(Disclaimer: I do have Ashley’s consent to post her images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
Whether they’re from stress, a sleepless night, or even genetics, dealing with dark under-eye circles can be a daunting task. Many eye creams and serums can help diminish their appearance over time, but if you’re looking for a quick fix, you’ll likely need a concealer to cover them.
And if your dark circles are still showing after that, you might want to add a color corrector into the mix. These innovative products balance discolouration on your skin by canceling it out with the opposite shades on the color wheel. While you may think all color correctors do the same thing, think again.
Many correctors have green and purple undertones, which are great for covering up blemishes and dark spots, but do little for concealing dark circles. Instead, you should choose color correctors in shades of red, pink, yellow, or orange, as these will help balance out the bluish-purple color of under-eye circles. To help you find the best color corrector for your under-eye circles, here are reviews from shoppers to see which ones they love the most.
Whether you are looking for a color-correcting palette that allows you to blend multiple colors, a brush-on option that makes application a breeze, or a brightening color corrector that makes you look more awake, there’s an option on this list for just about everyone. Keep reading to see the eight color correctors that customers say cover up dark under-circles the best.
With more than 80,000 likes and 1,000 reviews, this Bobbi Brown color corrector is one of the most popular options at Sephora for a reason. Not only is the cream concealer infused with moisturizing ingredients to keep your under-eye area looking smooth and hydrated, but it’s also waterproof, sweatproof, and humidity-resistant, so it should stay put all day. Plus, there are a variety of shades ranging from porcelain to deep bisque, so you should easily be able to find an option that works for your skin tone. “This product is amazing,” wrote one shopper. “I have extremely dark (hereditary) under eyes and lids that I’ve had my whole life so I’ve tried pretty much every concealer and quite a few colour correctors. This is the only thing that’s ever actually worked without looking cakey or too orange.”
Best Palette: NYX Cosmetics Color Correcting Concealer
This handy NYX palette comes with six color correctors so you can mix and match the different shades to find a custom match for covering up circles or any other blemishes. Customers love how lightweight and easy to blend the product is and the fact that it’s cruelty-free. “I love this product,” wrote one reviewer. “I keep perpetually dark circles under my eyes no matter what I do, as well as some scarring from acne in the past. I always thought I just needed to cake on more foundation or concealer to cover it, but I’ve since realized that wasn’t the answer — this was. Now I wear very little foundation or concealer because this product gives me the coverage I need.“
Best Sponge Option: Maybelline New York Master Camo Color Correcting Pen
Hundreds of Amazon shoppers love how easy this Maybelline color corrector is to apply. The handy correcting pen features a sponge-tip applicator that helps you apply and blend the perfect amount of product each time. Reviewers say the creamy formula provides ample coverage, and it doesn’t crease or become cakey in their under-eye area. One happy shopper wrote, “My extra-dark circles are hammered back to the depths of where they came from when I use this. Nothing will ever fully conceal them, but this easy-to-spread and easy-to-conceal formula helps immensely. I’m always shocked at what a difference the orange tone makes.”
Looking for a long-lasting color corrector that won’t break the bank? Ulta shoppers suggest this L.A. Girl option. Along with a brush tip that makes application a breeze, the color corrector is specially formulated to provide natural-looking coverage for hours at a time. “I have always bought expensive orange correctors to cover my horrible dark circles,” said one customer. “My circles go around my whole eye. But this product surprised me because of the price. Great coverage and lasted all day under my concealer.”
Best Stick Option: Maybelline New York Cover Stick Concealer
This Maybelline stick corrector is another affordable find that’s incredibly popular. The $6 dermatologist-tested product is hypoallergenic and specially formulated to not clog pores. It’s also waterproof, so it will stay put through workouts and hot summer days alike. With details like that, it’s no wonder that hundreds of shoppers have given the color corrector their approval, including one who wrote, “I’ve used this for years as I have very dark circles under my eyes. It works great. People have no idea how dark my under-eye circles really are. I have sensitive skin, and there is no irritation.“
Best Brightening Option: Becca Cosmetics Under Eye Brightening Corrector
If you’re looking for a product that will brighten your under-eye area at the same time as covering dark circles, thousands of Sephora shoppers recommend this option by Becca. The color corrector’s tinted pigments cancel out the dark blue/purple hues of dark circles, while the backlight technology illuminates your skin. “Would highly recommend it to anyone with dark circles, it really does make a difference and brightens your under eyes well,” said one customer. “I would just not add too much or else it’ll look too cakey and make the concealer crease. You barely need any and it makes a difference!“
NOTE: Becca Cosmetics have closed down, and now this product is carried by Smashbox!
