Jeans, white t-shirts, bras, tennis shoes. For items we like to call “basics,” it sure can be a bitch to find ones that fit just right. Concealer is the same way: Too chalky, too thin, too sparkly, too flat — the tinted cream is like the Goldilocks of the beauty world. But no longer.
We set out to find the perfect concealer for every skin type, preference, and primary concern (a.k.a. the exact stuff you want to cover). Ahead, you'll find our favorite concealers for dry, oily, hyper-pigmented, acneic, dark circle-prone, and mature skin to help you find your perfect match. You're on your own with strapless bras.
Sensitive Those with easily-irritated skin will love this tube from eco-chic brand W3ll People. It's formulated without parabens, fragrance, phthalates, and mineral oil, plus it seriously covers redness without drying out skin thanks to the aloe vera juice and green tea extract.
W3ll People Bio Correct Multi-Action Concealer, $22.99, available at Target.
Hyperpigmentation & Acne Scars A good full-coverage concealer usually manages to cover most scars, but sometimes, extra measures need to be taken. Color-correcting concealers that have peach, orange, or red undertones work wonders to counteract the dark pigments in your skin. Blend one over your problem areas, top it off with a light dab of your favorite concealer to disguise the color. What scars? What sun spots?
Sephora Collection Bright Future Color Corrector in Melon, $14, available at Sephora.
Sunscreen is especially important when you're dealing with hyperpigmentation. This formula, which is silky and packed with SPF 25, gives you the concealer coverage you need with a little added protection for your acne scars so they don't darken after sun exposure.
Clé de Peau Beauté
Concealer SPF 25/1.7 oz.,
$70.00
Buy
R29 beauty writer Khalea Underwood likes to color correct with an orange, cream-based formula before tapping this over dark spots along her jawline. "No one can ever tell what I'm talking about when I complain about my ingrown scars," she says.
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, $30, available at NARS.
When it comes to dark spots, the goal is more so to neutralize rather than bury, so that's why a lightweight, buildable formula like Make Up For Ever's works.
Undereye Circles Nyx's Dark Circle Concealer comes in four shades that each employ peach, apricot, or orange tones to cancel out the blueish/purplish hues of undereye circles. We suggest using your fingers, rather than a brush, to gently tap this concealer onto your skin. The warmth from your fingers will help blend out the highly-pigmented product.
NYX Cosmetics Dark Circle Concealer Correcteur, $6, available at NYX Cosmetics.
Even the best undereye concealers can veer dry, powdery, and too matte, which only ends up accentuating what you're trying to hide in the long run. This full-coverage waterproof does no such thing; rather, it adds a subtle radiance (not sparkle!) to the area that you didn't even know you needed.
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Illumination Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer, $24, available at Sephora.
This Nars concealer is a cult favorite because the creamy texture glides on smoothly, making for easy application, but dries matte.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $30, available at Ulta Beauty.
If you're a victim of undereye bags, you know that dry skin just makes it worse. This concealer is creamy, smooth, and blends in easily — without leaving dry patches behind.
Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Concealer, $30, available at Becca.
Prefer a doe-foot applicator? Lancôme Maquicomplet employs similar hues to Nyx, like Correcteur, which appears yellow on the wand, but melts into purple-based circles, diffusing the unwanted darkness. With over a dozen shades in the range, a quick swatch will lead you to the right color for you.
Lancôme Maquicomplet Complete Coverage Concealer in Correcteur, $31, available at Lancôme.
Bobbi Brown's set of cream concealers is great for color correcting. You can expect a hint of peach or red to neutralize blue tones, or pink undertones to help eliminate undereye circles. There's 19 different shades, so there's a good chance you can find your color-correcting match.
Bobbi Brown
You're (Almost) On the List,
$28.00
Buy
With a super silky, full coverage formula, this Kevyn Aucoin concealer-meets-foundation nourishes the skin under the eye with help from jojoba and honey.
Kevyn Aucoin
The Sensual Skin Enhancer Concealer and Foundation,
$48.00
Buy
Acne This concealer from Urban Decay is highly-pigmented — meaning it will cover up even the most gnarly red bumps in the middle of a bad breakout — but the formula is lightweight, blendable, and almost undetectable on the skin.
