If you have really pale skin, how do you do bare legs?

[Newhere2]

I want to get my legs out with summer dresses and skirts (before I'm too old) but am so put off by how white and blotchy I look. They almost look patchy bluish / purplish, as you can see the veins etc....

I've heard stockings, but really with a sun dress and sandals that doesn't work. Make up as well, but won't that sweat off and leave marks everywhere?

So what works to make you feel more confident at leaving the house with bare legs?

I'm embracing the pale this year too. I'm late 20s and have always hated showing my paler than pale legs but now, I can't be bothered to care. I'm covered in suncream and use a little bronzer if I feel the blue/purple colouring is a little too harsh.

I believe they'll eventually match the colour of my arms

I'm pale with dark hair and have experimented with various tans/sprays etc but none of it looks any better than just being pale. I exfoliate, remove hard skin on my feet etc and use loads of skin oil or palmer's cocoa butter every morning to make sure the skin is nice and not flaky. I wax my own legs at home and have done so for so long the hair is now quite fine - if I shave I get ingrown hairs and rashes. I use a bit of concealer and powder if I do have any bruises, spots or blotches. I only reveal my legs below the knee but that's more to do with not liking my knees and varicose veins on thighs, not the skin colour.

Then once I'm happy with my legs, I wear nice sandals and brightly coloured, glossy nail polish. Bright, vibrant colours look great with pale skin. Same goes for outfits and lip gloss as Coumarin said.

style icon

Garnier do a shimmery SPF lotion in different strengths up to 50, no colour but it gives me a moisturised sheen and smells of holiday. Last year I worked properly on keeping my pale legs exfoliated and moisturised sand it made a massive difference.

Fake bake 60 minute tan. Put it on, with gloves. Wait an hour. Rinse it off. That lasts a week.

Job done!

I just use the body shops cocoa butter stick to add shine. Gave up on fake tans and leg make up as it never once looked right.
Pale legs (and I am very pale) are absolutely fine.

Proud to be pale.
Don't get the point of fake tan or leg make up to cover up perfectly good skin!
Tan worshippers confuse me as do the wearers of high heels!

I tried everything to be tanned during my teens including getting terribly burnt overdoing sunbeds (big mistake) Now I am in my late 20s and I love my pale skin. I have extremely pale almost see through skin with blue/pink undertones. I wear skirts and dresses when I want to and have never bothered with leg makeup. More women and girls should embrace the pale, much prettier than those ridiculous orange oompa loompas I see an increasing number of. Fake tan makes you look like you need a good scrub in the bath, and smell like stale biscuits.

I apply a light fake tan (exfoliate first, moisturise heels, knees and any really dry patches).

Then a little bot of Sally Hansen mixed with a light moisturiser when I'm ready to go out.

It takes the blue glow off them, and evens out a blotchy skin tone.

If I had that luminous white skin, i'd embrace the pale. But blotchy, blue/purple, mottled legs? No. I shant embrace them...

If I'm going to be wearing ballet flats rather than open toe shoes then nude fishnet hold ups do the job for me. Otherwise it's glow in the dark legs (with bruises) and god forbid anyone is stupid enough to comment!

I'm 40 and for the first time this year I embraced my pale legs and wore some jean shorts - not bum showing shorts!! The ones just above knees. Fake tan just looks stupid

On me.

This thread has really cheered me up :)
I shall embrace my pale and get my legs out!

If I had that luminous white skin, i'd embrace the pale. But blotchy, blue/purple, mottled legs? No. I shant embrace them

Add broken veins to that, and no way shall I be embracing mine! If your fake tan looks orange then you haven't found the right one for you.

I'm very pale too and usually wear cut offs. Yesterday I bought a dress and last night I think I spotted a varicose vein. Perfect.

Yeah, all very well being pale if you don't have spider webs of purple and red thread veins.. (which I am totally getting done soon as I can afford it!)

flumperoo I have only ever used the SH spray, which is misleading cos you are meant to spray it on your hands anyway, not directly onto your legs, so not sure the difference!

It really does just kind of airbrush the blemishes, so my legs look still pale but even toned.

IfNot - I looked into getting mine done, but a)it was going to be very very expensive, and b)the broken veins usually come back apparently

I tend to use Bio-oil as it stops the corn beef look and also gives your legs a nice sheen. I can never be bothered to use fake tan.

I dont understand all the 'fake tan looks stupid' comments.

Yes - if its streaky or that mahogany TOWIE type spray tan, its horrid. But a good, well applied fake tan is a lifesaver for me! It brings my colour from mottled blue/white to a kind of very light peachy tan. Its like saying all foundation looks stupid. If its three shades too dark and applied badly, yes. Otherwise, not at all.

Agree Grass. Fake tan can look great if applied well and it's the right one for your skin tone, or it can look dreadful - just as with foundation

Really SirChenjin? Oh noooo! That was on my fantasy to do list, along with getting a proper haircut and colour, and nails!
My mate had some broken veins done on her face though, and I don't think it was too much, but my leg ones are those purply thread veins, so more complicated I guess.

I have pasty legs and usually build up a few days' worth of Johnson's Holiday Skin before getting them out. Not because I can't cope with being pale, more that I just enjoy having a wee bit of colour in summer!

I like Rimmel Sun Shimmer too but do bear in mind what you have planned for the day before applying! I looked a bit of a fright after a date with the log water slide at Tibidabo in Barcelona.

So i'm going to try either the rimmel sun shimmer or the sally hansen leg stuff today..... wish me luck!

Even as a non-tanner, I know that some fake tan looks awful and some looks good! As someone said, it's just like foundation. And it is different for pale people with spider veins etc.

The Body Shop honey bronze shimmer oil is good - moisture and a bit of colour/sheen combined.