I have a decently healthy relationship with aging. I’m okay with a forehead wrinkle or two and even welcome the crinkled charm of crow’s feet. But I absolutely draw the line at dark undereye circles. I won’t leave the house without touching them up, an obsession that’s cost me a pretty penny in cover-up. So this year, to be a little kinder on my wallet, I vowed to discover the best drugstore undereye concealers available.
In addition to polling the Camille Styles team, I scoured the web for glowing reviews and ratings, ultimately landing on nine absolute bangers of undereye concealers—with four true standouts—priced mercifully under $15.
Go ahead, treat your eyes to something fairly priced.
Featured image by Riley Reed.
How We Landed on the Best Undereye Concealers
I’m a makeup minimalist, but I take my concealer seriously. When I play it right, I can usually skip the foundation entirely. Because a good concealer should be able to literally cover it all—from redness and uneven skin tone to some light contouring—in addition to undereye bags.
My go-to concealer for a while has been the Brightening Concealer from Gee Beauty. After taking a master class from the founders (where I learned you should absolutely, despite popular belief, be putting concealer on your eyelids and inner eye corners), I was hooked on the luminous, vitamin-packed liquid. But at $38 a pop and with the rate I apply concealer, I was looking to pepper in a drugstore dupe to treat my dark circles.
Apart from my coworkers’ trusted recommendations, I purchased each product and gave them all a fair whirl on the ol’ eye area, aggressively judging their consistency, coverage, and creasing along the way.
The Best Drugstore Undereye Concealers in 2023
Every product is curated with care by our editors and we’ll always give an honest opinion, whether gifted or purchased ourselves. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
This was really light and lovely. I also deeply appreciate how thin and precise the wand is (many of the wands in our roundup are almost comically large).
What’s to Love: My skin felt hydrated, I never had to worry about creasing, and the product blended seamlessly into my skin.
What’s Not: The NYX concealer is great for layering, but if you like full coverage, you’ll probably blow through this bottle quickly.
“Y’all, I thought I had left behind my e.l.f. products in high school, but this concealer gets the job done. While I love the more expensive picks in my medicine cabinet (shoutout to Rare Beauty and Wander Beauty), this affordable option gives me the same lightweight finish plus added hydration. Whereas other products in the past have dried out within an hour—highlighting my lack of sleep rather than concealing it—this pick works perfectly with my tinted moisturizer for an all-day, dewy finish.” — Isabelle, Managing Editor
“This one is always packed in my purse and makeup bag for an on-the-go application. Not only does it hide dark circles, it’s super hydrating and the sponge application makes it apply so much more naturally and evenly distributed. I never feel like I’m wearing a concealer when I use this.” — Kelly, Contributing Editor
If you dig a matte finish, this is the concealer for you. It went on beautifully and would be so easy to layer or reapply throughout the day. I love it so much, I even included a picture of myself below (my right eye has been Neutrogena-ed).
What’s to Love: The finish is superb and I love the lipstick-like shape that makes it easy to apply on-the-go. An instant purse staple.
What’s Not: Given its name and its hyaluronic acid core, the Neutrogena concealer wasn’t nearly as hydrating as I would expect.
A little goes a long way with this one. It’s full coverage to the max and isn’t going to go anywhere. L’Oreal’s concealer went on a little drier than I would have liked, but the product is designed for oily, acne-prone skin.
What’s to Love: The full-coverage concealer can cover everything you want in one easy swoop and would be a great option if you’re looking to skip the foundation.
What’s Not: I didn’t love the way it settled—it felt almost a little sticky. And given how the large wand swipes on at once, it can feel a bit like face paint.
I didn’t know it was possible, but I got a shade that was too light for my deeply pale skin. Now I know just how porcelain concealers can go. That being said, the consistency was beautiful, offering the same full coverage as the L’Oreal Infallible concealer with a bit more hydration.
What’s to Love: The coverage is killer and there was nary a crease in sight as the day went on.
What’s Not: The product is thick and the wand is huge, making it a little tougher to blend and be precise.
The thick, full-coverage product takes a bit of work to blend in, but it may be worth it for the dose of anti-inflammatory niacinamide you get with each drop.
What’s to Love: Covering up blemishes with concealer can feel like you’re doing more harm than good, but you can feel a little better thanks to Makeup Revolution’s niacinamide.
What’s Not: While it looks great, it can feel a little too matte (almost chalky) after sitting on the skin for a while.
This dependable concealer gets the job done with ease, though it might go best with a bit of moisturizer first.
What’s to Love: It’s mixed with vitamin E and is cruelty-free.
What’s Not: There’s a bit of a paint-like smell going on here… based on some Amazon reviews, I know I’m not alone in thinking this.
This has a beautiful silky feel to it without being greasy. Unlike the Neutrogena stick, which I truly loved, I can actually feel the hyaluronic acid in this one.
What’s to Love: This swiped on so luxuriously. It’s hard to believe it’s just $7.
What’s Not: That being said, it also swipes on thick, and can take a bit of work to blend in.
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