The best concealer brushes you can buy

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The best concealer brushes you can buy

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  • Getting flawless makeup application is as much about the tool you use as it is about the formula of the product.
  • The Sephora Collection PRO Airbrush Detail Brush is the best concealer brush, because it gives you a seamless finish every single time thanks to the fluffy, rounded bristles.

Concealer is my unexpected favorite beauty product. It's not fun like eyeshadow or lipstick, but it's the product that transforms my face the most. Most days I skip foundation and simply apply concealer - I've previously written about my favorites on Insider Picks - to a few targeted areas on my face, like under my eyes or on blemishes and red spots.

I often use my fingers to blend concealer, but some formulas really require a brush. The best concealer brushes distribute even the thickest, most full-coverage concealers seamlessly across the skin.

You can choose between a number of different kinds, from thin, flat brushes to full, fluffy ones, not to mention synthetic versus natural fiber bristles.

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What to look for depends on the type of concealer you're planning to pair with the brush, and where you want to place the product on your face. Tiny blemishes are more easily covered by small, dense brushes, while larger surfaces like under the eyes will respond well to larger brushes.

You may even want to collect a few brushes if you're a true concealer connoisseur.

Here are the best concealer brushes you can buy:

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

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The best concealer brush overall

The best concealer brush overall
Why you'll love it: The Sephora Collection PRO Airbrush Detail Brush uses short, fluffy synthetic bristles to blend concealer to perfection under the eyes or elsewhere on the face.

A soft, short brush lets you blend out your concealer in a single swipe, and the Sephora Collection PRO Airbrush Detail Brush is an expert-approved favorite. It has rounded, fluffy bristles as opposed to the stiff, flat concealer brushes you're probably used to seeing. The shape makes it ideal for blending product over a larger surface area.

This is a great pick for using under the eyes or over larger areas of redness. I've used a few other brushes from the Sephora Collection PRO line, and I can tell you that the synthetic bristles are super soft and the handles are strong and sturdy. These are wonderful quality brushes that should last a long time with proper care.

Instead of dabbing the brush directly into the product, the brand recommends patting the concealer onto the skin with your fingertips and blending it out using "small strokes or circular motions." Reviewers love the natural, airbrushed finish that results.

"Best concealer brush on the market," writes one Sephora shopper. "I have the highest end brush sets and single brushes one could have and I NEVER EVER use anything else for under my eyes than this brush. It literally buffs the concealer so well under your eyes that the result is just smooth and magical. No creases, no residue, no trace that you are even wearing makeup."

The Sephora Collection PRO Airbrush Detail Brush is also an Allure Best of Beauty winner and has a 4.9 rating on the review website Makeup Alley, based on 70 reviews.

Pros: Synthetic fibers, not tested on animals

Cons: Expensive, too big for small blemishes

Buy the Sephora Collection PRO Airbrush Detail Brush at Sephora for $24

The best double-sided concealer brush

The best double-sided concealer brush
Why you'll love it: The IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Airbrush Concealer Brush #2 proves that two heads are, in fact, better than one.

The trickiest part of hunting for a concealer brush is that different shapes and sizes work better with different concealer formulas. IT Cosmetics attempts to solve this problem with the Heavenly Luxe Dual Airbrush Concealer Brush #2.

This brush features two concealer brushes on either end — one is flatter and more dense for targeted application and the other is fluffy for an airbrushed finished.

IT Cosmetics makes some of my favorite brushes of all time, all with luxurious, ultra-soft bristles. This brush in particular is part of the Heavenly Luxe range, which means it’s been crafted with sturdy, shed-proof bristles. Like all IT Cosmetics brushes, it’s cruelty-free. At $24 it’s not inexpensive, however you’re essentially getting two high-end brushes for the price of one.

"I really like this brush, the flat end is perfect for getting the concealer where I want it to go and the fluffy end blends it in perfectly," writes one Macy’s shopper (the brush is an exclusive at the retailer).

Some shoppers were unsatisfied with the included protective caps, but that seems like it would only be an issue if you’re planning to travel with it frequently.

The brush was also featured as a makeup artist’s favorite in Allure.

