I know sometimes no matter how much you scrub away corns, rub in those moisturizers, wish away those veins, they just won’t go away!  What is a girl to do?  We have make-up artist Allyson Carey to the rescue.  Allyson, best known for her work in the CBS show Bold and Beautiful came up with T!ntalize make up for your feet!  That’s right, war paint is not just for the face anymore.  It is a smudge proof, sweat proof and rub proof concealer especially for the feet intended to cover scars, blisters, veins, tan lines, age spots and blemishes.  It is supposed to dry fast and not stain clothes or bed sheets.  The concealer comes in a choice of seven colors ranging from Vanilla Mousse to Chile Chocolate and retails for $15.  If you want your feet to look princess perfect for that all important date or an imminent summer wedding but don’t have enough time to whip them back into shape, T!ntalize might just do the trick!

Find at Smarter.com: Shop for tinted sunscreen.

Besides, the more you do it, the better you become.

1. First start with the soaking. Foot spas are great for cracked heels, the water stays warm, there’s little bubbles and jets to turn on sometimes, and there are usually textured surfaces on the bottom to massage the heels of your feet. Foot baths like the HoMedics Pedicure Spa Salon Foot Bath with Heat are actually pretty luxurious, and one soak in this thing and your feet will be soft and relaxed.

HoMedis Pedicure Spa Salon Foot Bath with Heat: $59.99

Foot baths and foot spas are perfect for DIY pedicures, but they aren’t mandatory. You can easily create a little foot bath in your own tub at home, or in a big bowl of warm water. I always like adding epsom salts, or lavender oils to the water also. Soak feet for about 5-10 minutes, then begin to either scrub or pumice. I prefer the pumice stone especially natural ones like this Earth Stone Lava Pumice by Cuccio $5.95 from BannerTherapy.com.

This will definitely make your feet ultra smooth by gently buffing away dead skin.  If you want to do both, which I often like to do for that little extra something, pumice first, then use a foot scrub.  I’m curious to see how this Sephora Brand Super Foot Scrub works, it’s $22 and has a built in massage head applicator for extra exfoliation.

This would probably be a good purchase since you could use it quickly in the shower or take it while you travel if you didn’t have time to pamper your feet beforehand.  So you’ve soaked, scrubbed, and now its time to moisturize and polish.  Finding a good foot creme isn’t hard, but it’s always good to go with something that has nourishing ingredients like shea butter, or almond oil.  Bliss makes fabulous bath & body products that always smell good like the Aloe Leaf and Peppermint Foot Patrol Creme $26.

I also love the L’Occitane Relaxing Foot Cream in Lavender ($20.50).  I have had fantastic results with this stuff.

Now, time to polish.  Try a bright shade from OPI’s Spring/Summer 2009 South Beach Collection.  My two top shade choices are Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot! ($1.75)–a bright Flamingo Pink and OPI on Collins Ave ($1.75)–a bright red-orange color.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more foot spas, foot creme and foot scrubs.
Discounts on nail polish.

1) Ped Egg Foot File, $9.99:  This is one of the best foot files out there. Diligently scrub away at your dead skin and calluses with these ergonomically designed stainless steel files. Concentrate on the heels, and any other dry and cracked areas of the foot.

2)Avon Foot Works Pedi-Peel, $5: Glycolic acid in these treatment pads helps to slough off the rough, callused layer of skin that covers the heel so your moisturizer can more effectively penetrate the area.

3) Philosophy Soul Owner, $14: Exfoliate your skin with this rich cream filled with salicylic and glycolic acid which is designed to reduce flakiness.

4) Barielle Foot Cream, $22: This luxurious formula works to soften and eliminate calluses as well as heal chapped areas of the feet. Apply twice morning and evening. Wear 100% cotton socks after bedtime application for best results.

5) Footloose Loofah Pedi Slippers, $29.50: These exfoliating pedi slippers made out of terry cloth are designed to ward off dead skin and stimulate a healthy one just by wearing them. This is a great one for lazy souls!

