If you're perpetually sleep-deprived or were born with a purple-blue tint under your eyes (hi, yes, me), you know the power of an exceptional under-eye concealer. A high-quality, multi-tasking concealer can instantly brighten skin and soften dark shadows along the delicate eye area. Whether you need a formula that can withstand humid climates (NYC in the summer heat is brutal) or want a concealer specifically equipped for mature skin, hunting for the best under-eye concealer can be daunting—to say the least.
To make everything a million times easier, the Marie Claire beauty team read every review, swiped on (almost) every single cult-favorite concealer on the market, and called on professional makeup artists Erin Parsons, Olivia Madorma, and Grace Balsamo for their best shopping tips, and of course, to reveal their holy grail under-eye concealer picks.
We narrowed the plethora of options down to the absolute best under-eye concealer formulas you're guaranteed to use, and love, on a daily basis. From luxury options to tried-and-true drugstore concealers, we selected the products that are guaranteed to address all of your under-eye needs this season.
Under-Eye Concealers at a Glance
- The Best Under-Eye Concealers
- What to Look For in Under-Eye Concealers
- How to Apply Under-Eye Concealers
- Meet the Experts
The Best Under-Eye Concealers
- Best Overall Under-Eye Concealer: Tarte Double Duty Shape Tape Contour Concealer
- Best Drugstore Concealer: Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser
- Best Under-Eye Concealer for Dark Circles: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
- Best Full-Coverage Under-Eye Concealer: NYX Professional Makeup Can't Stop Won't Stop Contour Concealer
- Best Under-Eye Concealer for Mature Skin: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer
- Best Brightening Under-Eye Concealer: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat All-Over Brightening Pen
In case 30,000 five-star reviews don't speak for themselves, maybe you'll be wooed by the fact that this cult-favorite concealer is filled with Amazonian clay (to soak up skin oils to prevent midday slippage), plus hydrating shea butter, olive oil, and sunflower seed oil to keep skin dewy and hydrated all day long. MC's own Fashion Features Editor Emma Childs calls this concealer "magic," adding, "Its dermatologist-tested formula delivers tenfold on its promise of crease-free 16-hour wear, and I was astounded by how masterfully it lightened my purple-hued under-eyes."
Coverage: Full
Finish: Natural Matte
Key Ingredients: Shea butter, mango butter (hydrating), licorice root (brightening)
Available Shades: 37
What We Love: Editor-approved; great for dark circles; provides a brightening effect; non-creasing; long-wearing; dermatologist-tested; extensive shade range; waterproof; vegan.
What We Don't: The bottle gets messy with use.
All right, this won't actually erase dark circles or rewind the clock, (because this isn't Harry Potter, and for that, we are sorry), but this creamy formula is the next best thing. "I love the formula because it keeps the skin fresh, doesn’t sink into fine lines and wrinkles, yet provides a medium coverage," explains Parsons. Dab and sweep the spongey puff under your eyes, around your nose, and anywhere else you want the goji berry and haloxyl-spiked formula to brighten and smooth.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Goji berry (brightening), haloxy (improves tone)
Available Shades: 16
What We Love: Easy to apply with sponge-tip applicator; great for dark circles; hydrating formula; buildable coverage.
What We Don't: Limited shade range.
Makeup artists, Jennifer Lopez, Kendall Jenner, and I swear by this liquid concealer thanks to its full-coverage yet lightweight finish. It's like a shot of espresso to your eyes. "This is the concealer I most often reach for when working on deeper skin tones. The formula is beautiful but even better, the color range is vast with many different undertones," says Parsons. "I find it great for coverage, brightening and sculpting the face." Madorma also counts herself a fan, calling it her "absolute go-to."
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural Radiant
Key Ingredients: Vitamin E (hydrating)
Available Shades: 30
What We Love: Great for dark circles; provides a brightening effect; suitable for all skin types; long-wearing; non-creasing; extensive shade range; hydrating formula.
What We Don't: Reviews say the product runs out quickly.
Sometimes, you just need extra help illuminating that dull area under your eyes and at the tops of your cheeks. Create an instant lift with NYX's affordable option. Madorma suggests opting for a shade or two lighter than your natural skin tone for a brightening effect in seconds. This affordable pick is especially great if you have oily skin or deep shadows under your eyes. Its full-coverage power effortlessly took care of my dark circles, and its matte finish kept me shine-free all day long.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Matte
Key Ingredients: No key ingredients
Available Shades: 24
What We Love: Extensive shade range; waterproof; blendable; vegan; offers full coverage; lightweight; non-creasing.
