We’ve said it before (and we’ll say it till the cows come home): happy feet make a happy woman. But the happiest feet aren’t just gorgeous-looking – they’re truly healthy!soles

Thongs. Slingbacks. Mules. Slides. We love them – but we known plenty of women who stick to plimsolls or courts all summer because they don’t feel their feet will bear close scrutiny. If a lifetime (or even just a winter) of neglect has taken a toll on feet, the mere thought of baring them many be – well, unbearable. But no matter how hard you’ve been on yours, it doesn’t take much fancy footwork to get your feet in tip-top shape. Nobody can guarantee that a glass slipper will change your life, but you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re beautiful from head to toe!

The five-minute pedicure
1. Remove any polish.
2. Was feet and dry thoroughly (including between the toes) with a towel.
3. It’s a myth that feet need soaking before you exfoliate them; instead, buff them while dry with a foot file. The Body Shop’s (which is a bit like fine sandpaper) is excellent. If you regularly buff your feet in the bath at night with a pumice stone or a foot file, you’ll be able to skip this step because that will keep hard skin at bay on an ongoing basis.
4. Leading pedicurists advise taking great care when cutting nails, to minimize the risk of ingrown toe-nails. The trick is to cut the nail straight across and not too short – We suggest cutting with careful little snips, rather than all at once, which can cause the nail to split and break. After clipping, carefully file the nail so that the edges are very, very slightly rounded, using long, smooth filing strokes – and then tests for smoothness by drawing a piece of old stocking across the top.
5. Slip a toe separator between your toes and apply a thin coat of base coat and one of the new ‘quick dry’ polishes which, we find, really do cover in a single coat, for an instant transformation. (The base coat buffers the nails so that the pigments don’t discolour them.) You can walk around with the toe separators in until you’re ready to put your shoes on.
6. Once polish is touch-dry, lightly moisturize feet with a favourite body lotion, to give them an instantly smooth appearance and softness to the touch.
7. Don’t want to polish nails? Massage your toes with almond oil and use a buffer to buff your nails rosy; this boosts circulation and strengthens them.

If you have more time.
1. Soak feet for five to ten minutes in a bowl of warm water to which you’ve added three drops of peppermint essential oil (to revive feet) or three drops of lavender essential oil (to soothe them). Or try this almond-and-milk pedicure: simply dissolve a cupful of powdered milk in warm water, them add a tablespoon of almond oil. Soak for fifteen minutes and feet will emerge kissably soft. (If that’s your thing.) For a D-I-Y massage made in heaven, add a layer of marbles at the bottom of your bowl, and roll feet backwards and forwards across them.
2. After soaking, gently push back cuticles with an orange stick swirled in cotton wool and dipped in tea tree oil. (The tea tree does double-duty: it moistens the tissue and is antibacterial, helping to minimize any risk of infection).
3. Massage feet with a rich cream or balm. Before painting, wipe moisturizer from nails with polish remover, which cuts through any greasy film or residue left over from foot soaks or creams; polish won’t adhere, otherwise.
4. If you’re not in a tearing hurry, paint using a traditional varnish rather than the quick-drying versions – there’s a wider range of shades to choose from and the finish tends to be glossier. Apply a base coat and two coats of polish (allowing a minute between each coat), and start with the big toe since this takes longest to dry. Finish with a quick-drying top coat.
5. To erase smudges and smears on skin, manicurists like the precision control of an orange stick dipped in polish remover; simply press the tip on the smudge, and it should lift off without leaving a mark behind.
6. When nails are touch-dry, apply a dot of oil – preferably a nail oil, but virtually and body oil will do – at the base of each cuticle, and massage into the nail. This stops fluff sticking to your pedicure and also – by preventing exposure to air – ‘sets’ the polish super-fast.
7. It’s still best to wait at least 45 minutes (longer is better) before putting on a closed-toe shoe – or slipping between the sheets. But if you can’t, do what salons do and wrap feet in Cling-film. Works like magic.
8. Pale, pastel shades compensate for poor hand-eye co-ordination. Every goof shows with a darker polish.
9. A salon pedicure might last a month or so – by which time you could be bored with the colour. So start out with a light colour, like a pale pink. Then a few days later you can put on a coat of something darker – say, an orange. Then three days after that, maybe a purple or a gold. That way, you’re not stuck with the same colour for weeks.

Foot Notes
• For swollen feet, add a handful of Epsom salts to a bowl of warm water and fill a second bowl with cold water Soak your feet in each bowl for a couple of minutes (the temperature changes reduce puffiness). Dry thoroughly.
• ‘Never wear the same pair of shoes to days running; it takes 24 hours for them to dry out thoroughly. Damp shoes allow fungi to thrive.’ (Encouraging athlete’s foot!)
• Don’t wear your highest heels for more than two or three hours a day. Vary heel heights. Simply changing shoes halfway through the day will help ease pressure.
• Never try to ‘break in’ shoes. (Feet surrender first.) If possible, shoe-shop late in the day, when feet are at their largest. Get measured occasionally; if you were size six at age 20, you may not still be at 40. Feet grow as we age.
• According to the Chinese, cleansing the feet every night before bedtime is as important as washing the face. Dr Hang Song Ke of the Asante Academy of Chinese Medicine in London explains; ‘ During the day, toxins are excreted through the feet, which can be reabsorbed to night.’ So, even if you don’t bathe at night, get into the habit of foot washing before bedtime and, it’s said, you’ll have fewer colds and infections.
• Because feet are so absorbent, when they are sweaty, we like to use an organic, cornstarch-based product.
• Or try this: brew to teabags in (1 pint) of boiled water for 15 minutes. Add 2 litres (4 pints) of cool water and soak feet for 20 minutes. The tannic acid changes skin’s pH level, banishing odour-causing bacteria.
• Without wanting to sound like a couple of germ-obsessed Howard Hugheses, we have both initiated ‘no shoe’ rules at home. Going barefoot is blissful. Our feet ‘breathe’ better, don’t get callouses of any kind, and outside germs tracked into the house stay by the door, making for a healthier (and much less grubby) home.
• Ponder on this, though: many hotels routinely spray bedroom carpets – and especially bathroom floors – with pesticides, to keep bugs (sorry, we’re talking cockroaches here) at bay. By all means go barefoot at home – but pack your slippers when you’re going away, to avoid exposure to these chemicals!