Shortly after I started dating the handsome individual who became my husband, he left for a quickie golf trip with the guys. No sooner had I sweetly batted my eyes and waved buh-bye than I was at the Park Avenue office of my dear pal über–plastic surgeon Michael Kane, ordering saline injections to zap a constellation of spider veins on my right thigh. "Shoot me up, Mikey-Mike," I said, "and make it snappy."
A whiz at all needle-related beautification rituals (he even wrote a book about Botox), Kane is obsessive about achieving the best possible results for his patients. In my case, that meant forcing me to wear excruciatingly tight "compression" stockings for four days post-procedure. Not only did I need an Rx for these instruments of torture, they cost 100 smackers a pair and took me a good 20 minutes to slither into each morning. Sheesh.
But grannyish support hose aside, here's the real rub about saline injections: They aren't a one-shot deal. Whether it's the same ones reappearing or a fresh crop of newbies, spider veins are the gift that just keeps on giving.
So at least for now, I'm bagging the injections in favor of a quicker, cheaper fix. To prep for my upcoming spring vacation avec famille, during which I intend to lounge poolside, umbrella drink in hand, I'm actually road-testing ... drum roll ... body makeup.
Knowing full well that this decision has "potential nightmare" written all over it, I called the lovely Lee Graff for a few pointers. Based in Toronto, she's the president and cofounder of Cover FX, a corrective makeup brand that's a major confidence-booster for people with rosacea, birth marks, and other skin conditions. Luckily, she doesn't mind chatting with self-absorbed types like moi.
"You can have the best gams in the world," she says, "and if you have spider veins, you'll feel self-conscious exposing them." While I wouldn't exactly put myself in that category, my legs are pretty decent. When I lay off the baked goods and hit the gym regularly, they're even better.
Except for those itsy-bitsy spiders. According to Graff, unsightly veins are largely hereditary, so you can blame Mama and Papa. I'm happy to do that, as long as I can also add baby to the list of beauty havoc-wreakers: Without question, there are more squiggly lines since she arrived on the scene.
But I digress, and I really do want to share Graff's tips:
- Consider buying two shades—one as close to your natural skin tone as possible, and another that's just one shade darker, to accommodate a slight tan.
- "Build" to the desired coverage by dabbing on just a little, doing a mirror check, and then adding more if necessary.
- To blur any telltale demarcation lines, lightly buff with a big, fluffy brush and translucent powder. (That compact in your makeup bag will do just fine....)
And in case you're wondering, these are on my shopping list: Cover FX, an opaque cream formula available in a whopping 40 shades; Neutrogena Sheer Body Tint, a lightweight mousse that stays put until you wash it off; and Davies Gate AllSpice More Glow, a subtle skin enhancer laced with vitamins.
Wish me luck. And pass me that cocktail.
