Heels.com Insider: Sandal Season is Here!

Posted by Kait on Wednesday Mar 24, 2010
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Pull them down from the attic, crawl under your bed or go shopping! Break out those sandals, ladies, the time has finally come  to show off our pretty pedicures.  I thought this would be a good way to start off the season, by indulging. If you have the ability to go to a salon and get a pedicure, great! But if you don’t, I found these instructions very helpful.

Image: Sephora.com

•  The first step in a pedicure is to clip or file the toenails. The nails should be filed straight across, rounded slightly at the corners conforming to the shape of the toe. You should never clip or file into the corners of the toenails as this could cause you to have ingrown nails.

•  Soak feet in warm, soapy water. This will allow the dry, calloused skin to soften. You can use a foot file, which can be bought at a Sally’s or other beauty supply store, to rub off the dead skin. Wet the foot file, apply soap and rub gently in a circular motion across all areas of the foot. Repeat on the other foot. Allow one foot to continue soaking while you work on the opposing foot.

• After the water cools, remove feet and pat dry. Using an orange-wood stick or Q-tip, apply a cuticle removing solution to skin underneath the front part of the nail. Keep the cuticle wet and gently loosen the skin. DO NOT cut, as this causes pain and/or infection. If you have hangnails, simply use clippers to trim them back.

• Wipe excess cuticle solvent off with a damp towel. Massage each foot with a thick foot cream or lotion. Don’t forget the toes! Allow lotion to penetrate feet for 5 minutes. For extremely dry feet, wrap feet in a wet warm towel after you apply the foot cream. Wet your towel, ring out excess water, and heat the towel in the microwave for 30 or 40 seconds. Do not leave the towel unattended in the microwave.

• Rinse off the lotion in warm soapy water. Scrub off the extra lotion or dry skin by using a foot scrub. Rinse feet and dry thoroughly.

• Clean each toenail with nail polish remover. This will remove any residue. Apply a clear base coat and it to dry completely. Then apply two coats of your favorite nail polish. Allow it to dry. Note: It takes 2 hours for polish to completely cure.

Image: All Women’s Talk

Adorne your toes with this seasons’ hottest color trend: Flirty Florals. Pretty pinks, precious purples and gorgeous greens are making a big statement. Check it out at Sephora!

Image: Sephora.com