Whether it’s dark under-eye circles from too many Christmas and New Year late nights, unwelcome spots following indulgent festive diets or parched winter complexions, few of us boast our best skin in January.
So, at this time of year, a concealer is likely to be the hardest working product in your make-up bag.
Choose the right one and these little pots and pens can work wonders when it comes to covering up skin horrors.
But that’s not all they do these days – 2024 was the year concealers truly went luxe with skincare ingredients, such as vitamins and skin-plumping hyaluronic acid. One notable example was Victoria Beckham’s collaboration with Augustinus Bader for a £64 click-pen concealer with added under-eye cream.
With prices like that, it’s no wonder the global make-up industry is booming and now valued at over £3bn a year.
But you don’t have to spend a fortune to get results.
An effective concealer needs to be lightweight, hydrating, a good colour match and have excellent staying power – and there are plenty of budget options that achieve all this.
Here is my verdict on some of the best concealers currently available, with prices starting from just a pound.
By Terry Hyaluronic Serum Concealer
As the name suggests this contains hyaluronic acid designed to boost moisture in the under-eye area and keep it feeling comfortable. The lightweight formula glides on beautifully, with a dewy, natural finish. By Terry’s founder, Terry de Gunzburg, created YSL’s iconic Touche Eclat, so it’s unsurprising that she’s nailed another high-end concealer.
4/5
By Terry Hyaluronic Serum Concealer, £39
Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader The Concealer Pen with TFC8
This is a collaboration between Victoria and skincare guru Augustinus Bader. Bader’s luxury eye cream costs £160, which might explain why this click-pen, Touche Eclat-style concealer that contains the Bader product costs so much. It certainly feels like a luxury choice, applying beautifully and effortlessly covering under-eye shadows and blemishes. But… you don’t have to pay this much to get a concealer with skin benefits.
3/5
Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader The Concealer Pen with TFC8, £64
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
A gorgeous, glide-on texture that seems to melt into skin, this is apparently the best-selling premium concealer in the UK and you can see why. Coming in 30 shades, it offers medium, buildable coverage that is glowy enough to brighten the eye area and yet not so shiny you can’t use it elsewhere. And yes there are antioxidants in there too to help hydrate and strengthen skin.
4.5/5
Glossier Stretch Balm Concealer
A bit of a cult product since it first launched, and since they extended the shade range, even more accessible. If you’re fed up of wands, this little pot could be the answer. It seems to do what it promises and the medium coverage has a dewy finish that moves with the skin. The only problem is it slightly lacks staying power.
4/5
Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Concealer
The Laura Mercer Secret Camouflage has been a make-up artist go-to for years, but this is an alternative for those who want something more lightweight. It’s very sheer so works well for the under-eye area, and the finish is natural and buildable. But it may not work for you if you like a lot of coverage. Pricey for the amount you get.
3.5/5
Fenty Beauty We’re Even Hydrating Concealer
With the largest range of shades bar none, this hydrating (thanks to hyaluronic acid and prickly pear extract) concealer is easy to apply with an angled applicator, and blends beautifully to a really natural finish that seems to go the distance.
4/5
Fenty Beauty We’re Even Hydrating Concealer, £25
Vieve Beauty Modern Radiance Concealer
A little bit of this creamy concealer goes a long way so go easy with the relatively large applicator. There’s hyaluronic acid for hydration and it’s true to its word when it comes to giving a glowy radiant finish. Plus you get a lot of product for your money compared to others of the same price.
4/5
Kosas Revealer Concealer
Buildable, medium coverage in an impressive number of shades, this concealer went viral on TikTok after model Hailey Bieber raved about it. With ingredients to soothe, plump and brighten skin, the finish is dewy, if not as long-lasting as some might like.
4/5
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer
A full coverage, twist pen concealer with a built-in sponge applicator (that doesn’t always last as long as the product), this does a great job of covering. But the matte finish can feel a bit heavy on the skin, and is hard to apply without it showing up in fine lines. Disappointing.
3/5
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer, £27
Rimmel The Multi-Tasker Wake Me Up Concealer and Foundation
One of the least expensive per ml products we tried, this is packed with skin-loving ingredients including caffeine, vitamin C and niacinamide. The metal roller applicator is pleasantly cooling on the skin but not the best for distributing product and the finish is really quite matte and needs a lot of moisture underneath to avoid looking patchy.
3/5
PS My Perfect Colour Concealer Stick
- £1 for 4.5g, Primark
- £0.22/g
- 8 shades
There’s no denying this is a bargain but sometimes you get what you pay for. The shade range is very limited and the lipstick-style formulation lacks sophistication. Basically in a pinch (if you’ve gone out without your make-up bag) it will conceal, but it takes a lot of blending and the finish is pretty flat.
