Best concealers tried and tested: Deal with dark circles and blemishes

One of the foundational items in our makeup bags, concealer is something many of us have been using since our early teens.

If you grew up in the 90s, this may have been in the form of drugstore favourites from Maybelline or Revlon and was liberally applied to cover redness, blemishes and what we thought were dark circles back then (little did we know!). It gave us the confidence we felt we needed to face the day.

Concealer’s purpose may not have changed much over the years, called upon to disguise the effects of sleepless nights, acne breakouts or hyperpigmentation to even out the complexion - but the formulas have come a long way since the flaking, drying textures of decades past.

The latest innovation sees products that sit virtually undetectable on the skin, concealing without giving the game away. These products are all about enhancing natural beauty in a subtle way. No-makeup makeup at its finest.

There’s now a concealer for every skin type, texture preference, level of coverage, and concern as well as those with colour correction. This makes the selection process a challenge. To filter out unsuitable options, it’s important to identify first and foremost the coverage that you are looking for; light (to brighten), medium or full (to mask).

You can where you list your colour from a familiar brand to work out the perfect match from a different brand you want to try. Dry skin types may want to stick to creamy, hydrating products, while those with oilier complexions may prefer matte.