What We Don't: May be drying for some.
Show your skin some love with this full-coverage, long-lasting concealer. The formula's mix of peptides, antioxidants, collagen, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins will improve the appearance of wrinkles and cover discoloration and blemishes. I will say the formula is on the thicker side, so a tiny dab is all I need for maximum coverage. My tube has lasted me a long time.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Peptides, hyaluronic acid (hyrdating)
Available Shades: 24
What We Love: Great for dark circles; waterproof; long-wearing; hydrating formula; a little goes a long way.
What We Don't: May crease if you use too much.
Your eyes will never look dull again if this little pen has anything to do with it. Promising "eight hours of sleep with the click of a pen" (uh, in my wildest dreams, right?), this cult-favorite cream is infused with light-reflecting—but never shimmery or glittery—minerals that brighten with every swipe. "I use this concealer on top of regular concealer to provide a brightening effect without adding too much coverage," says Parsons. "I find the best way to use it is to apply a dab and let it set for about 30 seconds before blending. This allows the product to thicken and produce a seamless blend."
Coverage: Light
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Marigold, Moroccan calendula extract (soothing)
Available Shades: 14
What We Love: Provides a brightening effect; great for dark circles; buildable coverage; easy to apply with brush tip; suitable for all skin types.
What We Don't: Limited shade range for darker skin tones.
Other Under-Eye Concealers We Love
Sometimes a light wash of color on the under-eye area is all you need to look refreshed. This sheer, lightweight concealer works well as long as your dark circles aren't too intense and you just need a subtle boost. It also helps to improve your skin's brightness and elasticity over time with skin-loving ingredients like vitamin C, squalane, and hyaluronic acid. If you have oily skin, try setting this one with powder so it doesn't crease.
Coverage: Light
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Vitamin C (brightening), squalane, hyaluronic acid (hydrating)
Available Shades: Seven
What We Love: Provides a brightening effect; formulated with extra skincare ingredients; clean and vegan formula; roller ball applicator gently massages eyes to depuff; hydrating formula.
What We Don't: Very limited shade range; can appear cakey if too much is applied.
You may know Anastasia Beverly Hills for its eyebrow-enhancing products, but let us draw your attention to this great concealer. This smooth creamy formula has a lightweight feel that you can build up from medium to full coverage without settling or caking. "It'll help blur pores, fine lines, and undereye wrinkles while brightening under your eyes for a refreshed, natural look," says Beauty Editor Samantha Holender. "The formula also includes light-reflecting ingredients to blur any imperfections just like your favorite Instagram filter."
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Glycerin (hydrating), licorice root (brightening)
Available Shades: 25
What We Love: Extensive shade range; buildable coverage; provides a brightening and blurring effect; non-creasing; vegan; blendable; long-wearing.
What We Don't: May be too matte for dry skin.
This stick concealer has been my favorite drugstore concealer for six years straight and for a good reason. The formula is so ridiculously creamy that it melts into your skin from the moment you swipe it on, making it easily buildable without any caking. But the biggest draw is its imperceptible light-reflecting pigments, which leave you with a soft, diffused finish.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Octinoxate, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide (sun protection)
Available Shades: Six
What We Love: Blendable; offers high coverage; travel-friendly; great for dark circles; provides sun protection of SPF 20.
What We Don't: Very limited shade range.
Do away with unwanted imperfections with this complexion-smoothing formula. The iconic Hourglass Vanish Airbrush concealer has 16-hour staying power and glides on with ease. Spherical micro powders brighten the under-eye area and create a blurring effect for a real-life airbrush finish. Just about the entire MC team is obsessed with this concealer, but no one more so than our Fashion E-Commerce Editor, Julia Marzovilla, who calls it her "holy grail."
Coverage: Full
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Reflective microspherical powders (airbrush finish), licorice root extract (brightening), squalane (hydrating)
Available Shades: 22
What We Love: Long-wearing; waterproof; non-creasing; provides a brightening effect; great applicator; suitable for all skin types; vegan.
What We Don't: Some reviewers note it creases with dry skin types.
If you're on TikTok, you know about Kosas's concealer. "It's worth the buzz," notes Marzovilla. "The texture is super lightweight, and the coverage is virtually undetectable on the skin." Balsamo keeps this pick stashed in her makeup kit and says, "I love it for its clean ingredients and super hydrating formula. It's really buildable and generally is great on most skin types."
