My top 5 BEST DRUGSTORE Concealers (tiktok approved)
- sweetnessbeautyrev
- Mar 19
- 10 min read
Updated: Apr 1
I have been a long time user of high-end concealers, and I value a good concealer a lot. Concealer is the makeup product I like the most because I suffer heavily from hyper-pigmentation, uneven skin and dark circles. It makes me feel more confident on my bad days, and if a huge zit pops up unannounced in the morning before an interview I can still rest easy knowing my concealer will have my back and cover it. She is my best friend, my holy shrine. With that being said, high end products are EXPENSIVE. I use concealer almost every other day, so that £40 hourglass concealer is strictly for special occasions only. As a certified broke unemployed graduate I can't justify spending £40 every month just to top up one makeup product. I have more important things to spend that money on, like my linkedin premium subscription. Hence, I have recently been on the hunt to find the best drugstore concealers.
In this post I will be ranking my top 5 drugstore concealers. These concealers are a mix of products I have been a long time user of as well as have recently found through the internet (specifically tiktok). My top 5 concealers will be in order of worst to best (not saying any of these are bad as they all made it to my list, but some work better than others in my humble opinion). I will rank these on a scale out of 5 (1 being 'i want my money back' and 5 being 'take my bank')
PSA: All these products are tiktok approved regardless of whether I found them through tiktok or not!
L'Oreal Infallible 24h Concealer Rating: 3.75/5
In spot number 5 comes the L'Oreal Infallible 24h Concealer. This is a matte heavy coverage concealer. The formula is a bit like the Tarte shape tape but honestly not quite as great. However, for a budget version this is a pretty good alternative. My biggest problem with this one was that it was extremely drying (which is fair as it is matte heavy coverage), and it ended up creasing a bit by the end of the day because of this. Don't let my harsh judgement scare you away though, I would still highly recommend this for someone looking for a matte concealer as it is definitely one of the top runners for a budget, full coverage, matte concealer. Lets go through the pros and cons:
Pros
AMAZING Coverage with a thick formula
Silky application (quite easy to blend)
Long-wear
Decent shade range
Cons
Drying (This is quite expected as a matte concealer)
Can end up looking cakey if you use too much (because it is such a thick concealer)
Overall, I think it is fair to say this is a strong product. I've given it a 3.5/5 because of how drying it is. I would recommend this product for people with oily skin who look for full coverage and matte. I would also highly recommend prepping your skin well when you use this one. By good skin prep I'm talking about using a very hydrating under eye cream, moisturiser and primer. This will help the product to not dry out and crease throughout the day. I think it is important to also bare in mind that most matte full coverage concealers ARE drying, so it is quite common for heavy weight matte concealers to be prone to creasing, and this is a general con of going for a matte-full-cov concealer.
You can get the L'Oreal Infallible 24h Concealer from boots for a retail price of £10.99 (or Amazon/ any drugstore) here:
Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer
Rating: 4/5
In spot number 4 comes.....Maybeline Fit Me! If I had to describe this concealer in a word it would be 'Good'. I purchased this in the shades 10 and 20, and found that both shades worked very well with my skin (I have neutral/ coolish undertone). The first thing that struck me with the product was how cheap it is. At a whooping retail price of £6.99 it really is one of the most worth-it products on the market. Overall, as a concealer I would describe it as a midweight everyday one. It's for the girls who want to cover those dark circles and spots, but don't want to make it look like you've got makeup on. The formula is creamy, water-based, very easily blended, and feels airy. Lets dive into the pros and cons:
Pros
Cheap! (Even for a drug store concealer)
Creamy and lightweight, the perfect formula for 'No-makeup' makeup. (This concealer feels airy, looks like skin upon application, lasts better than most lightweight concealers)
I'm writing a bit more about this point because I think one of the best factors about this concealer is that Maybelline got the balance of producing a mid-light weight concealer with decent coverage really good. In general, lightweight concealers have pretty 'meh' coverage most of the time. So for a concealer that looks as airy and skin-like as this one, the coverage is a real good shout.
