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No doubt about it, concealer is one of the most powerful products in your makeup arsenal. With the right formula, you can cover just about anything you’d like to hide, from dark under-eye circles caused by a restless night’s sleep to blemishes and breakouts.
Concealers can also help extend the life of other makeup you’re wearing, such as eyeshadow. If you’re wondering how to pick a concealer that’s well-suited to oily or dry skin or formulated to help you cover bruising after fillers or BOTOX®, we can help with that too! In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know when it comes to how to pick concealer, including:
If you’re wondering how to pick a concealer, the best place to start is to ask yourself what you’re hoping to achieve. Is your top priority is reducing the appearance of dark circles, or are you more concerned with concealing acne? Would you benefit from a concealer with anti-aging ingredients built in?
Here are nine recommendations for high-performing concealers that rise to the top in each of the following categories:
Dark circles are a common skin complaint, and this two-step product from Laura Mercier is well-equipped to correct and conceal. One side of this concealer pen features a highly pigmented formula to apply first to help camouflage dark circles, redness and blemishes while soothing skin with lotus flower extract. The other side, to apply second, features an illuminating shade with brightening pearls to instantly enhance skin tone.
When covering acne or acne scarring is your primary goal, consider this innovative concealer. Consisting of concentrated pigments suspended in a soothing and hydrating aloe-based gel, this concealer is formulated to promote oxygen uptake to reduce acne and irritation. “I like to recommend Oxygenetix for my patients who spend a lot of time on camera or on stage and have struggled with skin irritation or acne from wearing heavy makeup in the past,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “This concealer also does a fantastic job covering dark spots and hyperpigmentation without clogging pores or causing skin irritation.”
If anti-aging is your top goal when it comes to skin care, you can bolster your efforts with this nourishing under-eye concealer. It contains plant-derived peptides to improve the texture of under-eye skin and reduce the appearance of crow’s feet and fine lines. It also contains two mineral sunscreen ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, to protect the delicate eye area from sun damage and photoaging. The stainless steel applicator is cooling and comfortable. Plus, it’s curved just right to adeptly cover the delicate skin around your eyes.
If your skin tends toward the dry side, your best concealer match will be a hydrating formula that won’t crease or cake. This creamy and lightweight liquid concealer from bareMinerals offers medium coverage and up to twelve hours of moisture with hydrating ingredients such as white water lily extract and glycerin. It’s also crease-resistant and long-lasting, so you can count on it to conceal any traces of dark spots, redness or blemishes throughout the day.
For oily skin types, preserving a matte finish with your makeup throughout the day can be a challenge. This medium-coverage concealer is transfer-resistant and crease-proof, drying to a matte finish after every application. It helps conceal skin imperfections such as fine lines, dark circles and blemishes, and it also contains paracress, an anti-aging ingredient that helps improve the appearance of expression lines.
If combatting under-eye puffiness is your primary concern, this concealer from Colorescience will take care of that and more. This formula was specifically created for the eye area, and as you might guess from the 3-in-1 name, it’s a serious multitasker. It reduces puffiness and brightens the under-eye area to help you look well-rested while also protecting skin against sun damage using SPF 35 mineral sunscreen.
If that wasn’t enough, it also helps improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The blend of active ingredients behind all these benefits is called Proprietary Total Eye Complex, which contains peptides, polysaccharides and beneficial plant extracts that all work together to leave you looking fresh and ready to start your day.
If you’re looking for the right concealer for redness, this satin-finish concealer can help you even out your skin tone. It provides medium to full coverage that cancels out any unwanted color, such as visible redness from skin conditions such as rosacea, with natural-looking pigments and arnica, which acts as an anti-inflammatory to reduce irritation. As an eco-conscious bonus, this concealer and many other Ere Perez products come in plastic-free packaging.
Looking for a concealer that will brighten up your life? This brightening concealer blurs imperfections and dries to a natural finish with a touch of radiance thanks to light-reflecting diamond powder and mineral pigments. It offers light-to-medium coverage with a longwear finish, and the sponge-tipped applicator wand allows for precise and easy application wherever you need it, from the creases around your nose to the under-eye area.
“While it is usually possible to perform fillers or BOTOX® without bruising, anything can and will happen,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “It most often seems to happen to the person who must be at an event or in the public eye. That's why every dermatologist has their go-to products for just this instance.”
This Dermablend concealer is a hydrating formula with a soft matte finish and an angled doe-foot applicator for easy use. It provides medium-to-full coverage, making it ideal for post-procedure bruising or dark circles. Plus, it comes in a wide array of shades to complement any skin tone.
Now that you know how to pick a concealer that has the right formula for your needs, you might be wondering how to find the correct concealer color. If you want to conceal under-eye circles, choose a concealer shade that is one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. If you plan to use your concealer elsewhere on your face or body to camouflage blemishes or scarring, you’ll want to pick a shade that matches your skin tone exactly.
When using a liquid cream foundation, apply your foundation first, and then, layer concealer over it. This technique provides the coverage you need without overapplying product. However, there is one exception: If you use a powder foundation, it’s best to apply your concealer first for the smoothest finish.
Choosing the right color of concealer and applying it in the correct order with your foundation will help you achieve the most natural look. Next, gently and sufficiently blend your concealer using a concealer brush or professional makeup sponge, which creates a more natural finish than using just your fingers.
There are a few different factors that make concealers look noticeably cakey or creased. One is overapplying concealer, as excess product can clump up over time and look unnatural. Another reason is dehydration or dry skin, so make sure to use an eye cream as a regular part of your skin care routine.
Have you been wondering about PFAS in cosmetics? You can find out what to know about PFAS and how to avoid them on the LovelySkin Blog.
Aaron serves as Editor at LovelySkin. Since graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2016 with degrees in Creative Writing and English, he has immersed himself in the beauty industry. When he’s not writing about the latest beauty trends, he spends time cuddling his dogs, scouring antique stores, playing tennis and hiking.
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