Community Favorite Concealers: Tag your Holy Grails!

[TeamBIC]

Community Favorite Concealers

Even though we’re always looking for an excuse to add more makeup newness to our baskets, there’s something to be said about a makeup product that can serve double (or triple!) duty. And dare we say it? Concealer might just be the ultimate multitasking MVP. Need to brighten dark circles? Concealer is your shining ray of hope. Looking to shape and define? Concealer is ready to get you looking snatched. Blemishes or discoloration? Concealer’s got you covered, naturally!

While our complexion routines may evolve over the years to suit the latest beauty trends or adjust to our unique skin needs, concealer always seems to find a place in our makeup rotation. Let’s give a shout-out to some of our tried-and-true Community Favorites:

• Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector 
• #Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Longwear Liquid Concealer
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer 
• #PAT McGRATH LABS Sublime Perfection Concealer
• #Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Longwear Concealer

Now it’s your turn to share your own concealer favorites! Reply below and use the “#” sign to tag your concealer holy grails – and don’t forget to share any tips and tricks to go with them!

[FSLblog]

I used to be a devout Armani Power Fabric concealer user (which is still a fabulous concealer).  I started using Charlotte Tilbury's Radiant Concealer and it is incredible.  My new ride or die.  Full coverage, creamy, blendable and looks like skin.  Its undetectable.  So So good.  Highly recommend.

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Medium to Full Coverage Radiant Concealer with Hyaluronic Acid 4.5  Armani Beauty Power Fabric + Longwear Matte Concealer 

[Rosiesfave]

#diorforeverskincorrectconcealer

[mariesanc21]

Hourglass Vanish Concealer is my HG! I love to wear it on no makeup days. I use Pearl to cover any blemishes and my dark circles and it blends out like a dream. Honestly I’ve never been impressed by any other concealer except Hourglass. I highly recommend!

[QueenMarceline]

I'm not going to lie, I've been reaching for my go-to concealers for a veryyyy long time. It's hard for me to switch over or even try anything new due to the number of back-ups I have of these. One of my favorites has been discontinued and I'm on my last backup, sadly.

Discontinued: Tatcha The Pearl Tinted Eye Illuminating Treatment Moonlight 

I truly think I'd give up most beauty products to get this one back. This was the absolute perfect eye concealer I've ever had a chance to experience. If you know, you know. 

tarte Shape Tape™ Concealer I've been using this concealer since it first dropped and received it's high praises via internet hype. I still reach for this regularly as a face concealer, I avoid this on my eye area. It's great for full coverage.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eye Concealer. I've loved this drug store find for way over a decade now, since the Tatcha discontinued I've reached back for this as a more light-weight coverage for the delicate eye area.

[mimi00makeup]

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer 

[zabint]

The Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer Warm Sand has worked extremely well for me. They offer many different shades and it actually matches my undertone, unlike many other concealers. Because it is so full coverage, I have a lot more control over how I want to use it based on what kind of look I'm going for. 

I really like tarte Shape Tape™ Concealer as well, great coverage and a lower price point (it literally lasts forever). However, I feel that it can be a little drying depending on what other products you use with it (like setting powder).

Overall, both of them have a variety of shades and match your undertone pretty well and barely have any flash-back in pictures. You can use it for everyday wear because it doesn't look cakey but you can also do full glam with them!

[AlexBT]

@zabint Beautiful! I also love the Born This Way line. I'm curious to see how the new Too Faced Born This Way Ethereal Light Illuminating Smoothing Concealer compares!

[PrettyPaint]

Concealer is one of those products where I feel like I keep trying everything new that comes out in hopes of a miracle. 

Some of my favorites are...

Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer with Caffeine and Hyaluronic Acid 

DIOR Backstage Concealer 2N 

This isn't really a trick, but the main thing that I have found to help is using less! I used to dab so much product under my eyes, but that made for inevitable creasing and cakiness. 

[heartsmyface]

@PrettyPaint  That Dior backstage is beautiful on!  I have samples of the Kosas I should test out before the sale.  I’m almost afraid to cause my sale list is getting quite long and Kosas has been releasing pretty reliable products across the board.  

My ‘trick’ is to apply concealer with my fingertips.  It seems to meld into my skin better.  I then take a sponge to ‘perfect’ the finish. 

[PrettyPaint]

@heartsmyface  I actually tried applying it with my fingers today, and I really liked the finish. Thank you! 🙂  Do you use a setting powder for your under eyes? That's my battle. I feel like powder can be drying and I haven't found one that I love for under my eyes. If I don't set it, though, I feel like my liner gets too smeary. 

[blueviolet21]

@PrettyPaint Have you tried the Westman Atelier powder? I dislike most powders under the eyes but have had good luck with this one.

[heartsmyface]

@PrettyPaint  Oh yay, I’m glad it’s working for you!!    Fingers are sometimes the best tools:).
I usually use the same damp beauty blender I use to apply my wet base.  I pour a little setting powder onto a surface and dip the sponge in it, then I blot the powder off onto the back of my hand until it seems to coat my hand evenly and sheerly, THEN I apply what powder is left on the sponge to my undereyes.  It’s the only way I can get my undereyes set evenly without a powdery appearance.  Applying powder directly doesn’t really work well for me.  

