CHEAT ON YOUR PEDICURE
Cheat on your pedicure!
It's much more practical than cheating on your man - and it'll save money too
by Meghan Cleary
From Sunday's New York Daily News
Between swishing through the sand and giving yourself blisters with new shoes, you're hardest on your feet in summer.
And even in the land of $20 pedicures, taking your weekly spa job down to every other can save you a little cash you can use for other beach staples (like Bumble & Bumble hair powder, a new tube of Diorshow mascara or a little deposit in your savings account).
POST-PEDICURE POLISH
Twenty-four to 48 hours after your pedicure, carefully brush on a clear top coat. Try Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender or No-Chip Speed Dry With Silk Protein: it'll add another layer of protection on your polish, extend the color and prevent chipping.
PAMPER YOUR PEDS
Summer dryness manifests in cuticles and rough heels. Help dry cuticles by rubbing them with oil - any kind, from olive to baby.
Rough patches? Try a 15-minute lukewarm foot bath at the end of the day. Buff rough spots with a pumice stone and layer on some foot lotion before bed. Try Dr. Scholl's for Her Foot Serum (it has beta hydroxy to gently exfoliate the rough bits). For extra oomph, give yourself a little foot massage, and slip some cotton socks on over your lotion to seal in moisture.
BANISH BLISTERS
We've all bought a pair of shoes we love for summer - that gave us the worst blisters. How to wear them without permanently disfiguring your feet? For starters, once you get a blister, let it heal! We all put the offending shoes back on the very next day, but feet should have a three- to four-day window to heal. Get some moleskin foam with adhesive at the drugstore, cut it up and put it inside the shoes in the spots that gave you the most trauma. Then soak feet in as warm a bath as possible and rub them down before bed with a thick, unscented lotion, like Lubriderm Seriously Sensitive, to speed healing and reduce scarring.
PAINT YOURSELF
This summer, go for deep purple-red jeweled tones on the toes, with a sparkly undertone. These reflect in the summer sun and turn your toes into gorgeous little jewels in your sexy strappy stilettos. For some added appeal, layer a deep wine with a reddish sparkle: Try one coat of Essie National Velvet with an overlay coat of Essie Wild Thing.
Meghan Cleary is a Manhattan-based shoe expert; see www.missmeghan.com.
