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If you have dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles, or puffiness around your eyes, you're not alone.
Perhaps you're fatigued because of too many late nights (we've all been there), or you have a little monster who keeps you awake all night, or your bags or dark circles are due to bad genes (you can thank your mom or dad for that).
This is when you might want to reach for a good under-eye concealer. This makeup bag essential can help hide a multitude of sins and give your eyes a much-needed boost, making you feel (and look) more human - even if you haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks.
The best under-eye concealers should provide a ton of benefits - help neutralize dark circles and smooth over fine lines and wrinkles while brightening and hydrating the skin around your eyes. Liquid or cream concealers usually work well on the delicate eye area as they don't sit in fine lines.
Yvonne MacInnis, celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert for The Makeup Show, gave Insider Picks her best tips for choosing the right under-eye concealer:
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Make sure you look for concealer that is specifically for the under-eye area - not just for blemish coverage. These concealers can make dark circles and lines more visible.
Avoid products containing alcohol, parabens, and fragrance as they may irritate the delicate skin under your eye. Products should also be ophthalmologist-tested and non-comedogenic.
For the best results, look for sheer, buildable, blendable, and pigmented formulas that stay close to the skin and don't crease or dry out. Yvonne loves ones that have a wand or built-in applicator so you can get into the small inner-eye area.
Choose a concealer that is 1-2 shades lighter than the skin tone in the center of your face. Be careful not to go too many shades lighter, as that can cause the under-eye darkness to shift to a pale gray, instead of being neutralized.
Finally, her favorite truth-telling trick to find out exactly where to apply. Start by facing the mirror. Keep your eyes looking directly forward while you tilt your head down, forcing shadow into the deepest recesses of your under eye area. Apply only to the darkest areas, then bring your head back up to blend. This should help you get the most precise application possible.
Now that you've got all the skills to apply under-eye concealer correctly, it's time to figure out which one you actually want. To save you time and money on bad products, we've come up with the best of the best after researching and testing.
Here are the best under-eye concealers you can buy:
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
This best-selling under-eye concealer is nicknamed "sleep in a tube" because it does exactly that.
Developed with the help of plastic surgeons, the full-coverage concealer is intensely pigmented for long-lasting coverage, neutralizing dark circles, dark spots, redness, blemishes, and more. The formula is also packed with hyaluronic acid, collagen, niacinamide, and vitamins to hydrate and brighten skin while helping to firm and lift the under-eye area. It's also waterproof and humidity-proof, with claims that it can last up to 24 hours.
The Bye Bye Under Eye concealer comes in a whopping 48 shades to suit a wide variety of skin tones, though you can always mix two for your absolute perfect one.
This is my go-to under eye concealer because the creamy formula feels thick, but it doesn't cake or crease, and you only need to use a small amount to get the best results. I warm up a bit and tap it into skin to blend. I love how well it covers my dark circles, brightens my eyes, and smooths out my wrinkles. It also stays put all day and doesn't irritate my eyes.
As well as being The Cut's number-one under-eye concealer and getting top marks from Allure editors, the Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer has a 4.3 out of 5-star rating on Ulta with one delighted customer commenting, 'This has a huge array of color options. And the coverage is amazing (and not too dry like other full coverage concealers). Worth every penny because the tube will last forever."
Pros: Hydrating and firming formula, long wearing, suitable for many skin types (even dry skin), waterproof, humidity-proof
This Maybelline best-seller is available in 18 shades in drugstores, though Amazon only features 12 of them right now.
It comes with a sponge applicator for easy application and blending. The buildable formula provides medium to full coverage with a natural finish. If you have very dark circles, the brand recommends using the Neutralizer shade first under your concealer shade. The concealer can also be used elsewhere on your face where you might want extra coverage
In testing, I found Light was the best match for my fair skin. I found the applicator easy to use, and the concealer helped make the area under my eyes look much brighter and smoother, and my dark circles were almost gone.