Full-Coverage Option: Tarte Colored Clay CC Undereye Corrector
The best beauty products can tackle more than one issue, which is why customers love this multitasking Tarte color corrector so much. Along with providing long-lasting full coverage, the product is also formulated to hydrate and nourish the delicate skin under your eyes, leaving you with a smooth and more youthful appearance. One happy shopper said they “can’t live without it,” before adding, “I’ve been using this pretty much every single day, for years. Gives that ‘good night’s sleep’ look, and the pan lasts a long while. I simply layer concealer on top on days I want more coverage. Hooked is an understatement!“
Best Crease-Proof Option: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish Color Corrector
Hundreds of Sephora shoppers are fans of this Charlotte Tilbury color corrector because the full-coverage product brightens dark under-eye circles quickly. It’s specially formulated with carnauba wax, which makes it easy to apply and prevents creasing, as well as flavonoids to help reduce the appearance of puffiness. There are four shades to choose from: fair, medium, tan, and deep. “I have always struggled with dark eyes,” said one reviewer. “I have tried many color correctors and this by far is MAGIC! It also feels a bit moisturizing and is the perfect prep for concealer. Will def buy again!“
(Disclaimer: I do have Keanna’s consent to post the images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
(Disclaimer: I do have Charlotte’s consent to post her images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
(Disclaimer: I do have Teanna’s consent to post her images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
(Disclaimer: I do have Teanna’s consent to post the images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
(Disclaimer: I do have Teanna’s consent to post the images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
(Disclaimer: I do have Katie’s and Anna’s consent to post the images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
I never thought I would be writing this. Becca Cosmetics, sweet, darling Becca, which ignited the highlighter craze with its best-selling shimmers, is soon to be no more. On Instagram, the brand announced that due to COVID-19, it would be closing up shop at the end of September 2021, leaving fans scrambling to stock up on their go-tos. And one thing in particular has already sold out in multiple places: Becca’s legendary darkness-cancelling Under Eye Brightening Corrector.
“I drove 40 miles to an Ulta and bought three because all the other Ultas closest to me were out of stock,” one person on Reddit says. Another describes the peachy pink concealer-corrector hybrid as brightening in a way that “makes it almost more ‘good lighting angle on a date’ than makeup or concealer. It takes several years off my age.”
Working through the gut punch of losing it, shoppers regrouped on makeup forums to recommend replacements for the beloved product, which has earned almost 130,000 loves on Sephora’s website for its life-giving, appearance-of-sleep-bequeathing power. The only silver lining is that thanks to Becca popularizing the concept, there are now ample successors ready to carry on the mantle of its good name — no two-hour venture necessary.
Bobbi Brown’s Bisque Corrector comes with high recommendations, correcting dark circles “like a charm” with a hydrating consistency that doesn’t settle into creases. The “miracle product” balances out even super deep circles on skin tones across the spectrum, shoppers say, and it’s so good that people are on their 15th (!) restock. Per the perma-fan, the pink shade also erases circles so well, they look years younger.
Pixi’s Brightening Peach Correction Concentrate comes in strong as a more affordable option, cancelling out blue circles on Amazon insomniacs and creating a “supernaturally” rested look. A mom of three boys explains that nothing was able to cover her circles until a makeup artist friend recommended the Pixi — which works “like magic” and stays on all day.
The Pixi concealer is already on backorder from third-party Amazon stockists, so as a backup Tarte’s CC undereye corrector is similarly praised, its creamy texture covering with ease. One Dermstore shopper writes that it was the hydrating pot of gold at the end of their “eternal journey” for a corrector able to best their “awful,” multi-colored under-eye circles.
At the lowest price point, L.A. Girl’s peach Pro Conceal grabs over 8,000 five-star Amazon ratings. Shoppers write that they’re shocked at how well it blends and conceals without drying out crepey under eyes, besting even products that are 10 times as expensive. It gives the same inner-eye sheen as the Becca, and likewise transforms from a bright peach in the tube to a corrector that masks hereditary dark circles completely.
All great options, but if you’re not ready to say goodbye yet, there are a dwindling handful of places with Becca’s pearlized originals still in stock. It’s fresh out at Ulta, but Sephora still has one of the two shades, and Dermstore and QVC haven’t been ransacked yet. Happy hunting.
(Disclaimer: I do have Katie’s consent to post the images on designated websites including Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, and use in my digital portfolio.)
Kassy Rose Makeup Artistry 