That’s right, friends: sun’s out, legs out. And for many people, adding a touch of leg makeup helps them feel their summer best. But which leg makeup is the best for summer? Which product will give me the glossy, perfected legs of a Malibu Barbie? There was only one way to find out. I tested five different leg makeup products, ranging in price from $12 to $52, to find out which one(s) would give me the Barbie legs of my summer dreams. I also have keratosis pilaris, a skin condition sometimes called “strawberry legs,” characterized by lumpy bumps on my arms and legs (and occasionally my neck). Though my KP is quite mild, it tends to get quite red and sore by my knees. I don’t see any of these things as “flaws,” btw. It’s just how my legs are. But if a little bit of bronzing gel or airbrush makeup makes you feel even more amazing in a miniskirt, that is a great thing. I’m here to make sure you don’t waste your money, not make anyone feel bad about themselves. Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs leg makeup ($12, Ulta).St. Tropez One Night Only wash off bronzing mist ($20, Sephora)Say Hello to Sexy Legs tinted glow gel ($38, QVC)Sephora Collection Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation ($28, Sephora)This Works Perfect Legs Sculpt and Shine ($52, Net-A-Porter) All of these products do slightly different things — some bronze, some highlight, some conceal, some do a little of all three — but all promise, in one way or another, to give one perfect Barbie legs. Let’s begin. This leg makeup from Sally Hansen ($12, Ulta) comes highly recommended. It promises to be water-resistant and non-transferable from skin to clothing. It’s also affordable and, if you’re lighter-complected, available in almost every drugstore. Fun fact: This leg makeup is listed on the Sally Hansen website as being available in six shades, from “lightest shade” to “deep glow.” Ulta only carries three of those six shades online — Light Glow (pictured), Medium Glow, and Tan glow. Namely, how TF did Sally Hansen sneak a full coverage foundation into this can ($12, Ulta) when I wasn’t looking? This stuff was THICK. This makeup ($12, Ulta) definitely made a visible change. Whether I was down for that change remains to be seen. This leg makeup ($12, Ulta) was, as I mentioned, EXTREMELY full coverage. This will cover up a murder. It hid by depigmented scars, my hyperpigmented scars, some older bruises, and a varicose vein (hey, we all have them) with no problem. It also didn’t sweat off under hot studio lights, and only transferred a little bit onto the inside my black skirt. So if you’re looking for leg makeup that can stand up to 80 degree heat, this is the stuff. This leg makeup ($12, Ulta) didn’t leave me looking bad, but there was a noticeable difference in tone between my legs and my hands. The only thing I’d be able to wear this leg makeup with is a turtleneck minidress. That heavy coverage was also nearly impossible to blend. If you aren’t good with the nozzle, you might have a hard time — Sally Hansen’s leg makeup didn’t blend well with a sponge (wiped it off), a brush (got streaky), or fingers (LOL). I’m already a fan of St. Tropez’s subtle fake tanners, so a wash-off bronzing mist ($20, Sephora) sounded like a perfect product. This spray was meant to even out skin tone, and give a “light/medium” glow to legs. This is shade “light/medium” in the St. Tropez One Night Only ($20, Sephora) shade line-up. There is nothing less intense than this. Not only is this spray bronzer very deep, it’s also very orange-toned. I had CONCERNS. This spray bronzer ($20, Sephora) was INTENSE. It was simply too dark and too orange-toned for me. But you know what? I’m a pale person. The entire makeup industry bends over backward to cater to me, so if this one spray bronzer doesn’t work, or would be better suited with someone with a darker skin tone? That’s 100% OK — as long as the formula is good. Praise. The St. Tropez bronzing mist ($20, Sephora) did not require rubbing or scrubbing; it came away clean with a single makeup wipe. The fine spray nozzle on the St. Tropez One Night Only ($20, Sephora) seemed great — but get that nozzle too close to your skin and you’ll end up with super dark patches. I would think very carefully about spraying the St. Tropez leg bronzer ($20, Sephora) on if you’re going anywhere where you may sweat. And like, it’s summer. So that’s EVERYWHERE YOU GO. I’ve heard lots of fellow editors talking about this lightweight gel ($38, QVC), so I was curious to try it for myself. It’s also almost always sold out at Sephora, so the hype must be real. According to the product information, it bronzes skin while also “covering imperfections” and “evening skin texture.” Full disclosure: I originally applied WAY too much Sexy Legs gel ($38, QVC) to my arm. I had to remove most of it from the sides with a makeup wipe. Still, the subtle warmth and shimmer of the swatch had me hopeful. To begin with, this was the second time I applied this tinted gel ($38, QVC). The first time — and I’ll get to this in more detail — it streaked