10 Ways to the Perfect Pedicure
Put your best foot forward, from heel to toe.
1. Make a Fresh Start
Did last season's vampy polish leave behind a yellowish stain, even after remover? N.Y.C. podiatrist Suzanne Levine suggests scrubbing discolored nails with a tablespoon of Clorox diluted in a cup of water; then rinse and buff.
2.Welcome Matte!
Looking to give your ballerina pink or classic red a fresh twist? Experiment with next season's biggest nail trend -- a matte finish. (Trust us, it's going to be huge!) Simply use your base coat as a top coat to remove the shine from your lacquer.
3. Be Creative
Since this summer's best sandals come in so many colors and materials, no single hue will do. Ji Baek, owner of Rescue Beauty Lounge in N.Y.C., offers these guidelines: "The more embellished the sandal, the more neutral toes should be. No metallic with metallic. Be daring with conservative shoes. And coral goes with anything!"
4. Stay in Tip-Top Shape
To get a lot of mileage out of a pedicure, nail pro Deborah Lippmann adds an extra swipe of base coat, color and top coat across the ends of each nail. "The tips are the first to peel, so you want to reinforce them," she says.
5. Give Feet a Facial
When it comes to saving soles, Levine suggests using the same exfoliating glycolic acid peels once reserved for the face. We love Estée Lauder's new skin smoother -- a potent 30 percent solution that can tackle even our most stubborn calluses.
6. Allot Enough Time
"Dark shades take almost twice as long to dry as light ones," says CND manicurist Roxanne Valinoti. So if you have a spur-of-the-moment date and your last pedicure was two weeks ago, reach for a baby pink or beige polish before darting out the door.
7. Get Strap Happy
It's possible to avoid the usual blisters and red spots from new sandals. Baek breaks in her summer strappies by wearing them around the house with thick socks. For extra-sensitive areas (like the tops of toes), Valinoti suggests a strip of clear medical tape: "It prevents friction and is less obvious than a bandage."
8. Paint Outside the Lines
You don't need a steady hand to get perfectly polished toes. Try this oldie-but-goody beauty editor trick: Slap on two coats of color at night. After your morning shower, when feet are still wet, use your fingertip to scrape paint off the skin around your toenails.
9. Do a Clean Sweep
Walking around town in flip-flops can make even a flawless pedicure look downright grimy. Be prepared for those gross-city-feet moments by keeping a stash of cleansing towelettes in your purse and desk drawer.
10. Spot Correct
To repair chips and nicks, smooth the ragged edges with a buffer and fill the dent with polish. Wait a minute for it to dry, then paint the entire nail with another coat of color; seal with a top coat.
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