DIYing a dupe for MAC Face + Body

It didn't take me very long to realise that I was going to melt if I didn't change out of my jeans when the first scorchio day of the London summer arrived last week. Even in my lightest skirt and top I was in danger of overheating, but the worry of ending my days as a little puddle on the floor was nothing compared to the panic that set in when I realised that I needed to go out for a couple of hours.

With my naked legs.

My naked, blue-white legs.

Up until that moment, I had been thinking of them as a bit of an "eff you" to tanning and was quite happy to be all SS11 and embrace the pale, which was fine when they were covered by my trousers and tights. The prospect of taking them for a jaunt outdoors, in public, in all their mottled "glory" put a slightly different spin on things.

A desperate rummage in the bathroom cabinet turned up several instant tan options, but since the rest of me was just as pale I wasn't so much looking for colour as for something to even out their skintone. Swearing - yet again - that I'd definitely treat myself to a bottle of MAC Face + Body come payday, I had a bit of a brainwave.

Or possibly a touch of heatstroke.

Whatever was behind the inspiration, I decided to have a crack at DIYing a sheer-ish veil of coverage for my legs. I reached for a light body moisturiser, pulled out a reject from my foundation graveyard, and (very scientifically) mixed a decent blob of moisturiser with a good few drops of foundation in the palm of my hand. I smoothed it onto one leg, had a goo in the mirror, and was more than happy with the result: my made-up leg looked decidedly less corned-beef than its mate and had a slight soft-focus look to it.

Now, this solution probably wouldn't stand up to very much in the way of rain or rubbing, but I did sweep a cotton pad over my legs when it had dried and there was no evidence of transfer.

Have you ever tried this?