Are your feet summer-ready?
By Zoe Foster
You can’t cower under closed-toed shoes anymore. Not now that sandals and skimpy heels are the footwear du jour. But are your feet fit for such public scrutiny? Nope, ours neither. Revamp your dry, thong-hardened hooves yourself by doing this super-simple treatment once a week.
Buffy the dry feet slayer
Remove your polish and grab a buffing paddle (Manicare have some great ones). Gently file off rough, dry skin from the bottom of your feet, first with the hard side, then with the soft side. Do it dry-on-dry because if your skin or the file is wet, you can go too hard and damage healthy skin.
Soak it up, baby
Grab a bowl or tub, add some essential oils or bubble bath (use menthol-based oils if your feet are tired) to warm water and soak your feet for at least 10 minutes. Use a grainy exfoliating scrub all over the foot to further remove dead skin cells. Dry your feet thoroughly with a towel.
Time for some filing
Cut and file nails when your feet are completely dry. If you do it while they’re wet, the nails are softer and harder to shape. Keep the shape square, as making them oval can lead to ingrown nails.
Push it on back
Never cut your cuticles – they exist to protect the nail bed, and cutting them can breed infection. Instead, nourish them by rubbing in a cuticle balm or oil, then take an orange stick (a small stick of wood with a slanted end) or a cotton tip and gently push the cuticles back.
Rub it in, why don’t you?
Get a thick body lotion and rub it in all over your feet, all the way up your calves. Once you’re done, take a cotton ball soaked in polish remover, and wipe each nail clean to ensure they’re rid of moisturiser.
Hold steady now
Weave a rolled-up tissue between your toes. Paint each nail with a base coat and allow to dry for one minute. Next, paint narrow strips of coloured polish from the middle out to the sides. (Remember: the first coat is just to get the outline; the second is for colour intensity.) Apply a second coat, and then finish with a high-shine top coat.
