What are the top three characteristics you want in a concealer?

I like something with some hydration, especially for anything that’s being used all-over or on my face (vs. underneath my eyes, which could be a little drier to avoid settling into fine lines). I prefer high coverage concealers as foundation is sufficient if I’m just looking for more medium coverage. Lastly, just generally not getting into fine lines is ideal.

— Christine

18 Comments

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Ana Maria Avatar

*Good coverage: I have genetically dark undereyes, I need something able to cover the darkness.

*No creasing: Well… in an ideal world it would be no creasing, but to be realistic I just want minimum creasing. I always had fine lines under my eyes and they will crease no matter what. But I do want a formula that doesn’t overly emphasize the lines and settles badly in the creases.

*Hygienic packaging: I just don’t like pot concealers (or anything exposing product regularly to air) and doe foot applicator (it’s just pushing air and germ back into the tube). I prefer squeeze tube and pumps. Unfortunately, some of the best concealers I have tried have a doe foot.

Deborah S. Avatar

1. Good pigmentation, coverage. I have hyper-pigmentation on the tops of my cheeks from years of sun bathing. No concealer or colour corrector has kept them at bay. I have tried everything from Kevin Aucoin, Secret Camouflage, Tarte, Benefit, Cle de Peau, etc. Nothing keeps them covered

2. If it could be a little hydrating that would be great. I have dry skin and sometimes a too heavy concealer just sucks the life out of my skin.

3. I don’t have much trouble with creasing considering I have older eyes. What I don’t like is when the shade is too cool or too warm. I prefer my concealer to be more on the neutral side.

Nancy T Avatar

While I still like my usual Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, I am on the hunt for something that works a bit more kindly in my undereye area!
1.) NO CREASING!
2.) Must be moisturizing enough to not make my undereye area look like dried up crepe paper.
3.) Good color match. Which I do already have in my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in the shade Medium.

Rachel R. Avatar

I mostly use concealer to cover acne spots. I rarely use it under my eyes. I never use it to highlight or over large areas (I’ll use full coverage foundation for a big cystic acne breakout or whatever).

1. Match for my skin and undertone, which is really hard to find. Even harder than with foundations.
2. Good Coverage.
3. Dries down completely and quickly.

Kathy Avatar

1. Must be non drying in the undereye area
2. Hygienic packaging ie. squeeze tube or pump
3. Good colour match is very important as I detest odd looking bits of complexion that don’t seamlessly match my face.
I often don’t bother with concealer as it can actually make things worse and I don’t have darkness under the eyes as a regular thing.

Alecto Avatar

Not drying, and a good texture for patting with a small dump sponge or my fingertip. Good color match, but those take some effort to find; in recent years it seems foundations and concealers are trending more yellow, which means I’m finally in the game, but I still have more trouble with concealer than foundation, and my closest matches (and sometimes perfect matches) have all been powder concealers from indie brands. Unfortunately, those have never worked well around my eyes; however! … I now have a new trick of using a moisturizing setting spray, and it’s a little miracle in a bottle — I’m betting powders will work undereye for me now and I fully intend to experiment. 🙂

bibi Avatar

Full Opacity- I wish to conceal with a concealer – not adjust tone or even skin texture, but blot out the universe if necessary!
Adequate Hydration/Emollience – my dry under eyes do not need to suffer any further environmental threats than they already do. Please do not dehydrate!
No Creasing- Nope, do not need to accentuate my almost crepe-y under eyes
Bonus:
Yellow undertone to cancel out the purplish gray discoloration under my eyes.

Sarah Avatar

Oops top 3, I was about to list a hundred things

1 – Doesn’t dry me out

2 – “Natural” finish — not completely matte and definitely not dewy

3 – Medium/medium-full coverage — I don’t wear foundation, so I don’t want it to look obvious that I’m wearing a high coverage concealer on bare skin

Also needs to be a good color match ofc, but I figure that’s self-evident

Cil Avatar

I don’t use concealers in the eye area because I realized my eyes are allergic to dimethicone and most of them have this component. Besides, they highlight the Grand Canyons under my eyes even more. I use them for covering spots though. Anyway:

1. A dimethicone-free formula
2. A color that matches my skintone because I don’t like the highlight under eyes thing.
3. Coverage without my under eyes looking like the Sahara Desert

peachgummy Avatar

Something that actually covers olive-undertoned dark circles – it seems like most undereye concealers are still made for someone else.

Something that doesn’t emphasize dryness and/or cling to dryness I didn’t even know I HAD until putting on the concealer. So many concealers make undereye texture look worse.

Something that actually lasts for more than 30 minutes. It seems like concealer migrates off my undereye area very quickly.

Blue Avatar

An excellent match is obviously the most important quality in any base product.

For undereyes no creasing/not looking aging on the skin is next most important. Still looking for that perfect thing, I’m looking into Fenty Retouch or Shape Tape when my MUFE peach color correcter runs out.

For face not breaking my acne prone skin out and having maximum pigmentation are the next things I look for. I look for a concealer that easily covers the redness in a severely inflamed blemish. Kevyn Aucoin has the heaviest pigmentation I’ve ever used (It was my go-to for deep red surgical scars after mole removal surgery.) and Make Up For Ever Full Cover is also great.

Katja Avatar

The perfect concealer for me is hydrating, medium coverage and has good lasting power. The ones that seem to tick all these boxes are Too Faced BTW Super Coverage, Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer and MAC Studio Fix 24 hour concealer. 🙂

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