Pedicure perfection

Get ready for some fancy footwork with a luxury pedicure in the comfort of your own front room…

Whether you're strapped into your favourite pair of Jimmy Choos or pounding the high street in ethnic flip-flops, one thing is for certain; your feet are going to be on show. Chances are they've been hidden away in 70-denier tights and cosy boots for the last eight months and aren't yet in any condition to be revealed to the world. Fret not – follow our five-step guide to a do-it-yourself pedicure and in no time you'll have transformed flaky, hard and ugly – to glowing, soft and lovely. All we need now is a long, hot, lazy summer.

Step one – Prepare your feet

  Pretty feet ready for summer The skin on the soles of our feet is twenty times thicker than other parts of the body and without constant attention (and let's face it, who does give their feet attention in the winter months?) it can easily become hard, split, and dehydrated. A foot file is by far the best tool for sloughing away dead skin cells and should always be used when your feet are dry. The best we've tried is Bliss London's Diamancel #11 the tough buffer, (£39, 0808 100 4151). With a surface made from real diamond dust, your feet truly will be dripping in precious jewels as you effortlessly rub away unsightly lumps and bumps.

Make sure you remove any old chipped nail varnish from toes. Cutex have just launched a pack of handy wipes (£1.99, available nationwide), which conveniently swipe off varnish in seconds.

Step two – a good soaking
Now comes the frivolous bit, which feels exceptionally good if your feet have taken a retail pounding or been squeezed into four-inch heels the night before. Fill a bowl with invitingly warm water, immerse your feet, turn off your mobile phone, and relax for 10 minutes. Add to the water a capful of Moor at Home Spa Bath Liquid (£14.25, 01622 844 944) or a few drops of Aromatherapy Associates Renew Nourishing Rose Body Oil (£28, 0208 569 7030), both perfect for soothing tired feet and tired minds.

After a good dunking, any remaining hard skin on the soles of your feet will have softened up. Crack open a tub of exfoliating foot scrub and massage it into the feet and lower legs in a circular motion, paying special attention to areas that still feel rough. Crabtree & Evelyn's La Source Revitalising Foot Smoother (£10.50, 0207 361 0499) has a fresh ocean scent and leaves feet baby soft. For extra-girly girls, a tub of Nougat Body to Home Foot Buffing Cream (£15, 0207 323 2222) is just the ticket – pink, rose-smelling, and in a jewel-adorned tub that will look fabulous on any dressing table.

Remove your newly-buffed feet and pat them dry with a warm fluffy towel, making sure you get right between the toes.

Step three – add moisture
It's time to treat your thirsty feet to a generous helping of moisture. There are hundreds of foot creams on the market, but the best combine moisturising with gentle exfoliation. Try Clinique's Water Therapy Foot Smoothing Cream (£15, 0870 034 2566). The Acetyl Glucosamine clears away any hard-to-shift dead skin and a generous helping of Shea Butter adds strokable softness. Not forgetting the cuticles, add a dot of Creative Nail Design Solar Oil (£9.95, 0113 216 2994) to each nail and massage well into cuticles to keep them supple and hydrated.

Step four – cut and paint
However divine your pedicured toes may look, limping in stilettos is not attractive. It's crucial that you cut nails in a way that avoids them becoming in-grown. The trick is to cut straight across the nail with a sharp pair of scissors, leaving the nail approximately 2mm shorter than the end of your toe. Finally, use a good quality nail file to very slightly round off the edges. Our favourite is the Crystals Limited Nail File (from £9, 0870 361 6162); a stylish Swarovski-adorned file with a high-performance (and, apparently, ever-lasting) glass surface.

This season the trend is to wear attention-grabbing colours on your toes. And what a relief - after all this work you'll want people to notice your feet. First, apply a base coat so the colour pigment doesn't discolour the nail underneath. Then paint toes a vibrant colour, finishing off with a top coat to seal in the colour and add sparkling shine. Nails Inc Underground Base Coat and Albert Bridge Top Coat (both £10, 0207 499 8333) glide on perfectly and are impressively chip-resistant. For colour, you can't beat Leighton Denny's juicy brights. Buy a selection of four irresistible shades (I Love Juicy, Sophisticated, All About Me and Glamour Puss) from QVC (£27.50, 0800 51 41 31) to see you right through the summer months.

Step five – finishing up
By now, your rich moisturiser will have soaked in and your feet will feel soft as a Mulberry leather handbag. When your toes are dry to the touch, finish off your home pedicure with another layer of moisture, this time in the form of a rich balm. Jo Malone's Vitamin E Gel (£62, 0207 720 0202) or Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Crème (which smells sinfully good) (£11.50, 0845 604 9049) are both perfect for the job. Your feet will look glossy, feel fabulous, and be ready to show off on the dance floor.

Between pedicures, keep feet soft by applying a generous layer of moisturiser before bed and wearing a pair of socks overnight. Benefit Bathina Touch Me or Leave Me Cream (£21, 0901 113 0001) works fabulously for this.

Finally, if a last-minute invite lands on the doormat and your feet are looking less than pretty, why not treat yourself to a relaxing salon pedicure. We all like to be spoilt once in a while and doesn't it feel great when someone else is doing all the hard work? Our favourite haunts include Cobella, where a deliciously moorish pedicure will have you reaching for your diary to book your next appointment (£40, 0870 900 0440), and Beautyworkswest (£42, 0207 221 2248) where you'll be treated to a winning combination of hot stone therapy, paraffin wax treatment, a heavenly massage, and perfectly painted toes.

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