What Does Concealer Do? Under-Eye, Blemish and Colour-Correcting Use

Concealer is a high-pigment, small-area product. Where foundation covers the whole face lightly, concealer covers a specific problem heavily: dark circles, a blemish, redness around the nose, or the corners of the mouth.

Two Different Jobs

Under the eye you need a flexible, hydrating, light-reflecting formula — NARS Radiant Creamy ($34) is the classic. Thick, matte formulas crack in the fine skin there.

On a blemish you need the opposite: dry, matte, high-coverage, applied with a small brush and pressed rather than rubbed so the texture is not disturbed.

Colour Correcting

Colour theory decides the shade. Peach or orange cancels blue-purple dark circles on medium to deep skin; salmon works on fair skin. Green cancels red from acne or rosacea. Lavender brightens sallow yellow tones. Use it in a thin layer under, not instead of, your normal concealer.

Placement

The old upside-down triangle covers too much for most faces. Apply only where the shadow actually is — usually the inner corner and a short line under the lash — then blend the edges outward. Less product means less creasing.

Stopping Creases

Moisturise the eye area and let it absorb, use a small amount, and set with a fine translucent powder pressed with a small brush. Highlighter pens like YSL Touche Éclat ($42) are not concealers: they are light reflectors and cover almost nothing, so use them over concealer, not instead of it.

Price Reality

A $10 drugstore concealer and a $34 luxury one both cover. The difference is in texture, staying power in the eye area and how many shades exist. Because you use so little, a concealer typically lasts 8-12 months — which is also roughly its safe lifespan once opened.