Concealers are so much better now than they used to be, and the best concealers really will give you that fresh wide awake look and not sit and cake under your eyes as so many used to. It’s well worth investing in a good one - you need to decide if you want one that give you a lifted wide awake effect, in which go for a very slightly lighter shade, or one that will match your skintone as closely as possible.
The method of application for concealers has moved on also, no more of that dot and rub in, it’s now dot and brush, or dot and sponge. The bad thing is that it’ll take you a little longer. The good thing is that the results are so much better.
1. Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape Concealer is the concealer du jour and the hardest to track down in the UK but you can buy it from QVC. You can see the colours so much better on Tarte’s own website and although there’s a smaller selection in the UK there’s one for most skintones.
2. Urban Decay Naked Skin Full Coverage Concealer
For me it was a toss up between Tarte and Urban Decay. Tarte won because of the colour range but in terms of coverage they’re both about the same, and Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Concealer is less expensive (as long as you don’t care about the ‘it’ factor of Tarte - most people won’t have got their hands on it in the UK)
3. Bare Minerals Correcting Concealer SPF20
This is the one I carry around with me in my bag, it comes in a little pot which fits perfectly into my makeup bag, offers excellent buildable coverage and also has SPF20. Light 2 is my favourite.
4. Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer
Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer is beautifully packaged again to you can slip it into your makeup bag and it’s definitely one of the best concealers around. My favourite colour is Vanilla as it lightens the eye area while concealing at the same time but there are lots of different shades. Warm it up with your finger before applying as it comes in stick form.
5. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is a makeup artists favourite and comes in lots of different shades. I picked Custard but the different shades are very easy to see on the Net-a-Porter website. It’s great for a luminous line smoothing coverage which stays in place and blurs imperfections.
6. Wander Beauty Dualist Concealer and Illuminator
I love double duty products and Wander Beauty’s Dualist Concealer is just that, a creamy illuminator at one end and stick concealer at the other. Snap this one up as it doesn’t last long at Net-a-Porter - it’s definitely a new favourite.