A water based concealer is one that lists water first on its ingredient list. Ten liquid concealers in this edit do, including Tower 28 Swipe, Kosas Revealer, NARS Radiant Creamy and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless. Water first describes the formula, not how it feels on you, so I also read the finish and coverage each brand claims.

Concealer has a surprisingly short history. The first one sold to the public was Max Factor's Erace, launched in 1954 after the company developed it for film and television cameras, and it came as a thick stick. Nearly every concealer I reach for now is a liquid. Water first does not promise oil free or anything else, so I only repeat what the product pages say.

Tower 28 Swipe All-Over Hydrating Serum Concealer in 12.5 PICO is my lead pick. It glides on like a serum, builds to medium coverage, and the brand says it is non-comedogenic and safe for sensitive skin. Kosas Revealer in Tone 3.6 C is creamy with a radiant finish. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Madeleine is medium, buildable coverage with a luminous finish, and the brand says it lasts 16 hours. Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage in Porcelain is a full coverage four-in-one, and Haus Labs Triclone in 11 Light Neutral has fermented arnica and niacinamide. For more punch, HUDA BEAUTY FauxFilter in Brittle 6.5 Golden is waterproof and matte, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless in 8 Medium-Tan is a full coverage natural matte, and DIOR Backstage in 5N has a little brush applicator. I also put together Best Concealer for Oily Skin: Why Matte, Thin and Set Wins.

A quick test: dot one on the inner corner of your eye, tap with a finger, and look in daylight after ten minutes. If it has settled into lines, use less.

Each of these concealers lists water as its first ingredient, with finish and coverage in the brand's own words.

 

Tower 28 Swipe Serum Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Natural finish, medium coverage. Silicone free, the brand says, and non-comedogenic.

 

Kosas Revealer. Water is the first ingredient. Radiant finish, medium coverage. Creamy, with caffeine and hyaluronic acid.

 

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Luminous finish, medium, buildable coverage. The brand says it lasts 16 hours.

 

Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage. Water is the first ingredient. Natural finish, full coverage. A four-in-one that doubles as foundation.

 

Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Natural finish, medium coverage. Sold as hydrating and de-puffing.

 

Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Luminous matte finish, medium to full coverage. Waterproof, the brand says.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Natural matte finish, full coverage. The brand says up to 24-hour creaseless wear.

 

Dior Backstage Face & Body Flash Perfector Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Natural glow finish, high coverage. Comes with a brush applicator.

 

REFY Brightening and Blurring Serum Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Natural finish, light to medium coverage. Serum-based, with squalane.

 

Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer. Water is the first ingredient. Radiant finish, medium, buildable coverage. Sweat-resistant, the brand says.

What makes a concealer water based? A water based concealer lists water as its first ingredient, so water is the largest part of the formula. It does not tell you the finish or how it wears: NARS Radiant Creamy lists dimethicone second, while Tower 28 Swipe says it is silicone free. I checked the first ingredient on each brand's own list.

 

Which long-wear water based concealer does not crease under the eyes? Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur Concealer is the one the brand sells on creaseless wear, up to 24 hours with an asterisk, and water is its first ingredient. Huda Beauty FauxFilter is called crease-proof by the brand, and Too Faced Born This Way is sold as crease-free. Use two thin layers and press the first one in before adding the second.

 

What is a good water based under eye concealer? Tower 28 Swipe Serum Concealer is the one I start with. Water is its first ingredient, the brand says it covers dark circles with medium buildable coverage, and it calls the formula non-comedogenic. REFY is lighter, with light to medium coverage that the brand describes as serum-based.

 

Which concealers on this list are water based? All ten in the table list water first: Tower 28, Kosas, NARS, Too Faced, Haus Labs, Huda Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, Dior, REFY and Rare Beauty. If you want the lightest coverage, REFY is described as light to medium. If you want the most, Too Faced and Charlotte Tilbury are both sold as full coverage.

Good concealer starts with what sits underneath it. A thirsty under eye area makes any formula look patchy, so I like to put a real eye cream down first and give it a few minutes. The INKEY List Caffeine De-puffing + Dark Circle Eye Cream is lightweight and made for puffiness and dark circles. OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright+ is a vitamin C eye cream that the brand says improves concealer application and wear, which is exactly the job here. Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Eye Cream is the richer, more classic option. The INKEY List Bio-Active Ceramide eye cream leans toward firming and hydration, and Skinfix barrier+ Triple Lipid-Boost is fragrance free. For more options, I have a longer list of under eye cream for puffy mornings, dark circles and fine lines.

Serums with a rollerball are handy in the morning. innisfree makes two: the Vitamin C Niacinamide Brightening Eye Serum and the Green Tea Caffeine Eye Serum, both with a cooling metal ball. Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum has ginseng and retinal, so I would keep it for nights.

Pairing tip: apply eye cream, wait about five minutes, then dab concealer with a brush.

What I would skip: a retinal eye serum right before makeup on a rushed morning. Beauty of Joseon Revive is better at bedtime, and a light caffeine roller is the faster fix when you are about to get dressed. On mornings with real puffiness, under eye patches while you get dressed do the prep before the concealer goes on.

A brush or sponge decides how a concealer looks more than people admit. Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Concealer Brush has a pointed tip and bristles shaped like a fingertip. Haus Labs makes a concealer brush with a domed curve and pointed tip. The PRO Concealer Brush 71 has a tapered head that applies on one side and blends on the other, and the Essential Brush 02 Concealer is an angled fingertip shape. Hourglass Vanish Concealer Brush has a half-moon shape for the under eye area. If you want to keep going, Hourglass Vanish Concealer: Swatches and Dry-Skin Picks is the one I would read next.

PATRICK TA Dual-Ended Concealer Brush gives you two jobs in one: the small dense end builds coverage and the larger soft end buffs it out. Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge 100 is three-sided, with a mini-moon edge for the under eyes. Tower 28 Baby Blender Brush has a compact teardrop shape and quick-drying bristles, and it is the natural partner to the Swipe concealer.

How to use them: place concealer with the tip, then pat, never drag, along the edges.

What I would skip: a big fluffy brush for the inner corner of the eye. It pushes product around and leaves a flat patch. Reach for a small pointed tip or the mini-moon edge of the sponge.

If you want a light feel, start with the water first concealers above and pick by coverage, not by hype. Medium coverage like Tower 28 or Kosas suits most mornings, and full coverage like Too Faced or Charlotte Tilbury is for days that need more. Choose the shade by undertone in daylight, and hold it against your jaw, not your hand. Keep the routine simple: eye cream, a few minutes of patience, a small dab of concealer, and a soft pat. Less product in the right spot always looks better than a thick layer everywhere.

 

If your skin is mature, I put together a separate list of concealer for mature skin that sits well on fine lines.

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