Why do I need leg makeup for summer?

I blame it on my 3 wonderful children.  Specifically, my last two children.  I had clear almost flawless legs after my first son was born, easy peasy pregnancy.  But then during the pregnancies of my 2nd and 3rd child, I was blessed with ugly (and sometimes painful) varicose and spider veins along my legs and feet.  Annnnd they never went away.  Bummer.

This is probably one of the most un-glamorous subjects I have ever talked about on my blog.  

I have been dealing with my veins becoming more prominent as the years go by for the last 7 years.  My doctor could provide no explanation as to why this didn’t occur with my first child, but then they popped up with my 2nd child and got progressively worse with baby #3.  (This sweet pea here)  I know there are procedures one can go through to eliminate this problem but I haven’t had the money nerve to go through with it yet.

Which is why I decided to finally try out the popular Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs, $13, product. 

How airbrush leg makeup has saved my legs for summer.

I dislike shorts, skirts, and bathing suits because of this issue.  Just check out that “before” pic on the left and you will see why.  I rarely like to photograph my legs or draw attention to them in any way.  I wear jeans as long as possibly into spring as I can before I start roasting.  Self tanner helps (did you catch my fun spray tan video?) but for some reason doesn’t completely hide the veins.

We use foundation on our faces to hide dark spots and imperfections – why wouldn’t we try the same idea on our legs when they’re bare and on display during the summer??  It’s not that big of a stretch right?

So I bought the “light glow shade” of the Sally Hansen product (it comes in 6 shades) and brought it home to try out while wearing shorts for the first time during our 80 degree weather.

Here are my thoughts on this airbrush leg makeup :

1. It said to apply straight to your hands and then rub it in.  I thought that sounded like a mess, so I chose to use my large makeup stippling brush, $10.
2. I sprayed it directly onto the brush then started swiping over the most prominent veiny spots.  One swipe, still kind of obvious.  Let it dry a bit, then went back over the biggest areas down around my shins and the second coat did the trick.
3. It dried very very quickly. And after hours of wear, it did NOT budge until I showered.  What?!! Yippee!!
4. How does it look? Well it does look “airbrushed,” but in a good way.  All of my veins I have hated for 7 years were all of sudden not the first thing I noticed when I looked down at my gams.
5. They end up with the lightest sheen so they appear toned and silky.
6. It has an ingredient called Palmaria Extract which is said to stimulate circulation for firmer looking legs.  Hmmm, maybe?

Might I suggest these leg exercises that country queen Carrie Underwood does to get her enviable stems.

Following the idea that your legs should receive just as much care as your face (we do shave + moisturize them right??) then I’m going to pay them more attention this summer.  And show them off!

Have you ever tried this Sally Hansen product?  What did you think?