How to DIY Pedicure...

We spend most of our days on our feet, so it is vital that you take some time out of your busy life to fit in a pedicure. It doesn't have to be from the salon but can be done at home! It's a hot Saturday day and I'm ready for my very own pedicure. Here are some of the things I use:

LUSH Ocean Salt, Butterball, Lemslip, The Body Shop body scrub and filer.

1. File
Shorten, Smooth and square off toenail ends with an emery board. Use a buffer to help even out any surface bumps or ridges.

2. Scrub and Soak
Give your feet a good once-over with a foot file to soften build-up of hard dead skin. Concentrate on the backs of the heels and sides of the big does, but don't stress too much about the calluses underneath- a certain amount of this is necessary to protect your feet. Next, while you're running warm water into your bath/tub, rub a salt based scrub all over your feet. Then soak them in the warm water as the salts dissolve around them. Today I am also using a bath bomb from Lush called the Butterball. My feet are dry and even though this is a bath bomb it can be used for  your feet!

LUSH Butterball

3. Cream
Dry off your feet and massage with a rich cream. You can use either a speciality foot cream or a general body cream- whatever it is, the thicker the better. Massage calves for an extra feel-goof treat. I will be using a body butter from The Body Shop.

4. Prep Nails
Clean any cream residue from nails by using a cotton pad that has been soaked in nail polish remover. Then apply a base coat of polish to each of your nails in three stripes (middle first and then either side).

5. Paint
Super-bright colours always look fab on summer toes. I am going to apply a purple from Zoya, but you should also play around with jewel tones such as blue and green. A top coat is optional (toenails are porous so hold colour well) but it can be used to up the shine factor whenever yor nail colour stats to look a little dull.

Ok, all done now off to the shops!

Keep smiling :)

The Ex(foliation) Factor

Our skin is constantly shedding skin cells, and sometimes, they don't always naturally fall off our skin so that's where exfoliating comes in. I constantly exfoliate my skin with a body scrub or a regular body wash together with a body brush and exfoliating gloves.

The result: clear pores, less chance of ingrown hairs, increased circulation and glowing skin.

So how can you do it?
There are two ways in which you can exfoliate; dry skin brushing or wet exfoliation. I choose to exfoliate in the shower. After rinsing your entire body, apply any body scrub containing particles that cause friction against the skin. I use Ocean Salt by LUSH (which is an all time favourite of mine). It has large and small particles of sea salt which do a perfect job in exfoliating my skin. I use it along side a creamy body wash so my skin feels soft afterwards. I also use the Pink Grapfruit Body Scrub from the Body Shop, which works just as well and the smell lingers on your body for hours! I massage this over my entire body using gentle, circular movements. Usually I work the product up from the feet to the top of my body, and concentrate on dry patches such as elbows and knees.

Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub

Ocean Salt by LUSH, you can see the granules of salt!

My manicare exfoliating brush, as you can see ive used it quite alot!

Manicare, exfoliating glove.

Exfoliator beware

Over-exfoliating can strip the skin of too many skin cells (going beyond the layer of dead ones which need to be removed!), and can result in red, scaly and irritated skin. For most skin types, exfoliating two-to-three times a week is plenty for skin to achieve baby-soft smoothness.

Moisturising

Moisturising is an essential step in the post-exfoliation process, but also a great daily treat. I usually apply my moisturiser after a shower when my skin is warm and slightly damp for better absorption- the product will melt into your skin, leaving you with a gorgeous shine!

Check out my blog post on body butters: Body Butter Galore

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"I was never the girl who thought I need to make sure I look like all the other girls. I think you look best when you stand out." - Selena Gomez

Keep smiling :)