Sometimes, you can follow every skincare rule in the book, but your complexion still repays you in the meanest of ways. You can try every hack to brighten from within and slap on the face masks to clear up blemishes, but it won’t mean you’ll get to enjoy a flawless complexion every single day – and that's ok.
This is where concealer comes in. Find a good one, and it’ll become your skincare hero in serious times of need. Whether it’s a late night-fuelled pair of eye bags or a sudden hormonal breakout, the best concealer will hide those aesthetic annoyances for as long as you need it to.
These days, there are endless concealing options to try, from swipe-on sticks to creamy liquids and professional balms you can apply with a precise brush. 'I like to use a small pin-point eyeliner brush to apply concealer to tiny areas that need more coverage and then powder those areas delicately to set it', says pro make-up artist Katie Jane Hughes.
There are finishes to play with too: luminous concealers work perfectly to pep up dark circles, while dewy serum textures will hydrate and illuminate skin in a flash – ideal for low-key days. And of course, the best full-coverage concealers are ready and waiting for those festive nights out, unifying skin without smudging beneath a mask (or on a sweaty dancefloor).
To help you cut through the concealing crowd, we’ve swatched, swiped and smeared an endless list of contenders to bring you the very best of the bunch. Read on for our winners...
The 15 Best Concealers For Covering Dark Circles, Blemishes And Redness
If pesky blemishes are making you feel excluded from the clean girl conversation, opting for a lighter coverage can give you that perfected complexion without an overly ‘done’ finish. Glossier’s ultra-dewy Stretch has remained a timeless favourite in a seemingly endless catalogue of concealers, and for good reason. A naturally glossy finish that layers effortlessly with just your fingers? Sign us up.
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Best Full Coverage Concealer
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer
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Best Full Coverage Concealer
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer
Has an angry, unexpected blemish thrown a spanner in your glam night out plans? This whipped full-coverage concealer makes short work of covering spots, dark circles and everything in between. For fans of a full works make-up look, this truly is a beauty bag must-have.
Rummage around in many a beauty editor's make-up bag and you'll find this cult product. Creamy and buildable, it gives a flawless finish that keeps shine at bay all day long. Try this if your pores are your biggest bug bear.
One of the best products in Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty roster, this extra-thick, brilliantly creamy concealer is one for oily skins. It's especially good at taking down shine, but doesn't make skin look flat and lifeless: think a satiny, full coverage finish that settles in and sticks around for as long as you need it to.
For when you need to call in the big guns, this creamy-yet-full-coverage concealer is a fail-safe option. Available in 30 shades, the long-wear formula is especially good for covering redness in those oily areas around the nose, without you worrying about it shifting through the day.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley prefers to use her Rose Inc concealer as an all-over skin base, swiping strategically to cover dark circles and redness without hiding her entire complexion. The result is a luminous, real-skin effect that keeps your natural radiance in focus.
Sturdy but with a satin finish, this light-reflecting liquid concealer blends into skin to cover blemishes and blur pores – and then it stays there. The budge-proof finish is smooth and, yes, looks almost airbrushed.
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Best Concealer for Blemishes
Shiseido Synchro Skin Correcting Gel Stick Concealer
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Best Concealer for Blemishes
Shiseido Synchro Skin Correcting Gel Stick Concealer
A full-coverage concealer that successfully covers blemishes and scars while still keeping skin dewy and fresh is hard to come by, but Shiseido's stick concealer has managed to do just that. It glides on like silk and blends in seamlessly too.
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Best Concealer for Dark Circles
KVD Beauty Good Apple Lightweight Full Coverage Concealer
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Best Concealer for Dark Circles
KVD Beauty Good Apple Lightweight Full Coverage Concealer
With a serum-like texture and flawless coverage, this unique angled applicator delivers comfortable coverage wherever you need it. We recommend using this lightweight veil for dialling down darkness around your eyes or even spot correcting the awkward crevices around your nose and mouth.
With a nifty pointed-tip applicator, this versatile concealer is our go-to for adding a light layer of coverage to scars, pimples and pigmentation. Whether you’re touching up a tiny scar or want targeted brightness in your inner corners, this nourishing formula is effortless to blend, staying comfortable and creaseless all day long.
The hype surrounding Il Makiage's viral foundation is truly warranted: the brand's smart shade-matching methods, combined with the water-weight, high-coverage formula, have made it a staple in many an influencer's beauty kit.
Equally impressive is this concealer: like the foundation, it feels surprisingly light, yet makes easy work of masking both blemishes and dark circles. In fact, it'll conceal pretty much anything you ask it to – and won't budge until it's time for bed. Use the scarily accurate Powermatch tool on the site to find your perfect shade.
This vegan, one-and-done concealer tackles every complexion bugbear from signs of fatigue, scarring and blemishes thanks to it's skin-like finish. Sensitive skins will also love the fragrance and alcohol-free formula.
Lancôme's outstanding concealer is a favourite on the ELLE beauty desk for good reason. The supersized doe-foot wand is ideal for swiping under eyes, around your nose, and across any patches of pigmentation or redness. The formula is so creamy and blendable, you can simply pat it in with fingers to create a flawless base – no foundation required.
This legendary skin base is loved for the way it masks literally anything without feeling heavy or powdery. Incredibly well pigmented, yet creamy and hydrating, it melts on application to look just like real skin. Even better, the brand has just tweaked the formula to remove the fragrance, so now the most sensitive souls can get involved.
Apply it with a densely packed brush over well moisturised skin for the most seamless result.
Many brands have upped their shade range game now (finally), but not many do it as well as Fenty, who take your undertone into account too. Available in 50 shades, we defy you not to find an exact match. The finish, like their foundation, is high-coverage, matte, and super long lasting.