1/5
Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser
- £9.99 for 6.8ml, boots.com
- £1.47/ml
- 13 shades
While the shade range is relatively limited and the twist-up design with integrated anti-bacterial sponge foxes some consumers, this is a High Street hero. Relatively lightweight — so doesn’t sit in fine lines — it still manages to provide excellent coverage that conceals and brightens, and doesn’t move.
4.5/5
Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser, £9.99
Iconic London Radiant Concealer and Brightening Duo
You get the best of both worlds with this combo product that houses a brightening crayon for use under the eyes and a medium coverage cream concealer that can be used either over the top of the crayon or just for touch-ups on the face. The brightening crayon could brighten a touch more but the two-in-one concept is one that more brands should cotton on to.
3.5/5
L’Oreal True Match Radiant Serum Concealer
Given its price per ml, this concealer delivers far more than you’d expect it to. Beautifully easy to apply with a pointed applicator that helps you get right into the corner of the eye, it’s packed with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and caffeine, and just glides on to skin, plus it has a real-skin, semi-matte finish that lasts. If it had more shades, it might just be the perfect concealer.
4.75/5
elf 16hr Camo Concealer
This full-coverage concealer can look a bit heavily matte when you first apply but use sparingly and give it a moment and it will look more skin-like. The large applicator, the matte finish, and the fact that on drier skin it has a tendency to look a bit patchy over time means that, unless you have very oily under-eyes, it’s better for dark spot and blemish coverage.
3.5/5
Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer
There’s a reason this budget concealer has been a success since it launched over five years ago. Full coverage, with serious staying power, it goes on easily — although the applicator is quite chunky — and blends well. It has a matte finish so can look a little bit flat under the eye area, but bang for buck it can’t be beaten.
4.5/5
Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer, £4.99
BareMinerals BarePro 16 Hr Wear Perfecting Concealer
Gives a very matte finish and although it claims to correct under-eye dark circles over time (thanks to the niacinamide it contains), something a bit dewier under the eye is usually preferable, especially for a long-wear product. The large applicator also feels more suited to covering blemishes.
3/5
it Cosmetics Bye Bye Dark Spots Corrector and Serum
- £27 for 6.7ml, boots.com
- £4.03/ml
- 18 shades
This concealer thinks it’s skincare with 2 per cent niacinamide to help improve uneven skin tone, hyaluronic acid for hydration, and caffeine to brighten. As well as an applicator wand, it comes with a dense built-in brush that makes blending a breeze. Coverage is quite sheer but buildable.
4/5
P Louise Rumour Base
Unless you’re a TikTok obsessive you’ve probably not heard of this brand but they are HUGE. There’s a lot of pigment, so use sparingly. The finish is quite matte — fans rave about it being a great eyeshadow base — so better for concealing blemishes on a budget than under the eye area, where I found it tended to sit in creases.
3/5
Erborian Super BB Concealer
One of the first brands to bring the BB cream concept to the UK, this concealer version gets top marks for 5 per cent niacinamide (to help brighten skin) and SPF 25, but the very limited shade range marks it down. If you’re lucky enough to match one of the five shades, the coverage is good with a semi-matte finish.
3/5
Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer
Slides on like silk, blurring and brightening with a natural velvety finish that works under the eyes and on the face. It gives good coverage and while the full size (6ml) is punchily priced, you can dabble with the cheaper (£17) mini size (1.3ml) to make sure you love it before splurging.
4/5
Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer, £32
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
If you’re looking for full coverage, this budget pick has it in spades, to the extent that you need less than you think and even then you probably want to blend it with a damp sponge, otherwise the matte finish can look almost chalky. Maybe better for younger skins as it has a tendency to sit in fine lines.
3/5
Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer
With shea butter and mango butter to moisturise and licorice root to brighten, this full coverage, matte concealer needs careful application under the eyes (try with a damp sponge) to avoid it looking cakey. It does an excellent job of covering dark circles, but needs to be used with something a little glowier to avoid looking flat.
4/5
Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating Concealer
Decent shade range, impressive skincare ingredients — hyaluronic acid for moisturising and fermented arnica to even skin tone and reduce irritation — a versatile, flexible applicator and this lightweight concealer gives effective, natural coverage across the whole face. The ‘play’ time — how long you have to work with it before it sets — is good.
4/5
Dcypher My Custom Concealer
You’re guaranteed to find the perfect shade with this brand that uses images of your face to create a perfectly matched product. You can also specify whether you want it matched to your skin to cover facial blemishes or to brighten the under-eye area. Coverage is medium, buildable and pretty matte so if your skin is on the dryer side, it may not be ideal.
4/5
Clé de Peau Concealer
This is ridiculously expensive for a stick concealer, especially as it’s only really designed for the face (they have another for the under-eye area although you can use this one there) and only available in 13 shades. That said, it’s the most beautiful and sophisticated stick concealer you’ll find. Applies like a dream, disappears into the skin, doesn’t seem to dry, and lasts.
4/5
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