Drugstore Concealer is used to hide discolorations of the skin. This could be from dark circles, acne scars, veins, hyperpigmentation, broken blood vessels, bruises or any other possible facial discoloration.
It is a makeup similar to foundation, but often thicker and with higher coverage. Sometimes concealers targeted to specific issues will help to heal the issues as well, such as ingredients that will even out the skin tone over time or reduce dark circles.
If you’re on a budget you don’t need to break the bank to buy a perfect coverage concealer. Instead, you can easily purchase an amazing concealer at your favorite drugstore.
Best Drugstore Concealer Reviews
| Best drugstore concealer | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Concealer [Editors Pick] | 5/5 | $ |
| Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer | 4.8/5 | $ |
| Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix Concealer | 4.2/5 | $ |
| Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer | 4.5/5 | $ |
| Neutrogena Healthy Skin 3-in-1 Concealer For Eyes | 4.7/5 | $ |
| L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Full Wear Concealer | 4.3/5 | $ |
| NYX Cosmetics Concealer Wand | 4.3/5 | $ |
1. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Concealer [Our Pick]
This product gained its popularity for its ability to cancel out imperfections. It has been likened to “eight hours of sleep in a tube” and it is one of the best selling concealers on the market.
Full Coverage
The highly pigmented formula covers everything. It is able to cancel out dark circles, bags, redness, hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, age spots, and discoloration. This award-winning ability was developed with the help of plastic surgeons.
Anti-Aging
Part of the beauty of this product is its ability to cover so much without creasing or cracking. Its trademarked Expression Proof Technology is what lets this be the case. In addition, this concealer also has anti-aging peptides, vitamins, antioxidants, and hydrolyzed collagen.
Ingredients
One of the noteworthy ingredients in this formulation is hyaluronic acid. This molecule structure attracts water to the skin, hydrating it from the surface down. Also noteworthy is that the ingredients help to improve the skin’s appearance over time.
Overall
With this product, a little goes a long way. Many sleep-deprived women count on this product to make them look awake and refreshed. Older women love how this product makes them look, but younger women consider this a cult favorite as well. It also now comes in 48 fabulous shades, so you can definitely find your perfect match. Some women, however, think the formula is a little too thick for their liking.
2. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer
This concealer is considered to be the number one selling concealer in America. Costing less than ten dollars, it’s easy to see why. Its performance for this price is nearly unbelievable.
Age Reducing
As the name suggests, this concealer is formulated to work well with aging skin. Its unique sponge tip applicator micro-fills and smooths fine lines to give a flawless under eye appearance.
Coverage
This is a medium coverage concealer. However, it also brightens and illuminates the under eye area which gives the appearance of more coverage. This is accomplished with goji berry and Haloxyl, which reduces under-eye shadows.
Ingredients
Haloxyl also helps to reduce the look of puffiness in the skin. This is the “treatment” portion of this product. If you have sensitive skin, you are in luck because this product is also fragrance-free.
Overall
Even women who typically only buy high-end makeup are swayed to buy this product because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews. , and the sponge tip applicator makes the application process quick and simple. Though it claims to have medium coverage, it is able to cover surgery scars totally. The one possible downside is not liking the unique sponge tip applicator. Some women have expressed wishing it has a traditional wand applicator.
3. Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix Concealer
This product is from a company you may have never heard of. Its goal with this product is to cover imperfections in a way that looks exactly like your skin, but better. It uses color science to deliver these undetectable results.
Coverage
This product has sheer to medium coverage. It can build up to cover more when needed. It is meant for both under the eyes and to cover dark spots or patches of uneven skin tone. Also, The veil concealer comes in a travel-friendly tube with a precise brush tip applicator. This lets you put the product exactly where you want it.
Natural Formula
This formula is both paraben and oil free. It also considers itself to be a highlighter with its light-infused properties that covers without cracking or creasing.
Ingredients
In addition to being a natural formula, this concealer is also not tested on animals.
