I Spent More On My Coffee Than This Concealer—but One Covered My Dark Circles (2024)

You would have been hard-pressed not to find this in the makeup bag of a ~youth~ in the early 2010s. I was one of 'em! To this day, I regard this as one of the best concealers period, let alone the best at the drugstore. The creamy consistency blends into any foundation I've ever tried to pair it with, and offers up medium coverage that generally covers anything I need but without making my skin feel heavy and cake-y.

Many people call it a dupe of the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, which clocks in at over quadruple the price, and they definitely have similarities, IMO. They're both really lightweight, with a slightly radiant finish and add moisture, especially for dry under-eyes. And both are oil free, which my acne-prone skin <3s.

• Coverage: Medium
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 18

Glowing customer review: "I absolutely love this concealer so much! All you have to do is blend it out and immediately set it with a good setting powder and boom, no creases! The thickness is perfect, not so thin that it doesn’t have good coverage, but not so thick that you can tell you have concealer on. As long as this is your right shade, it looks like you’re not even wearing makeup!"

Before a beach day, I just swiped this concealer all over my zits to feel more put-together. Color me shocked when the day was over, and my concealer was still intact. Like, I sweat on the subway platform, got splashed by the ocean, and fully swiped on multiple layers of sunscreen... and my skin was still even 10+ hours later.

The matte finish looks surprisingly natural too (aka it doesn't look flat or cake-y on my skin), so it's great whether to throw on with some sunscreen or to do a full-glam situation with foundation, blush, bronzer, the works.

• Coverage: Full
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 25

Glowing customer review: "I’ve been using this concealer for a couple years now, and I absolutely love it. It’s the best affordable concealer I’ve ever used. I quickly learned that a little goes a long way so you don’t have to apply a lot. It is also fairly waterproof and stays in its place for a good amount of time without touch-ups."

I know a thing or two about covering pimples (ahem, I'd even say it's my life's work). And this creamy, Neutrogena concealer is truly one of the best concealers for acne, drugstore and high-end included. Why, you ask? Well, it evens out the redness surrounding a pimple, making even giant hormonal acne cysts look flatter. The natural finish also doesn't cling to any healing, crusty zits either.

It's also v easy to layer. So if I want to touch up throughout the day or I have a rogue pimple pop up by the afternoon, I can just dot it over my foundation without worrying it gets patchy or streaky. Plus, the flat-edge of the doe-foot applicator makes it easy to pin-point exactly where I want to place the bulk of the coverage.

• Coverage: Medium
• Finish: Natural
• Shades: 15

Glowing customer review: "Best concealer I’ve ever used! Great coverage but still creamy and hydrating."

TikTokers cannot stop raving about this concealer for how full coverage it is without looking dry or crepe-y. You only need a tiny bit (truly, just a dot in the inner corner of your eyes will spread to cover your entire under-eye), and you can build up the coverage to be extremely full if you layer it. (However, the more you layer, the heavier it can feel, according to reviewers.) With 25 shades that range from super-fair to deep-dark, it's pretty easy to find the right match for your skin tone too.

When I first apply it, it has a natural finish, but it stays matte throughout the day—even when my oils start to peek through my foundation on other parts of my face. It fully passes the longevity test, as I don't need to touch it up, even after 10+ hours of wear.

• Coverage: Medium to full
• Finish: Natural, semi-matte
• Shades: 25

Glowing customer review: "This is the best concealor I have ever used. It looked orange at first, but blended perfectly. I am 70, so I rarely find a concealer that doesn’t make my wrinkles look worse, this doesn’t."

Listen, I've tried concealers that cost more than dinner and a movie—yet this is, hands down, still the best at brightening up my under-eyes. It's got the creamiest formula of anything I've tried (so much so that I'd liken it to softened butter), so it just glides and blends with zero effort, even with my fingers. And it comes in a handful of brightening shades with varying undertones, including a peach and orange hues for disguising under-eye bags and pink-toned shades to brighten.

