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.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab tests thousands of beauty products every year to find the ones that are actually worth it. To find the best concealers, we rounded up over 150 products and whittled down the field to a final 26 products based on their claims, price, and availability.
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. After tallying up and ranking data from over 540 questions, we were able to find the best concealers to hide everything from blemishes to under eye circles to acne scarring.
How to find the best concealer for you
Concealers come in a myriad of consistencies, forms, and finishes, from liquid to cream to stick and beyond. The key is to find the right formula and tone for whatever issue you're trying to hide. A quick cheat sheet:
For dark circles and undereye discoloration: "Look for concealers that have radiant or luminizing formulas," says makeup artist Erica Whelan. You'll also want to opt for a color that's a shade lighter than your natural skin tone. "This will brighten up the undereye area and disguise the dark circles," she says. Our experts prefer liquid formulas for the thin skin around the eyes, since creams and thicker formulas can settle into fine lines and wrinkles. For best results, "dot the concealer under the eye and tap the product into place with your ring finger or a small fluffy eye shadow brush," says Whelan.
For blemishes and acne: "Choose a heavier cream formula like a stick concealer," advises Whelan. Denser cream formulas are designed to stay put on a spot, and a green- or yellow-tinted formula will help neutralize the redness of the spot. To target the blemish, Whelan suggests applying with "a fine pointed brush to place the concealer exactly where you want it to go. Gently blend the edges of the concealer with a brush, edge of sponge, or finger to blend into the skin for a seamless blend."
For dark spots: If you're trying to camouflage sun spots or age spots, reach for a thicker cream formula that has peach undertones to neutralize the dark brown cast. "Apply foundation first to even out the skin tone, then apply concealer to the spot for maximum coverage," says Whelan.
For mature skin: "Your skin will look unnatural if you try to mask the area with heavy concealers," cautions Whelan. Instead, choose a medium coverage liquid concealer and buff on with a small fluffy eyeshadow brush for a natural-looking finish. This will "minimize the flaws while still making your skin look as fresh and natural as possible."
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:
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 discoloration," 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.
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 discoloration, but heads up that it may be too heavy for the undereye area or mature skin.
Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer
It's astounding that this drugstore concealer is only $5. The GH Beauty Lab was wowed by the formula that offers excellent coverage and superb blendability at a great price point. Formulated with goji berry and Haloxyl, this concealer won't cake or settle into fine lines. The easy-to-use "sponge tip is perfect for blending evenly," raved one tester, and while it can be used for all areas of the face, our testers favored it for blemishes.
Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer
In our tests, this silky-textured formula earned top scores for ease of use and spreadability, and got a perfect score for texture. Our Beauty Lab says it's a "magic wand" for evening your skin tone, and while the "touch of peachiness [does] well to cancel darkness under eyes," our testers say you can use the do-it-all formula for any discoloration on the face, from dark spots to the undereye area.
Radiant Creamy Concealer
This NARS coverup can do it all: It applies and blends well to even out redness and conceal blemishes, undereye circles, and dark spots alike. Beauty Lab tests found that it offers excellent coverage for any need, especially blemishes, and that the long-lasting formula won’t settle into fine lines or cake. One tester called it "the best one" she had ever used, and it's a reviewer favorite, too. One of more than 4,000 Sephora reviewers says, "It blends well into the skin, does not crease, and is still fully intact after at least 12 hours of regular wear."
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