up so badly, I looked like something terrible had happened to me. Three blobs of this stuff ($38, QVC) covered my leg from the knee down. That’s not bad. I also liked that there was ZERO wait-for-it-to-dry time. There is no stickiness with this product whatsoever; it dries down almost instantly. Not only did my leg makeup look patchy up close, the Sexy Legs gel ($38, QVC) also wore off very quickly. It was coming off on my hands when I touched it, even after it died. It was all over the inside of my black skirt. If I thought about it, it wore away. This was TOO MUCH. And! The quick-drying formula made it impossible to fix up those worn-away or faded areas — because re-applying the wet gel made any dry gel it touched look even streakier. This was truly the Kobayashi-Maru of leg makeup tests. I eventually settled for a sub-bar, semi-streaky leg look. It’s been several days, and I’m still getting this out from under my fingernails. Sexy legs buyer ($38, QVC), beware. The Sephora Collection foundation ($28, Sephora) isn’t marketed as leg makeup — but I’ve seen SO MANY makeup artists backstage at NYFW using this exact products on models’ legs, arms, and backs that I knew I had to try it for myself. This foundation is oil-free and comes in six shades. I’m holding shade fair, which is light with a neutral undertone. My skin has a lot of yellow undertones, but the fair shade seemed to be a dead match ($28, Sephora). Though it seemed very full coverage on first spray, I did have the nozzle a little close to my arm. I was ready for the test. This foundation ($28, Sephora) opened my eyes to why people swear by a little light leg makeup. Instead of dramatically changing my skin tone, it matched my complexion. It evened out the look of my skin without making it seem like I was doused in spray paint. It made my legs look like MY legs — just even more beautiful. Best of all, this makeup dried down in under two minutes, and did not get on any of my clothing. It also didn’t sweat off under the hot lights of our studio — making it perfect for summer nights. I finally got it. ($28, Sephora) I found that the Sephora mist foundation ($28, Sephora) was, as all the spray products tended to be, easy to apply by yourself. Unlike the Sally Hansen product, though, the Sephora spray was sheer, with a slightly dewy finish. This meant that I could spritz a little extra over areas like scars or bruises, then blend out with a foundation brush, for some additional coverage. And THAT’S what really sold me on this product: This leg makeup actually blends! There were no issues with weird lines or blobs or bald patches, which was a rarity amongst the products I tried. I used a stippling brush to blend around my knees, but I also had good results with a sponge. And the best part: No, this foundation ($28, Sephora) didn’t irritate my skin, break me out, or aggravate my KP in the slightest. Come on, Sephora — doesn’t everyone deserve to have the most stunning legs of their lives? This BEYOND luxury leg makeup ($52, Net-A-Porter) isn’t just leg makeup — it is “A sublime highlighter to define and shape limbs with an ambient golden glow.” Well OK then. For $52, this stuff better have a handsome man that comes with it to rub creams all over my legs for me, but we can get to that later. The Sculpt and Shine ($52, Net-A-Porter) is a thick liquid — definitely not runny, but does need blending. It comes in one shade (pale gold) and, right from the outset, looked really pretty. At first I thought this was a cool idea — what a good way to make sure you don’t waste any of the expensive TWO OUNCES that $52 of human currency gets you. Right? As with everything, this had a downside — but we’ll get to that. I guess that if you’re someone who thinks $52 on a tiny tube of highlighter is NBD, you’re into a very minimalist look. While this Sculpt and Shine ($52, Net-A-Porter) looks pretty enough, the results are TOO subtle for the cost and effort involved. For this much money, I want J.Lo’s legs, you know? And now let’s talk about the effort expended to get this no-leg-makeup makeup look… At first I was like “Rollerball leg makeup ($52, Net-A-Porter)! So novel and cool!” Thirty seconds later, I was like “This is a pain in the ass!” This product was really hard to get around the backs of my legs, especially my thighs. The entire point of this applicator ($52, Net-A-Porter) was, I assume, designed so you don’t waste any of the very expensive two ounces of product. It ended up all over my hands anyway. Though I liked the subtle golden glow this makeup gave me, it was too much money for too little reward. That’s right — the best leg makeup I tried isn’t even technically leg makeup. This foundation ($28, Sephora), lightly applied, didn’t make my legs look drastically different. It kept my legs looking like MY legs… just even more beautiful. That, plus the fact that the wear and blendability of this formula was A+ makes it my pick for the best leg makeup of 2018. My hope is that Sephora Collection expands the shade range, because a simple six foundation colors is just not enough.