PSA: I'm not saying this has super amazing coverage and beats everything on this list, I'm just saying it's not bad for a liquid concealer.
Buildable
Silky application (Very easy to blend)
Cons
Wear throughout the day isn't amazing
The lasting power of this concealer is fine. Compared to a heavier weight concealer it of course doesn't have the same lasting power. I found that when I was using it and didn't re-apply throughout the day it would kind of come off/ react with the oil in my skin after a good 5-6 hours. Oily skin generally works worse with lighter weight concealers because the oil reacts with the water in the formula. However straight after application this looked amazing on my fresh skin.
Not pore blurring
Water is the first ingredient for this concealer. On the website it is described as a "natural coverage liquid concealer". If you are looking for a blurring concealer that fills in those pores this is not that. If you want something very natural looking then this is the drug store concealer. Concealers on the more watery side often show skin texture because water is simply too thin and light to fill anything in. However, if this is the concealer you need for your skin, then run, don't walk to maybelline.com because at a whooping 6.99 pound this is almost as good as it gets.
Overall, I would say Maybelline is the it girl brand. They've come out with some really great base products such as the 'Fit me' line foundations, their super stay skin tint and much more (Spoiler alert: Maybelline will be making a re-appearance). I've given this concealer a 4/5 because it really is the go-to 'no makeup' makeup concealer. I also think that it is important to note that a general pro of going for a Maybelline concealer is that they do neutral/ cool tones very well. This is something most brands surprisingly don't do very well (in my humble opinion) and so it's so refreshing to know that I can always fall back on their shade range.
You can get the Maybelline Fit Me! concealer at boots or anywhere really for a retail price of £6.99:
Elf Hydrating Camo Concealer
Rating: 4.5/5
Our bronze winner today is Elf Hydrating Camo concealer! In another life, Elf Hydrating Camo is a high-end queen living in a palace because she could really pass as one. This product is versatile: it's a formula that works with most skin types. It is a mid-heavy weight concealer, that has good coverage. Not to mention, it retails at £7 which means this concealer is on the lower end for price, and the better end for quality in terms of drugstore. Lets go through the pros and cons:
Pros
Cheap! (Even for a drug store concealer)
High coverage
Hydrating
I'd be lying if I said this was the most hydrating concealer to ever exist. It is hydrating- but I wouldn't confuse it for skincare/ something that can replace products that actually fully hydrate your skin. I would still highly recommend using with a hydrating primer if you have dry skin. I think this is a good option for people who want the coverage style that most matte concealers have, but don't want the complete dryness of it.
Creamy application - easy to blend
Good wear
Cons
May crease throughout day
Depending on your skin type, and how well you've prepped your skin this may crease. This concealer has never creased for me, but I have read reviews from people with dry skin saying that this creased. I'm going to be honest, I don't think these people applied a hydrating moisturiser before application or did any prep at all for that matter. If you have dry skin, my best tip is to make sure your skin is moisturised well before you apply this.
Overall, I love this concealer. Tiktok really like this concealer too. I've given it a 4.5/5 because of what a great experience I've had with it. It keeps my skin feeling nice and hydrated, but it's not too hydrating to the point where I feel like my skin is emitting oil. It lasts well throughout the day as well, and has fab coverage. The only thing I can kind of complain about is the fact that I tried a shade darker than my normal and it was too warm so I looked a bit orange.