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer, $28, available at Sephora.
Despite this concealer's medium-but-buildable coverage, it feels light as air on the skin. Plus, it contains a slew of oil-absorbing and zit-fighting ingredients like kaolin clay, tea tree oil, and sulfur.
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Full-Coverage Treatment Concealer, $28, available at It Cosmetics.
As the name implies, this long-wearing liquid concealer simply lets you pat away imperfections, so even your most stubborn breakouts will be safely hidden. Bonus: You can even blend a little in with your moisturizer to get sheer, even all-over coverage.
Pixi by Petra Pat Away Concealing Base, $16, available at Target.
A full-coverage concealer that feels lightweight, but has the power to cover even the darkest tattoos — and gnarliest hormonal breakouts.
Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème, $26, available at Sephora.
While this concealer from Clé de Peau works quite well on discoloration and redness, we particularly love it for covering up breakouts. Why? It's insanely pigmented and never accentuates dry skin.
Clé de Peau Concealer, $70, available at Nordstrom.
This two-step formula allows you to customize your shade and coverage. Plus, the creamy concealer is very moisturizing, so it won't slide right off. For smaller spots, you can use a tiny detail brush and for larger areas, a fluffy brush will work just fine.
Oily This concealer was designed to last a whopping 15 hours on the skin and we can comfortably say that it's one of the longest-lasting we've ever tried (even on this writer's oil spill of a complexion). For extra staying power, top it off with a dusting of setting powder.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Wear Concealer, $26, available at Ulta Beauty.
Not only does the weightless formula of this cream-to-powder stick leave skin with the perfect natural-looking matte finish, but the twist-up packaging makes it beyond easy tote around with you for any and all touchups — not that you’ll need to.
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick, $25, available at Sephora.
We never thought we'd meet a concealer we didn't have to set with powder — until we used this. Even better, it's such a full-coverage formula that you can use as a foundation replacement, just dot all just-moisturized skin and blend.
Tarte Tape Shape Contour Concealer, $27, available at Tarte.
This product may have a velvety-matte finish, but it manages to cover everything from acne scars to redness without looking drying, patchy, or heavy on skin — making it perfect for oily types.
Dry Unlike many concealers, which can emphasize dry patches and flakes on the skin, this one actually hydrates with its gentle coconut water- and hyaluronic acid-rich formula.
Too Faced Born This Way Concealer, $28, available at Too Faced.
This formula is creamy enough to easily dab on with your fingertips or with a dense concealer brush. The coverage is essential for a no-makeup makeup look and ensures your skin actually looks like your skin — without any dry patches or pilling.
RMS Beauty Un Cover-Up Concealer/Foundation, $36, available at Sephora.
Mature This concealer contains Tarte's famous maracuja oil, which hydrates and smooths over imperfections without settling into fine lines and creasing a few hours into the day. It's full coverage, but never feels heavy and piled on.
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer, $24, available at Ulta Beauty.
This do-it-all concealer masks dark spots and undereye circles, but also has a built-in primer at its core to blur imperfections and leave skin with velvety finish.
Dior Fix It 2-in-1 Primer & Conceal Concealer, $36, available at Nordstrom.
This pick is great for those who want to brighten and conceal their undereyes in one fell swoop. "It's lasting and glides on nicely — plus, it sets well so it won't fade or crease on you," makeup artist Andre Sarmiento says. We'd even liken this bargain product to YSL Touche Eclat (which is more than five times the price).
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser, $7.99, available at Target.
Stick concealers can be so dry, the formula pulls at your skin when you apply it — making flaky patches worse. This, on the other hand, does the opposite. Not only does it provide full coverage all day long, it's also creamier than a milkshake in summer.
Bare Minerals Bare Pro Concealer, $18, available January 2018 at Bare Minerals.
Developed with the help of plastic surgeons and dermatologists, this waterproof It Cosmetics formula is infused with hydrolyzed collagen, peptides, and hyaluronic acid to smooth the skin and conceal dark circles, pigmentation, age spots, and even broken capillaries.
It Cosmetics
Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof ,
$24.00
Buy
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