If you're going to have one thing in your makeup bag, it probably should be a concealer. It's a total must-have that really does a lot—including helping to hide pimples or blemishes. You can use it to highlight, conceal dark circles, and reduce redness with the right one. For my everyday look, I prefer to keep it simple with concealer and a few swipes of mascara, so the product is always on hand for me.
While concealers can do so much, there are some ways you can actually go wrong with them. The wrong shade can make what you're trying to hide stand out even more, packing on the product can look cakey, and some concealers can even dry out the skin. But really, it all comes down to choosing the right concealer for your skin needs.
How to Choose a Concealer
When you choose a concealer, you should think about what you need it for. Is it mostly for dark under-eye circles? For blemishes? To illuminate? There are so many formulas with different textures and finishes now, from lightweight to full coverage to light reflecting.
Celebrity makeup artist Valeria Ferreira, whose clients include Victoria Beckham and Lily James, says that knowing this will determine the texture you need. "Drier and thicker concealers are amazing for camouflaging imperfections and for that undetectable concealer look," she says. "If you are looking to give some illumination to the under-eye, a liquid concealer that has a slight light reflection does the trick."
As for shade-matching, this depends on both your skin tone and, again, what you are trying to conceal. Ferreira says she is more inclined to use yellower shades and mix different shades. "On darker skin tones that have a dark under-eye area, an orange-tone base concealer works wonders. It neutralizes the undertone and lets you cover up with a concealer on top, preventing an ashy result."
You'll also want to consider your skin type when shopping for a concealer. Ferreira says she looks at her client's skin type before choosing which product to apply. "When the skin is super oily, I tend to go for something drier and not so stretchy, like Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage or Nars's Soft Matte Complete Concealer," she explains. When I need luminosity and something light but still correcting, I will always reach for the Luminous Silk Concealer by Armani. It comes in so many shades."
The Best Concealers to Try
Best Overall Concealer: Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer
This clean formula has a creamy consistency and offers medium coverage. Not only does it do a good job of hiding blemishes and dark circles, but it also has skincare benefits. Ingredients include caffeine, pink algae, hyaluronic acid, peptides, arnica, and panthenol.
Pros: Hydrating, buildable coverage, features clean, skin-improving ingredients, lots of shade options, long-lasting, crease-resistant
Cons: May be oily on oiler skin types, may have a slight smell
Compelling review: "This is my all-time favorite makeup product. I use two of them, the 3.0 around my eyes and to spot-conceal, and the 5.0, which I use the following creative way: After moisturizing my face with grape-seed oil, I mix the amount on the wand with three drops of grape-seed oil in the palm of my hand, and I pat this mixture all over my face, then massage it in with my fingers. This is so awesome: It makes my face radiant and gives it a light healthy tint. It lasts all day and feels like nothing and makes my skin better. Nothing compares. I keep trying a variety of tinted moisturizers, and nothing works. I am 53 with dry skin that breaks out very easily and is sensitive to everything. This works with no irritation and makes me look much younger, healthy, and radiant. It makes my skin better too, I think."
Best Stick Concealer: Merit The Minimalist
This is currently my favorite product for dealing with redness and any pimples. It's a cross between a foundation or concealer, so you can use it to spot-conceal or to cover your whole face. It's lightweight and looks and feels very natural.
Pros: Can multitask as a concealer and/or foundation or contour, feels lightweight and breathable on the skin, noncomedogenic, clean and EU-compliant ingredients, easy to use, blend, and apply
Cons: Expensive
Compelling review: "I'm not really a fan of stick concealers since many of them tend to be very dry, but this one from Merit really surprised me. It blends like butter, it has a very nice medium coverage, and it doesn't feel heavy. and you can also use it to cover other imperfections of your skin without having to use foundation. It will help simplify my daily makeup routine, and it is ideal if you are looking for a no-makeup makeup look because of how natural it looks and how it helps to even out the skin. I will continue using it in my daily routine!"
Best Concealer for Redness: Erborian CC Red Correct
Ferreira likes this color-correcting formula from Erborian to reduce redness. It's lightweight and is equipped with broad-spectrum SPF 25 protection.
Pros: Soothes the skin, corrects redness, hydrates, evens out the complexion, contains SPF, self-adjusts to match your skin tone, lightweight
Cons: Expensive
Compelling review: "I have naturally rosy cheeks and wanted a product that could tone down the redness under makeup and on no makeup days. This product works! I love that it had SPF and is super easy to apply. I would purchase again."