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Key Ingredients: Caffeine (brightening), hyaluronic acid, peptides (hydrating)
Available Shades: 38
What We Love: Extensive shade range; great for dark circles; non-creasing; hydrating formula; provides a brightening effect; made with skincare ingredients.
What We Don't: May crease if you apply too much.
Do Charlotte Tilbury products ever miss? We think not. The ultra-creamy formula makes it a dream to blend out, with coverage that's so easy to build up for your individual needs. The best part is the finish. Once set, this concealer looks just like my skin only 1000 times better, and the effect lasts the entire day.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural Radiant
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid (hydrating), niacinamide (smoothing), vitamin C (brightening)
Available Shades: 30
What We Love: Hydrating formula; long-wearing; waterproof; extensive shade range; made with skincare ingredients; buildable coverage; non-creasing.
What We Don't: Has a slight sparkle.
This. Stuff. Is. Magical. The lightweight formula (which feels almost like a balm) is part color corrector, part eye primer, and part concealer, meaning it not only smooths fine lines and hides redness, but also brightens dark circles with its peachy undertones. A little goes a long way here. Gently tap a bit under your eyes with your fingers to quickly color-correct. And if you need a little more coverage, layer your favorite concealer on top. Either way, you'll achieve a mega-watt bright effect.
Coverage: Light
Finish: Natural Radiant
Key Ingredients: Vitamin E (hydrating)
Available Shades: 10
What We Love: Multi-use formula; great for dark circles; non-creasing; waterproof; provides a brightening effect; suitable for all skin types.
What We Don't: Limited shade range for darker skin tones.
Give your under-eyes a second-skin effect with Dior Skin's concealer. With its moisture-enriched and natural finish formula, it smooths fine lines, conceals dark circles, and stays put—no setting powder necessary. While this pick is on the pricier side, it delivers on its promise of 24-hour wear, plus you get a ton of product for the price. Another bonus? This concealer is a pro at blurring large pores.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Natural Radiant
Key Ingredients: Iris extract (hydrating), wild pansy extract (soothing), yarrow extract (brightening and smoothing)
Available Shades: 30
What We Love: Long-wearing; hydrating formula; multi-use formula; great for dark circles; provides a blurring effect; a little goes a long way.
What We Don't: May be drying for some.
Leave it to Rihanna to drop 50 shades of incredible concealers that'll exceed your coverage expectations, and stay in place all freakin' day. I'm convinced this sweat-proof formula is made with a magical potion that won't move to save a life. As if this concealer couldn't get better, it's also completely vegan, and it keeps your skin comfortably hydrated throughout the day.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Matte
Key Ingredients: Glycerin (hydrating)
Available Shades: 50
What We Love: Extensive shade range; long-wearing; suitable for all skin types; non-creasing; vegan.
What We Don't: Dries quickly; may be drying to some.
For those looking to spot conceal or cover up dark circles, a creamy pot concealer like this one will be your new best friend. This beloved buildable cream concealer will hide dark circles, redness, and discoloration to give you a natural, radiant look. Even better? The formula contains coconut and jojoba oils to soften, soothe, and hydrate your skin. Thanks to its ultra creamy finish, all you need is your finger to blend this concealer out, but a dense, flat brush works, too.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Key Ingredients: Coconut oil, castor seed oil, jojoba seed oil (hydrating)
Available Shades: 16
What We Love: Buildable coverage; blendable; non-creasing; made with skincare ingredients; vegan; hydrating formula.
What We Don't: Limited shade range.
We all could use a little luxury in our lives. Chanel's Le Correcteur De Chanel Longwear Concealer is a favorite of Madorma's, who says it "has the best shade range and such a beautiful formula." In terms of texture, it's a lightweight gel-based concealer with buildable medium coverage. It applies silky smooth, too, and once it's set, it has a radiant, skin-like finish. We say this one is well worth the splurge.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural Radiant
Key Ingredients: Glycerin (hydrating)
Available Shades: 28
What We Love: Lightweight; buildable coverage; long-wearing; provides a blurring effect.
What We Don't: May be drying to some.
"This medium to light coverage concealer has had me in a chokehold since high school. I swear, the luxury concealer enthusiasts always give me the side-eye when I mention that my favorite is the L.A. Girl Pro Concealer—like I need to 'graduate' from it," says Ashlyn Delaney, Marie Claire's Associate Social Editor. "But honestly, it’s the perfect consistency and shade for my caramel complexion! It doesn’t crease and provides just the right amount of coverage for that no-makeup makeup look."
