The best concealers should be able to cover spots, eye-bags, discolouration - or perhaps, all three - without anyone being able to tell. Essentially, we want an eraser for the skin. Something illuminating but heavy-duty when we need it, able to camouflage the worst of last night but not feel like it’s been applied with a trowel. It’s out there, and it exists for your exact complexion.
The hive minds of Reddit have spent the Christmas period collectively discussing the very best and worst concealers on the market. They’ve divulged their favourite products and why for each possible skin type - from dry, oily, sensitive, cystic acne-prone to rosacea dappled.
To save you scrolling we’ve organized the top voted products by complexion below. We’re not in the business of naming and shaming (trying to keep to that positive mindset for at least the first week of Jan), but if you’re interested which concealers Reddit hated, then click here.
Skin type: Dry
Product: Nars Creamy Concealer
Thoughts: ‘It’s my favourite. I buy mostly drugstore makeup but am willing to spend the $30 on this concealer. I have a blue vein next to my right eye that is very noticeable even with most concealers on it. Nars creamy does a really good job of covering it. It’s easy to blend and stays put all day with minimal transfer... What more could I ask for??’
Skin type: Dry under the eye area
Product: Bye Bye Under Eye by It Cosmetics
Thoughts: ‘It's my holy grail! This is incredibly full coverage and doesn't move an inch as long as you set it with a powder. It's a little ironic that it settles into creases so much without a powder because it's advertised as anti-ageing. A little goes a long way so I've had the tube for maybe two years now and I haven't even used half of it. I use it most days so that's really saying something!! I like how sticky it is as most other under-eye concealers seem to go out to lunch after an hour or so when i wear them.’
Skin type: Dehydrated skin from retinoids
Product: Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer
Thoughts: ‘It blends in smoothly to make undereye circles and acne disappear, and wears down slowly without looking patchy/crumbly. It’s the best concealer I’ve used by far. For comparison purposes, I’ve also tried: Nars, Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Concealer, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, Benefit Erase Paste and a million more I can’t even remember.’
Skin type: Extremely dry
Product: Pony Effect Pro-fit Liquid Concealer
Thoughts: ‘Best matte non-drying concealer on earth. Does not need powdering, sets down on its own if you use a sponge or puff to blend it out. Coverage is out of this world. Does not make me look cakey nor cause my under eyes to flake. I can use it on my inner cheek area and dark circles since that's where my skin problems are usually most prominent, and I can wear no foundation and look absolutely flawless. Makes my pores and textures seemingly vanish. My go-to for no foundation days.’
Skin type: Sensitive with fine lines
Product: Benefit Boi-ing Hydrating Concealer
Thoughts: ‘I’ve tried dozens of concealers, and they all crease on me - except this one, more a balm than a concealer, it's lightweight and absorbs into my skin, evens out the colour around my eyes, and doesn't emphasize my fine lines.’
Skin type: Discolouration with dark puffy under eyes.
Product: [Nars Soft Matte Custard](http://Nars Soft Matte)
Thoughts: ‘It actually works better with my dry skin than the radiant creamy concealer, which I found surprising. It's also very long lasting.’
Skin type: Hormonal cystic acne and olive skin
Product: Macqueen New York in green beige
Thoughts: 'Pros: it’s green enough for me without being a green colour corrector I had to mix into another concealer. It’s full coverage. It comes with its own brush, in a cute pot. Cons: staying power isn’t the longest… it’s only available from S Korea so shipping takes a while.’
Skin type: Red/flaky t-zone (from seborrheic dermatitis)
Product: RMS Uncover Up in shade 00
Thoughts: ‘[T]his is my favourite concealer that I use for under eyes and t-zone where I have most of my redness. I use this once I've completed my moisturizing routine & I feel like it sinks in the skin really well and doesn't look like I have anything on. However, I do find that around my nose it can sometimes start to peel, but I can easily pat it down to melt it back into the skin, which can be annoying if you don't want to have to keep checking your face throughout the day. I'm a "set it and forget it" kind of girl!’
Skin type: Rosacea
Product: Cicapair Tiger Grass Colour Correcting Treatment by Dr Jart+
Thoughts: ‘Does wonders hiding my redness and all. If my rosacea wasn't so bad or I wasn't so self-conscious, I'd use this alone to cover my redness, no need for foundation or anything on top of it. 30 SPF as well. It's also pretty moisturizing, sometimes I use it as a primer.’
Skin type: Combo
Product: Too Faced Born This Way concealer
Thoughts: ‘It’s so creamy! Easily blended, and it’s super full coverage! It doesn’t crease under eyes as long as you set it with a loose powder.’
Skin type: Oily/combination
Product: LA Girl Pro Conceal in medium beige
Thoughts: ‘Of all the concealers I’ve tried (Maybelline age rewind, Colourpop no filter, Mac pro-long wear, Mac studio finish, Bobbi Brown creamy, Kevyn Aucoin sensual skin enhancer) this is my favourite for under eye concealing. And it’s only 5$ a tube! I live in canada so i buy it on amazon. I layer this on top of my colour corrector and the combination does wonders covering my dark under eyes. It’s medium coverage but with a couple, layers can be full coverage. Very easy to blend it out with a sponge or a brush. I always set with some powder which keeps it from creasing into my under eye wrinkles. Lasts pretty well through a whole work day. I wear glasses and typically concealer rubs away / clumps up on my glasses where they sit on my nose ... But this one doesn’t. I’m tempted to try high-end popular concealers like Tarte shape tape and the too faced sculpting ones to see how they compare but I’m put off by the price.’
Skin type: Oily, acne-prone
Product: Saem Perfection Tip concealer in 01
Thoughts: ‘The coverage is insanely high. I can use this as a foundation in a pinch. Wears well, is non-drying, contains SPF, and costs about $5-$6. Where is the flaw? (well, the colour range).