Best Liquid Concealer: Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
Nars's concealer is always on best-of lists because it does a good job of masking, blurring, and looking natural at the same time. It also has a blend of magnolia-bark extract, grape-seed extract, and vitamin E to hydrate and reduce redness.
Pros: Long-lasting,16-hour wear, multitasks to brighten and conceal, creamy and natural-looking texture and finish, easy to blend
Cons: May crease or feel drying and/or cakey on dry skin types
Compelling review: "I absolutely love this concealer. It blends out easily and has a gorgeous, natural finish. I have darkness around my eyes and mouth, and this concealer makes it disappear, no color correcting needed. I can just put this on, set it with setting powder, do a wing, mascara, and lipstick, and I literally don't need foundation. It looks like I have great skin. I buy it over and over. Hope they never change the formula or discontinue it. It's my daily fave. Color is gorgeous. Can't say enough nice things about it."
Best Drugstore Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser
If you're looking for a concealer with anti-aging benefits, look no further than this affordable one from Maybelline. It's enriched with Haloxyl, which brightens, firms, and smooths. The built-in applicator makes it so easy to apply.
Pros: Affordable, can be used to conceal dark circles and blemishes and used in place of contour and/or foundation, sponge-tip applicator makes for easy blending, hydrating, long-wearing, noncomedogenic
Cons: May crease or cake depending on your skin prep and/or skin type
Compelling review: "I was looking for an everyday concealer that would last all day, would set well, doesn't look cakey, and could cover the discoloration under my eyes. This concealer has the most skin-like finish out of any I've tried."
Best Cream Concealer: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage
Ferreira recommends this concealer duo. You can mix the shades together or use them solo, depending on your skin needs. The full-coverage formula leaves a natural finish.
Pros: Easily provides coverage for dark circles, redness, and blemishes; luxe and creamy texture
Cons: Expensive, not many shade options, might feel too heavy or cakey for some people
Compelling review: "I've been using this for many years, and the shades are an exact match for my skin tone. It's amazing how it makes my dark circles disappear. And it lasts all day—even after a warm and humid day. Would not buy anything but this!!"
Best Concealer for Blemishes: Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating Concealer With Fermented Arnica
This brand-new liquid concealer from Haus Labs is already getting rave reviews from editors, reviewers, and makeup artists alike. It boasts medium yet buildable coverage, feels light and natural on the skin, and is great for anyone who is acne prone or deals with hyperpigmentation. It's noncomedogenic and fortified with skincare-grade ingredients like fermented arnica, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide.
Pros: Lightweight, long-wearing, noncomedogic, features skin-improving ingredients that soothe and nourish the skin, blurs, brightens, de-puffs skin, conceal redness
Cons: Ingredients (like niacinamide) could irritate those with sensitive skin
Compelling review: "The texture of this concealer feels thicker—almost like skincare—but it blends out extremely easily and leaves a beautiful, natural finish. This concealer doesn't crease on me either! I noticed I don't have to use powder to set it. Definitely recommend. I think this would work well for mature skin as well."
Best Concealer for Dark Circles: Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer
This is another go-to concealer for me. It just goes on so smoothly, and it manages to cover up whatever I want to hide so well. I love that it doesn't feel too heavy or cakey either.
Pros: Delivers full, buildable coverage that feels weightless on the skin; easy to blend; provides a blurred, airbrush-like finish; waterproof; noncomedogenic; long-wearing
Cons: Reviewers wished for more shade options, may cake and/or crease
Compelling review: "This is such a beautiful and pigmented concealer. I bought this to highlight under my eyes, and I get very minimal creasing (I'm old, I've got wrinkles, creasing is inevitable). This is so pigmented, blends beautifully, and lays so pretty. I'll definitely be buying again!"
Best Concealer for Brightening: Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Face and Under Eye Concealer
You can use this concealer to highlight, correct, and conceal. It also contains glycerin, vitamin E, and caffeine to reduce puffiness, diminish dark circles, and leave a nice, glowy finish.
Pros: Multitasking formula that can conceal, highlight, and correct; lightweight; contains strategic skin-improving ingredients
Cons: Expensive
Compelling review: "My eyes are such a problem area for me that I had completely stopped wearing makeup. I didn't find this concealer too lightweight or too heavy as a concealer. It did hide my dark circles and slightly minimized my puffiness. I also have wrinkles and some bumps around my eyes and most concealers I have tried end up drawing more attention to my troubles. This did not draw any attention to these issues. It really did help blur them."
More Top Concealers We Recommend
Another favorite of Ferreira's, this concealer stick is especially good for hiding acne or blemishes. The long-lasting formula also contains protective and nourishing ingredients like SPF 25, chestnut rosa fruit extract, and green tea extract.
