Say Goodbye to Dark Circles and Fine Lines—These Concealers Are Perfect for Mature Skin (2024)

TL;DR

Our Top Picks

Coverage: Medium | Shades: 22 | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: No

Armani set expectations high with the name “Luminous Silk,” but this concealer doesn’t disappoint. Enriched with caffeine to brighten the under-eyes, vitamin E to nourish and reduce puffiness, and glycerin for a dose of hydration, the formula definitely checks the skincare benefits box. Easy to apply and blend, our tester loved its natural yet dewy finish—so much so that she skipped setting powder. The concealer has a mature-skin-friendly light/medium coverage level but is buildable enough to cover dark spots without the addition of foundation. It didn’t crease or settle into lines either and created a blurring effect that seemed to smooth wrinkles. On top of all that, the formula even left her under-eyes looking bright and radiant. In short: There’s nothing this concealer can’t do.

Nikki, a tester with combination skin: “My skin felt great and had a luminous, healthy glow.”

Coverage: Medium | Shades: 31 | Finish: Radiant | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This concealer from Haus Labs by Lady Gaga has been creating a buzz on social media for good reason. Its “flexible pigment” shade range adapts to your skin tone, improving the look of your complexion instantly. Meanwhile, a plethora of skin-loving ingredients, including brightening niacinamide, soothing arnica, and hydrating hyaluronic acid, soften fine lines and depuff the under-eye area with two weeks of use. Our tester described this as a thicker formula and used a damp beauty sponge to blend it out and add extra moisture. A little goes a long way, and she was able to get seamless coverage in blemishes and dark circles with a small amount of product. The concealer didn’t crease or settle into fine lines—in fact, it produced a slight blurring and smoothing effect on the under-eyes that she really appreciated.

Sophia, a tester with combination skin: “I like that it didn't crease on my under-eyes!”

Coverage: Medium | Shades: 50 | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

As we age and our skin loses plumpness, our under-eye dark circles can start to look particularly pronounced. This formula does a stellar job of covering them, according to our tester. The wand applicator has a fine-pointed tip, which is perfectly suited to accessing the delicate hollow areas around the eyes, and one dot of this creamy concealer was all it took to cover dark circles and sun spots. The formula is on the thicker side but still felt lightweight on her skin, and once properly blended it created a diffused look, softening fine lines and pores. It also held up beautifully all day with its natural looking finish.

Caitlyn, a tester with oily skin: “It sort of created a soft filter on my skin, so my pores aren't visible and neither are blemishes or dark circles.”

Coverage: Medium | Shades: 22 | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you’ve got sensitive skin, then this formula, which contains 90% naturally derived ingredients and is fragrance-free, is one to reach for. It promises to soothe and hydrate the skin with glycerin and White Water Lily Extract, creating a plumping effect that mature skin types will appreciate. However, our tester, who is 59 years old, applied it on top of a good moisturizing cream for extra slip and blendability. After gently dabbing the concealer under her eyes, she used a brush to smooth out any product that was sitting in her wrinkles, layering it as needed for the perfect amount of coverage. The result was an airbrushed effect that illuminated her face and made her eyes pop. One application was enough for the whole day.

Lynn, a tester with dry skin: “It blurred out the hollows of my eyes and illuminated them just the way I like.”

Coverage: Full | Shades: 27 | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Avid exercisers and those in humid environments will appreciate this waterproof formula, which promises to stay put for 24 hours. Regardless, everyone can benefit from a formula with this much sticking power. Our tester was impressed by the full coverage formula, which was thick enough to cover any problem areas but remained natural-looking. It blended seamlessly on her skin and created a noticeable brightening effect under her eyes. The formula is on the thicker side, and it’s easy to overapply, causing creasing. Finding the perfect amount can take trial and error, and our tester recommends dabbing it little by little with a gentle fingertip until the desired coverage level is achieved.

Elena, a tester with combination skin: “I love the coverage—it just does so much to cover up the areas I want covered without looking cakey.”

Coverage: Full | Shades: 18 | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This clean vitamin E and hyaluronic acid-enriched formula provides full coverage to seamlessly disguise discoloration and blemishes for up to 12 hours. Our tester says it’s best applied on top of minimal skincare (ideally just a primer), or it tends to pill. Although billed as a full-coverage formula, it’s more medium in her opinion—but is buildable for full coverage. The concealer did a great job of covering dark spots on our tester’s cheekbones and had a matte finish that looked natural on her skin. It didn’t settle into fine lines and pores, although it did feel a little drying by the end of the day.

Janice, a tester with dry skin: “This does a great job of concealing my blemishes and discoloration, and I don't need to use a lot of product to do it.”

Coverage: Medium | Shades: 18 | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you need a reliable concealer that’s budget-friendly, add this Maybelline pick to your shopping cart. Click the hydrating formula into the sponge applicator and dab it on to conceal, highlight, and contour as needed. On the face of it, the sponge tip is useful, but our tester said it wasn’t an efficient tool for blending, so keep an additional brush or beauty sponge handy. The creamy formula is pretty light on coverage but she found it buildable enough to cover discoloration and blemishes. It worked like a dream under her eyes, drying with a nice, even-toned matte finish.

ElizaBeth, a tester with combination skin: “I liked the way it worked under my eyes. It made them look very good and covered up dark circles.”

Coverage: Medium | Shades: 20 | Finish: Natural | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Dark spots can be annoyingly stubborn. Lighten them day by day with this multipurpose serum concealer from Ilia, which is infused with vitamin C, mastic, and Persian silk tree bark to brighten and smooth the complexion. Our tester knew she’d found a great concealer at first swipe. Despite its featherweight texture, the formula delivered full-coverage results, camouflaging dark spots, under-eye discoloration, and redness on her cheeks. It has a natural finish that doesn’t settle into fine lines or pores, and it was really gentle on our tester’s sensitive skin. The only downside is that the formula does wear off throughout the day. With a little setting powder, it looks perfect for around six hours, so carry the product with you for touch-ups.

Mia, a tester with dry-sensitive skin: “It truly had the perfect finish right off the bat!”

FAQ

• What's the best way to apply concealer to mature skin?

  Start with a less-is-more approach. Williams prefers to apply concealer on top of foundation. “It allows me to see what I can cover with the least amount of product,” she explains. “If I do need concealer on top, I can cover at that point, but it tends to require less product, which equals less creasing.”

  The Vike sisters recommend gently tapping the concealer onto your skin with a fingertip and using a damp makeup sponge to blend it.

• How can you stop concealer from creasing on mature skin, especially under the eyes?

  Start by applying a hydrating primer under the eyes. “It creates a barrier between your skin and the concealer so it won't break down or crease as quickly,” says Williams. Next, she advises dusting some talc-free powder over your face to set the look before finishing with an old theater trick: a spritz of rose water or Evian mist. “The powder and the water marry together and bond, keeping everything in place without adding heavy products,” she explains.

• What's the best type of concealer formula for mature skin?

  Mature skin types should steer clear of matte and satin finishes, “They're too drying, and you'll look cakey in an hour,” notes Williams. She recommends a concealer that’s midweight but buildable. It also needs to blend well—stiff or very thick formulas need not apply. “Finish-wise, I find most mature clients prefer a slightly emollient texture with a hit of dewiness,” Williams adds.