Top 5 Best Under Eye Concealers | 2018 Reviews
Eye concealer sounds like it should be a lot easier to use than it often is. Just dab it over the zits, blemishes, puffy skin, dark circles or other problem areas under your eyes – what could be the problem?
Actually, there can be a lot of them. The wrong concealer, or a bad one, can end up calling even more attention to the spots you’re trying to cover up. Applying it incorrectly can lead to a big blotch, acting as a figurative flashing sign drawing other eyes directly to the glob of concealer that stands out more than your eyes do. A concealer that doesn’t match your skin tone can make you look like you have a very bad case of rosacea. And the wrong concealer combined with the wrong shade of powder can create the appearance of a patch of dirt under your eyes.
Knowing how to properly apply concealer, and how to choose the right shades, are important steps to master. But choosing the right product for the job is more important than anything else, since it determines whether your face will have the fresh, beautiful look you’re aiming for, or will simply look like a mess. Same goes for choosing and applying foundations.
There are lots of tutorials on application techniques and matching shades, and they’re beyond the scope of what we have on our plate here – which is compiling the list of the top 5 best under eye concealers on the market. Let’s get that taken care of right now.
You may also check our comprehensive Best Under eye Concealer Buying Guide here.
Quick Comparison Table
|
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer |
Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer |
Benefit Cosmetics Eye Bright Pencil |
theBalm TimeBalm Concealer |
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Concealer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$$ |
$$$ |
|
0.22 ounces |
0.17 ounces |
0.05 ounces |
0.26 ounces |
0.1 ounces |
|
No parabens |
No parabens |
With parabens |
No parabens |
With parabens |
 |
|
|
|
|
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
We’ll go into all the details, of course, but we have to start off by saying that this is a really nice concealer with no drawbacks that we’ve found. We often have to spend a while figuring out which product deserves our #1 ranking, but in this case it was a no-brainer. This is a concealer that doesn’t have problems with even the worst dark circles or acne breakouts.
Even though NARS calls this a creamy concealer, you won’t find that you have to do a ton of work to apply or blend it; it’s very easy to work with and won’t smudge or smear. And once it’s on, it stays. This medium-coverage, matte finish concealer is lightweight and will last for hours and hours (and hours) while covering up any blemishes or circles under your eyes perfectly, without looking like it just makeup hiding something unslightly. It also won’t cake in your creases or other problem areas. The concealer is suitable for layering if desired, and you’ll be happy using it on other areas of your face or for priming areas like the lips and eyelids.
Since this is a long-lasting product, there could be a problem if it contained any ingredients which are irritants. It doesn’t. The NARS Creamy Concealer is free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, alcohol and synthetic fragrances, and it is non-commedogenic so there’s absolutely no issue using it on sensitive skin. There are some antioxidants, botanicals and moisturizing agents in the formulation to improve the skin, but you shouldn’t consider this primarily as a moisturizing or repair cream; its real value is as a top-notch concealer that also does nice things for your skin.
There are ten colors of the NARS concealer, and most of them have a slight pink tinge to them to bring out a little more color in your problem areas. Unlike most of these products which work better with some skin tones than others, the Creamy Concealer doesn’t play favorites. You can match the shades (which range from light options like Chantilly and Vanilla to darker ones like Café and Cacao) and be confident that you won’t be disappointed with your choice.
You’ll have to pay just under $30 for less than a quarter-ounce of this product, but it’s money well-spent.
|
Details of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer |
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|---|---|
|
Size |
0.22 ounces |
|
Parabens |
No |
Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer
OK, we shaded the truth just a bit. There is another under eye concealer even better than the NARS Creamy Concealer, but it’s so expensive that we couldn’t justify placing it at #1. This terrific option will run you $70 for even less product than you get with the NARS concealer (0.17 ounces), so we don’t consider it to be a viable option for most people. For those who have the coin to spend, however, oh là là!
The Clé de Peau concealer is very pigmented, so it’s perfect for covering those stubborn dark circles that laugh at every other product you’ve tried to cover them with. Just a small application (good news, considering the cost!) will wipe out any evidence of skin blemishes or discoloration. The Beauté Concealer is simple to apply, because it comes in a stick that twists up like a lipstick and glides on effortlessly with a soft matte finish, after which you simply brush it in or blend it. It doesn’t cake, doesn’t sink into fine lines, lasts most of the day and doesn’t even feel like it’s on your face.
The company says that “Japanese Powder Technology,” whatever that is, is responsible for hiding imperfections and making skin brighter. It seems to us that ingredients like titanium dioxide and iron oxides are more responsible for the latter, but whatever should get the credit, it works. There are also biologicals to maintain moisture and slowly improve the skin’s texture as you continue to use the concealer. This may not be the very best choice if you have extremely sensitive skin because there is alcohol in the formulation, but there shouldn’t be an issues for most people.
