I Tried $278 Worth Of Concealers — & This Was The Clear Winner

I am not, in any way, a makeup minimalist. I can't go on vacation without packing three cosmetics bags, my bathroom cabinet is bursting at the seams with foundations and highlighters, and I was a Sephora Loyalist long before I passed my driver's license test.

But if I was forced to Marie-Kondo my ways and get honest with what I really need, it's concealer. The liquid makes it look like I've slept 4+ hours more than I actually have — and have 4x more perfect skin than I actually do. And I know I'm not alone here; even my non-makeup wearing friends use concealer most days, and you'd be hard-pressed to find any working actor in Hollywood who doesn't have a slick of it on their face.

Because it's such a versatile and universal item, I decided to test out nine different tubes — from super-luxe to ultra-affordable formulas — to see which covered up my own under-eye bags and breakouts the best. I also documented my before-and-afters and day-end updates to track their wear. Click through to watch the concealers work their magic and find out the surprising pick that beat out the rest of the competition.