6) Zoya Nail Polish, $5.40: You got to top it all off with some pop of color!  Zoya’s spring 2009 collection of nail polishes reflect the colors seen in the RTW Spring Runways and are long-wearing, natural and best of all free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Now, there is no excuse not to treat yourself to one of those sexy gladiator style or fringy sandals that are making the rounds this spring!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more foot care products.
Discounts on nail polish and foot cream.

Here are some great mani/pedi sets that will help you do your nails yourself and put the saved money away for other resources:

Royce Leather Framed Manicure Set: $32

Tweezerman Manicure Solutions Kit: $51

Baekgaard Manicure Set: $18.99

FootSmart Pedicure Set: $7.99

Ms. Pedicure 101, 9 Piece Set: $4.60

Come on…don’t be lazy!  Grab your favorite nail polish and get to painting!

Find at Smarter.com:   Shop for more manicure sets and pedicure sets.
Discounts on nail polish and nail polish remover.

 Dear Powers that BE that govern the UNIVERSE,

Please spare me from the same fate that has turned my father’s toes into yellow curly monsters. 

Sincerely, 

Michelle

Okay where was I? Well every time I go to get pedicures I “always” tell the lady to cut straight across and not to cut deep into the corners of my toenails. Why you ask? Because my father said that his mother use to cut his toenails really short and would cut deep into the corners of his toesnails. And by God if you saw what my father’s toes looked like you would understand my deep seated fear and horror!

Well over the weekend I kept feeling a subtle but persistent pain on my left big toe. Upon closer inspection it turns out the toenail was beginning to curl on the left corner and dig into my skin! OUCH!

Also it triggered the fear that those horrific toenails are genetic and that I may succumb to the same horrible fate!!! NOOOO!!!

I am dead set on doing everything in my power to prevent this fate, so I search for some posssible tools that might help.

I ordered this -  Ingrown Toenail Lifter

Special care is required for tending to painful ingrown toenails. This premium steel lifter has two ends to gently help move the nail and apply medicine as needed.

Note: Not for those with diabetes or poor circulation. If you are interested in purchasing the Ingrown Toenail Lifter, click here or the image.

Price: $19.99 

I hope this works, sighs. 

As I mentioned in my previous post about Dry Cracked Feet? I have NASTY FEET! I have addressed the issue of the dry cracked heels, Round TWO: curly hammer toes.

Truth is I have heard of this product for quite some time now. I actually do yoga and while I’m not at the level where I can wrap my leg around my neck, they do teach you in yoga to spread out your toes and root yourself. The first time I did it, it felt great. I had no idea that one should stretch and tone your toes. The feet are often overlooked care wise in the overall beauty upkeep department.

Well turns out my friend Evette bought a pair of the Yoga Toes. I asked her to bring it to work so I may investigate the specimen and grill her on her honest opinion. If they work? Were they worth it? and so forth…

First off, she loved hers. She had pink ones and they are made of this like..flexible yet semi-gelantinous material that sort of well reminds me of a boob? Like a much firmer silicon boob implant. Suffice to say, I liked the material.

So I decided to invest in a pair of my own. I chose the size medium even though I wear a size 9 and was wondering if I should buy a large. Makes sense since it is the width of the toes not the length of the foot. The premise is simple. By gently stretching out your toes, this helps stretch and circulate the blood through the toes.

Think about it, when does this happen to your feet? They are usually squished into some heels, sandwiched into some boots and even when you wear flip flops, the toes aren’t stretched apart. Have you ever gone clubbing and at the end of the night your feet are BARKING! Once you kick of your heels and all the blood pools into your feet they swell up? Well folks that’s when I usually massage my feet and wish I had yoga toes to stretch out my aching toes.

To be clear, here is a list of the perks:

* relax & refresh overworked feet
* stretch & strengthen foot muscles
* help improve & prevent foot problems
* soft, flexible & hypo-allergenic

$49.95 (one pair)
$39.95 (two pairs)
$33.00 (three pairs)

Worth it!

Want to check it out or buy Yoga Toes? Click here.