The 10 Best Concealers for Contouring
Concealers are one of the hardest-working items in our makeup bag. They can magically erase under-eye circles to help you fake a full night’s sleep, hide a breakout, and fake an even skin tone. But there’s one method you might be missing out on, and that’s using the best concealers for contouring. The makeup multitasker can also be used to contour and highlight your face.
The best concealers for contouring have just the right formula. You don’t want one that’s too dewy, since it doesn’t have as much staying power, or one that’s too dry, as that makes it harder to blend, which means the results won’t be as natural-looking. You’ll need two concealers to contour and highlight. To sculpt and contour, you’ll want one that’s two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Make your face seem more chiseled and add depth by applying it under your jawline, around the temples, under the cheekbones and around the temples. To highlight and brighten your face, you’ll want a concealer that’s one shade lighter, and you can use it to illuminate the inner corners of the eyes, top of the cheekbones and down the center of the nose to fake a slimmer nose. Then, blend to perfection to ensure a natural look.
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Now that you know the essentials, shop the best concealers for contouring.
1. Yves Saint Laurent Beauté Touché Éclat All-Over Brightening Concealer Pen
Long before contouring and highlighting were all over social media, the Yves Saint Laurent Beauté Touché Éclat All-Over Brightening Concealer Pen was used to sculpt the face. The OG makeup staple reached cult-favorite status years ago, making it one of the best concealers for contouring and highlighting. Its light-reflecting technology delivers a gorgeous glow that’s sheer and shimmer-free. The liquid concealer is designed to be used all over the face and has plenty of skin-loving ingredients, including hyaluronic acid to plump and hydrate, Moroccan calendula extract to protect and soothe, and vitamin E for antioxidants.
2. Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer
Its name makes it obvious that the Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer is meant to do a lot more than your average concealer. The full-coverage, buildable, long-wear concealer can be used to conceal, contour, highlight and retouch. No matter how much you dab on, the versatile formula will never crease, delivering weightless, flawless wear. Its vast shade range is equally impressive. It also boosts skin while you wear it thanks to hyaluronic acid, alpine rose to aid overall skin health and coconut water for moisture.
3. Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
As one of the most beloved concealers out there, the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer just may be the answers to all of your sculpting and illuminating needs. The full-coverage formula earns its popularity for lifting, firming, brightening and smoothing skin, essentially working like a filter to blur fine lines. The vegan formula blends like a dream and will stay put all day sans any creasing or flaking. As one of the best concealers for contouring, it also nourishes skin with mango seed butter to guard from free radical damage, shea butter to boost elasticity, and licorice root extract to color correct and brighten.
4. Clé De Peau Beauté Concealer SPF 25
As the gold standard for stick concealers, the Clé De Peau Beauté Concealer SPF 25 is also one of the best concealers for contouring. Incredibly creamy, it glides right onto skin for the full coverage and perfect finish you crave. Infused with hydrating ingredients, it also has chestnut rosa fruit extract and green tea extract to fight oxidation. The light-absorbing formula erases imperfections while its texture allows it to mask raised skin.
5. Bobbi Brown Instant Full Coverage Concealer
The key to the best concealers for contouring is their blendability, which is what makes the Bobbi Brown Instant Full Coverage Concealer a favorite. Even though it’s opaque, the formula is easy to play with. Super lightweight, because it’s packed with pigment you only need a dab of it to cover even the darkest circles. Since the formula is water-, sweat- and humidity-resistant, it’ll stay right where you want it and look fresh all day.
6. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer makes every best of list for good reason. Boasting an expansive shade range, you’ll find the right match for every complexion and undertone. The award-winning concealer lasts for up to 16 hours and does it all — it corrects, contours and highlights. Fine lines, breakouts and any other imperfections are instantly masked with the medium coverage liquid formula. It’s infused with a blend of botanicals — specifically magnolia bark extract, grape seed extract and vitamin E — to moisturize, firm and strengthen skin.
7. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Underpainting Color Correction Palette
Instead of buying extra concealers in lighter and darker shades, you could just opt for the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Underpainting Color Correction Palette and be all set. It includes all the shades you need to conceal, contour and highlight, and you can even custom blend the four tones to get the exact hue you need. The creamy concealers are buildable and boast impressive color correction to erase darkness, redness and dullness.
8. Urban Decay Stay Naked Correcting Concealer
The Urban Decay Stay Naked Correcting Concealer is designed to do it all, from covering up a breakout to making your cheekbones pop. Packed with pigment, a little goes a long way with this lightweight concealer that leaves a natural, matte finish and has staying power for up to 24 hours. Meant to be buildable, you can use the unique wave-tip applicator to get just the right amount — the flat side is meant for light, exact application and the curve delivers a bigger dollop.
9. L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Concealer
Regardless of its drugstore steal status, the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Concealer is an easy-to-blend formula that will make contouring so much easier. It feels so light on skin, yet it can conceal or correct whatever needs to be camouflaged. It promises up to 16 hours of coverage and the radiant formula will leave your skin glowing, making it ideal as a highlighter, too.
Buy: L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Glow Concealer $7.95
10. Maybelline New York Fit Me Liquid Concealer
Whether you’re looking to sharpen your jawline or hide a scar, the Maybelline New York Fit Me Liquid Concealer gets the job done. Its effortless blendability is what makes it one of the best concealers for contouring. It’ll appear fresh all day long, leaving skin looking naturally flawless.
Buy: Maybelline New York Fit Me Liquid Concealer $3.68
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