I just twist the packaging to dispense some product onto the built-in sponge, dab it on my under-eyes, and blend with my fingers or a beauty sponge. It quickly spreads to make my under-eyes look moisturized, while the medium coverage conceals any darkness that could make me look tired. I basically look more awake in a single swipe of product. And JSYK, 179,000+ reviewers swear by it too.

• Coverage: Medium
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 18

Glowing customer review: "I use this on my dark under eye circles and to highlight. I love how easy it is to apply with the soft cushioned applicator. It goes on easily/smoothly, is easy to blend with a finger, looks natural on the skin, and doesn't cake up too much in my little undereye creases. The applicator is also great for applying as a contour or highlighter."

This is the concealer to try if you've got secrets acne, hyperpigmentation, and discoloration to hide. Of every drugstore concealer I've tested, this has the most opacity. Like, I've even covered my tattoos with this stuff. It sets to a matte finish and doesn't budge once it's dry (so make sure to blend quickly with a brush). In my experience, it doesn't look dry or crepe-y under my eyes, nor does it get patchy as it wears. Oh, and it—somehow!? like magic?!—doesn't transfer onto my hands when I touch my face throughout the day, unlike other full-coverage concealers and foundations I've tried.

• Coverage: Full
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 24

Glowing customer review: "Love this concealer, it is the perfect match. I honestly just use it as foundation because it's so thick and has full coverage. Also, I just love how it seamlessly it blends into my skin."

After I started prescription retinol for acne and my skin was dry, flaky, and peeling, I slathered this serum concealer all over my face for some coverage because it finally made my skin look healthy, not patchy. Soothing ingredients like centella asiatica and green tea extract in the formula also help calm down and depuff my skin a lil.

The consistency is so thin that it spreads easily, meaning I only have to use a pump to cover my entire face. I blend it out with a beauty sponge usually—since I like the sheer, dewy finish—but I can blend out the edges with a brush to give me a bit more coverage on dark spots and zits.

• Coverage: Medium
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 17

Glowing customer review: "This is my holy grail. Gives decent coverage and hydration without being heavy or cakey. Blends out beautifully. Works for my fair skin. This also works great as a foundation, as you can spread it easily and sheer it out."

Normally, my concealer will just melt off my sweaty, oily face—but this one passed the summer NYC subway test (which is high praise, as waiting for a subway in 85-degree heat is the sweatiest, most vile environment one can be in, IMO). I dab the full-coverage, thick cream under my eyes and zits, then blend out with my fingers or a concealer brush by tapping, not swiping. The matte, skin-like formula immediately sets—no powder required to keep it in place. It truly doesn't budge once it dries down, which is why you def have to blend quickly to avoid it getting patchy.

• Coverage: Full
• Finish: Satin
• Shades: 18

Glowing customer review: "This is the first time I purchase this Milani concealer and I have to say that it is better than some of the high end concealers. It does last, covers dark circles perfectly, easy to apply and blend, and the colors go well with my skin tone. It is worth the purchase."

Okay, sure, every drugstore concealer naturally is going to be fairly budget-friendly. But this one? It's on a whole 'nother level. But what it lacks in cost doesn't show in the formula at all, as this creamy, full-coverage concealer fully holds up to much more expensive formulas I've tested. It's extremely full coverage, disguising my darkest under-eye circles with a bb dab of product.

FWIW, this concealer comes in a slew of shades and undertones, which has made it supremely viral (lookin' at you, 40,000 five-star reviews) as a contour, highlighter, and color corrector too. Grab the green shade if you're looking to cover up red pimples or scars, yellow for purple scarring or darkness, lavender for brightening, or orange for blue-hued dark circles.

• Coverage: Full
• Finish: Satin
• Shades: 40

Glowing customer review: "This stuff is no joke. First of all, I was shocked that I got the right color on the first try. Second of all, it is just an amazing product. Such a good value, and I wear it almost every day now because I like it so much. I like that it blends super smoothly and I only have to use a tiny bit."

