Tights are the best. So many colors! So many textures! So many patterns! So many Zooey Deschanel vibes!
However, sometimes tights just don’t work with your outfit of choice. Let’s say you’re going to a fancy cocktail party, and your frock is off-the-charts sexy. Opaque tights aren’t exactly unsexy, but rarely do they work with the va-va-voom feel of some dresses. Sure, you could wear tights’ transparent cousin, pantyhose. (Those keep trying to make a comeback, right?) But, we don’t blame you if you’re not on board with wearing a sheer layer of flimsy nylon all night.
Bare legs just look best with certain dresses. And, in a perfect world, you could venture out into the cold winter night, and Mother Nature would look at your outfit approvingly and say, “Oh, you didn’t feel like wearing tights? Let me create a cloud of warmth around your legs.”
Alas, the world isn’t perfect. But, this solution may very well be. Turns out, you actually can go bare-legged in the wintertime without freezing your toes off, and the answer has been sitting right in front of us on sporting-goods store shelves for years: embrocations.
Embrocations are creams and ointments cyclists use so they can more comfortably ride their bikes through the coldest months of the year. (In their cute little spandex shorts, no less!) Made to be slathered all over the legs, these formulas create a lasting warming sensation that anyone baring their stems can enjoy — thanks to a blend of circulation-stimulating ingredients such as capsicum from peppers, clove, menthol, and peppermint, contained in a base of shea butter or petroleum. Not only do they essentially trick your legs into thinking it’s 30 degrees warmer than it actually is, they leave them with a sexy gleam that definitely does go with your dress.
Click ahead for a few options that will have you running around in the snow pants-less. (Okay, maybe don’t do that.)
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This is a great starter embrocation, made with just enough stimulating essential oils to keep your legs comfortable when it’s in the 30s. Mad Alchemy makes multiple levels of embrocations, all the way up to “Madness,” which is made for below-freezing temperatures (but isn’t recommended for first-time users).
Made in the U.S., this formula seals out the cold air and wind by creating a warming barrier that makes walking home from so much more tolerable.
Oof. We can forgive the brand’s name, if only because this product works extra hard to keep legs warm, even in freezing rain and snow. It creates an especially gorgeous glow, too.
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