Ilia True Skin Concealer

Of all the make-up frogs that women kiss, it’s probably hardest to find a prince among concealers. So let us introduce you to Ilia’s offering, which ticks our box on so many levels.

First off, shade range. From really fair through to really deep, and plenty in between, with both cool and warm undertones. (Other concealers may have great shade ranges, but they don’t always get the warm/cool thing right.)

Second, the formulation. Oh, we LOVE a serum concealer: so smooth, so blendable, so moisturising (the eye area is often so parched), and actually incredibly easy to blend, both first thing in the morning and later in the day, if you need a touch-up. (We find that one is definitely needed if we’re going out in the evening – but frankly that’s true of pretty much every concealer.) Use the doe-foot wand that comes with the product, then tap into skin – or deploy a concealer brush, if you like.

Coverage is medium, but buildable – and the finish is very slightly dewy, which frankly is how we want our under-eyes to look. Not flat-matte. Not disco-shimmery. Just so.

Do look below at the shade chart, on real skin, to help determine your best chance of a match, as well as the list of shades and undertones. (NB Not every site that stocks this seems to carry the full range, so if your shade isn’t stocked at TBC, shop around.)

If your skin’s good, you could easily get away with dots of this, blended into skin, instead of foundation. Us? We need a little extra help for evening out the complexion, but are happy to have this ride to the rescue on dark circles, blue shadows and broken veins.

In fact, it hides everything but our love for it…

£29 – buy here