Overall
If you don’t need maximum coverage, this may be the product for you. Some women say it makes them look airbrushed or photoshopped in real life. It melts into the skin rather than sitting on top, making it look like it’s just your skin. It is also very brightening, which many users love. One common complaint, though, is its packaging choice. While the tip allows for precise application, it is easy to squeeze out more product than intended.
4. Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer
This iconic concealer is a “can’t live without” product. It is so popular that one is sold every 12 seconds worldwide. Keep reading to find out why.
Flawless Coverage
This product provides the fullest coverage with zero creasing, even under eyes. Its creamy formula is easy to blend and helps to illuminate skin for a lifted effect. In addition to concealing imperfections, this product is also marketed to contour the face. It comes in 30 shades, allowing you to choose darker and lighter shades to sculpt the face as you like.
Good Ingredients
This product not only covers, but also nourishes the skin. It does this with mango seed and shea butter. These help to retain the skin elasticity and protects against degeneration. It also contains licorice root extract to brighten the appearance of dark circles and color corrects.
None of the Bad
This vegan and cruelty-free formula is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, and gluten.
Overall
For most women, this is a ride-or-die concealer. Ladies who usually have terrible trouble with under eye creasing can use this product without experiencing the issue. It is high coverage, but very easy to blend. It works great for women of all ages, although a small number of women find it drying on their under eyes.
5. Neutrogena Healthy Skin 3-in-1 Concealer For Eyes
This concealer by Neutrogena is another excellent choice. As its name suggests, it aims to help your skin look and feel healthy. Keep reading to find out how.
Coverage
This product offers natural looking coverage to hide any dark circles or discoloration. It is ultra-blendable, yet will never settle into fine lines around the eyes. It is also safe for contact lens wearers.
Soothing
This formula contains a whole host of ingredients that help to soothe the skin. These include Vitamin E and natural soy for their antioxidant benefits and feverfew, which is known for its calming properties and antioxidant activity. It also contains aloe and green tea, which help to correct the look of dark circles, puffiness, and fine lines.
Protecting
To protect the delicate eye area, this drugstore concealer contains an SPF 20 broad spectrum sunscreen. This helps to protect the skin against future damage that can lead to discoloration and darkness.
Overall
Women who have used this product love how it covers their dark circles and protects their delicate under eye area. It can be hard to find a concealer that contains sunscreen. Because of this, there are many repeat customers. A little goes a long way, and it provides the natural finish it claims. However, because it does not have super full coverage, it may not be opaque enough for you if you have very dark circles.
6. L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Full Wear Concealer
L’Oreal is another very affordable drugstore brand. It has upped its game with this concealer that truly packs a punch. If you need coverage, this is the product to look for.
Wear Time
This drugstore concealer sports a full 24 hours of wear time. The formula is waterproof, which helps it to not transfer, fade or flake. This non-greasy formula also comes in 25 shades so you can find your perfect match.
Coverage
This product is a true full wear concealer. It provides full-on coverage that can be used on the face as well as the under-eye area. It can be used to cover acne scars, or it can be used to contour and highlight the face. Just choose a shade or two lighter and darker to use to sculpt the face.
Versatility
The extra-large applicator wand was designed to provide quick application wherever you want to use this product. It can be used on the body to cover red marks, scars, stretch marks, veins, or bruises.
Overall
Fans of this product love the full coverage it gives. It is able to not appear cakey even with its extreme opacity. The long wear time makes this product great for oily skin. A little bit goes a very long way. However, if you experience fine lines around your eye area, this product may not be your best friend for the under eye area. If this is the case, it may work better for covering blemishes or for use as contour and highlight.
7. NYX Cosmetics Concealer Wand
This concealer from NYX is a great all-around concealer. It can be used anywhere on the face to give a flawless finish. It is NYX’s best-selling drugstore concealer you can definitely count on.
Hydrating
This product contains moisturizing ingredients such as coconut oil, aloe leaf extract and vitamin E to prevent flakiness and give a natural finish.
