Even in winter time, you can’t wear socks in yoga class, nor will feet become invisible to significant others.
People often associate pedicures with summer. Sure, summer’s the sandal season… of course it makes sense. The truth is, being good to your feet is a year-round nice thing to do. Maybe it’s because I’m a Pisces, or because my feet are the hardest working part of my body, who knows? The main thing is, that even in winter time, I can’t wear socks in yoga class, nor will my feet become invisible to my significant other.
While during the colder months when socks and stockings help keep calluses in check, and dry skin in check… having fancy pedicures admittedly isn’t the highest on the beauty ‘to do’ list. I usually start doing my own pedi’s during this time of year, well, to save on the cash, and also to save time, as professional pedicures take 45 minutes to an hour, cost from $20-$45 (stateside, in Europe it’s way more) and while I like getting caught up on trashy out of date magazines, I also like to save time.
First things first… remove old nail polish with acetone remover and cotton. I’ve used tissues in a pinch, but cotton really works better.
Cut the nails. Straight across, is fine, but i prefer to follow my natural nail line. Just make sure your nails don’t extend over the toes. Trust me, it’s not a good look.
Gently file the nail with an emery board. Metal files tend to tear the nail, so leave them to breaking out of prison. A gentle emery board will give your nails the right shape.
Push back cuticles. I like to apply some kind of oil or lotion before doing this, cuticle oil is good, but I keep olive oil in the bathroom, so I tend to use it, and it works perfectly. Professionals use orangewood sticks to do this, but more often than not, I use my thumbnail. DO NOT remove the cuticles. It’s not necessary, and it can be painful.
If you have stubborn cuticles, you might want to wait until the next step to push them back.
If you have time, you can soak your feet in lavender milk bath… adding half a cup of milk will be nice, the lactic acid helps loosen dead skin, lavender oil is relaxing…
I used to wonder why painting my toes didn’t look as good when I did them myself than when I went to a salon, but then I figured out that half the battle is removing all the excess skin that accumulates particularly from wearing high heels with no socks, or wearing heels in general.
Here is where you can go one of two directions:
If you have time, you can soak your feet in lavender milk bath… adding half a cup of milk will be nice, the lactic acid helps loosen dead skin, lavender oil is relaxing…
If you don’t have a lot of time… or if you’re like me and lazy… I just do the slouging in the shower. I’ve tried all kinds of pumice stones, callus removers, etc… and I tell you the best thing out there is a pumice sponge. I just scrub my feet with towards the end of the shower, it takes a minute, and it works perfect. When I get out of the shower, if I need to, I’ll push back those stubborn cuticles.
You don’t have to apply polish directly out of the shower, although it’s nice to do that, it’s not always feasible, particularly if you shower in the morning. Polishing the toes in the evening is just fine, after all, you’ve already done the groundwork.
Step 1: Separate the toes, foam toe separators, cotton, tissue, toilet paper, whatever. I use tissue or toilet paper (it’s long) by twisting it and weaving between the toes.
Step 2: Apply a thin base coat. This makes a huge difference to the life of your pedi, it will make the difference between a week, and a month.
Step 3: Apply a thin coat of your nail polish, starting with the big toe. Maybe I’m superstitious, or maybe because it can handle the initial glob that comes out of the bottle.
Step 4: Apply a second coat, this coat can be a little thicker, but in my experience, it’s better to have more thin coats than one thick one.
Step 5: Give your new paint job 40 minutes to dry. This is where doing it at home can be better, because you can watch TV, or read fashion blogs while you’re waiting for the nails to dry.
It’s not a bad way to spend your time… with practice, it won’t seem too time consuming, and I know I’ve gotten better at painting my own toes. How about you? How do you keep your feet during cold months?
