Just when you think a product has reached the height of its capabilities, a new formulation comes around and changes the game forever. Case in point: what’s currently happening to concealer. For a long time, concealer has been the product to reach for to mask a blemish or hide dark circles. If you wanted to mix things up, you could opt for a concealer a couple shades lighter than your skin tone to brighten your under-eye area, but that’s about it.
The latest concealer formulation, however, has burst onto the scene and is here to stay. More and more, brands are making their concealers with light-reflecting ingredients, and the result is radiant, glowy skin that makes you look fresh-faced.
“Light-reflecting concealer is a luminous formula that works to hide imperfections and give radiance to the skin—think inner glow,” says makeup artist Sarah DiGisco. “Their reflective ingredients bounce the light where applied and give a blurring effect to minimize the appearance of fine lines and pores.”
It might seem like you could only use a light-reflecting concealer under your eyes, but it can actually be used all over. “For under the eye, the light-reflective qualities help to cancel out any darkness without having to add a color corrector,” says DiGisco. “Light-reflecting concealers are also great for hiding dark spots or spots that are healing.”
If you need to cover a raised blemish, DiGisco recommends opting for a more matte formula so you don’t end up attracting more attention to the spot you’re trying to cover. Light-reflecting concealers are perfect for brightening a dull complexion or adding radiance to your skin.
“This one in particular has squalane in it, which is my go-to for a complexion that needs surface hydration to last all day,” says DiGisco. “This formula has a skin-like finish and is light enough to be worn without foundation yet buildable if you want that extra coverage. Pro tip: After your skincare routine, skip foundation and head straight to concealer. Only put it where you need it, and feather out the edges to blend into the skin. Pair with the Rose Inc Solar Radiance Cream Highlighter for juicy editorial skin.
Charlotte Tilbury’s newest complexion product has a radiant finish to visibly add brightness to skin. Packed with other skin-friendly ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid, it also hydrates and smooths while giving you a real-skin finish.
Consider this pen your magic eraser for dark circles. Specifically formulated with dark circles in mind, it contains a signature optical brightening technology that reflects light.
With tons of hydrating ingredients and linoleic acid and vitamin E for skin-barrier support, this eye-cream-and-concealer hybrid works overtime to add luminosity under your eyes. It’s best use sandwiched between your regular eye cream and concealer to add radiance.
Hydrating ingredients like squalane and glycerin quench your skin while brightening ingredients like tomato extract and licorice root extract add radiance. This one also works to blur imperfections while it brightens.
This light-coverage concealer is the perfect way to add an IRL filter to skin. It’s hydrating and easy to apply.
This concealer truly dries down to look like your skin. The radiant finish gives you super-dewy skin.
Made with light-reflecting powders, this flexible, weightless concealer adds tons of radiance to skin.
If you’ve ever wished your concealer were more like eye cream, this is the product for you. Not only does this formula impart tons of brightness to skin, but it also hydrates, fights dark circles, and soothes skin.
This concealer has filter-like technology in it that helps bounce light off your face. It blurs and softens skin instantly.
Not only does this concealer hide imperfections, but it also has tone-balancing powders that help even everything out. Plus, the creamy finish is unmatched.