Coverage
The coverage of this product is medium to natural. Its goal is to not be detected on the skin, giving the illusion that it’s just your own skin. It comes in 20 shades with an addition three correcting shades. These include yellow, purple, and green to cancel out various colors on the face.
Gentle
This formula is non-comedogenic and works well on sensitive skin.
Overall
This product works well to cover acne scars, especially using the green formula. It will also last a full day, giving eight to ten hours of wear time. It is very blendable and looks good in various types of lighting. However, some people experienced the product becoming cakey after 10 hours of wear time.
Which One Makes The Best Drugstore Concealer?
The best drugstore concealer to purchase is the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye. It provides full, buildable coverage and is highly resistant to creasing under the eyes or anywhere on the face. The concealer lasts all day and can be used to cover any type of discoloration and has a massive shade range. It even holds its own against luxury products as women who only typically buy high priced products love this product too. It’s an absolute winner.
How Do I Choose the Right Drugstore Concealer?
First, decide which types of discoloration you would like to hide. You may even want more than one concealer to target different areas. If your discoloration is under the eyes, you will want a concealer that has been formulated for this region. If you have fine lines, be sure to look for formulations that claim to mask this rather than settling into the lines. As far as tone, aim for one to two shades lighter than your skin tone to brighten this region.
For the face, different points are important. You may want the color correction to counteract different issues. If not, or additionally, you will want a concealer that matches your face tone, so it is not detectable. If your skin is sensitive, make sure it is hypoallergenic or non-comedogenic to reduce your chance of any breakouts.
The amount of coverage you use for either area is personal preference. Some people want to cancel out everything possible, while others just want to make things a little less noticeable and distracting. In general, lighter to medium coverage will look more natural and heavier coverage will look more artificial.
Should My Drugstore Concealer Be Applied Before Foundation?
This is a matter of personal preference. There’s no true right answer. If you are color correcting areas of the face, you will likely want to do this before foundation. This will allow it to appear seamless on the face. Also, if you have particularly dark circles or another very pigmented area, you may want to do a layer of concealer before foundation as well as another layer after. This will provide a more natural finish and maximum coverage. For cases outside of these scenarios, using your drugstore concealer after applying foundation is probably best. This prevents any potential caking and provides maximum coverage to the areas.
Applying foundation second, however, can also allow you to use less of it. You can go in with a lighter layer after spot concealing any areas that need extra attention instead of trying to cover these areas only using foundation. It’s truly a matter of personal preference. Experiment with both methods to see which finish you prefer the look of.
How to Apply Concealer Under Eyes?
First, make sure your skin is properly prepped. Having clean and hydrated skin makes a big impact on the final finished look. Next, make sure you use a concealer specific to the under eye area. This area is more delicate than the rest of your face and needs products suited for this skin. Make sure it is one to two shades lighter than the skin tone of the rest of your face. This helps to give the area a brightened and lifted appearance. Depending on your personal preference, apply your foundation if you do this step beforehand. Once this is completed, it’s time to start applying your under eye concealer.
If you want to give this area a fully concealed experience, apply in a triangular shape a la Kim Kardashian. The triangle should go straight down parallel to your nose for a few inches, then angle back up toward the outer corner of your eye. This gives a highlighted effect on the area and makes you look brighter and more awake. Alternatively, if you want a no-makeup kind of look, apply the smallest amount you can get away with just under the eye.
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To give even more coverage, allow the wet concealer to sit on the skin for a couple of minutes before blending it out. For blending, use either a brush or damp Beauty Blender to pat the concealer into the skin. Using a wet sponge such as the Beauty Blender will reduce a bit of the coverage but help the product to mesh with the skin and look seamless. It can also make the application look smoother. Again, if you are going for a no-makeup look, you can use either of these methods or even pat the concealer in gently using one of your fingertips.
To set, use loose powder with either a brush or your Beauty Blender. Tap it onto the area and let it stay on the skin for a few minutes. This prevents creasing. Finally, dust off the powder and the process is complete.
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