Pros: Very affordable, easy to apply, good for fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles, light weight
Cons: Some might not like the applicator sponge, not ideal for very dry skin
The best natural concealer
The award-winning RMS Beauty Un Cover-up delivers healthier-looking, more radiant skin in an instant, and works as both an under-eye concealer and all-over foundation.
This little pot can be used just under the eyes or all over the face as concealer or foundation, if you want. That's because the formula has coconut, castor, and jojoba oils to hydrate while absorbing into skin quickly, and as well as mineral pigments that are free of free of synthetic preservatives and fragrances so it won't irritate skin.
The RMS Beauty Un Cover-up only comes in 16 shades, but the formula adjusts to your unique skin tone so your skin will still look natural. As well as helping disguise dark circles under the eyes, it can also be used as an all-over concealer, eyeshadow primer, or even a light foundation.
First off, I love the glass container it comes in — it's the ideal size to put into even the smallest bag. I have fair skin and found shade 11.5 to suit my skin tone perfectly. The creamy formula was easy to apply and it hid dark circles fairly well, brightening and hydrating the skin under my eyes without creasing or caking.
Pros: Suitable for many skin types including dry skin, can be used all over face as well as under eyes, has Clean at Sephora seal and is made without potentially harmful ingredients
Cons: Pricey, doesn't last as long as some other concealers, doesn't have a wide variety of shades, pot might be inconvenient to use on the go
The best for brightening
The Tatcha The Pearl Tinted Eye Illuminating Treatment is 2-in-1 concealer and treatment that not only brightens, conceals, and hydrates, but actually addresses the causes of dark circles, thinning skin, and pigmentation with impressive, natural-looking results.
This little powerhouse from clean beauty brand Tatcha acts as both a treatment targeting dark circles, dullness, and fine lines and wrinkles, while providing coverage as concealer.
The formula contains light-refracting pigments to brighten skin, Japanese Akoya pearl extract and niacinamide to brighten and boost your skin's collagen levels, and hyaluronic acid to hydrate. The best thing about it is that is works instantly and over time too.
The Tatcha The Pearl Tinted Eye Illuminating Treatment comes in three shades — Moonlight (for fair to medium skin tones), Softlight (medium to tan), Candlelight (tan to deep) — so the range of skin tones isn't very big.
In testing, I found Moonlight was a good match for my skin. I only needed to smooth a tiny amount of the creamy tinted formula under my eye, and when it set, my under-eye area looked so much brighter and my fine lines were much less visible.
Pros: Suited for many skin types, has hydrating and firming ingredients, bears the Clean at Sephora seal so it's not formulated with parabens, sulfates, mineral oils, and synthetic fragrances
Cons: Expensive, might not provide enough coverage for some people, only comes in three shades
The best long-wearing concealer
The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is a highly effective under eye concealer with impressive results and serious staying power.
It brightens, corrects, and covers with buildable medium-to-full coverage, and a natural finish that lasts and lasts for up to 16 hours. It's crease-, sweat-, and water-resistant, and humidity proof t00.
This classic from NARS comes in 30 shades to suit many skin tones.
It's formulated with mineral powder that diffuses light to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and dark circles, while botanical extracts such as grape seed, and vitamin E help hydrate, firm, and strengthen the delicate skin around your eyes. This concealer can also be used elsewhere on your face as a concealer, and depending on which shades you get, for highlighting or contouring too.
When tested, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer lived up to its claims when I tested it. It had a creamy texture and was easy to apply. I loved the natural, dewy finish and how awake my eyes looked, plus it stayed put all day long.
The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer gets top marks from Allure and Harper's Bazaar and has many rave reviews from Macy's customers who love the wide selection of shades, how well it covers dark circles, and the natural finish.
Pros: Suitable for many skin types, long wearing, wide range of shades free of parabens and synthetic fragrance, dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested, non-comedogenic
Cons: Pricey, shade range could be even more inclusive