Six steps to happy feet . . . at home
If the thought of exposing your feet in the upcoming sandal season has you clenching your toes in horror, read on.
You can do a lot to improve the situation with a little tootsie TLC. A home pedicure is easy to do, with a few basic items, and you can make it a weekly event to coincide with your favourite TV show. First gather everything you need, including a big, fluffy towel to dry and rest your feet on.
1. Remove any polish using a cotton pad (cotton wool balls are too fibrous and can get caught on snags)
2. Soak your feet in a basin of warm water to which you've added a liquid cleanser – washing up liquid is perfect. I tend to leave them until the water gets uncomfortably cool.
3. Pat feet dry and remove hard or dead skin with a foot file or pumice stone.
4. Use a wooden angled stick to push back cuticles, then clip and file nails to a neat shape and trim any loose cuticles carefully.
5. Exfoliate feet by massaging deeply with a foot scrub (or make your own by mixing coarse sugar with olive oil). Get in around the nails too as it helps to smooth out the skin.
6. Rinse feet and pat them dry, then slather on a nourishing foot cream.
Foot care favourites
A gentle but effective way to smooth skin is with the Pedro Callus Stone from Tweezerman. Buy it at feelunique.com(€21) and you'll get a free nail clipper. Soft Sole is an exfoliating foot-peel kit (€19.99) that encourages shedding of skin over two weeks, revealing baby soft soles. The Emjoi Micro Pedi is a battery-operated foot file that buffs and polishes (€39.99). From lifes2good.ieor tel: 1890-252206 for stockists. Look for products containing urea, a great skin softener. Flexitol Heel Balm (€7.50) is highly concentrated, with 25% urea. Eucerin Dry Skin 10% cent Urea Intensive Foot Cream (€10.99) is also effective. Both are available at pharmacies. Aldi's Lacura Hydro-Urea Foot Cream also has 10% urea and is a steal at €1.99. The Body Shop's Peppermint Foot Cream (€15.95) is a refreshing pick-me-up after a hard day on your feet. For an overnight treatment, coat feet in Vaseline and pop on loose socks.
I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT - Billy Orr, hair and make-up artist
Trilogy Rosehip OilSome days my work takes me outdoors on location, with my face exposed to all sorts of weather, so if my skin feels sensitive after a long day in the wind or looks like I had to much sun after a shoot, a few drops of this instantly soothes and calms.
Elemis Deep Cleanse Facial WashI use this on the beard line to prevent ingrown hairs. I find a few drops buffed on wet skin with a nail brush will keep them at bay. It contains spearmint, peppermint and oak bark, so it has a cooling effect and smells amazing.
Osis Dust ItI like my hair to look groomed and not overdone. I opt for a short barber haircut with some length on top and use a matt product to hold it in place. After trying numerous pastes, clays and waxes, I found Osis Dust It. It's a weightless powder that instantly thickens the hair, and it helps achieve a bit of a quaff on top.
L'Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic Recharging MoisturiserIn my area of work it's important to arrive at the job looking fresh-faced, so in the morning I always use a moisturiser. I really like this new product as it is not sticky or greasy and leaves skin feeling refreshed.
Whal hair clippersI don't like a clean shave, I haven't had a wet shave with a razor in years, so to maintain the stubble I use a traditional hair shaver with the guard attached. If there was one thing I couldn't live without, it would be this.
