NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

COVERAGE: Medium Buildable to Full

FINISH: Natural Radiance

This is the Number 1 concealer in the USA for good reason. This All-In-One multi purpose Nars favourite is loved by beauty editors, models and makeup artists alike. Not only is it oil free and can be used in place of foundation thanks to its creamy luminous multi-action skincare correcting powers but it also offers long lasting 16 Hour wear as well as hydrating coverage making it an ideal concealer for the delicate under eye area.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer diffuses imperfections, minimises fine lines and its creamy texture means it never looks heavy or thick while beautifully concealing the dark shadows in the under eye zone with minimal creasing.

This iconic Nars product is humidity and sweat proof making it transfer resistant. Just apply it in thin layers to build up to the desired coverage. And best of all, they come in smaller travel sizes for half the full price so you can see how you get on with it before investing in the full size but most who try this are addicts for life!

£24 Full Size or £13 Travel Size from Nars Cosmetics UK

Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape Concealer

COVERAGE: Full

FINISH: Matte

This super-hyped vegan concealer both brightens and smooths giving your eyes the appearance of being firmer, illuminated and ‘lifted’.  Ditching your dark circles is easy thanks to the insanely good pigmentation in this heralded concealer by Tarte Cosmetics.  

Shape Tape is also marketed to double up as a highlight/contour product or as a general face concealer. It doesn’t flake or crease thanks to the nourishing ingredients such as mango seed and shea butter. Once on, it does not budge due to the ingredients that give it superb adherence to the skin but to get that adherence, the formula tends to be on the drier side so I would suggest that this works best for the oilier skinned.

Two things to be aware of: many reviewers complain of the massive doe foot wand getting a bit messy and oozing product out the top when replacing or removing from the product casing but some have no issues at all. Secondly, should you be sensitive to fragrance in skincare, this has a synthetic zesty lemony fragrance which is totally unnecessary and fragrance in cosmetics can be an irritant for some. The huge applicator and the creamy, thick consistency means very little goes a very long way so apply sparingly and simply blend away with a gentle finger patting motion or with your sponge or damp beauty blender.

£16-£17 from Beauty Box or QVC

Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector

COVERAGE: Full

FINISH: Natural

I love a multi tasking product myself and if you’ve ever wished that your current concealer had a bit more ‘oomph’ and coverage, or if you are new to the benefits of colour correcting, give this colour correcting and perfecting ‘2 in 1’ concealer from Bobbi Brown a whirl.

It’s sweat and humidity resistant (so stays put all day), it comes in a wide range of shades with either a pink or peach correcting base depending on your undertone, it’s packed with skin treats to care for the delicate under eye area and offers miraculous creamy long-wearing coverage banishing those dark circles until cleansing time.

Purchasing a good colour corrector product to join your makeup arsenal is a must for those ‘hard to cover’ makeup days and a makeup artist’s secret weapon to turbo charge the effects of any concealer.

Under eye dark circles, for example, can be difficult to conceal with makeup. Step forward colour corrector! Prior to concealer application, if you block out those pesky shadows with colour corrector, you end up using less concealer thereby giving more of a natural makeup effect as opposed to several layers of full coverage concealer.

All those crazy palettes you see in the shops offering purple, green, red and yellow are and so on? Let me briefly explain…..

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLOUR CORRECTOR

A colour wheel is used to illustrate complimentary and opposing colours (see colour wheel below). Opposing colours cancel each other out by neutralising pigment. For example, you will see that red is opposite green on the colour wheel so for a makeup artist, we know to use a green colour corrector to help cancel out redness in the skin. Sallow yellowy areas under the eyes or around the nose are neutralised by a purple based colour corrector. So now you know!

Other recommended colour correctors are NYX and Charlotte Tilbury.

