When choosing between a liquid vs. cream concealer, consider your skin and the look you want to achieve. Liquid concealers are thinner and more versatile, offering sheer-to-medium coverage with buildable matte and satin finishes. They’re perfect for days where you want light coverage while still correcting small spots or brightening the undereye area. We recommend the Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer – a lightweight, long-wearing liquid concealer that provides a natural matte finish.

Although PRO.conceal provides flawless coverage for its day job, as a side hustle you can use it to contour and highlight, snatching your features – just like the PROs. From the brand known for its no-makeup makeup, Glossier's Stretch Concealer was designed for those averse to dry, creasy, cakey formulas. It contains beeswax, cocoa butter, and jojoba oil which make it easy to layer. The dewy finish adds dimension so you can build on coverage as needed. Our only complaint is that you have to put your finger inside the small tub to remove the product. We’d prefer a more hygienic application tool, or we’d advise using a Q-tip.Next, get to work blending. Sesnek recommends tapping it out with your fingers first and then using a sponge for a seamless finish. Lastly, Lujan says, "You can always set it with a little loose setting powder to adjust the level of radiance." Now that you know the essentials, shop the best concealers for contouring. 1. Yves Saint Laurent Beauté TouchéÉclat All-Over Brightening Concealer Pen A cult botanical favorite, Ami Colé is a brand to obsess over. The concealer, designed as an evolution of the brand's beloved Skin-Enhancing Tint, offers medium, buildable coverage in 12 shades designed specifically to match undertones in melanin-rich skin. Active naturals like baobab seed extract, pumpkin seed extract, and hibiscus extract add hydration to the formula for a buttery-smooth application and satin finish. Just be mindful if you have patchy, dry skin as some testers found it did cling to those areas. Not only does it give your skin a natural and soft finish," says former Byrdie Editorial Director Faith Xue, "but it's also the easiest product to use with any beauty tool of your choice—fingertips included."

Aqua, Dimethicone, Isododecane, Alcohol, Silica, Triethylhexanoin, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone, Cyclopentaxiloxane , Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Quaternium-90 Bentonite , Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, PEG-10 Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Polymethylsilesquioxane, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499. On top of being supreme at covering dark circles and blemishes, this concealer also has an all-star formula that’s ideal for dry skin. It’s made with hyaluronic acid and peptides, which work to hydrate skin and make it more supple, as well as caffeine, which fights dark circles, puffiness, and dullness. Concealers come in liquid and cream forms and offer coverage that ranges from sheer to full in matte, dewy and satin finishes. For 24 hours of full matte coverage, try Pro Longwear Concealer.

CONCEALER FAQS

This brightening concealer was our top choice for darker skin tones and during testing we found that it did an excellent job at covering discoloration, due to its peach undertone. Our tester also found that it was great at concealing hyperpigmentation and spots, lasting throughout the day without creasing or transferring onto clothes. It has a slightly chalky texture, however, so a touch of lightweight eye cream would have helped to create a more dewy finish. We’d also like a wider selection of medium shades. NARS is very well known for its full coverage foundation, so you can only imagine how amazing their concealer is, too,” says beauty and fashion educator Tracy Faith. “The Radiant Creamy Concealer is designed to provide all-day crease-free coverage.” On top of lasting for over 16 hours (yes, an InStyle editor put it to the test), this top-rated product can effortlessly cover everything from acne breakouts to dark circles with nothing more than a tiny drop. (It’s worth noting that a little goes a long way, so be sure to only apply a small amount at a time.) Want the scoop on our hottest product drops, exclusive offers and can't-miss collaborations straight to your inbox? L.A. Girl's High Definition Pro Concealer provides natural-looking coverage, evens skin tone, camouflages dark circles, redness and blemishes whilst minimizing fine lines around the eyes, for a face free of imperfections. The long-wearing formula is crease-resistant with opaque coverage in a creamy, yet lightweight texture. Available in a variety of shades to cover and correct all skin types, our Concealer and Corrector can be applied simultaneously to achieve a perfectly covered look. Finally, you can use your fingers if you don’t want to use a brush or sponge. Using your fingers is best for applying concealer to places on your face where the product can easily crease (like under your eyes or around your mouth) since you can really get in there and blend it out. In terms of applying concealer to your under-eye area, Riner says making sure the skin around your eyes is hydrated is the key to success. “Begin your concealer application immediately after your eye cream,” she explains. “Using your ring finger, press the concealer in, only where you see darkness. Light layers are best. The warmth of your finger combined with the patting motion will blend it seamlessly.”