and discolouration but heads up that it may be too heavy for the undereye area or mature skin.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer
This formula is made to provide users with full-coverage for dark circles under the eyes and to hide wrinkles and blemishes. The best part about this concealer is that it doesn’t stop working its magic long after the application. The formula contains Haloxyl, an anti-ageing product that will continue to rejuvenate and hydrate your under-eye area. This is a must-have product.
Lancome Effacernes Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer
This unique concealer stands out from the rest as it provides natural coverage for all skin types, as well as remaining water-proof throughout the day. Its long-wear formula won’t crease or fade at all, so your blemishes and dark circles will be covered for as long as you need them to be. Say goodbye to signs of stress and fatigue when using this product.
Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer
If you have a problem with redness, look no further than this concealer. It earned high marks for blending into the skin and having smooth coverage, and testers said this concealer pot has “pigmentation [that’s] good for colour-correcting … basically anything” from under eyes to redness.