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Sandal-ready feet in just 5 steps

The DIY pedi couldn't be easier

By Lucy Adams

marie claire Contributor / April 11 2016

The DIY pedi couldn't be easier

By Lucy Adams

marie claire Contributor / April 11 2016

The DIY pedi couldn't be easier

Sandal season is no place for dry, cracked heels and chipped nail polish. Start your summer with the perfect pedicure.

Follow our five step guide for an easy at-home pedicure.

1

Shape your toenails

Remove old varnish with a non-acetone nail polish remover, such as Revlon Nail Care Nail Enamel Remover Acetone Free, and, with a fine-grain emery board, file nails until they are straight and slightly rounded at the corners.

2

Soak your feet

Fill a large bowl with equal parts milk and warm water. Add a few drops of lavender oil, and soak your feet for five to 10 minutes. Massage them with a foot scrub and rinse, before buffing away dry skin using a pumice stone. Then rinse again and pat them dry with a towel.

3

Hydrate your nails and feet

Rub one drop of cuticle oil, like OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go, into each nail and gently push back your cuticles. Then, massage in a hydrating cream, taking it up your calves for some extra pampering. Wipe the lotion off your nail bed, before slipping on a pair of foam toe separators.

4

Begin painting

Apply a base coat to lengthen the life of your pedicure and to protect your nails from staining. Next, take your desired shade and paint each nail with three thin, even strokes from base to tip, starting at the centre and then filling in either side. Wait a few minutes and repeat the process with another coat. Correct any mistakes with a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover.

5

Finish with a topcoat

Finish off with a slick of quick-dry topcoat, like Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Fast Dry Top Coat, to help guard against smudges and chips – while boosting lustre. Make sure to let it dry for one hour before slipping on shoes.

Tool kit:

Revlon Nail Care Nail Enamel Remover Acetone Free

OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go

Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Fast Dry Top Coat

Main image photography by: Edward Urrutia
Illustrations by: Ann Do

Lucy Adams

Lucy is a beauty, fashion and health journalist, brand consultant and speaker from Sydney, known for her work across a broad array of platforms. Her work has been published in marie claire Australia (for which she was Beauty Director for 9 years), marie claire France, UK, Netherlands, US and China, Women’s Health and The Australia Women’s Weekly. As a journalist, Lucy has interviewed celebrities including Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Margot Robbie, Aerin Lauder and Miranda Kerr.