Summer is almost here — and that means it's time to throw your black tights in the trash, set the trash on fire, and break out ALL your shorts, skirts, and dresses.
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.
Watch me review all five leg makeup products below and keep scrolling for more!
For comparison purposes, here's what my bare legs look like. With or without makeup, I love my legs. They're strong, they're flexible, and they hold me up through it all — including standing on a spindly-legged table perched on top of apple boxes.
They're also pale, patchworked with childhood scars, and often pretty bruised up — the latter is thanks to my small but enthusiastic dog who shows his love by jumping all over me.
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.
I haven't worn leg makeup in a long time, and I was enthusiastic to see what advances had been made in Body Makeup Technology since I was a bruised-up ballet student years ago.
Before we get started, I want to be *very* clear about something: You do not HAVE to wear makeup on your legs, in the same way you do not HAVE to wear sheer stockings to obscure "flaws." You don't have to wear any makeup that doesn't make you feel strong and awesome.
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.
Let's introduce the five candidates for America's Next Top Leg Makeup.
From left to right, we have…
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.
The first leg makeup I tested: Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs leg makeup, $12.
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.
A quick swatch of the Sally Hansen leg makeup had me raising my eyebrows.
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.
Here's how the Sally Hansen leg makeup looked compared to my bare leg. It definitely gave me a "perfected" look, but it was so heavy and the shade was so odd that I felt like I was covered in spray paint.
This makeup ($12, Ulta) definitely made a visible change. Whether I was down for that change remains to be seen.
First, let's discuss the things I liked: The Sally Hansen leg makeup was incredibly easy to apply. The mist is fine, and I was able to get even the backs of my legs easily.
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.
But that intense coverage is also part of what I didn't like about the Sally Hansen leg makeup. Because the Light Glow shade is vastly different from my *actual* skin tone, my legs ended up being a totally different color from the rest of my body.
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).
The coverage was so full and such a different complexion to my own that I felt more like a sexy "Death Becomes Her" zombie than a Barbie.
If only Madeline and Helen knew about Sally Hansen's Airbrush foundation! They would never have had to fuck so much with Bruce Willis and his flesh-colored spray paint.
Overall, I give Sally Hansen Airbrush Leg Makeup three Barbie legs out of five — it's a LOT, but I respect it.
If you're already comfortable with airbrush makeup, you may have better luck with this than I did!
Next, I tried St. Tropez One Night Only wash off bronzing mist, $20.
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.
I sprayed a quick swatch of St. Tropez's spray-on bronzer onto my arm... and a horrified silence descended over the crew in our studio.
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.
Those concerns were borne out when I had finally finished coating one leg in the St. Tropez leg makeup. I was so orange that half my body was all ready to time-travel back to 2009 and visit the "Jersey Shore" house.
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.
So let's talk about what I liked about the St. Tropez leg makeup. I liked that the mist was really, really fine, which meant it was easy to bronze your legs by yourself — and, unlike many other formulas, it was exceptionally easy to remove.
Praise. The St. Tropez bronzing mist ($20, Sephora) did not require rubbing or scrubbing; it came away clean with a single makeup wipe.
Unfortunately, you may have to do a fair bit of wiping; this bronzer is REALLY easy to screw up.
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.
Additionally, this spray didn't hold up to summer weather. The slightest amount of perspiration sent the color running and left me with streaky weirdness all over my leg.
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.
Overall, I give the St. Tropez One Night Only bronzing mist half a Barbie leg out of five. This gave me a streaky '80s bodybuilder fake bake, not the golden Barbie tan I wanted.
I do, however, recommend the St. Tropez Purity Bronzing Water Mousse ($42, Sephora) for an all-over gorgeous, non-streaky tan. But this spray bronzer is not working for me.
Next it was time to try the seriously hyped Say Hello to Sexy Legs Tinted Glow Gel, $38.
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."
Because this product is a gel, a little blob of the coconut-scented formula goes a LONG way — as I found out to my detriment while trying to swatch it.
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.
From a distance, the Sexy Legs tinted gel definitely gave me a subtle glow — but that radiance hid some problems.
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.
In addition to the summery smell, I really liked that you didn't need a lot of Sexy legs product to cover your entire leg. Because even though the tube contains five ounces of product, $38 for sheer bronzer is a lot of money.
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.
But once again, that also turned out to be a problem. Because this glow gel dries so quickly, parts of your leg makeup have already "set" while you're frantically trying to blend out other areas. The result? Patchy streakiness.
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.
And finally, this tinted gel is MESSY.
It's been several days, and I'm still getting this out from under my fingernails. Sexy legs buyer ($38, QVC), beware.
I give Say Hello to Sexy Legs tinted glow gel a single pair of Barbie legs out of five.
It wasn't as usable as I'd like, but the color was cute!
Then it was time for my beauty editor wild card: Sephora Collection Perfection Mist airbrush foundation, $28.
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.
When I sprayed a quick swatch on my arm, I was instantly amazed. Though the Sephora spray foundation was little on the heavy side, the color actually matched my skin.
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.
Imagine my surprise, after multiple failures to launch, to discover that the Sephora Airbrush foundation was PERFECT. Not only did it act like IRL Facetune for my legs, it made me realize *exactly* what I was looking for in body makeup.
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.
Up close, the difference is striking. It looks like I threw a flattering filter on my left leg — but nope, that's just a light coat of the Sephora foundation.
($28, Sephora)
The application process was also extremely good.
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.
On the left: Some of my fading, but still sore KP spots. On the right: The spots, hidden with a little bit of Sephora foundation and some clever blending.
And the best part: No, this foundation ($28, Sephora) didn't irritate my skin, break me out, or aggravate my KP in the slightest.
I award the Sephora Collection Perfection Mist Airbrush foundation four and a half Barbie legs out of five. I didn't feel like Malibu Barbie with this on my legs, but I *did* feel like Malibu Alle... and that's even better.
The only reason the Sephora Collection mist foundation didn't get the full five out of five Barbie legs is because it only comes in six shades… and there are WAY more than six skin tones out there.
Come on, Sephora — doesn't everyone deserve to have the most stunning legs of their lives?
Finally, I clutched my credit card and went for it — I tried This Works! Perfect Legs Sculpt and Shine, $52.
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.
This product has the most unique applicator yet — as this strangely uneven swatch shows.
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.
The reason the swatch of Sculpt and Shine looks so weird? That's the long, flat rollerball applicator tip. You squeeze the soft plastic tube, then roll the tip along your legs.
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.
First, let's look at what $52 gets you in terms of leg makeup: A golden glow so subtle, it's almost — almost! — imperceptible.
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 rollerball applicator also left literal TRACKS in the leg makeup *as* I was applying it! I had to blend it out with the palms of my hands just to make it look OK.
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.
Overall, I give It Works! Sculpt and Shine two pairs of Barbie legs out of five.
Though I liked the subtle golden glow this makeup gave me, it was too much money for too little reward.
So after all this testing, what was the One Leg Makeup to rule them all? The Sephora Collection Perfection Mist Airbrush foundation, of course.
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.
Me, thinking about how great my legs are gonna look this summer:
If leg makeup is your thing, get on out there are glow, baby, glow. And if it isn't — just know your legs are fabulous just the way they are.
