It is getting closer to sandal weather here in Texas and I will not spend the money for a pedicure, as it is $30.00 plus a tip. Here is what I do to give myself an inexpensive home pedicure. I hope these tips will inspire you to treat yourself to a little pampering, which will give you nice looking toes for those sandals.
First, fill a large pan or bowl with warm, soapy water and spread a clean soft towel beside it to dry your feet on. Next, I use a cosmetic square cotton pad, (not the round ones because they soak up to much polish remover ) to remove any old polish or any oils on my toenails. Then I file and clip any of my toenails that need TLC, do this gently and do not cut too short.
Now, I am ready to soak my feet for about five minutes. This is a good time for me to look at a magazine article or close my eyes and meditate on the good things in my life! When you are ready, take your feet out of the water and slough off any dry skin with an inexpensive foot brush or foot stone made for removing dry skin. All of these things can be bought at Wal-Mart or at your local dollar store. At this time, I also push back the cuticles GENTLY with an orange stick, also known as a cuticle stick.
Next, put on your polish. I apply one stroke of polish in the middle, then one sweep down each side. It gives me a good quick coverage. My toes don't take long to polish. Sometimes, I wait about 5 minutes and apply a second coat of polish. It takes about 15 minutes for polish to dry, so be careful. The last thing I do is apply a moisturizing lotion to my feet and I am good to go.
Oh, one other item you can apply before the moisturizing lotion is a quick dry top coat, which allows the polish to dry faster. There are several great brands available at your discount drugstore. I often have great coupons on Sally Hansen products and Revlon, too. Hope this inspires you to relax and give yourself a pedicure, or do this for a friend. My sister did this for me one time when I visited and I was grateful for the gift. In fact, she is the one I learned all these great tips from.
You should try. Soaking your feet in hot or warm water with lots of bubbles. Rub gently. Then you could relax and eat half a carton of chocolate ice cream or whatever you prefer that's what I do LOL. Then you can dry on a towel near by. Clip the nails that are needed. Use polish remover to take off any polish or oils needed. File into a box shape or oval shape what ever you like. Make sure you don't file too short it can be painful. Polish any color you'd like, let dry then try another coat of the color you have chose, let that dry and put on another clear coat for shine. After that put lotion on your new and pretty toes and work around until its all gone. There you go to your EASY AT HOME PEDICURE.
This sounds like a great idea, especially for those of us coming out of hibernation after a very cold, snowy winter. Is a Texas- or California-climate pedicure any different than an Upper Midwest one?
I love L.A.! Pedicures are upwards of $45. I have had them and acrylics for nearly 35 years. Here are some of the things I have learned:
A manicure and a pedicure does not include polishing the nails. That is a cosmetic that is applied after the pedicure or manicure.
Oil on nails will prevent polish from adhering. If you use oil, be sure to wash with degreasing soap (like Dawn) and water before polishing.
To remove polish, press the remover (cotton ball, cotton square) very firmly at the base of the nail, then swipe firmly to the tip. You can save time at the manicurist or with a friend if you do this yourself before your manicure.
To seal nails, make sure the base coat goes over the tips, slightly underneath. Same for top coat. Since the surface of the tips is where most wear occurs, an occasional touch-up of this area with top coat will keep the polish strong. My polishes last two to three weeks.
Do not file the sides of the nail, only file across. This gives the nail a squared-off appearance, which is very sophisticated. If you file the sides, or round the tip, you are filing across the grain of the nail, leading to tears and breaks, since the grain is weakened.
Polish is not completely dry until you cannot smell the acetone in it. Even if it seems dry to the touch, it is not dry to pressure. No socks, toe-covering shoes or sheets until it is truly dry.
If you smudge your polish soon after the manicure, touch a finger to polish remover, then put the finger-tip remover on the smudge without any pressure. This should allow the smudge to smooth itself out immediately. This is a delicate procedure, it may take practice.
Bobby, I will try this. However, it makes more sense to me to cut the toenails after soaking, because the soaking would soften them and make them cut easier! Mary in Maryland.
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