Pedi Crimes

Every weekend, I say that I need to go get a pedicure. And somehow, every weekend I manage to get busy (ok, lazy), and I don't do it. It's no longer the beginning of the summer. It's July 1 - and I've run out of excuses. It's time for a DIY Pedi.

Fortunately, I got my hands on some great products that make doing a pedicure at home a much more pleasant and easy experience.

SKIN CARE
Dr. Scholl's is a brand that knows feet - they've been in the foot care business for over 100 years. Recently, they've gotten much more hip and understanding of how women's feet are different from men's - and the fact that our sense of aesthetics is far more advanced! Hence, the new Dr. Scholl's For Her line. They bring you pedicare products, shoe insoles and problem solvers in seriously upgraded, cute packaging. With the following steps, my at-home pedi was almost as good as one in the salon.
1. Soak feet in warm soapy water.

2. Scrub with Dr. Scholl's for her Pumice Foot Scrub (if they're seriously bad, use their battery-operated Rough Skin Remover tool - shown above - to remove calluses).

3. Hydrate with Advanced Foot Repair Cream. Or, if you're going places immediately, I love the Foot Serum - it provides intensive moisturization with a super light, silky feel so you're not slip-sliding in your shoes.

4. If necessary, take care of any problems (corns, calluses, warts, blisters) with the appropriate Dr. Scholl's fix-her-up-ers. Nobody wants to see that nastiness!


NAIL CARE
Between Sephora and the Sally Hansen section of my local drugstore, I was able to find all that I need to create a great at-home pedi... and at reasonable prices, too!

1. Trim nails straight across with a good toenail clipper. Don't try using a fingernail clipper, or you'll get scalloped edges along the edge of your big toe nail. File smooth.

2. Push back cuticles with a great tool. I love this one from Sephora.

3. Trim off any hangnails or excess cuticles with a Cuticle Nipper

4. Use nail polish remover to clean nails of excess lotion and old polish.

5. Separate toes if necessary with a foam separator, cotton or just wound up paper towel.

6. Apply base coat to protect nails from yellowing. I like multi-tasking products, so Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat is a good one because it's a base and a top coat.

7. Apply 2 coats of color. I'm in love with Sally Hansen's new Salon Nail Lacquer. Here's why: you don't see any brush marks in the color after applying! It kind of self-heals and forms a uniform coat on my nails, even when I apply it clumsily. Perfect for when you're a bit unsteady bending over your toes or applying with your less-dominant hand. Best colors? For me, I just love deep, shimmery red for pedicures, so Wine Not? and Ru-be or Not to Be are awesome.

8. Finish off with an application of top coat and DO NOT DISTURB. Go read a magazine or sip a glass of wine while they dry.
Now, that wasn't so bad! I didn't have to worry about the cleanliness of my tools or squirm with ticklishness when the pedicurist tried to scrub my soles. Plus, it was cheap and easy - and I'll always have the color on hand to do my own touch ups. You can flaunt a cheap & easy pedi for up to two weeks, if you hydrate feet nightly and apply more top coat every few days.