Anyone else been caught on the hop by the return of sandal season? Flip-flops, wedges and peep-toes have been speedily recalled from the back of the shoe cupboard, but let’s be honest, few of us have put in the necessary footwork. Toenails are gnarly, and heels have the texture of ungrated parmesan – hardly the stuff of a Cinderella moment.
Which is where our fairy godmother steps forward, in the immaculately-pedicured form of Jenni Draper. She’s the nail guru to everyone from Hannah Waddingham to Penelope Cruz, and has kindly given GH her golden rules for getting feet polished and presentable in record time. And yes, it works a treat, even if you’ve done nothing to your poor feet all year.
Jenni's number one tip is simple: ‘always think of condition before colour’. Forget polishing the proverbial, because there’s no point painting your toes if your feet are grim and grotty.
‘You can buy the most flattering pedicure polishes, but the most important thing is to actually look at the condition of the feet first,’ says Jenni. ‘Make sure the feet are well hydrated, dry skin and calluses are removed, and everything looks healthy, soft and moisturised before you even think about colour.’
When feet need softening at speed, her all-time favourite is L’Occitane’s Shea Karité Foot Cream.
Another key step is to deal with dry, crusty skin, and it’s a quicker process than you might think. Yes, you could use those grimly-fascinating ‘acid bath’ foot socks, which are worn for a few hours, and then cause dead skin to shed, snake-like, over the following week or so.
However, they’re a lengthy solution to an issue that can be fixed in minutes, according to Jenni.
‘Those socks are quite good but they take ages, and the process to get there is awful,’ she says. ‘It’s nothing that you can’t achieve through a good pedicure.’
You don’t need to visit a salon, either. ‘I love Footlogix products in general, and the callus peel is amazing!’ she says. ‘You leave it on for 3-4 minutes and then use the foot file to slough. It’s great and very satisfying!’
Be warned, the foot scrapings are as gross as they are impressive. ‘It’s a good one to do in the garden!’ Jenni says.
Now all you need to add is the perfect pedicure colour for mature feet (hint: it goes with everything) and you’re all set to step out in style.