[heartsmyface]

@TeamBIC   For all over no budge coverage Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is my HG.  I am also in love with Saie Hydrabeam for its natural luminous finish.  NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Chestnut #Saie Hydrabeam Hydrating & Concealing Under Eye Brightener with Cucumber Extract 

[PrettyPaint]

@heartsmyface  I definitely want to try the Saie! 

[heartsmyface]

@PrettyPaint   I want to  everything from Saie and have been trying to power through products so I can rationalize a ‘haul haul’.  Does that make me a responsible adult now?  

[MisssE]

@TeamBIC  My favorite, holy grail concealer is Tarte Shape Tape. She never disappoints! 

[zaie]

for sure #Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Longwear Concealer

[AznAngelLiz]

@TeamBIC My all-time favorite is the Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Concealer (3N) but I've loved a few others along the way, including Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Full Coverage Concealer, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, and Urban Decay Stay Naked Correcting Concealer 40NY.

For brightening, I like the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and for eyelid primer, I sometimes use Mac's Paint Pot. 

[WinglessOne]

How/why I use concealer: 

Spoiler

I use concealer to mask my sunken skin shadows (hollow tear troughs), rather than coat my entire undereye area. I sometimes spot-conceal elsewhere on my face, but not often. I never use concealer to brighten/highlight the center of my face, or to prime my eyelids. 

My undereyes have the driest skin on my mostly-dry combo face. That’s also where my prominent wrinkles are. And my tear troughs have a bumpy texture that’s gradually improving, thanks to certain skincare products/ingredients, but will probably never disappear unless I opt for an in-office/clinic procedure. Oh, and my facial skin hates certain ingredients—plus I have fairly sensitive eyes—so I have to keep concealer ingredients in mind. 

For all those reasons, cream concealers usually work best for me. Some folks find cream concealers too heavy, thick, and/or cakey on their skin—and I’ve had those issues with some others I’ve tried. But overall, creams play nicer with my particular skin type/condition than liquids. 

Products currently in rotation: 

In the Hourglass palette, the far left pan is Luminous Light.

Concealers: 

Spoiler

• Cle de Peau Concealer SPF 25 (old matte formula, not the current SPF 27 “radiant" formula which I’ll try soon) 
• Jouer Cosmetics Essential High Coverage Concealer Pen 

Honorable mention: Il Makiage F*ck I’m Flawless - I have shade 14 which oxidizes to a pretty good color correcting match for me. It's a creamy liquid instead of a solid cream concealer, but it plays nice with my skin. 

Sometimes I use 2 shades of concealer: one as a base color corrector, and a lighter one directly over the shadow in the deepest part of my hollow tear troughs. For this, I prefer a creamy liquid concealer that'll sit well atop a cream concealer base. I might try a lighter shade of Il Makiage's concealer for that purpose, unless I find a good shade in a different brand's concealer. 

I’m often asked if these concealers crease. Yes, they do. ALL concealers crease if applied over lines/wrinkles. I don’t care what any brand claims: there’s no such thing as creaseless concealer, unless the person using it has very shallow or no lines. You can minimize creasing with other products like setting powder and primer. But yeah, if you have lines, chances are they’ll collect concealer. 

Brushes: 

Spoiler

I use the PAT McGRATH LABS Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Concealer Brush to tap-blend on product. It’s as close to fingertip application as I can get. (I don’t use beauty sponges.) I sometimes follow with my finger, but I find warming a solid cream concealer up on the back of my hand and then picking it up (from my hand) with this brush works well. 

Small flat brushes apply concealer right atop the darkest line of my hollow tear trough. This creates an optical illusion that masks the shadow and makes the sunken skin look a bit lifted. The brushes photographed are Chikuhodo R-SL1 Shadow Liner and MAC 208 Angled Brow, but I have a couple other Chikuhodos and a tiny Surratt that are the same shape and size as the R-SL1. 

I didn't include (in my photo) any of the brushes I use to apply powder... oops. I most often use soft fluffy blender or crease blender brushes for that. 

Powders: 

Spoiler

By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder (loose translucent version) is how I set concealer. It's still my rockstar setting powder. Nothing comes close to outperforming it, including the pressed compact version of this same powder. 

Sometimes I’ll also dust a bit of brightening powder or soft/mild highlighter in the hollows to bounce light off the shadows. My favorite product for this is Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Finishing Powder in various shades, usually Luminous Light or Radiant Light. NARS Highlighting Powder also works well for this. 

Hmm, maybe this thread will give me some other concealers to test. 🙂 

[AznAngelLiz]

@WinglessOne I usually apply my concealer with a sponge because I've yet to find a brush that doesn't make it look streaky but I'll have to try the Pat McGrath one. What a great review of all the products in your rotation!

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @AznAngelLiz ! Streak-free application with a brush might depend on the concealer you use. But the PMG brush works well when used like a finger or sponge: blending with more of a tapping motion than a sweeping motion. If you try that brush, I hope it works well for you!