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Matte
Key Ingredients: Sodium hyaluronate (hydrating)
Available Shades: 30
What We Love: Lightweight; buildable coverage; long-wearing; non-creasing; built-in, brush-tip applicator.
What We Don't: Some say the shades do not match the online description.
What to Look For in Under-Eye Concealer
- Ingredients
If you’re on the hunt for a great under-eye concealer, you’ll quickly realize that there are about a million different options on the market, so how do you weed out the good from the bad? Take a look at the ingredient list. Balsamo says ingredients with hydrating and emulsifying properties are a must-have in an under-eye concealer. “Emulsifying ingredients help smooth the skin and fill fine texture and lines,” she explains. “A good one to look out for is dimethicone.”
Madorma seconds this, adding that hyaluronic acid and castor seed oil are the two ingredients she always looks for in an under-eye concealer. "The castor seed oil will help smooth out texture and keep the under-eye hydrated throughout the wear time,” she explains. Meanwhile, “the hyaluronic acid will help with any imperfections under the eye, and together they will work great!”
- Texture
Both Balsamo and Madorma agree that to find the perfect under-eye concealer, you have to match the concealer’s texture with your skin type and needs. For example, Balsamo explains that for mature skin, a thin, hydrating formula will prevent creasing, while those with oily skin would benefit from a matte formula that “also helps prevent mascara from transferring from bottom lashes to the skin by eliminating excess oil or moisture.”
For specific skin concerns such as dark circles, blemishes, scarring, or pigmentation, Madorma recommends a pot concealer (such as RMS Beauty’s “Un” Cover-Up Concealer, above). She says, “They are extremely pigmented, creamy, and work well on top of makeup and underneath to cover any blemish.” But if you’re looking for light under-eye coverage or added brightness, Madorma says to use a liquid or pen formula since these are “so hydrating and easy to blend.” All in all, consider your skin needs first before weighing your under-eye concealer options.
How to Apply Under-Eye Concealer
As much as we would love to, you can’t just apply a little concealer to your under eyes and call it a day. Without the proper preparation and technique, you’ll likely end up with a whole lot of creasing, which no one wants. Instead, follow these pro tips below for a flawless under-eye application every time.
- “Prepping your canvas,” as Balsamo calls it, with skincare is the most important step to applying under-eye concealer. “Using an eye cream with brightening and smoothing agents will really boost your concealer’s results.”
- Then, if needed, Madorma goes in with any concealer a shade darker and with a peachy undertone to color-correct any darkness or blue tint under the eye. Ensure you blend that out and let it dry before using your under-eye concealer.
- Use your under-eye concealer in either your actual skin tone, or one to two shades lighter for added brightness. “Work with little amounts when applying and add coverage as needed,” Madorma recommends. “This will make any makeup application look natural and flawless!”
- Finally, finish off with just a touch of powder to set (if you prefer), and you’re on your way to flawless under eyes.
Meet the Experts
Erin Parsons love of vintage beauty is splashed across her videos on TikTok, on which she boasts over 1.7 million followers. At one point serving as Pat McGrath's assistant, Erin is now one of the industry's leading makeup artists having worked with brands such as Maybelline, Schiaparelli, Calvin Klein, Stuart Weitzman, and Bloomingdales. Some of her clientele include Gigi and Bella Hadid, Julia Fox, Coco Rocha, and Storm Reid.
Olivia Madorma is quickly building up her own client list of celebrities, models, and social media influencers like Anastasia Karanikolaou, Sistine Stallone, Olivia Jade, and the D'Amelio sisters. She creates soft glam looks that are accentuated with glowing skin and metallic accents.
Grace is a professional Los Angeles makeup artist with an affinity for all things beauty. Grace pursued her passion for beauty and graduated from the Cinema Makeup School where she was certified in high fashion makeup. Trained in beauty, commercial, print, high fashion, bridal, and lifestyle, Grace has over six years of experience in the industry. Her makeup expertise ranges from red carpet events such as the Oscar's and Emmy's to music videos and weddings.
With experience in model making and miniature building in the film/TV industry, Grace also works and studies under Oscar-winning artists such as Alec Gillis and Ian Hunter. Grace Carries her excellent attention to detail and artistic eye into the beauty world.
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