When you think of men’s make-up, your mind probably veers into a specific camp: the club kid, the fashion student, the angsty teenager (it's not a phase, mum). And while make-up can certainly be an outward style signifier – be it party monster exuberance or Machine Gun Kelly fandom – it can also be used as a subtle everyday ally, a shortcut to a bright, unified visage. Think: self-improvement, not self-expression.
Sure, a decent men's skincare routine should be your first port of call when it comes to great skin – we’re now ready to embrace moisturiser, serum and maybe even a retinol – but a slick of men’s concealer can be called upon to mask the eye bags, redness and breakouts that life periodically throws at all of us. Applied correctly, the result will be seamless and undetectable to anyone standing more than an inch from your face.
Outdated gender lines may be gradually fading, but the idea of make-up still intimidates many a man. A good concealer is the gentlest entry route into the world of colour cosmetics: easy enough that anyone should be able to get on board without breaking into a nervous sweat. And we should get on board: embracing a light dose of aesthetic self-improvement can be surprisingly satisfying.
There’s no need to purchase a specifically gendered concealer – any product will work on any skin – but the rise of ‘concealers for men’ will speak to anyone that wants a little hand-holding as they venture out of antiquated machismo and into the new world of boundary-less beautifying. “There will be some men that never feel comfortable using make-up, but everyone should have the same choice to embrace it or not, without stigma”, says make-up artist Florrie White.
Where To Put Your Concealer
Whether you’re looking to mask dark circles or erase a throbbing blemish, a concealer can help: but it’s not quite as simple as grabbing the first product you see and smearing it over your face. Concealers come in various textures and formats, and the one you choose will likely depend on what you specifically intend to use it for. Under the eyes, a lightweight cream or balm works well to neutralise sallow tones while hydrating delicate skin, but blemishes generally require something more heavyweight and matte in finish.
Whatever you choose, White’s number-one rule is to start with a light hand and always apply onto a clean and well-hydrated face: no concealer will look good on top of dry, flaky skin, so moisturiser is a must. “Your skincare routine is equally, if not more, important than your make-up routine,” she adds.
Below, see eight concealers that work across skin types and tones.
The Concealers for Men to Embrace Now
Max Martin – the songwriter behind some of the pop world's heftiest hits – is side-stepping into the world of men's grooming this year. Obayaty, of which he is one of four founders, is a beauty brand designed with male skin in mind, spanning complexion perfecters and bolder colour products for those keen to advance further into the make-up realm.
The clear hit here is the Retouch Stick: a small, angled-tip concealer designed to be scribbled straight over areas of redness, blemishes and dark circles to brighten and unify all skin types.
Asserting Obayaty as a new luxury player, the steely packaging is weighty and ergonomic, with each case designed to be kept and refilled with the brand's low-waste top-ups.
Men's skincare brand Horace has expanded into the colour cosmetics realm with a lightweight tinted moisturiser and a pigmented concealer.
The latter is the ideal creamy-but-matte formula for covering dark circles, blemishes and broken thread veins. Just don't swipe the stick straight over an active blemish, or you'll risk spreading bacteria.
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If you're new to the art of concealment, start with this one. The balmy formula is light enough to remain undetectable (even in the face of questionable application skills) while the stick format means you can scribble it straight over red patches and dark shadows. Pat with a (clean) finger to blend the edges, and you're done.
Sitting somewhere between the skincare and colour categories, this one is ideal for anyone still nervous about dipping a toe into make-up. Technically, it's a 'colour corrector', which means it uses the principles of colour theory to neutralise the unwanted hues in your skin – in this case, purple dark shadows – instead of sitting on top of them. Caffeine and hyaluronic acid treat the skin, while gentle yellow pigments deliver an instant brightening effect.
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Tom Ford's swipe-on stick is one of the easiest to apply, and contains powder particles to absorb any oil and create a subtle matte finish. Use a finger to blend: the warmth from your fingertip will help it to melt into skin.
Long hailed as the ultimate skin enhancer, YSL’s Touche Eclat does indeed brighten skin to post-holiday levels. It’s glowy, rather than matte, so really works best on tired eyes (you won’t want to use it over blemishes).
Use the paintbrush nib to sweep the product over dark circles and across the peaks of your cheekbones too: it’ll bestow you with the sheen and structure of a runway model in seconds.
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White’s on-set concealer of choice, this one is high-coverage and stays put for hours on end. It comes with a ‘doe-foot’ applicator: a small sponge-like tip that allows you to run it under your eyes before patting in with a (clean) ring finger. Don’t swipe it straight over a blemish though – this is a hygiene crime. To cover spots, simply swipe the product onto the back of your hand, then apply it to your face from there.
This classic concealer from every make-up artist's favourite brand ticks a lot of boxes. The high-coverage formula works seamlessly over angry blemishes and stays put from day to night, negating the need for touch-ups. You'll need to employ a small brush to apply it properly, but once it's on, it'll remain invisible in the face of harsh lighting, flash photography, and your colleagues’ discerning eyes.
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Less of an on-the-spot concealer, this colour-correcting cream is best used all over to camouflage moderate redness or rosacea. It's green, but don't panic: once you blend it in, any sickly tinge dissipates, leaving behind nothing but skin that looks calm and even.