£20.50 from Bobbi Brown and other retailers such as John Lewis, Debenhams and Look Fantastic

Red Skin? Use Green Colour Corrector to reduce redness because Green is the opposite to red on the colour wheel and opposite colours when mixed neutralise each other

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Liquid Concealer

COVERAGE: Medium to Full

FINISH: Satin

Besides the fact that Charlotte Tilbury’s products are not tested on animals and are vegan friendly which is obviously ace, her Magic Away Concealer is also free from alcohol irritants, parabens and mica (which is known to give flashback).

Described as the makeup equivalent of ‘Spanx for the under eye area’ due to it’s patent stretch or flex technology, this wonder product applies seamlessly and ultra smoothly appearing like a second skin, especially on the delicate eye area. It feels totally weightless when applied, does not crease or settle into the dreaded wrinkles and is excellent at concealing dark circles with fab durability throughout the day.

It is marketed as full coverage and illuminating with colour correcting pigments. Whilst it definitely brightens the under eye area amazingly, I wouldn’t say it is entirely FULL coverage compared to other alternatives on the market but the coverage is a solid medium to full and buildable via the sponge applicator which dispenses just the right amount of product via the click and twist mechanism at the base of the wand thereby making it difficult to use too much product. It blends out beautifully with a light finger tapping motion (no need for brushes and sponges), dries to a satin like opaque finish, almost like a magic brightening veil that also tightens and blurs as well…. ideal!

Remember: if using this in the under eye area to conceal, brighten and to give your peeper’s both ‘light and lift’, select a shade that is one to two tones lighter than your skin’s natural tone. With 16 shades in total to choose from, and skin types divided into Fair, Medium, Tan or Dark skin tones, you have a choice of four separate tones in each of these tonal categories to ensure you find a shade that’s right for you.

£24 from Charlotte Tilbury

Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer

COVERAGE: Full

FINISH: Natural

Vanish. Airbrush. Concealer. The three words we wish to hear when looking to buy a concealer no? This maybe a more pricer option but this concealer from Hourglass does what it promises.

Known for fusing technology with powerful skincare ingredients, Hourglass products give you the next best thing to having a Dermatologist on speed dial. If you are looking for the illusion of perfect skin, makeup products from Hourglass are on my ‘Cosmetic Lust List’.

So many full coverage under eye concealers can appear dry and cakey after a few hours but this is not only crease resistant, but blends seemlessly and really does give an airbrushed natural finish that reflects light under the eyes which in turn, blurs the appearance of fine lines and dark circles. Like several others on this list, it feels like a second skin when applied but be aware that it sets quickly, so you need to use your finger, sponge or brush to blend out before it does. Once set though, it stays in place keeping you flawless for up to 16 Hours of the day. Worth it’s weight in gold!

£32 from CultBeauty

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

COVERAGE: Medium to Full

FINISH: Satin drying to more Matte

Banish the bags with this full coverage longwear work horse of a concealer suitable for all skin types and available in a multitude of skin shades!

Not only is MAC Pro Longwear Concealer water and transfer resistant, sweat and humidity proof, but it can be used to conceal dark spots, blemishes, discolouration and dark circles. Anything actually! And much like the Bobbi Brown option in this list, MAC products are all in shades with either a pink or yellow base ensuring you can match your unique skin tone.

This concealer blends best with a damp sponge as it does dry quite quickly (and the dampness in a sponge helps to move product about before that happens) but the finish is model-perfect flawless looking skin. The reason it dries quickly is due to the ‘longwear’ ingredients that make it adhere to the skin for long periods and therefore making it budge-proof but without appearing heavy; the perfect equation for normal to oilier skins in particular, or during the summer months.

If you are drier under the eyes, you could apply a thin layer of this mixed with a bit of your eye cream or serum or perhaps layer it with a dab of a lighter, more moisturising option on top for extra hydration (SEE TIP BELOW).

This pro MUA favourite concealer is very cost effective since a little goes a very long way and one of these will last you a long time before having to repurchase.

£20.00 from MAC

“‘Long wear’ products from any brand tend to set quickly as the whole point of their being is to sit where they are put and stay all day so be sure to blend them out quickly before they dry down and set.”

— The Good Tip Makeup Fairy