Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs: Works, But the Spray Can Be Messy!

I first tried Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs last summer as a substitute and/or enhancement to my self-tanner use. Although I do use self tanning products (I have very pale skin), I tend not to use them very often because I can't stand the smell of them. Self tanners produce an odor I can only describe as similar to stinky feet that is caused by the chemical reaction of the self-tanning process itself. Because of this self-tanner stink, I only like to use self-tanning products that I can apply occasionally and that produce a long-lasting tan. These same products tend also to take longer to develop into a tan and most of them do not contain bronzers (or bronzers that work well).

I thought I might be able to have a nice-looking tan that didn't stink, plus I could have it instantly with Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs! I was hoping that the Air Brush Legs product would work as a cover for my white legs when I didn't feel like using a self-tanner, or to use over a self-tanner while the "tan" was developing.

I decided to try Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs when I saw it on sale for $7.50. Normally this product sells for $9 to $11 per 3 oz. can, which is not cheap. It is available at major retailers like Wal-Mart or Target and drugstores like Walgreens.


The Claim

Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs is designed to be be sprayed onto legs to hide imperfections like bruises and spider veins. It says that the spray goes on evenly, and dries in 60 seconds, and doesn't come off on clothing.

Directions
The directions simply state to spray onto clean legs using even strokes. Wait 60 seconds before touching or getting dressed.


My Experience
The first time I went to use this product, I immediately came upon a dilemma. Where should I use this product? I normally get dressed in my bedroom, and this is where I would normally apply lotions or self-tanners before I dress. Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs is an aerosol spray, so I didn't want the over-spray to get all over my carpeting and bedding (not a large room). My bathroom is super tiny (and white), and I thought the room would end up with a film of color all over if I sprayed there. The best place to apply this product would really be outdoors, but then I would have to put on a swim suit or other appropriate garment so that my neighbors don't get a peek. I hesitated only for a minute and decided to apply this spray in my room and take my chances. I put a towel down to catch some of the spray. (The over spray for one use wasn't too bad, but I fear that with repeated use, it may get all over).

The first try really didn't look so good--kind of streaky. Before it dried, I wiped it off with a towel and tried again. This time I made sure to hold the can about 12 inches from my legs. This time it worked much better and my legs actually looked pretty good. This product produced the most even coverage when I held it farther away from my legs. More product is wasted, however, and you take the risk of spraying everything else around you as well! I didn't like the aerosol fumes all over my room, though. If I lived somewhere with no neighbors in plain view, I would definitely spray this outdoors!

I do realize that my over-spray problems could be avoided altogether if I sprayed the product into my hand and then rubbed onto my legs, but I feel that this defeats the purpose of having a spray-on product, hence the name, "Airbrush Legs"! This would also make getting a smooth, even finish more difficult.

Airbrush Legs smells similar to makeup, once you get past the initial aerosol smell, which will dissipate after a minute or so. The makeup smell is not too noticeable once completely dry and you go about your day. I thought that the color was pretty good. My skin is naturally really pale so I chose the Fair shade. This shade was darker than my skin tone, but my goal was to appear as if I had a bit of a tan, so I thought that the color worked well for me.

I have only used this product three or four times and I can tell that I am about half way through the can, so there is not a lot of product here. I am not a big person (5'6", and relatively thin), so my size is not the issue either, and other than the first time when I re-sprayed one leg, I have not wasted product other than in the unavoidable overspray that occurs with each use.


Coverage and Removal
This product does cover light imperfections pretty well. I have a few small spider veins on the sides of my upper legs. Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs did cover them as well as I had expected. I didn't do any spot covering in those areas because I didn't want any areas that looked as if I had applied makeup to them.

I find that this product stays on fairly well too. If it is applied to clean, dry skin, it will last a reasonably long time. I have not found that it has worn off on my clothes (although, I don't often wear white). It washes off easily with soap and water.

I initially had hoped to spray this product on my legs after applying sunless tanner to give my legs some instant color. I tried this with terrible results. The Airbrush Legs color rubbed off easily and didn't stick to my legs when I applied it over sunless tanner. Airbrush Legs only works on clean, dry legs and does not adhere well to skin that has lotion applied to it. I have since found a self tanner with a bronzer that will suffice for this purpose.


Overall
Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs does do what it claims, and it does it fairly well. It is more inconvenient to use than I would have expected. I find the can sitting on my shelf because I would rather avoid the mess. I keep it around and use it occasionally when I want my pale legs to have immediate, even color. I will recommend this product with reservation, because it does work, and it does do what it claims to do.