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6 best concealers: the miracle must-haves that will sort everything from undereye circles to time-of-the-month skin
LOOKING to boost your beauty bag with the best concealers? We’ve tried some of the most raved-about products to bring you our six absolute must-haves here.
When it comes to makeup wizardry, there’s just no denying the miracle powers of concealer. From dark circles that won’t budge no matter how much sleep you get (we’re not tired: it’s hereditary, ok people?!) to acne scarring, spots and skin redness, the best formulas will conceal a multitude of sins, stay put on your face all day and most importantly—should not cake. Call it the golden trio of concealer commandments.
We’ve reviewed the best concealers below, whether you want studio-perfect skin or an all-natural base[/caption]
Finding a concealer to meet all requirements of said trio can be a little trickier though. The undereye area is perhaps the biggest challenge, as product can tend to gather after a few hours of wear and sit in the fine lines of your skin—not a good look. A good base is key here: look out for moisture-enriching eye creams and/or a silky primer that will allow concealer to literally glide on and stay dewy.
Choosing the right shade is make or break too. For imperfections, a similar shade to your foundation is best for an even look, while if you’re looking to brighten and highlights areas of your skin, look out for colours that are one to two shades lighter than your skin tone—but peachier, in order to neutralise and avoid a white ring. Knowing the undertone of your skin is also crucial to avoiding ashy or orange skin disasters, so take note of whether your skin is cool, warm or neutral.
With so many wonder products on the market, there’s a skin perfecting concealer out there for every need and complexion: whether you want to colour-correct, illuminate and highlight, apply light touchups or go for something with full-coverage. Oil-free and matte formulas are best if your skin tends to already be quite oily, while hydrating ingredients and dewy concealers are ideal if your skin is more prone to dryness.
Ready for perfectly even and smoothed skin? We’ve put an assortment of the best concealers to the test: check out our top 6 below.
1. Best for full-coverage: NARS’ Soft Matte Complete Concealer
- Soft Matte Complete Concealer, £24 from Nars – buy hee
Let it be known that our eye circles are full-on the bane of our life…so we certainly have big demands when it comes to finding a concealer that provides enough coverage, while not settling into lines and looking too caked-on.
Containing supportive peptides, hyaluronic acid, and “a protective cocktail of Vitamins A, C, and E”, the Soft Matte Complete Concealer by NARS is the brand’s best-selling option for matte high coverage and promises to deliver a soft-focus blurring effect. Something we can get on board with.
Having tried it, we can safely say this stuff is literal magic: the coverage is spot-on for problem areas, it doesn’t immediately crease, and despite the matte finish, our eyes looked bright and dewy throughout the day.
We’ve found our new favourite eye concealer.
2. Best for taking care of under eyes: L’oreal Paris True Match Eye Cream in a Concealer
- L’Oreal Paris True Match Eye Cream in a Concealer, £9.99 from Boots – buy here
L’Oreal Paris’ True Match Touche Magique has been our number one go-to for a while now for concealing under-eye circles and making us look and feel bright and bushy-tailed—so we were intrigued to see the product has had a bit of a makeover, with skincare infused into the formula.
Now “powered by 0.5% hyaluronic acid to give the care of an eye cream”, it’s the same click and brush-on design that we loved before, with a liquid consistency that just glides across skin. Meanwhile, the hyaluronic acid promises to reduce the appearance of fine lines and is a hero ingredient for keeping skin lubricated and moisturised: a no-brainer for eyes.
In our experience, this stuff just does NOT settle into lines, so it’s the one for you if your eye area could do with a little love.
3. Best for dewiness: Glossier’s Stretch Concealer
- Stretch Concealer, £15 from Glossier – buy here
Those with an oily complexion may not get on with Glossier’s Stretch Concealer, but if dryness is a problem for you—you’ve come to the right place.
With a waxy consistency, this stuff really does feel seamless on skin and is enriched with ingredients like avocado and jojoba oil as well as cocoa butter for a truly dewy finish.
With lightweight coverage, it’s ideal for achieving a really natural and even skintone that covers blemishes and redness, while still allowing a gorgeously youthful sheen to shine through.
Use this on ‘no make up’ make up days and keep everyone fooled.
4. Best for highlighting: YSL’s Touche Éclat High Cover Concealer
- Touche Éclat High Cover Concealer, £27 from YSL Beauty – buy here
In the world of skin radiance (it’s a thing, go with it) it really doesn’t get much more iconic than the Touche Éclat Illuminating Pen: the original face illuminator by YSL.
The thing is, while the light reflecting properties make it great for camouflaging shadows, it was never really a concealer, so in 2019 the brand launched the Touche Éclat High Cover Concealer—designed to conceal and brighten at the same time.
Presented in that same beautifully distinctive click-pen, the formula contains calendula extract, vitamin E and caffeine and is perfect for under eyes and evening the skin’s complexion. Is it truly high-cover? We’d still go for something thicker for blemishes, but for highlighting and concealing, this is where it’s at.
5. Best high coverage on a budget: L’oreal Infallible More Than Concealer
L’Oreal Paris Infallible More Than Concealer[/caption]
- L’Oreal Paris Infallible More Than Concealer, £9.99 from Boots – buy here
L’Oreal’s Infallible More Than Concealer is one that’s been in our beauty bag for years and it’s a concealer we always return to on days where blemishes and spots are looking a little angry.
At under a tenner, it’s a true bargain for high coverage, while the matte finish is great on our oily skin—without creasing. It’s a true must-have for days where a little extra coverage is required.
6. Best all-rounder: Nars’ Radiant Creamy Concealer
- Radiant Creamy Concealer, £24.50 from Nars – buy here
Declaring itself the number 1 concealer in America, Nars’s Radiant Creamy Concealer sounds great straight off the bat: it’s exactly what we want a concealer to be.
Free of alcohol, parabens and fragrance, it’s infused with a botanical blend including grape seed extract and vitamin E, while the creamy formula goes on ultra-smooth. Best of all, the non-comedogenic ingredients mean this concealer won’t clog pores.
From contouring to correcting, it’s an all-rounder that we love.
Most read in Sun Selects
Enjoyed our review of the best concealers? Why not check out our definitive review of the best foundations?
We’ve also put Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless foundation to the test here (spoiler alert: it’s amazing).
And check out our dedicated Sun Selects beauty page for more style tips, trends and products.