If you're used to concealers that cling to all the dry patches on your face, lemme intro you to Pretty Fresh by Colourpop. It's srsly hydrating, thanks to a combo of hyaluronic acid and coconut water, both of which actually moisturize your skin instead of just adding a glowy look. The formula is a lightweight cream (one of the ingredients is beeswax, giving it a thick, viscous feel), so it also makes your skin look healthy and fresh.

• Coverage: Light to medium
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 25

Glowing customer review: "This product is great! It's creamy and easily gives full coverage once blended out—one of my favorite cost-friendly concealers."

The satin finish of this concealer is unparalleled. It just glides on with a creamy, rich formula, and the buildable coverage can be sheered out with a sponge or layered on to cover acne, dark spots, under-eye bags, and more. TBH, reviewers are obsessed with using it all over their face as concealer, foundation, contour, and highlight. And since it's less than $10, grabbing a couple of shades to mix and match doesn't feel so extra.

• Coverage: Medium
• Finish: Matte
• Shades: 12

Glowing customer review: "I have really dark eye bags, and this has really helped me look like I have a normal sleep schedule and not look like I stay awake for weeks at a time. Pigmented and easily blendable. It stays on too."

This concealer is truly unlike any that I've tried, because it's somehow both full coverage but also radiant and fresh-looking?! Most full-coverage concealers have a matte finish, whereas dewy concealers usually offer sheer coverage. So I guess you could say this is like a magic Goldilocks concealer.

I love how weightless it feels on my skin, but it seriously covers too. My preferred way to wear this is on top of a tinted sunscreen, since it'll make my pimples and dark spots disappear, but blends seamlessly into a glowy tint. I just dab it on with the applicator, then tap out the edges with a damp beauty sponge to keep the dewiness. But if I wanted to build up the coverage more, I could work it in with a dense brush.

• Coverage: Full
• Finish: Radiant
• Shades: 11

Glowing customer review: "I have oily and acne-prone skin. This concealer is a must. Amazing coverage, stays flawless all day. I've found blending out with a damp beauty blender is best. I use this stuff like a foundation, its amazing."

The drugstore has some catching up to do when it comes to inclusive shade ranges. But, ofc, Black Radiance has deep skin covered with this concealer in seven shades from medium tan to deep dark. Reviewers love how lightweight it feels on their skin, but also note the impeccable lasting power. Plus, it's filled with caffeine to help depuff under-eye bags and hyaluronic acid to lightly hydrate.

• Coverage: Medium
• Finish: Satin
• Shades: 7

Glowing customer review: "The perfect shade. It goes on so smooth. It’s so light but provides great coverage. Not to mention, it lasts all day. What a great product."

Check the shade range.

Obviously, finding the right shade for your skin tone is of the utmost importance when it comes to the best concealer for you. Usually, drugstore concealers don't have as wide of shade ranges as higher-end options, so when in doubt, opt for a slightly lighter shade (it's always easier to darken something after you've put it on then to lighten it).

Sometimes, you might prefer to go one shade lighter for your under-eyes to brighten them up a bit. Or you can go for a brightening or color-correcting shade, like one with pink or peach undertones to counteract dark circles. Green concealer is also great to bring down redness.

Assess your go-to coverage level.

You've got options when it comes to coverage: sheer, medium, and full coverage, to be specific. If you want to hide everything, then def choose a full-coverage formula, but note these are usually thicker and can err on the matte side more often. But if you don't need serious coverage, a lighter-weight, medium concealer is great to have on hand, since you can always layer it to increase the opacity.

Determine your preferred finish.

Similarly, you've gotta consider your ~lewk~. Are you a dewy, glowy goddess? Then, choose a radiant concealer that'll look bright and fresh on your skin. Or if you like a velvet-y, full-glam vibe, a matte finish concealer will look softer and cloudlike. When in doubt, opt for a combo of the two with a natural-finish concealer that looks like skin.