Pros: Smooth texture and application, easy to blend, buildable coverage, can be used anywhere on the face, lightweight, contains SPF
Cons: Expensive, not many shade options, may crease or feel dry on the skin
Compelling review: "You'll never try another concealer again. I read a zillion reviews about concealers before splurging on this one. But after using it for months now, there's no way I can go back to any other brand. This is the best ever. Worth every penny."
This highly rated concealer is so creamy and doesn't leave any creases. The lightweight and liquid formula leaves a matte finish. The best part? It comes in 50 shades.
Pros: Lightweight, lots of shades, sweat- and crease-resistant, long-wearing, medium to full coverage that's easy to build
Cons: The light matte finish may be too dry for some
Compelling review: "This concealer is incredible. I am 53 with dark circles and the normal lines under and around my eyes. This concealer has amazing and smooth coverage. Doesn't crease or settle in my lines when using a light powder. I have tried everything over the years and this is by far the best. With aging skin, mine tends to be a little drier and this concealer doesn't dry out my skin. It also has a beautiful glow. Huge color selection to find your perfect match. Kudos, Fenty!"
Uoma's concealer is full coverage, but it's not super heavy and has a natural-looking finish. It's also fragrance-free and vegan and doesn't contain parabens, talc, or D5.
Pros: Creamy texture with full, buildable coverage, conceals and brightens dark circles, long-wearing
Cons: Reviewers wished for more shade options, may be patchy or too thick for some
Compelling review: "This is absolutely phenomenal. So easy to blend, erases my acne blemishes flawlessly. I just use this most days instead of foundation, and it looks great and lasts all day. I will buy this again and again. I love it!"
The staying power with this drugstore concealer is crazy—it lasts for up to 24 hours! The waterproof formula also comes in 25 shades and offers a natural-looking matte finish.
Pros: Affordable, waterproof, 24-hour wear time, transfer- and fade-resistant, full coverage that's buildable and easy to apply/blend, oversize doe-foot applicator
Cons: May feel too heavy or thick to some, may be drying
Compelling review: "I've tried so many concealers before, and I like this one the best, by far! The coverage is amazing and the results look flawless. I usually have darker under eyes and this brightens my whole look up. My go-to from now on."
If you like Ilia's Serum Foundation, you're most likely going to love the brand's Serum Concealer. The medium-coverage product is enriched with vitamin C to brighten the skin over time.
Pros: Clean ingredients that have skin-improving benefits, lightweight
Cons: Might not provide enough coverage for some, might have a bit of a smell, not the best for oily skin types
Compelling review: "This is a lovely, thin, medium coverage concealer. Might not be the best for those with really pronounced dark circles, but it's more than enough for me to brighten up around my eyes and cover some mild pigmentation on my cheeks seamlessly. Doesn't settle into lines, wears beautifully (even without setting with powder for me), and looks like skin. Blends really well with the skin tint for a little extra coverage on certain spots!"
At under $10, this is an affordable option that works just as well as its pricier counterparts. There are 23 shades to choose from, which include color-correcting lavender, yellow, and green. You can also use it for contouring.
Pros: Affordable, includes specific shades for color-correction, lightweight, medium to full coverage that's buildable, easy to apply and blend
Cons: May crease, flake, or "break up" on the face
Compelling review: "This concealer is so nice and blends so easily. I use two different shades for contour and highlighting, and it covers dark circles nicely. It's not heavy, and it leaves such a beautiful finish."
Pat McGrath's full-coverage concealer leaves a radiant-matte finish that is so natural and flawless. The liquid formula has a Vita-Serum Complex to moisturize, plus a Flex Form Matrix so it feels smooth and not tight.
Pros: Lots of shades to choose from, features skin-improving ingredients, hydrates, feels silky, helps brighten and blur imperfections, applies smoothly, easy to blend
Cons: May crease
Compelling review: "I will never buy any other brand of concealer again. Concealer is not typically something that blows me away in terms of makeup. It does what it's supposed to do, but This! This melts into the skin and blends perfectly. I wasn't even sure I was getting the correct shade but the way this just effortlessly blends and covers blemishes I was left shocked. Best concealer hands down ever."
Shiseido's medium-coverage concealer has special technology that adapts to the skin's condition, tone, and texture. It has a natural finish and lasts for up to 24 hours.
