Like a hero’s quest, the search for the best under-eye concealers for dark circles is sometimes arduous. Getting the balance between color correcting and highlighting is so tricky. Nobody wants to look like a raccoon in a sassy selfie. And we all know “brightening” is a code word for glitter, whether it’s finely milled mica or something a little more strobe-like. Why do we even try at all?
Sometimes it’s hard to make like Elsa and let it go. Who wants to reveal smudgy-looking skin courtesy of a 3-month-old who has his days and nights flipped or a major deadline at work? Nobody! It might not be as catchy, but conceal and feel great is our motto.
21 Products We Love That Eliminate Dark Circles
To find the best product for you, start by thinking about your aesthetic goals. Do you want a concealer for dark circles or an under-eye corrector? If you like a quick routine or need to be budget-conscious, you might want a one-and-done product that does it all.
Most makeup artists recommend selecting a shade that is one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. Any lighter than that and you will look a little too wide-eyed in photos and real life. You also have a few formulas to choose from. Drier skin tends to take a liquid or creamy stick concealer. But try to avoid matte formulas as this can emphasize lines and wrinkles and signs of obvious dryness. Oiler skins can get away with using liquid or cream concealers as the coverage is buildable and they can be easily topped with setting powder.
No matter which formula you choose, apply concealer sparingly and blend, blend, blend. A clean, dry finger can be the best tool for applying under-eye concealer. By tapping — not rubbing — the product in, you can diffuse the pigments for an even, natural look.
1. E.L.F. COSMETICS Hydrating Camo Concealer
With at least 25 colors, this drugstore fave is the best under-eye concealer for dark circles for a reason. The formula can be stippled to create the desired coverage. Plus, it doubles as a blemish corrector, too. Longwearing with a satin finish, this hydrating concealer is recommended for all skin types, but especially dry skin.
2. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer
There are 18 shades in this range, including a Neutralizer and a Brightener that can be used as an under-eye corrector beneath your color match to address extreme dark circles. Each wand comes with a little pouf on the end for easy on-the-go application. It claims to visibly diminish puffiness around the eyes and has been America’s favorite concealer for 10 years.
3. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
The Fit Me Concealer addresses redness and blemishes. It’s a natural-coverage product, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and is also ophthalmologist tested. The small, doe-foot applicator on the end of a long wand is perfect for precise application. Maybelline recommends you blend with your finger or a makeup brush for best coverage. In shades from Cool Ivory to Dark Coffee, you’ll be sure to find your perfect fit when looking for a concealer for dark circles.
4. NYX Professional Makeup Born to Glow Radiant Concealer
With 24 colors in a variety of skin-friendly undertones, this NYX Professional is packaged in a convenient lipgloss-like tube applicator with a sponge at the end. This concealer for dark circles is formulated to match the shades of the Born to Glow Radiant Foundation line, so your concealer and foundation can work seamlessly together to create a dewy look. With 12-hour wear and vitamin E, this creamy formula is super-bendable. With micro-pearls that diffuse light, reviewers love that it gives them an airbrushed look.
5. FLOWER Beauty Light Illusion Full Coverage Concealer
This new kid on the block is from actress and entrepreneur Drew Barrymore. Always cruelty-free, the brand’s ethos encourages people to play with their makeup. With 12 shades to choose from at Ulta Beauty, this product is full coverage with a soft-focus blurring effect. Perfect for those Monday mornings. Aloe and chamomile extract calms skin and reduces redness. Time will tell if this is the best under-eye concealer for dark circles.
6. ELF Cosmetics 16HR Camo Concealer
With over 1900 5-star reviews at Ulta Beauty, it’s not hard to believe that this is one of the best under-eye concealers for dark circles. This is the line’s most full-coverage and long-wear formula. They claim 16-hour, crease-resistant wear. “Doesn’t budge” and “doesn’t crease” are recurring reviews, as well as people saying they’ll never go back to prestige brands.