Pros: Double-sided with two sizes, comes with protective caps, cruelty-free bristles

Cons: Macy’s exclusive

Buy the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Airbrush Concealer Brush #2 at Macy's for $24
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The best high coverage concealer brush

The best high coverage concealer brush
Why you'll love it: The Kat Von D Lock-It Edge Concealer Brush has a sculpted edge that's great for packing on high-coverage formulas without diluting their impact.

Leave it to Kat Von D Beauty to reinvent the (concealer brush) wheel. The Lock-It Edge Concealer Brush has an angular edge that helps you pack product onto even the most hard-to-reach places, like the inner corners of the eye or the sides of your nose. The tapered design allows you complete control over the application.

This brush was specifically designed to compliment the brand's Lock-It Concealer Creme, so it's a great compliment to many high-coverage formulas. It blends out thicker concealers without diluting the coverage or causing them to cake up.

The tapered handle, "inspired by a witch's broomstick" (!!), pulls double-duty as a spatula for mixing products together.

The Kat Von D Lock-It Edge Concealer Brush has been featured by Cosmopolitan and has 1,000+ Sephora reviews with a 4.6 rating.

"The best thing about this brush is the shape. It is a small curved, flat brush which helps concentrate coverage where it is needed. It is ideal for spots and under-eye," writes one shopper.

Pros: Designed for full-coverage, 360 degrees of control, handle doubles as a mixing tool

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Kat Von D Lock-It Edge Concealer Brush at Sephora for $24

The best eco-friendly concealer brush

The best eco-friendly concealer brush
Why you'll love it: The EcoTools Ultimate Concealer Duo is a pack of two environmentally-friendly and effective brushes — for less than $5.

If the environment is a top concern when thinking about your consumer habits, check out the EcoTools Ultimate Concealer Duo. It’s an affordable, eco-friendly brush set that doesn’t skimp on quality. You just might find yourself ignoring higher-end options from here on out.

This set comes with a thin Detail Concealer brush and fluffier Airbrush Concealer brush. Both brushes have bamboo handles made with recycled aluminum. Additionally, the EcoTools packaging is made of 100% Tree-Free paper and recycled plastic.

Don’t let the attention to environmentally-friendly materials fool you — this duo is ridiculously affordable, available at Amazon for only $3.59.

"The flat brush easily places concealer into small spaces while the fluffier brush blends out the concealer. Perfect for eyebrow carving and cut creases! I love this brand," writes one shopper.

The EcoTools Ultimate Concealer Duo has also been recommended by New York Magazine’s The Strategist and StyleCaster.

Pros: Affordable, eco-friendly, comes with two brushes

Cons: Bristles might be rough near the eye according to some reviewers

Buy EcoTools Ultimate Concealer Duo on Amazon for $3.59
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The best fluffy concealer brush

The best fluffy concealer brush
Why you'll love it: The e.l.f. Flawless Concealer Brush is super cheap and so fluffy it makes getting a flawlessly blended concealer application a total breeze.

When you don’t want to spend money to blend your concealer in one swipe, reach for the e.l.f. Flawless Concealer Brush. The brand has a fantastic and affordable brush range — referred to on the Target website as "America’s #1 brushes."

I use e.l.f.'s kabuki brush daily for bronzer and find that it’s soft and doesn’t shed no matter how often I wash it. All e.l.f. brushes are vegan, synthetic, and cruelty-free.

The e.l.f. Flawless Concealer Brush comes very highly rated by Target shoppers and has been reviewed close to 200 times. This concealer brush has a fluffy domed shape that helps you blend out a variety of formulas in one easy swipe.

Some reviewers on the Target website note they also use it for eyeshadow. At $3, it’s so affordable you can collect quite a few for different uses, if you so choose.

"This brush is a godsend — I never knew how people could layer concealer to build it up until I used this brush, it is great!" writes one Target customer.

Another says, "This is the best under eye concealer brush I've ever used! It's so soft when I use it in my delicate under eye area, which is great because I don't like using a concealer brush that's firm under my eye area. This brush blends like a dream."

Pros: Affordable, fluffy, vegan, synthetic, cruelty-free

Cons: Some reviewers complained about shedding

Buy the e.l.f. Flawless Concealer Brush at Target for $3
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