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How to Pick the Best Concealer for You

Are you a Future Fluid person? Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten? Both?

Model wearing Future Fluid Model wearing Future Fluid

If you’re as serious about complexion as a professional makeup artist is, you need at least two kinds of concealer in your makeup bag at all times. Our best concealers for the job, according to Milk Makeup’s Director of Artistry Sara Wren: the brand-new Future Fluid, a creamy, all over concealer, and our beloved Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten. Although its main function is as an under eye brightener, which color corrects dark circles without looking like a layer of makeup, you can also use it as a concealer on other parts of your face. 

Both are staples in Sara’s personal makeup bag because they check off the boxes for what she looks for in a good concealer: creamy, buildable consistencies and hydrating ingredients. These elements ensure that they seamlessly buff into your skin without looking cakey, no matter what your complexion concerns may be. Neither is too dry, either, so they won’t accentuate your skin underneath in the ways you don’t want. As an added bonus, they won’t oxidize and change colors as you wear them. 

Why do you need both our concealers in your collection? Well, each has a time and place on your face. The following tips will help you pick out the right shades, figure out where to put them, and, of course, ace their application. 

How to Choose a Concealer

1. Know Your Skin Type

Picking our best concealer based on your skin type is helpful but not crucial. Reason being: Both Future Fluid and Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten are great for most skin types, Sara tells us. Each formula is packed with  ingredients to help hydrate, brighten, and create a smoother-looking area. 

However, if you just want one concealer formula in your kit, Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten is amazing for drier skin types, Sara explains. It’s spiked with squalane and hyaluronic acid, all of which help give that hydrated, smooth, and plump effect. 

Future Fluid, on the other hand, is the best concealer for oily and acne-prone skin. Its AI Plant Complex includes a blend of hydrating hyaluronic acid with soothing aloe vera and arnica. The formula also includes Defensil and Revivyl, which can aid in restoring and protecting your skin barrier. The addition of caffeine to the mix helps brighten skin over time—all the more reason to use it on the regular. 

2. Figure Out the Coverage and Finish You Want

Where Future Fluid and Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten truly differ is in the amount of coverage they offer and what kind of finish they respectively create. With Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten, you can expect sheer, light coverage with a dewy finish. It has more of a barely there, glass skin vibe. Future Fluid touts medium-to-full coverage that leaves a natural-looking, “not too dewy, not matte” effect, Sara says.

sunshine vs Future Fluid Infographic

She likes to call it a “second-skin finish” because of how it melts in without creasing or caking, while feeling featherlight and comfortable. Plus, Future Fluid offers just enough pigmentation to cover what you want it to without masking your skin’s natural glow. “[It’s] one of the most natural medium-to-full coverage concealers I have ever used," Sara adds. 

3. Use More Than One Shade

Picking two different shades of concealer for your face is Sara’s trick for instantly brighter-looking skin. Of course, you’ll need one that matches your skin tone. For the second, Sara suggests something that is two shades lighter than your natural complexion—that’s what you’ll use for your under eye area. Just be sure both hues have the same undertone so they seamlessly blend together. This technique helps Sara make sure her eyes are “hydrated, brightened, and ready for the day,” she says. 

Model wears Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF 30 for a brighter under eye area

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Model wears Milk Makeup Future Fluid Concealer with silver eyeshadow for a medium-to-full coverage finish

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How to Use Concealer on Your Under Eyes

“The skin around the eye area is very thin and delicate, so it deserves some extra love,” Sara says. Because of this, she preps it with our Cooling Water Under Eye Gel Stick first. “I like to [apply] it in circular motions around the eye,” she shares. It’s infused with caffeine to reduce the look of puffiness and diminish the appearance of dark circles. 

Then, go in with your Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten in the lighter shade to really illuminate that darker area. This formula even features built-in light-reflecting brightening powders to help make that happen, Sara points out. It’s also packed with vitamin C, which can help brighten your under eye area over time. A medley of oils, squalane, and hyaluronic acid help nourish and smooth your skin. 

One pump of Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten is all you need to help you look like you got a full eight hours of sleep—even if you didn’t. Simply click the button at the bottom of the tube, roll the applicator under your eyes, and blend it in with a brush, sponge, or clean fingertip. If you want more coverage, you can layer Future Fluid on top by swiping it onto the same area. That’s what we like to call teamwork.

How to Cover Blemishes and Dark Spots With Concealer

Is your skin going through it? Do you have hyperpigmentation and want to even out your complexion? You’ll want a concealer with more coverage and a thicker consistency—Future Fluid is just the one for the job. 

In this case, Sara doesn’t swipe on the concealer. Instead, she uses a pinpointed, less-is-more approach by taking the Future Fluid applicator’s narrow tip and dotting a small amount of pigment directly onto the spot she wants to conceal. Then, she blends it out with a sponge or small fluffy brush. You can also tap it out with a clean fingertip.

How to Use All Over Concealer to Hide Redness

These days, Sara has been using only one complexion product all over her face, and it’s Future Fluid. “I use a swipe under the eyes and dot it around my nose and on any discoloration or redness I have,” she says. Then, Sara spritzes a fluffy foundation brush with the Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray before blending it out to create an “airbrushed look that feels weightless.” 

Now that you know what to do with our best concealers, it’s time to put them into action. If you don’t already have what you need in your makeup bag, you can shop Future Fluid and Sunshine Under Eye Tint + Brighten right now. And for those who need some extra help in the shade selection department, be sure to take our easy Shade Finder Quiz

Future Fluid shade range
Future fluid shade range

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Devon Abelman (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer who focuses on the intersections and intricacies of beauty, culture, astrology, and mental health. She is passionate about shining light on under-the-radar BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ beauty creators as well as Korea’s impact on global beauty trends. In her spare time, Devon can be found dressing up Scorpion, her XXXL blind-and-deaf rescue dog.

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Devon Abelman (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer who focuses on the intersections and intricacies of beauty, culture, astrology, and mental health. She is passionate about shining light on under-the-radar BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ beauty creators as well as Korea’s impact on global beauty trends. In her spare time, Devon can be found dressing up Scorpion, her XXXL blind-and-deaf rescue dog.

All information is created for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.