7. L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer
Perfect for spring brides — or those with spring allergies — this concealer is waterproof and wears up to 24 hours. Transfer and fade-resistant, too, this matte finish formula also offers maximum coverage for scars and hyperpigmentation. We find this a true wonder with an extra-large doe-foot applicator for one-stroke application. Reviewers say this is best for those with oiler skins as it dries down to a very matte finish.
8. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
There are more shades on the light-to-medium spectrum than the dark in this 30-shade range. The slim tube is easily portable for touchups on the go — not that you’d need them since this award-winning concealer perfects for up to 16 hours. This liquid formula dries down to a natural finish and is suitable for all skins. What sets this product apart is the mineral tone balancing powder that works as an under-eye corrector. An active botanical blend of magnolia bark extract, grape seed extract, and vitamin E helps to reduce the appearance of redness and support moisture retention.
9. Benefit Cakeless Concealer
You’ll fall in love with this quirky packaging but stay for the long-wearing, full-coverage product that doesn’t crease or cake. Looking like a pencil with a giant eraser on top, this richly pigmented product does seem to make dark under-eye circles and discoloration vanish. The product is also perfect for summertime as it is waterproof. Reviewers love this product and it is often glossed over when it comes to the best under-eye concealer for dark circles.
10. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer
It is magic. Consistently one of the best under-eye concealers for dark circles, Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Away looks as good on your bathroom counter as it does on your face. The packaging is deluxe — an iconic coppery metallic wand with a pointed sponge-tip applicator. Promising super full coverage, but a natural finish, extracts of Wild Indigo and Persian Silk Tree Bark create the illusion of brighter, lifted skin. The team at Charlotte Tilbury recommends using on top of your foundation.
11. Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer
Depending on the shade you select, this four-in-one formula conceals, contours, highlights, and retouches. With 35 hydrating, paraben-free colors to choose from, you will find your perfect match. Hydrating and buildable with skin-loving ingredients that will help you achieve a naturally flawless look. The doe-foot applicator has a flat side to it that allows for a larger-swipe delivery. And with about 3500 reviews and a 4.4/5 rating on Sephora, you know it delivers.
12. bareMinerals BAREPRO 16-Hr Full Coverage Concealer
This stick cream formula promises full-coverage long wear that is perfect for under-eye and blemish perfecting, alike. Reviewers praise the humidity-resistant properties. An independent study reports 90% of women agreed this concealer instantly conceals under-eye dark circles and provides natural-looking coverage in 15 shades.
13. Dior Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer
With a true cult following, this full-coverage, creamy liquid concealer offers 24-hour-wear. Take it straight from the runway to the boardroom to the playground. Reviewers love that it doesn’t transfer or cake and it doesn’t feel drying. The buildable, blendable coverage is best pressed into skin with fingertips in a stippling motion.
14. Armani Beauty Power Fabric Concealer
Another designer makeup brand to splurge on, the Armani Beauty Power Fabric Concealer leaves skin looking as smooth as silk. For those with normal to oily skin, this liquid concealer dries down to a natural matte finish that resists settling into fine lines because of the time-released oils. Like the beloved Power Fabric Foundation, the packaging is sleek and elegant.
15. CLINIQUEEven Better All-Over Concealer + Eraser
42 shades. Yes, you read that right. There are 42 shades in this range. For all skin types, this lightweight concealer claims to visibly de-puff eyes over time. And while the 12-hour formula stays true and resists creasing, it’s the applicator that’s the real winner here. With a dual-ended applicator, you get a traditional doe-foot wand on one end and a blurring sponge on the other. Actress Emelia Clarke says it’s “like a magic eraser” and we are inclined to agree.
16. NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer
Made for those who love a cream formula in a pot. Full coverage with a skin-like matte finish, this concealer has skincare ingredients like peptides and antioxidants that help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles over time. Free of nasty ingredients, and also vegan and gluten-free, the formula contains light-diffusing spheres. MUA tip? Use it as an eyeshadow base too. Just warm it gently between your fingers first. A little goes a long way with this highly pigmented cream.
17. Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Wear Conceale
Like the iconic foundation, this concealer is a cult favorite. We love that it’s oil-free and works for all skin types. It builds, so you can dab on a little for everyday or layer for more dramatic coverage. And it will last all day long, even during your afternoon walks. They recommend going with a slightly lighter shade for under-eye darkness. For puffiness, try a slightly darker shade than your foundation.
18. Hourglass Vanish Concealer
Cruelty-free and weightless, this full-coverage concealer does make imperfections vanish. The formula blurs and brightens with microspherical powders for up to 16 hours of waterproof wear. It’s almost an airbrushed finish which is all we could ask for in one of the best under-eye concealers for dark circles. Reviewers say it is a “color-correcting DREAM!” The peach tone works as a brilliant under-eye corrector and most love another dot of brightening concealer on top.
19. Marc Jacobs Beauty Accomplice Concealer & Touch-Up Stick
Portable and packable in a fat, bullet-lipstick type case, this creamy concealer comes in a range of 17 full-coverage shades. It’s an Allure Best of Beauty award winner, and an independent study shows 97% of participants agreed this product helps hide dark spots — even after 16 hours. A seamlessly blending product, a little goes a long way when you’re aiming to achieve a natural, awake look.
20. UOMA Beauty Stay Woke Luminous Brightening Concealer
They had us at “beauty sleep in a bottle.” This satin radiance concealer is luxuriously creamy and blendable that leaves skin perfectly matte. The thin, skin-like finish is long-lasting, fragrance-free, and vegan. They recommend prepping the under-eye area by making sure you treat and moisturize before application to plump fine lines and create the perfect canvas for your concealer product.
21. Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
Did we save the best for last? Maybe. In 30 colors, this iconic concealer is vegan, full-coverage, and infused with technology that helps brighten, smooth, and instantly give your skin a firmer, more lifted look. No wonder it is consistently named the best under-eye concealer for dark circles. It was America’s #1 concealer brand in 2019, and you can’t go far on the internet without hearing “holy grail” mentioned about this formula. With shades from very fair to very deep, and undertones in beige, natural, honey, sand, and golden, it’s almost impossible to pick the wrong color.
FAQ About Under Eye Concealers
Which color concealer is best for dark circles?
The most effective undereye concealers have color-correcting properties and usually have a peach, pink, or salmon tone. They look like they will clash with your skin at first, but they actually counteract the blue and green tones in dark undereye circles. Once they are blended in, they will take on the appearance of your normal skin tone, and you can top it off with a flesh-colored concealer if you wish.
What is the best under-eye concealer for mature skin?
The best undereye concealer for mature skin is one that imparts moisture and a smooth finish. Glossier's Stretch Concealer gives the under eyes a sheer, seamless wash of color that is practically undetectable. Tarte's Maracuja Creaseless Concealer provides more coverage in a very rich, creamy formulation.
Should the under-eye concealer be lighter or darker?
The tone of your concealer depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you want to brighten the area under your eyes, a lighter tone is effective. If you want to conceal or correct discoloration, opt for a tone that matches or is one shade up from your skin tone.
How do I stop my under-eye concealer from creasing?
There is no way to completely prevent your concealer from creasing. However, you can reduce creasing by minimizing your product layering. If your concealer is moisturizing on its own, there is no need to wear separate eye cream. Additionally, try to avoid applying foundation under your eyes when you are applying it to the rest of your face.
What is the best way to apply under-eye concealer?
To get the product in place, first spread it across the skin with a brush or beauty sponge. Once you are happy with the coverage level, finish off by tapping it with your finger. The warmth of your finger will work the product into your skin and give it a more natural finish.
21 Top Concealers To Make You Look 21 Again
Save the designer bags for your shoulder, your under eyes don’t have to carry them around. Though you might see Instagrammers and TikTok makeup reviewers coat their under-eye discoloration with loads of red and orange lipstick or cream stick before loading up on foundation and brightening concealer, most of us don’t need to undergo such dramatics in the morning. So many of the concealers on the market today have built-in neutralizing, color correcting properties that wear well and photograph beautifully. Hydration, good sleep, and a light hand when it comes to concealer are all you need to look refreshed and radiant.
