Marie Claire magazine teams up with runway nail tech Elisa Ferri and Essie's Essie Weingarten to offer readers a four-step in-home pedicure class.
- Prep: Use a depilatory for hair-free toes. Soak feet in a mineral sea salt soak, although Ferri adds that liquid dish soap can be an alternative. Use an emery board or pumice stone to get rid of calluses. "Don't use anything more abrasvie, like a metal tool, and avoid infection by not exfoliating any blisters, corns, or bunions," Weingarten says. Soak clean foot in a new bath, and dab hydrogen peroxide on blisters after feet are clean.
- Shape: Apply cuticle oil (or olive oil, says Ferri) and push back cuticles. Keep nails square and file them down. "A lot of people get ingrowns from trying to file the sides," Weingarten warns.
- Lacquer: Apply base coat, two polish coats, and a top coat with UV filters to prevent fading. Wait two minutes between each step. Fix mistakes using a corrector pen or scrape away excess polish in the shower.
- Color: "When in doubt, choose coral," Ferri says. Weingarten says that while fingers and toes don't need to match, they should be complementary shades.
Marie Claire recommends an array of polish colors and nail products, including these:
- Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color in Lickety-Split Lime
- Essie Nail Polish in BFF Best Boyfriend
- OPI Nail Lacquer in Red My Fortune Cookie
- China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
- Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream
- CND SpaPedicure Marine Salt Scrub
- OPI Shiner XL File
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