The 8 Best Concealer Brushes for the Most Flawless Base Application
Dark Circles? Pimples? These bad boys will cover it all.
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I have some of the darkest under-eyes out there—like seriously. If I could only wear one makeup product for the rest of my life, I would undoubtedly choose a hydrating concealer. And as a gal with permanent (and nearly purple) eye bags, I’ve tried every hack to create a filter-like finish around the area. Every full coverage concealer, makeup sponge, and color corrector out there has rotated through my vanity, and the number one hack to cover up those dark circles? A concealer brush.
Yes, your fingers or a beauty sponge can do the trick, but a concealer brush is even better at distributing the formula without absorbing too much of the product. And to help you find the best concealer brushes out there, we tapped makeup artist Dani Parkes and our very own beauty editors to give us the best recs and advice. Take a peek at some of our faves, below!
There’s more where that came from! Whether you’re masking some puffiness and dark circles, or simply covering up some blemishes, these are the best concealer brushes to create a streakless, flawless finish. Plus, see below for some application tips to get your concealer looking as fab as possible.
Pros
- Plays well with all concealers
- Great for full coverage formulas
- Angled
Cons
- Thick bristles makes it a little challenging to wash, as per editor's experience
Yup, this is the one that turned me into a concealer brush convert thanks to its ability to cover everything from acne to dark circles, and Cosmo’s beauty editor Beth Gillette wholeheartedly agrees. “This angled brush gets into the itty-bitty inner corner of my under-eyes where I'm prone to darkness, and (!!) the bristles are super densely packed, which helps load on the coverage,” she explains. “No matter which concealer I'm wearing, as long as I'm using this brush, I notice major brightness under my eyes.”
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Concealer Brush
Pros
- Great for hard-to-reach corners
- Angled
Cons
- Some reviewers said the brush is slightly stiff at first
This brush is both makeup artist- and editor-approved—and for good reason. “I love that this brush gives you precise coverage with its pointed tip and the synthetic bristles help blend everything so easily,” says associate shopping editor Daisy Maldonado. “And because this brush is so tiny, it’s even excellent for contouring your nose and highlighting certain spots.” And Parkes loves that “the brush is angled, so it’s easy to get into the corners of your eyes, it also blends out the makeup really nicely.”
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Complexion Brush
Pros
- Can use for anything from concealer to contour
- Double-sided
- Angled
Cons
- On the pricier side, but you get two brushes in one!
Interested in spending a lil extra $$$ for the complexion of your dreams? Let us introduce you to this brush from Charlotte Tilbury. “I'm fully obsessed with this double-sided concealer brush,” explains Gillette. “The angled side is so small for getting under my eyes and on the sides of my nose, or for pinpointing the concealer to help cover zits, but what I really love is the flat-top side, which helps blend out my concealer while keeping the coverage as full as possible.” And Gillette adds a lil life hack, “TBH, I use this side as a foundation brush too when I want a full-glam look.” Anything multi-use is a win in our book (and beauty arsenal!).
Pros
- Under $10
- Doesn’t leave streaks
Cons
- If you’re looking for a dense brush, this might not be the best option
With nearly 8,000 five-star reviews and a $7 price point, this concealer brush is pretty dang hard to beat. Reviewers love it for its shape that makes getting into any crevice of the under-eyes super seamless.
Glowing customer review: “This brush blends concealer effortlessly. I normally crease a lot and have really dark circles, and this brush helps the product move in all the right places creating full coverage, crease-free eyes.”
Pros
- Evenly diffuses product
- Great for full coverage
Cons
- Some reviewers complained about the bristle stiffness
Pro tip: a dense, angled brush is perf for full coverage looks. "I love this brush because of its density," explains Parkes. "It easily blends concealer without leaving any streaks, and it's great to soften out the edges by buffing."
Pros
- Great for eyelids, under-eyes, cheeks, and more
- Double-sided
Cons
- Works best with light or medium coverage concealers
I love anything and everything with the ability to multitask, so this brush gets the stamp of approval from my beauty regimen, and associate shopping editor Meg Uy is also a huge fan. “The fact that it’s double-sided is game-changing for me, you truly get two brushes in one,” she explains. “I love the smaller brush for tapping in product into my under-eye area because its small size allows for better control and precision. I use the bigger, fluffier brush for larger areas like my forehead and chin.”
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Concealer Brush
Pros
- Angled
- High-quality bristles
- While it’s great for spots, it also works v well under the eyes
Cons
- On the pricier side
If you’re someone who has some acne or hyperpigmentation (hi, same), then this concealer brush will be your complexion’s BFF. My zits and acne marks are smoothed out with just a few taps of this brush combined with my fave concealer—no cakiness here!
Pros
- Affordable
- Creates an airy finish
Cons
- Not the best for full coverage concealers
Looking for that barely-there makeup look? For some light concealing and gentle diffusing, this soft bristled brush is gonna be your number one solution.
Glowing customer review: “I typically use a heavy concealer for dark circles at my inner eye and the sponge I was using wasn't working well. This brush works EXTREMELY well, I love it. I can get into the very small spaces where concealer is needed and then feather out easily.”
How do you apply concealer with a brush?
It might seem intimidating to use a concealer brush if you’re not a makeup guru, but it’s actually v simple! “When using a concealer brush I’ll either apply the product directly to my face or apply a layer of the formula to my hand, then tap the brush onto the concealer and lightly under my eyes,” explains Parkes. “When using a concealer brush I like to pat the product into my under-eyes and outwards as opposed to brushing it out,” this will create evenness, instead of streaks.
Is a brush or beauty sponge better for applying concealer?
We Cosmo editors and Parkes stand behind brushes for getting the best finish out of any concealer. “I find when patting the product in with the brush it ends up looking flawless,” explains Parkes. “On my clients I tend to apply concealer with my finger and then pat it out using a flat or angled concealer brush.”
Compared to a sponge, a brush will be a lot more precise and you’ll get the most coverage out of your formula. Sponges are larger so it’s harder to get that exact spot you wanna camouflage, and they’ll also absorb a lot more of the formula instead of distributing it.
Why trust us?
For this story, assistant shopping editor Jasmine Hyman spent hours researching and reviewing the best concealer brushes out there. In addition to her own expertise, she tapped Cosmo’s editors and professional makeup artist Dani Parkes for advice and recommendations to find the very best concealer brushes out there.
Jasmine Hyman is the assistant shopping editor at Cosmopolitan where she covers all the best things you can add to your cart. She loves writing about everything from fashion to politics, and you can definitely find her listening to Harry Styles' entire discography on loop while doing so. She’s also probably in bed either reading or endlessly scrolling through TikTok (most likely the latter). Feel free to follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.
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