Summer is so close we can almost touch it, and with warmer weather finally granting us its presence, our winter wardrobe has been firmly stored away and replaced with summer dresses, skirts and shorts. So far, so good.
But after keeping our legs firmly in jeans and trousers all winter, there’s something that can hold us back from baring our pins. When you have a regrettable tattoo on your leg, ankle or foot that you want to hide, wearing a dress or a leg-bearing outfit can be more complicated than you think.
And although spider veins and scars can be something you should feel proud of, and a mark of something your body has gone through and come through stronger on the other side, we understand if you would still rather cover them than have them on show.
Even if you have a bruise, blemish or an insect bite, leg makeup can work to conceal these imperfections and leave you with flawless, even-ed out skin, and boost your confidence in the process.
If you’re thinking that you can simply use the foundation or concealer that you use on your face for your legs, think again, as leg makeup formulas are different. They tend to have higher quantities of pigment to allow for full coverage, emollients to provide a smooth and silky finish, and need to set quickly and have minimal transfer.
So, how to apply? Start off with a small amount of product and build up the coverage in light layers, as you can always add more, but it’s much harder to take away. Like you’ll have a preference for you face foundation, whether you use a beauty blender, brush or your fingers is up to you. Just be aware that leg makeup may contain tanning ingredients, so for those products we would recommend using a mitt so as not to stain your hands and fingers.
What are you waiting for? Read on for glowy, gorgeous looking legs, with not an imperfection in sight.
Best leg makeup at a glance:
- Best overall: DIOR Backstage Face & Body Foundation - £27.50, Sephora
- Best for bronzed coverage: Vita Liberata Body Blur - £30, LOOKFANTASTIC
- Best for maximum coverage: Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup - £35, Boots
- Best for longest wear: Dermablend Leg And Body Makeup - £32.33, Amazon
- Best for light coverage: MAC Studio Radiance Face And Body Radiant Sheer Foundation - £32, Beauty Bay
- Best for a glowy tint: Fenty Beauty Body Sauce Body Luminizing Tint - £40, Sephora
- Best budget buy: Revolution Body Veil Face & Body Foundation - £15, Beauty Bay
- Best for when you’re in a rush: Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Spray – £10.15, Superdrug
- Best for skincare benefits: this works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle - £40, LOOKFANTASTIC
- Best for use all over the body: Kryolan Dermacolor Body Camouflage – £23.60, Sephora
Best dresses for the races: Ascot outfits from floral prints to ruffle midis
Best white dresses for women 2023: Midi, mini and more
Best floral dresses for spring and summer 2023
Best collagen supplements UK to strengthen and boost your skin
Best tan accelerators for sunbeds or outdoor tanning to help give you a sun-kissed glow
Best face tanning mists to spray for a sun-kissed glow
Best fake tan for legs to give your pins a perfect glow
Best gradual tanners to apply at home for a subtle way to make you glow
DIOR Backstage Face & Body Foundation
Best: overall
You’ll be hard-pressed to find this leg makeup in stock, and it’s clear why. This is a professional-grade leg makeup that is brilliant at providing second-skin, light as air coverage and comfort. It has been put through its paces by Dior’s makeup artists and has legions of fans across the world.
Made up of 94 per cent natural ingredients, it’s waterproof, sweat-resistant, and has the impressive ability to resist extreme temperatures, gym sessions, and bright backstage lights - all while providing medium coverage and zero transfer.
Buy now £27.50, Sephora
Vita Liberata Body Blur
Best for: Bronzed coverage
If you’re looking for leg makeup and a glowy fake tan in one, your search is over. The Vita Liberata Body Blur is renowned for its blurring, perfecting finish that effortlessly conceals imperfections, creating flawless looking legs.
The formula contains a cocktail of impressive skincare benefits too, consisting of shea butter to help your legs stay moisturised and hydrated, Vitamin E to boost natural collagen production, and organic glycerin that helps to tackle signs of ageing and any redness or irritation.
Easily washed off, it’s a perfect evening out product for when you want your legs to look their best for a special occasion.
Buy now £30.00, lookfantastic
Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body SPF15
Best for: Maximum coverage
Beauty behemoth Estée Lauder rarely puts a step wrong. Its leg makeup offering is no exception, providing up to 12 hours of wear, no transfer onto clothing, water resistance and contains SPF 15 to boot.
Developed with dermatologists and surgeons, it covers everything from tattoos and scars, to spider veins, birthmarks and pigmentation with ease, and can even be used on post-surgery scarring (but make sure to double check with your physician first).
