The concealers you should never be without

Concealer is serious business. It’s the make-up product upon which I most rely, the one which gives me most confidence. That might seem mundane. It has none of the glamour of a stick of red lipstick, none of the drama of a smoked-out eyeliner, but concealer is a foundational product. Yes, more foundational than foundation.

It knows no gender – on a particularly exhausted or blemish-plagued day, concealer is a good option for anyone who just doesn’t feel like explaining to others they are not in fact ill, and we all know what it feels like to watch friends or colleagues converse with a huge spot on our face rather than looking us in the eye.

Concealer falls roughly into three categories – corrective concealers for under eyes, traditional blemish-cover products, and the hybrids which incorporate both. Good examples of the latter are rare, but wonderful when they work well. Trish McEvoy Correct and Even Full-Face Perfector (€46 at Harvey Nichols, Dublin) is an under-eye concealing product that I have not stopped using since trying it recently.

A corrector and concealer, it comes in four shades and is best applied underneath foundation. It erases dark circles almost magically. The texture is a little gluey, but this is a good thing – it dries down so that it doesn’t move, but it doesn’t ever get powdery or dry-looking.

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Sterling job

While I have not found a corrective under-eye concealer to beat the new offering from Trish McEvoy, Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer (€9.99 at Boots) also does a sterling job, and is very affordable.

Neither too wet nor too dry, it works well under or over foundation and goes a long way to concealing deep or bluish pigmentation under and around eyes.

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer (€30 at Brown Thomas) is an excellent hybrid, since it works as well under eyes as on blemishes. It is slightly viscous with a soft, blendable, shine-free finish and doesn’t dry to matte (a matte-finish concealer can look at odds if you prefer a dewier foundation) or settle in lines.

If a more traditional blemish cover product is what you seek, and you like a matte finish which draws attention away from what you want to cover, I have very effectively used NARS Soft Matte Concealer (€30 at Arnotts) to completely cover the consequences of some very questionable choices. It worked as well on a patch of pigmentation which always appears on my cheek in the summer months as it did on an especially angry hormonal spot which seethed from my chin. Despite the matte finish, this concealer never feels dry. Indeed, you can use it instead of foundation for a lovely, softly blurred candlelit complexion.

La Mer The Concealer (€70 at Brown Thomas) is an investment, but also a lovely concealer option for those who can afford it. It comes in a handy and quite classic stick form, and its very light shade works ideally on the palest skin tones.