Feet Treats

By Anne Marie Scanlon

Don't you just love when magazines run a picture of a celeb all dolled up for a night out with dodgy feet? There they are in their designer duds with hundreds of dollars worth of shoe on show in cracked feet! Priceless.

It's an easy mistake to make. For most of the year our toes are wrapped up in socks and tights and we don't give them more than a passing thought. The occasional toenail clipping is what passes for foot care. Then the summer arrives and the socks and boots are shed in favor of strappy sandals. Now think about it, would you throw off your woolly cardie and thermal vest and head out into the sunshine without buffing up and smearing on a dollop or two of fake tan? I very much doubt it. However even those people with personal stylists on the payroll seem to forget that feet need a bit more than a dab of nail polish before being let loose for the summer.

This summer whether you're in designer sandals or slippers don't let your feet be a flop. I've scoured the shelves looking for the best foot care products around and here are a few to be going on with.

Do bear in mind that although you can get away with neglecting your feet during the colder months you really shouldn't! All the foot care products I've looked at this week should really be used year round, especially if you wear high heels on a regular basis. Just because your feet aren't on show doesn't mean you should let them go. Having nice feet is a bit like wearing fancy underwear, it's a treat all for yourself.

Right, to business. Hard sidewalks, high heels, tight fitting shoes, long hours standing or walking - all of these contribute to tired and sore feet. You can combat the effects of all of the above by paying your poor toes a bit of attention at the end of the day. There's little as nice as a good foot soak after a long day. Check out Carol's Daughter Rosemary & Sage Herbal Foot Bath ($9.00) a lovely concoction of dry herbs, sea salt and orange peel which helps alieve athlete's foot, relax muscles and soften up calluses. It looks really pretty too, like a jar of potpourri, but unlike potpourri it's actually useful. (Sorry, but I've never understood potpourri, it doesn't smell nice and it just lies there gathering dust. What's the point? If you know please email me the answer.)

Anyway back to feet. Softening calluses isn't just a good idea to relive foot stress and pain at the end of the day. As for calluses, they're part of a vicious circle - the worse they are, the worse the pain, the worse they become and on it goes. Softening or removing calluses is vital for healthy pain free feet. Luckily there are plenty of foot pampering products that will give calluses the boot. Aveda Foot Relief ($18.00) helps soften and smooth calluses and dry patches. With this product there's the added bonus of helping to invigorate sore and tired feet and legs as well as deodorizing with lavender and rosemary oils.

Sedona Valley Spa Cactus & Peppermint Foot Scrub ($12.00) uses cactus extract to soothe tired feet while peppermint oil cools and freshens. To tackle calluses and dry skin this product contains pumice and cornmeal exfoliate. Planogen also have a great foot scrub, the Sole Scrub ($29.50) uses Apricot Seeds, Peppermint, Tea Tree Oil and Chamomile combined to scrub away flakey and dried skin while leaving feet tingly and invigorated. The minty aroma stays leaving your tootsies smelling fresh - never a bad thing. Tea Tree Oil is also one of the ingredients in Biosilk Silkcure Spa Hand & Foot Soak, Tea Tree Oil not only cools and soothes but has natural antiseptic properties and will help destroy bacteria - especially good for home and salon pedicures. This soak should be used prior to your home manicure/pedicure as it leaves hands and feet smooth and clean and ready for any treatment you wish to give them.

Once you've sloughed off the dead skin, the dry skin and the calluses it's time to moisturize. Carol's Daughter Peppermint Foot Lotion ($10) will help you in your fight against dry cracked heels as well as giving your step a bit of extra pep. Apart from Peppermint Essential Oil the lotion contains ultra-hydrating Shea and Cocoa Butters. (This lotion actually does double duty; if you mix it with a little sugar it makes a great exfoliating scrub!).

Plantogen Sole Repair Cream ($29.50) is a minty, non greasy foot cream choc-full of hydrating ingredients including, Shea Butter, Avocado, Extra Virgin Olive Oil as well as the invigorating Menthol and Peppermint. I defy even the driest of feet to withstand that assault of hydration. Sedona Valley Spa Aloe & Hibiscus Flower Foot Balm ($12.00) uses Aloe extract to moisturize while Hibiscus flowers work on rough, dry skin. The formula also contains Chamomile and Rosemary which have anti-inflammatory properties to relieve mild swelling and irritation. This lotion can be used either to soothe or for a quick foot pep-up.

Propoline have two great foot care products - Propoline Pedi Care Cream ($14) is an exfoliating cream which you can use on your knees and elbows as well as your feet as it is specifically designed to remove dead skin cells without rubbing. It also moisturizes and renews skin tissue using Fruit Acids, Salicylic Acid and Olive Oil. Propoline Pedi Care Relief Gel ($20) isdesigned to refresh and firm tired feet and legs. The gel helps reduce water and toxin retention and imparts a cooling sensation. This is exactly what you need in your purse for a marathon shopping trip or walking holiday. If it's a long walking holiday or you have problem feet then try Qtica Intense Foot Repair Balm ($16 3 oz. $25 8 oz.). This is a product designed specifically to repair severely damaged and irritated skin. The ingredients include Salicylic Acid for exfoliation, Tea Tree Oil (antiseptic) and Hyaluronic Acid for hydration.

When your feet are restored to loveliness its time to think about polishing those toe nails. Zoya recently introduced some fabulous metallic shades, perfect for summer feet. Trixie is bang on trend for the summer of 2007 being a vivid silver. If you don't fancy silver (what's wrong with you?) there's Jinx (bronze) and Hermina (pale gold). All three are $5.50 so you can buy all of them. The Candy Collection also incorporates metallic shades; Pia is a dazzling orange, Tangy is apple green and Tart is electric blue. Again all thee are $5.50. For a proper professional pedicure make sure you use Zoya Anchor Base Coat ($8) and Zoya Armour Top Coat ($8) to keep your color fresh and chip-free.

For dramatic (and patriotic) nails check out Mattése NYC Nail Enamel in Emerald Depths ($4.99). If you don't fancy that shade there are 17 others to choose from so no matter how fussy you are you should find something to suit. IsaDora Perfect Nail Polish ($7.29) also comes in a vast array of shades (matte and pearl) so all tastes are catered for. I particularly liked Pearly Brandy (yes a shade of nail polish and not a cocktail). IsaDora Perfect Nail Polish has ingredients that moisturize the nail and prevent it drying out. The brush is wider than a normal nail polish brush and covers the nail in one go. Good news for those of us who are a bit klutzy, the less times we have to apply a coat the less chance of messing it up. IsaDora also have a Nail White Pencil ($7.49) which can be used to push back cuticles or do a quick at home French Manicure. Well worth the price.

In a hurry? Then check out Avon Instant Pedicure ($8), the world's first dry enamel. Application is easy peasy. Select the enamel that best matches your nail size, smooth color strip over the nail and remove excess color with your thumbnail. Could anything be easier? Also, there's no chance of spilling hard to remove lacquer over the furniture or your clothing. Instant Pedicure comes in eight shades, Bayberry, Instant Rose, Let's Go Lavender, Magic Mauve, Peony, Praline, Reddy to Go and Starburst.

So there you go, you have no excuse now for being papped with cracked heels or chipped toenails. Happy Stepping.