Buy now £37.50, Sephora
Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup
Best for: Longest wear
For long summer festivities, weddings or even hitting the beach, this is the product you should be adding to your Amazon basket.
It boasts a whopping 16 hours of wear and has the addition of SPF25 to keep legs protected on scorching warm weather days. Although if you’re lounging, be sure to layer up with added SPF to prevent burning.
A little goes a long way, so it doesn’t need lots of building up to achieve opaque coverage, and doesn’t become cakey, smudge or transfer, even after wearing for long periods of time.
Buy now £32.23, Amazon
MAC Studio Radiance Face And Body Radiant Sheer Foundation
Best for: Light coverage
This leg makeup is one of MAC’s hero products, and with good reason. It contains a fusion of emollients to create a sheer, glowy finish that can be built up to achieve your desired coverage.
It’s better suited to those who want more of an overall glow and to hide small imperfections, rather than concealing large tattoos or scars, but it provides stay-true colour for up to eight hours (there’s nothing worse than foundation oxidising and turning orange). The product is also waterproof, hydrating and comfortable to wear.
Buy now £32.00, Boots
Fenty Beauty Body Sauce Body Luminizing Tint
Best for: A glowy tint
Rihanna knows a thing or two about making excellent beauty products, whether for the face or body.
With a pump applicator, it’s great to pop in your handbag for on the go, and delivers sun-kissed, post-holiday legs with one just one squeeze.
It has a luxurious, smooth gel-cream consistency that’s easy to blend and build, with a delicate shimmer to gently catch the light, and contains skincare ingredients babassu oil and Vitamin E to keep your legs hydrated.
One step closer to getting legs like Robyn Rihanna Fenty herself? We’ll take it.
Buy now £40.00, Sephora
Revolution Body Veil Face & Body Foundation
Best for: A budget buy
Don’t sleep on Revolution. The brand is known for its collection of affordable products that deliver great results.
Enter the Body Veil Face & Body Foundation, which contains hyaluronic acid (a humectant that can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water) and vitamin C, chosen for their hydrating, brightening benefits respectively. The tinted product gives a beautiful satin finish for smooth, sheeny looking legs.
It’s also vegan and cruelty free, with a lightweight, sheer buildable coverage to effortlessly mask imperfections.
Buy now £15.00, Revolution
Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Spray
Best for: When you’re in a rush
A great affordable option, the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Spray is iconic in the realm of body makeup and brings a slightly different offer to proceedings in that it’s a spray.
It’s super quick and easy to apply (simply spray onto a mitt and rub over your legs to ensure even coverage) and it provides full coverage for up to ten hours of wear.
If you’ve ever felt the fear of body makeup transferring onto clothing or running down your legs in the rain then worry no more as it’s also transfer-proof and waterproof.
Buy now £10.99, Boots
this works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle
Best for: Skincare benefits
This tinted serum provides radiant looking legs in a tube.
It uses a whole host of skincare ingredients to care for your pins with a 93 per cent natural formula. This includes vitamins C and E to even skin tone and brighten the skin, plus arnica to help heal bruises, and macadamia seed oil and sweet orange oil for their nourishing properties.
It also has a 100 per cent natural fragrance, and uses natural caramel to give a healthy looking glow.
Buy now £40.00, John Lewis
Kryolan Dermacolor Body Camouflage
Best for: use for all over the body
With a hugely impressive 71 shades comes this option from specialist makeup brand Kryolan.
It’s brilliant at covering everything from pigmentation and spider veins, to bruises, age spots, Vitiligo and everything in between, and can be used all over the body, on arms, hands and legs.
It’s self-setting, so you don’t need to worry about applying a powder on top, and although it’s water-resistant and smudge-resistant, it can be removed easily with soap and water.
Buy now £23.60, Sephora
Verdict
With so many fantastic leg makeup options, it can be difficult to narrow down and choose the absolute best, but the DIOR Backstage Face & Body Foundation is a winner for us. Why? We love the 94 per cent natural ingredient formula, and the fact that it can withstand extreme conditions and temperatures, all whilst being light and comfortable to wear.
We also think that the Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup deserves a place in your makeup bag, due to being the longest-wearing on the list at up to 16 hours of wear and because of the added SPF25, which makes it ideal for long summer days spending time outdoors.
Whichever you choose, we hope that it gives you the confidence to rock your bare legs with pride.
