It being July we should of already prepared our feet for Summer but what with the temperamental weather we've found our pedicure-plans took a back-step as our poor toots were being crammed back into boots and pumps. But after the heatwave (and a few horrified looks) we decided to go on a 'do or die' mission to finally get our feet sandal-ready.
We all love a professional pedicure but being time and cash-strapped means many of us have to go it alone. But with all the fab at-home products available DIY-efforts can make feet look pretty darn good!
If like us you've been neglecting your feet then continue after the Jump to read our step-by-step guide on how to give yourself a DIY pedicure!
1.Strip, Trim and File
Start by removing all that old nail polish with a moisturising remover. We love Paul & Joe's Nail Enamel Remover, £10 it conditions nails, effortlessly rids toes of even the darkest nail polish and is one of the only removers that doesn't leave a single bit of staining. Plus the bottle is luh-hush!
Next, get out your clippers and cut toenails straight across leaving about 1-2mm of white nail. The worst thing you can do is cut right down to the nail bed as it can cause ingrown toenails and you'll be left with a ridiculously tiny toenail. And don't abuse that poor pinky toe by hacking it all off! Tweezerman Deluxe Stainless Steel Toenail Clippers, £9 offer precision cutting and also have a built-in bin so you don't have to inspect the carpet for any remnants of your toenails. Hurrah!
File your toenails to your preferred shape but for a professional finish we like to keep it square with the corners lightly rounded off.
2.Soak, Exfoliate and Scrape
Soak feet in a large bowl of warm water and add a relaxing foot soak. Boots Gorgeous Feet Pamper Trio, £8 have a lovely softening soak (as well as the exfoliator and moisturiser) as does Champneys. A pedicurist once told us to put marbles in a foot bowl and lightly roll feet against the marbles for a relaxing, massaging effect. Then refill the bowl with clean water and use a foot exfoliator like The Sanctuary Covent Garden Pumice Foot Scrub, £3.92. Take some exfoliating gloves, the standard 99p ones you get from supermarkets are fine, then gently massage your feet. For really thick dry skin rub vigorously with a pumice stone like Ms Pedicure's Natural Pumice Stone, £4.88.
Rinse feet and when drying off use the tip of your towel to rub around toes, gently removing any dead cuticle skin. Skin-smoothing specialists Soap& Glory recommend rubing half a lemon on the dry skin on your feet then let it dry for 10 minutes. They say the lemon helps dissolve dead skin cells making it easier to shift. Then take their Fantastic Foot Buffer, £8 and scrape and smoothe away dead skin. Use the toe insert for between toes and remember to scrape in one direction. Otherwise the dead skin you shift won't fall to the floor, it will stay on your file and get pressed into your skin again! Lovely! Ha.
If you have particularly bad skin, calluses and all, then the Tweezerman Comfort Callus Shaver & Rasp, £8.50 works like a razor to scrape calluses and the seperate rasp head smoothes out stubborn hard skin. Or if all this scraping and sloughing sounds like too much hard work then No7 Perfect Pedicure, £14.67 is an electronic tool that has pumice, file and buffer attachments to churn away at dead skin. This is a fab little invention that really does make everything a whole lot easier, just hold against skin and let the vibrating heads do their thing! Yay!
3.Moisturise
Wash feet and then lightly pat them dry. Leave them damp and moisturise with an intensive cream like Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme, £11.26 which is packed with nourishing oils to really revive dry feet. You can do the tried and tested sock treatment overnight or for a quick-fix apply your cream then individually wrap cling film around your feet. Leave for 30 minutes then unwrap for really soft skin. It may look bizarre and you will have to endure a barrage of bad jokes from the boyfriend but it works! If after a long day on your feet they are looking, feeling and smelling bad then soak and apply a cooling cream. Anatomicals Cheese Release Me Foot Cream, £3 is an aptly named cream (but kinda ikky at the same time!) that refreshes and deodorises whiffy feet.
4.Prep, Paint and Polish
You can apply cuticle cream/oil before exfoliating feet but we like to apply it post-soak so it doesn't wash off. You can rub in a non-greasy balm like Barielle Cuticle Replenisher, £14 into cuticles and toenails massaging into the corners without any shiny residue. You can apply it after you paint toes too, either way it will make cuticle re-growth slower and the dead skin will be softer and easier to remove over time. For a more intensive treatment rub in Ciaté's Love Me Oil, £7.25 a really luxurious oil that leaves cuticles super soft. Then grab a cuticle stick and gently push them back in a circular movement. Glenis Baptiste's Cuticle Pusher, £1.95 is made out of steel and will last you a lifetime.
Then buff out nails with a buffer for a smooth surface but if you're feeling a bit lazy you can get away with applying a base coat like Nails Inc Kensington Gardens Treatment, £11 it strengthens nails and smooths out a rigid nail surface so polish will just glide. Allow to dry then paint two coats of polish. We are loving all the rainbow varnishes out there at the moment but Pure Nail Polish in Persian Red, £6.36 is a gorgeous raspberry shade that suits everyone and doesn't look too young. Correct any slip-ups with Ciaté's Perfect Paint Job Nail Corrector Pen, £9.95.
Finally, be sure to finish of with a topcoat to seal in colour, we like Butter London PD Quick Hardware Top Coat Nail Varnish, £14.75, it gives great gloss, dries super quick and has a thin consistency so doesn't leave toenails looking thick.
Et Voilà!
Now feet have been prepped, pampered and polished they need a bit of post-pedicure treatment to stay looking good. Wearing sandals inevitably mean you pick up dirt and the heat can make straps chaffe and feet swell. Avoid looking and feeling grimey by preserving your pedicure with these wonder-products...
Boots Gorgeous Feet Amazing Anti-rub Stick, £3.91 instantly prevent rubbing or chaffing on skin. Apply where your sandals touch your skin and it'll prevent any blisters or worn skin patches.
Fcuk Pure Deodorising Wipes, £3 are our new hand-bag essential.
In the city feet can get filthy within mere minutes but these non-sticky wipes instantly clean, refresh and cool dirty flip-flop feet!
Superdrug Cracked Heel Repair Cream, £2.91 smoothes out cracks, softens hard skin and aims to improve heels in a few days. Apply to the heel at night, wear socks over it and let it get to work on smoothing out the cracks.
Butter London Pumps, £17 helps cool, revive and reduce any swelling on feet. It also helps banish any sweaty-smells so whether your wearing pumps or gladiators this spray will keep feet fresh.
Superdrug Deodorant Spray, £2.44 acts just like a deodorant for feet! Spray in the morning and the long-lasting formula will combat sweat so you won't get horrid smelly-feet syndrome.