There are six shades of the Clé de Peau Concealer, almond, beige, honey, ivory, mocha and ocher, and they all work well with the proper skin tone. There’s little not to like about this product – except of course, the price. The stick does last quite a while, though, so don’t look at it as an extravagance, look at it as an investment.
|
Details of the Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer |
|
|---|---|
|
Size |
0.17 ounces |
|
Parabens |
No |
Benefit Cosmetics Eye Bright Pencil
Those who take the subject of this “top 5 best under eye concealers” list literally will love the Eye Bright pencil. It’s not aimed at improving your skin over the weeks or months that you use it, and it’s not aimed at super hydration – its purpose is to conceal, and it does it in a flash.
The pencil only comes in one color, Eye Bright Pink, but it will work on almost any skin tone except very warm or African-American. It’s like any other standard makeup pencil that requires sharpening regularly and then tucks away in your purse. But when you apply a little bit underneath or to the corners of your eyes, and take a second or two to blend it, you’ll immediately look like you’re wide awake and ready to roll. There’s some mica in there for glitter too, to add to the “I’ve been awake for hours” look.
It goes on light and creamy, and you won’t feel it once it’s been applied. The Benefit product also won’t crease during the day, although the consistency of the brightener can lead to a bit of smudging if you’re not careful. You’ll probably find other uses for the pencil once you’ve discovered its benefits for under the eyes; for example, it’s perfect for an accent under the brow line, or as a brow highlighter.
If the Benefit Eye Bright pencil sounds somewhat familiar you’re probably a regular viewer of the TLC program What Not To Wear, where it was the go-to brightening stick for quite some time. One note: if you’re concerned about what’s in your cosmetics, the Eye Bright pencil contains both parabens and BHT.
Don’t expect the skin around your eyes to “get healthier” by using this product. Do expect, though, that it will let you get rid of that tired appearance or cover up blemishes under and around your eyes quickly and easily, and only costs 20 bucks.
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Details of the Benefit Cosmetics Eye Bright Pencil |
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|---|---|
|
Size |
0.05 ounces |
|
Parabens |
Yes |
theBalm TimeBalm Concealer
Another product which combines the ability to hide blemishes with ingredients to improve the skin, the TimeBalm Concealer is a fine product at a reasonable price ($18), and many people swear by it. We just don’t feel it’s quite as good as the NARS or Clé de Peau concealers in either department, so we’ve ranked it at #4.
It looks like they took most of the ingredients that should be in a product like this and packed them all in: Vitamins A, C and E, linoleic acid, soybean oil, panthenol and phospholipids. There aren’t enough of them, though, to consider this either a miracle repair cream or a perfect concealer. Even so, it will cover most circles, fine lines and skin imperfections, and will provide some anti-wrinkle and anti-aging benefit to your skin over the long-term.
The medium-coverage cream goes on smoothly and isn’t greasy, having more of a waxy feel to it which keeps it from creasing or slipping into the lines under your eyes. However, that make it more difficult to blend than most competitors, and it doesn’t mesh well with skin that breaks out easily. The finish itself is satiny. There are nine shades of this cream, from “Lighter than Light” to “After Dark, and it’s easy to match to your natural tone even if you have very dark or very light skin – not always easy with an under eye concealer. It also looks natural on aging skin, an issue with many other concealers which are perfect for younger women, but don’t help much with older ones.
The TimeBalm concealer is free of parabens and other questionable ingredients, and is a very satisfactory product. It’s not the best, but for the price it’s a good buy.
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Details of theBalm TimeBalm Concealer |
|
|---|---|
|
Size |
0.26 ounces |
|
Parabens |
No |
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiant Touch Concealer
We didn’t think a list like this would be complete without this extremely popular product, one of the best-selling cosmetics that YSL offers and a staple in many high-end salons. It was one of the first pen-style concealers ever released, and has become almost iconic over the years.
The Radiant Touch concealer is presented as more of a highlighter than a full coverage concealer, understandable considering the way it’s packaged although the product is actually just contained in the pen, and applied with an attached brush. It’s probably not the best choice to hide large, dark circles under your eyes, but it’s perfect for covering smaller blemishes or highlighting certain areas around the eyes. It can also be used to sculpt and thin the nose areas, plump lips and fill in smile lines, and for doing other “touch-up” work anywhere it’s needed, particularly around the T-zone.
The YSL concealer goes on easily and has a silky feel to it, so it’s quite easy to blend after application and has a very light feel on your face for many hours after it’s been applied. The best word that comes to mind when trying to describe the look of the Radiant Touch product is already in its name: radiant. It definitely contributes a “wide awake” look while adding an overall glow to the entire face. It doesn’t seep into fine lines, either.
Available in twelve shades from Ivory and Peach at one extreme and Toffee and Mocha at the other, this concealer has an option for nearly every skin color although it’s slightly more in harmony with darker skin tones.
The ingredients don’t include a laundry list of vitamins or botanicals intended to improve the health of the skin under your eyes or repair damage that’s already been done; this product is designed to conceal, not heal. Radiant Touch also contains parabens, which may understandably put some customers off. But Yves Saint Laurent has seen enormous success with this concealer over the years, with both celebrities and ordinary people willing to shell out $40 for this “golden pen” containing just 0.1 ounces – and YSL says one is sold around the world every ten seconds. It’s easy to see why.
|
Details of the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiant Touch Concealer |
|
|---|---|
|
Size |
0.1 ounces |
|
Parabens |
Yes |
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