Feet may have been out of sight, out of mind for months but now it’s time to slip on your sandals and twinkle those toes. A slick of paint can make all the difference to even neglected feet, but you’ll want to choose your pedicure colour carefully – especially if you’re over 50.
While the right nail shade will put a youthful spring in your step, some pedi colours will draw unwanted attention to mature feet issues. That’s the advice of celebrity nail expert Jenni Draper, who's worked with A-listers like Victoria Beckham, Hannah Waddingham and Penelope Cruz. (Not that any of those ladies have anything but lovely feet, we hasten to add!)
Here, Jenni shares the one colour guaranteed to give you happy feet, and the shades you’ll want to side-step if you're lacking in barefoot confidence
Stay in neutral
Pretty feet start with a foot file and a great foot cream – Jenni recommends Footlogix foot file and L’Occitane Shea Karité Foot Cream for those duties. But don’t despair if your feet are never going to be your finest feature, even after softening and sloughing.
‘If you don’t want to draw too much attention to the feet, I’d always recommend a neutral toenail shade such as a soft rose nude,’ Jenni says. ‘Those tones give the natural nail a healthier appearance and look elegant without being overpowering.’
Blur with a base
You can give your efforts a leg-up with a little prep ahead of a nude polish, she advises. ‘I always use a base coat that helps blur imperfections beforehand. Something like Chanel Le Base Camélia is great because it gives a soft-focus, smoothing effect before applying a sheer colour.’
CHANEL La Base Camélia Base Coat
Choose a toe-flattering tone
If you do prefer a stronger colour, there's one particular shade that works really well with older feet, says Jenni. ‘You can’t really go wrong with a deep cherry red,’ she advises. ‘Those richer cherry tones tend to be very flattering and help disguise imperfections on the nail.’ A classic bright red polish works well, too.
OPI Rapid Dry was crowned the best nail polish in the 2026 Good Housekeeping Believe In Beauty Awards.
Step away from these colours
There are some shades you may not want to dip a toe into, advises Jenni. ‘I’d generally avoid anything too icy, metallic or stark white – no Tippex toes! You want to avoid anything overly cool-toned, especially blues, as they can make feet look harsher or draw attention to veins or bad circulation.’
Tweak your finish
If you want to go for a bolder colour, don’t feel you need a glossy finish, says Jenni. ‘Sometimes a high shine can draw more attention to the nails. If you don’t want that, leaving the polish matte – either with a matte top coat or simply with two coats of colour and no top coat at all – can look much softer and more sophisticated.’
Forgo the salon
A gel pedicure will last you a good two months, but Jenni's final piece of advice is good news if you’re on a budget and/or chronically indecisive when faced with a nail colour wheel.
‘Personally, I prefer to recommend regular polish on toes as it lasts so long and is easy to remove if you want to or need to,’ says Jenni.
Just make sure you allow time for it to dry fully before slipping on your sandals, of course.