You can get Elf Hydrating Camo concealer from Elf.com or anywhere really at a retail price of £7:
NYX Bare With Me Serum Concealer
Rating: 4.5/5
Our silver runner today is NYX Bare with me. I made a video about my top three drug store concealers and I actually put this one as number 3 (behind of Elf Hydrating Camo). I did this because I feel that the Elf Hydrating Camo concealer personally works better with my skin type (throughout the day) and the makeup look I normally go for (heavy). However, I've decided to put this in second place on this blog because I feel like it's more versatile and works better with ALL skin types. I would also like to say that in comparison to the Elf hydrating camo concealer, the initial finish of this concealer right after application looks better. The NYX Bare with me serum also includes skin care ingredients as well (Infused with tremella mushroom, cica, and green tea). This concealer definitely has better hydration than Elf Hydrating camo, it blends seamlessly and has good coverage. What else could a girl ask for? Now lets talk about the pros and cons:
Pros
Easy blend
Pore-less coverage and Natural finish
This concealer creates an amazing poreless finish on my skin. It somehow looks like a second dewy layer of skin, but fills in those pores and has a prettyy good coverage as well.
Amazing hydration
One of the main selling factors of this concealer is that I believe it is one of the most hydrating drugstore concealers on the market. If you have dry skin, then this might be the perfect concealer for you
Cons
Slippy wear throughout day (especially for oily skin)
A problem I had with this concealer is that the wear isn't amazing throughout the day. Coming from someone with combo/ oily skin this hydrating mix doesn't stay on my skin. Like I said previously, I think this would be less of a problem if you had dryer skin, but unfortunately for me the concealer wears-off a bit after a good 6-7+ hours.
I give this product a solid 4.5/5, and realistically I only took that 0.5 point off because of the lasting power of this product. It really disappointed me when the wear looked quite a bit different to how it looked when I first applied however Tiktok LOVED this product, and I'm sure most of you will too. I also want you guys to know that this has been a long time favourite/ well reviewed product way before tiktok hyped this up. The first time I tried this was in 2022, when I spontaneously walked into a drugstore and bought it after reading an article that recommended it. 3 years and who knows how many bottles later they weren't wrong!
You can get the NYX Bare With Me Serum concealer from boots or anywhere really at a retail price of £11.49:
Maybelline Anti-age Eraser Concealer
Rating: 4.75/5
Maybelline anti-age eraser concealer is basically drugstore royalty. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of this because it has been everything everywhere all at once since its release in 2010. Apparently one tube is sold every 5 seconds..In my opinion, this concealer is a staple for the makeup box. It is a tiktok favourite- the first time I used this concealer was when I was 16, and I've been purchasing ever it since. The reason why I put this as my no.1 is because it has an amazing brightening effect for the under eyes. I personally struggle with zombie-looking under eyes, and I found that this concealer is really one of the best to targets those areas. So.. If you struggle with under eye bags then this is the perfect concealer for you. It has a mid-weight formula that is also good for covering up imperfections on the face. Lets talk its pros and cons:
Pros
Buildable
This concealer works great straight onto the skin for a natural or full glam look meaning it's super versatile.
Brightening
Brightening properties means it is especially good at covering dark circles + blemishes.
Easy blend
Poreless
Good wear
Cons
Questionable applicator
A problem I (and many other reviewers on the internet) have is the applicator. The applicator is a sponge at the top of the stick. I question the hygiene factor of this, however this sponge does allow for even application onto the skin.
Gets used up quickly
I've personally found that I go through these concealer sticks like cups of water. If I were to use this concealer everyday, I believe I would go through one a month.
Overall, I believe this is everything you could want in a concealer. It has good wear whilst having a versatile, silky formula. It is by far the best concealer for the under-eyes (if you are looking for this property in particular), and it is a very solid piece to add to your makeup collection. I've given it a 4.75 because of how fast it runs out.
You can get the Maybelline anti-age eraser concealer from boots or any drugstore at a retail price of £9.99:
Alright pretties, that's it for today! I would highly recommend all the concealers on this list, and my best advice is to go for the one that is best suited for your skin type/ what your intended look is. My rating is based on what works best for MY skin. If you want something that looks more dewy go for either NYX serum, Maybelline fit me! or the Elf Hydrating one. If you want something that has good coverage/ the brightening effect go for Maybelline Anti-age Eraser and if you want a super matte then go for L'Oreal Infallibale. See you guys next time and I'm sorry this took so long to come out I've been super busy! (forgive me)
Best,
Miss Priss 💋
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