The first time I used Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs wasn’t exactly intentional. I found a dusty can of it in my mom’s bathroom sometime in high school. At the time, I had a school dance coming up, and the promise of instantly “perfect” legs sounded appealing enough to ignore the five-year-old expiration date. I went full force, spraying mountains of product to achieve a glow that could only be described as aggressively bronze. In hindsight, my technique was far from perfect, but even then, I understood the appeal of a little strategic leg-blurring.
Fast forward to today, and leg makeup—along with body makeup in general—is having a bit of a renaissance. Not that it ever fully disappeared. Makeup artists have quietly relied on it for decades to perfect the look of legs before celebrities step onto red carpets. Celebrity makeup artist Elayna Bachman says products like Airbrush Legs remain a staple backstage because they create a subtle “pantyhose-like effect,” instantly smoothing the look of skin. “The type of imperfections that cover easily with leg makeup are bug bites, uneven patchy sunless tanner, veins, and light bruising,” she says.
