Beauty Confessions: I Was Loyal to Benefit Concealer Until I Discovered a $10 Drugstore Sub

I’ve always been a proponent of using a high-quality concealer, and had been pretty loyal to my Benefit Boi-ing Concealer ($20). After a while, I started to notice it was creasing and not very brightening and I was sick of shelling out department store prices for products I wasn’t totally loving. Unintentionally, I went to the drugstore to pick up a prescription but ended up leaving with the best concealer I’ve ever used in my life: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Eraser Concealer + Treatment ($11). It’s simply *the best.* I use it for more than hiding dark circles, it stays on forever and is super affordable. Not gonna lie — I’ve converted a handful of friends from their brand-name concealers to this one and they, too, have never looked back. Let me explain why:

WHY I LOVE THIS DRUGSTORE CONCEALER

What It Is: This concealer is straight up awesome for making it look like you slept for 12 hours even though you definitely didn’t come anywhere close ;) Seriously though, the super-creamy, felt-tipped concealer has ingredients that work to actually *treat* your dark circles in addition to totally covering them up, so get ready to look well-rested, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in seconds. It also works really well as a highlighter in a pinch.

Where You Can Find It: You can buy this concealer at any drugstore or online.

Who Should Use It: If you have under eye circles, puffy eyes and/or wrinkles around the eye area, you should give this concealer a try. It’s also great for general discoloration — for example, if you have slightly transparent skin on your eyelid, redness or noticeable veins — because its delicate formula will cover everything up without irritating your skin at all. People who want to completely hide their dark circles and add definition to their faces should use this!

When + Where You Should Apply It: Use this stuff in the mornings when you’re doing your normal makeup routine. The blendable and buildable formula allows it to be versatile in the sense that you can apply it before or after you put on the rest of your face makeup — it won’t look cakey, promise! This concealer is also great for when you need to give yourself a mid-day refresher and brighten up your eyes. It’ll blend flawlessly into the rest of your makeup without causing a line of different products to form. On the highlighting side of things, this product works really well to highlight the high points of your face — and its circular applicator makes putting it on super quick and basically foolproof. The design of the sponge tip also allows you to essentially draw on (as if you were holding a paintbrush) the highlight. You can contour your nose (draw down the center with the concealer), lighten up your cupid’s bow (pat it on in the middle) and highlight your cheekbones with this product — just use a makeup sponge, like a beautyblender, to blend it all in afterward.

Why This Is My Beauty Confession: This product is my holy grail concealer — hands down, it’s the best I’ve EVER used, and I’ve used a ton of them. I can’t go a day without it and don’t even consider using any other concealers because I am so happy with this one on all fronts. It’s easy to throw in your purse, does what it’s supposed to do (and more) and is affordable. I have one at home and at the office because dark circles are *never* cute.

What is your favorite concealer? Share your fave in the comment section below.