Pros: Long-wearing, features cutting-edge technology that adapts to the skin, provides medium to full coverage that's buildable and easy to blend, natural and skin-like finish
Cons: Small packaging for the price, could be drying on some skin types
Compelling review: "Honestly, this concealer is so pretty. Good medium coverage, doesn't get cakey, doesn't crease badly, doesn't look dry, and does a great job brightening under the eyes. I can wear this with light coverage foundation, and it doesn't look heavy, but I can also build it up for more coverage when needed. I have dry skin, and even when I apply a little bit of setting powder, this concealer still doesn't look dry."
This concealer is "stretchy," so it doesn't feel too tight or cakey, just smooth. The long-lasting and water-resistant formula can deal with dark circles, pigmentation, blemishes, and redness.
Pros: Water-resistant, long-lasting, blurs pores and provides full, buildable coverage, mimics the look and feel of the skin to efficiently conceal dark circles, breakouts, redness, and other imperfections
Cons: Not everyone likes the sponge applicator/packaging, cap can be difficult to remove, some say it's messy and/or drying, not a lot of product for the price
Compelling review: "This product is genuinely groundbreaking! It is full coverage and covers seriously dark circles while being really light and not cakey. I'm not sure how they've done it, but it's brilliant. A little goes a long way, so it's very good value for money."
How to Cover Up Different Skin Concerns With Concealer
Once you find the right concealer, the next step is to make sure you're applying it correctly. There are different techniques to try depending on what you are trying to blur or cover up. Ferreira broke it down for us.
Pimples, acne, or blemishes: "My top tip for covering up acne and pimples is my micro-concealing technique. I have been talking about this for quite some time," Ferreira says. "This consists of using a very fine brush, like a liquid liner brush, and dotting concealer over an imperfection, then using a sponge or finger to push the product into the skin. The secret is to dot only over the pimple. This will help you camouflage the skin giving you an illusion of a fresh and lightweight makeup look as you are leaving areas with no product at all." For this, you'll need a concealer with a drier texture, full coverage, and a matte finish.
Under-eye circles: Ferreira says there is one rule you should know: Do not get too close to the lash line. The eye area gets oily, and cream and the product will set into fine lines. "The darkness is in that indented area that separates our cheekbone from our eye area," she explains. "Right where that hollowness is is where we need light and brightness. The same applies to the inner corner of the eye. These areas are dark and hooded and need opening up. I always go for lightweight concealers—I use a base to neutralize the shade of the darkness and then a color to match the skin tone and make it all look very natural."
For application, she likes to use a combination of sponges and brushes, like the Beautyblender or the Zoeva Concealer Brush, which is precise and leaves an airbrushing effect. Be strategic when applying the product instead of trying to cover a big area—Ferreira says this will give you room to apply more if needed and helps you avoid a heavy look.
Redness: A green-toned corrector is key here. Ferreira says green and red are opposites on the color wheel. "This will definitely help neutralize the redness and allow you to work with a concealer over it and achieve a great effortless result," she says. "It's super effective! Just apply the green-tone concealer over the red areas until they are neutralized. Go over with a Beautyblender sponge with your foundation, and then if you can still see some redness coming through, try using a matte concealer in your skin tone to erase it even more. It will work!"
Other Concealer Application Tips
To finish, Ferreira suggests using a powder. "Baking is part of concealing. When you want to really flatten an area or knock it back, you can add a bit of a lighter, finely milled powder with a sponge and really bring forward and brighten up an area," she explains. "I love the mini Beautyblender sponges or the angled Fenty Beauty sponges to do my baking with. You can add just a little bit of powder and make it look so natural." Ferreira recommends the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Powder, Laura Mercier's Secret Brightening Powder, and Nars's Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder.
This article originally went live at an earlier date and has since been updated.
-
Celebrating South Asian Beauty and Inclusivity Is at the Heart of This BrandKulfi Beauty deserves all the hype.
-
We Asked, Experts Answered—7 Ways to Level Up Your Makeup Game With GlassesTake a look.
-
Out of All the Makeup Brands Editors Have Access to, We Use These 8 the MostThey're too good.
-
Makeup Artists Say This Concealer Presses the Delete Button on Dark CirclesJust a quick swipe away.
-
I Have Dark Under-Eye Circles—These Are the Only 11 Concealers That Work for MeAnd I've got proof.
-
5 Makeup Tips to Know About If You're Trying to Disguise Tired EyesSimple but effective.
-
Hot Tip: Makeup Artists Say This Is the Best Concealer If You Want More CoverageIt does the most with minimal effort.
-
Multitasking Makeup Is the New Norm—Here Are 21 Products That Also Slow WrinklesIf my foundation isn't packed with skin-friendly ingredients, I don't want it.
