You don't have to pay spa prices for pampered feet and pretty toenails polished to perfection. All you need are the proper tools and techniques - plus a steady hand - to achieve a professional-looking pedicure at home. For the ultimate spa-like experience, you may select an aroma and mood (lavender for relaxation, peppermint for a pick-me-up) and buy corresponding products, says salon consultant Amber Edwards, St. Charles, Ill.
However, to indulge yourself on the cheap, you needn't look beyond your bathroom cabinet or kitchen pantry.
First, fill a foot bubbler or large stainless-steel bowl with warm water to soak and rinse your feet in. (Stainless steel is easy to sanitize, Edwards says.) Aside from relaxation, the point of soaking is to soften the skin and you don't need pricey products for that. A scoop of Epson salt along with a drop or two of scented oil will do the trick. For a headier aroma, try Freeman's Bare Foot Peppermint & Plum Softening Foot Soak ($4). Keep your piggies submerged for at least five minutes.
Remove one foot and pat it dry. Take off your old color with nail polish remover and a cotton ball. Switch feet and repeat.
Remove the first foot again. Use toenail clippers to trim the nails, cutting straight across to prevent ingrown toenails. Then, file the nails. Switch feet and repeat.
Remove the first foot and apply cuticle oil, such as Creative Nail Design's Solar Oil ($7), available at nail salons. Repeat on the other foot. Note to budget-minded beauty mavens: Olive oil works, too.
Push the cuticles back with an orangewood stick or cuticle pusher. Then, buff the surface and top edge of each toenail with a nail buffer (sometimes called a buffing block).
Gently "grate" away rough skin with a foot file. Dr. Scholl's For Her Smooth My Sole micro file ($10) captures skin shavings, so there's less of an "ick" factor.
After rinsing, exfoliate your feet and calves. A mixture of olive oil and kosher salt or raw sugar makes an invigorating foot scrub.
Rinse again, dry your feet thoroughly and apply lotion. For severely dry feet, try A+D ointment - yes, the diaper rash remedy. "It's the best thing since sliced bread for cracked heels," Edwards says, and it will only set you back about $5.
Go over each toenail one more time with polish remover to get rid of any lotion residue.
Edwards prefers a paper towel - halved, rolled up tight and woven between the toes - over store-bought toe separators. Apply a clear base coat, let it dry for a minute or two, and then apply a thin coat of polish. Apply a second coat after a minute or two, allow it to dry, and then apply a clear, protective top coat. (Pedicure purists insist that base and top coats are formulated to do different things, but Edwards says the two-in-one products work fine.)
Gray, dark green and red polish are all the rage this season, as are sexy, high-heeled ankle boots with open toes or cut-out uppers, says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, executive vice president and artistic director of OPI nail-care products, based in North Hollywood, Calif. "If you see some of the shoes out there, they're like sculpture - you want your color to coordinate," she says.
If you accidentally color "outside the lines," use a corrector pen like Cutex Manicure ($4).
In a rush to slip into some peep-toe pumps? Use a quick-dry product such as OPI's RapiDry Spray Nail Polish Dryer ($11), available at beauty supply stores and salons. But patience works, too - and it's free.
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