Put Your Best Foot Forward With an At-Home Pedicure

They’re your most dependable form of transportation and the perfect excuse for buying a closet full of cute vegan shoes. Don’t your feet deserve a special treat? A pedicure is the perfect way to show them some love and put more pep in your step. So put your feet up (literally) and give your toes some TLC with a spa-quality, at-home, cruelty-free pedicure.

What You Will Need

*All products available online at time of writing. Please check your local stores for similar products.

You’ll need to gather the following supplies:

Pillows
A stool or chair
A clean towel
A hair dryer (optional)
Cotton balls
Q-tips
A basin or tub:

• Foot Spa

Foot soak:

• Epsom salts

Nail polish remover:

• Acquarella Nail Enamel Remover

Nail clippers

A nail file:

• The Body Shop Big Nail Polishing Block

A small brush:

• The Body Shop Round Body Brush

Cuticle treatment:

• Adesse New York Cuticle Oil

Foot scrub:

• Freeman Beauty Peppermint & Plum Creamy Pumice Foot Scrub

A pumice footstone:

• The Body Shop Wooden Foot File

Lotion:

• Freeman Beauty Peppermint & Plum Softening Foot Lotion
• Aveda Foot Relief

Base-coat nail polish:

• Adesse New York Hydra Veil Base Coat

Nail polish

• 100% Pure Nail Polish
• Acquarella Nail Polish
• Adesse New York Nail Color
• ncLA Nail Lacquer
• Pacifica Nail Polish
• SpaRitual Nail Lacquer

Top-coat nail polish

• Adesse New York Diamond Shine Top Coat

Procedure

Set aside approximately 45 minutes for your pedicure. Before you begin, set up a comfortable, well-lit area and gather down-free, nonshedding pillows (fluff will stick to polish) and a chair or stool to prop your feet on. Consider playing soothing music for a relaxing ambiance. Then follow the steps below:

• Fill a basin or tub with warm water. Add Epsom salts or cruelty-free commercial salts and soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Gently pat your feet dry with a clean towel.
• Thoroughly remove any old nail polish.
• Clip your toenails straight across with clippers.
• File the toenails to smooth any rough edges.
• Gently buff and smooth your feet with a small brush. Make sure to pay special attention to your heels, the balls of your feet, and the outsides of your pinkie toes.
• Push your cuticles back with the edge of the nail file. Use a cuticle treatment if the cuticles do not push back easily.
• Exfoliate any dry skin with a foot scrub. Use a pumice stone on rough patches.
• Apply a generous amount of lotion to your feet. Gently massage it into your feet and calves.
• Wash away any excess moisturizer from your nails and then separate your toes by placing cotton between them.
• Apply one layer of base coat. Allow time for it to dry, or use a hair dryer set on low heat.
• Apply two coats of color. Use a Q-tip moistened with nail polish remover to remove any mistakes. Again, let your toes dry.
• Apply a clear top coat to add shine and to protect the color from chipping.
• Apply foot spray in order to cool and soothe fatigued, overworked feet (optional).

Tips for Happy Feet

Here are some ways to keep your feet happy:

• Don’t toast your toes! Protect them from the sun with a cruelty-free sunscreen.
• Trim your toenails straight across at least once a month.
• To give dry feet some extra lovin’, lather them up with lotion, cover them with clean cotton socks, and let them moisturize overnight.
• Now that your feet are happy and your toes are pretty from your pedicure, show them off with a pair of sexy summer sandals from Moo Shoes.

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