Alexandra Anele has worked through more than 20 concealers and given most of them the thumbs up. She approved a strong majority, had mixed feelings on a handful, and skipped very few outright. When she does pass on something, she almost always has the same reason.
What does Alexandra Anele recommend in concealer?
What Alexandra keeps coming back to is lightweight, hydrating formulas that sit comfortably on olive skin without reading pink or blue. She praised the NYX Born to Glow Serum Concealer for being 'very lightweight and hydrating' and loved that it 'almost disappeared' into her complexion. The YSL Touche Éclat Concealer won her over for a similar reason: she finds it hydrating enough to use with zero skin prep, just blend with her fingers and go. She also rates the Merit Minimalist Concealer highly for spot concealing once the rest of her base is on. The Live Tinted Concealer has largely replaced an older favourite for highlighting under her eyes and around her nose. For colour correctors, she points to the Givenchy Prism Libre Skin Caring Concealer as one she really likes: lightweight, hydrating, and sheer enough for a natural finish, though she is clear it is not for anyone chasing full coverage.
In her words
"I'm using Merit concealer, the lightest shade. I have all of my base products on except for coverage and I've been using this as my spot conceal and I love it. My shade is 10. It took me several tries to get my correct shade, but I love it."
"This is more of like an 'I'm not putting any other makeup on, I just woke up with under eye circles or I have a lot of redness or whatever and I just need to look a little less like dead' kind of product. This is what I use it for because it is like hydrating on its own. I don't feel like I need a whole lot of skin prep for it. And because it's a pen, I can just go under my eyes, around my nose, a little bit of my forehead, and then just blend it out with my fingers."
"One of the ones that I really like as in terms of green color corrector because I don't have a ton of redness in my skin is the Givenchy Prism Libre Skin Caring Concealer. This is really great, their color correctors are really nice because they're super hydrating and they're pretty lightweight. They're not a full coverage color corrector so if you're looking for something full coverage this isn't necessarily for you but if you're looking for something a little more sheer, it's perfect for that."
"I have the elf Camo Color Corrector, [...] the green one. [...] You really don't want to use too much of a color corrector down because if you put too much and then you try to go over with coverage on top they just kind of end up mixing together and it doesn't look very good. You want it to be right in the super red area. [...] I'm gently patting it to make sure I'm not removing that green too much where I want the majority of the coverage."
"The formula is very lightweight and hydrating, so if that's something you're looking for, I like the formula personally. [...] It is a little dark for me personally, and it definitely looks like a slightly more cool-toned olive upon first swatch. [...] It almost disappeared into my face, which is definitely olive."
"This is the shade 21. It's like a little bit peachy but it's really [...] light. It's kind of replaced my [Haus Labs] concealer. [...] There's just a little bit more peach in the Live Tinted one. [...] The Live Tinted formula is a little bit more like lightweight feeling on the skin. I've been really loving it for like highlighting areas of the face, using it underneath my eyes, forehead, chin, a little bit around my nose. [...] It's not the most full coverage concealer in the entire world."
How many concealers has Alexandra Anele reviewed?
Alexandra Anele has reviewed 26 concealers, for an approval rate of 81%. 21 approved, 3 mixed, and 2 skipped.
What has Alexandra Anele skipped in concealer?
The through-line in what Alexandra skips is almost always the same: too pink, too peach, or too blue for her olive skin tone. She described the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer in her shade as 'very very very peach', which did not work for her. The Hourglass Vanish Smooth Finish Concealer Pen she found too pink and too blue on her skin. The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, which she bought to neutralise under-eye circles, ended with a different complaint: the sponge applicator was disintegrating on her face. Anyone with a similar olive complexion may want to swatch carefully before committing, especially with peach-leaning shades.
"It's described as a yellow concealer that's supposed to neutralize purpley under eye circles. [...] That's why I purchased it in the first place. [...] The sponge is disintegrating on my face. That's nasty."
"Fenty, this is the shade 120N, okay lots of peach, okay nice, fair shade but very very very peach."
What should you take from Alexandra Anele's picks?
Alexandra's record on concealers is a useful guide for anyone with an olive complexion trying to nail shade matching. She gravitates toward lightweight, skin-friendly formulas and has found plenty she loves, but her skips are almost always a shade or undertone mismatch, not a formula complaint. She named no single standout winner, but her enthusiasm for the Merit Minimalist Concealer, Live Tinted Concealer, and YSL Touche Éclat Concealer gives a clear picture of what lands for her.
Watch Alexandra Anele say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Maybelline Fit Me ConcealerSkipped itWatch at 19:10
- Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch ConcealerSkipped itWatch at 8:47
- Merit Minimalist ConcealerRated itWatch at 10:19
- YSL Touche Éclat ConcealerRated itWatch at 17:03
- Givenchy Prism Libre Skin Caring ConcealerRated itWatch at 8:01
- e.l.f. Camo Color CorrectorRated itWatch at 7:47
- NYX Born to Glow Serum ConcealerRated itWatch at 13:46
- Live Tinted ConcealerRated itWatch at 24:40
- Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk ConcealerRated itWatch at 3:56
- About Face Illusionist Skin Focused ConcealersRated itWatch at 10:42
- Covergirl TruBlend Undercover ConcealerRated itWatch at 16:07
- Rare Beauty Concealer in 100WRated itWatch at 14:02
- Huda Beauty Faux Filter Matte Buildable Coverage Waterproof ConcealerRated itWatch at 16:57
- NARS Radiant Creamy ConcealerRated itWatch at 9:11
- Tarte Shape Tape ConcealerRated itWatch at 16:13
- Tower 28 Swipe Allover Hydrating Serum ConcealerRated itWatch at 7:24
- Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting PencilRated itWatch at 17:23
- Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech ConcealerRated itWatch at 3:16
- Tarte Shape Tape Ultra Creamy ConcealerRated itWatch at 1:44
- Maxine's Revenge French Face Concealer in Fair CreamRated itWatch at 29:34
- Natasha Denona High Glam ConcealerRated itWatch at 7:27
- e.l.f. Camo ConcealerRated itWatch at 15:06
- Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever ConcealerRated itWatch at 13:11
About this expert
See everything Alexandra Anele has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Alexandra Anele said across her videos about 26 products in concealer, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.