If you’re using a clipper to trim your toenails, be careful not to cut them right to the edge of your skin, and take off as little as possible. If you can get away with it, only work with a nail file instead and follow the natural shape of your toe, making sure to smooth out any jagged edges. “Round, square—everyone’s toes are shaped differently,” Honey says, so there’s no need to force yours into a new shape.
Tweezerman Combo Clipper Set
Flowery Pushit Pro Pusher/Cleaner
Flowery Ultra Violet Nail File
Sally Hansen Nip Em Neat Cuticle Nipper
4. Paint your nails.
Raise your hand if your “pedicure” usually consists of you haphazardly dabbing a dot of polish onto each toenail while you’re bingeing Love Is Blind. Same. Taking the extra time to really focus on what you’re doing will ensure your pedi not only looks great but lasts way longer. The first step to getting your polish right? Use a base coat. This will not only help your polish go on smoothly and make it last longer, it can also help deliver strengthening and nourishing benefits to your nails.
Then when it comes to apply polish, go slow and steady. “Most people make the mistake of trying to do thicker coats of polish so they get the color as it appears in the bottle in a single application,” says Lippmann. “But you end up over-polishing your nails, slowing down the entire application process and making the polish more prone to chipping.” Instead use just three strokes per nail—at most—and do only two thin layers, waiting two minutes in between so each coat has a chance to dry. You’ll get longer wear out of the layered approach, plus two thin coats will actually dry faster than one thick one. Finally, finish off with a top coat, and be sure to “seal” it off by painting a thin coat of polish under the tip of your nail (check out some more life-changing nail polish tricks here).
Essie Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Polish
—L.S.\n
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Jin Soon Nail Lacquer
I love dark nail polish, but it's so obvious when it starts to chip. That's what makes Jin Soon's formulas so incredible. The shades almost always last me a week before showing signs of wear. Impressive for a 10-free lacquer. —L.S.Made without: formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, formaldehyde resin, camphor, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, triphenyl phosphate, parabens, lead.
Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Polish
Sephora Collection Color Hit Mini Nail Polish Top Coat
5. Maintain your hard work.
If you’re diligent about taking care of your feet, you won’t have to shell out for another pedicure the rest of the summer. Once a week, “apply cuticle oil all over your feet, apply foot cream, and then put on some socks,” says Lippmann. Do that overnight, and you’ll wake up to smoother, softer feet—no work required. Or go for a pre-packaged foot peel or mask, which will keep your feet from getting dry or cracking.
Sephora Lavender Foot Mask
I've written about my crazy-dry feet before and how no matter what I try, they always seem to look so haggard. This gave me hope. First, despite having exfoliating ingredients, it actually doesn't peel off your skin. Rather, a combination of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and vitamins come together to leave your feet supersoft. It says you can leave them on for only 20 minutes or cover the masks with socks and sleep in them overnight. I'd recommend the latter. There's nothing more satisfying than waking up to an overnight skin transformation. —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor","productBrand":"","dangerousHed":"Karuna Exfoliating Foot Mask","embedSize":null,"isFirstProduct":false,"isSponsored":false,"offerRetailer":"Amazon","offerUrl":"">Karuna Exfoliating Foot Mask
I've long been a fan of Karuna's sheet masks, so I was stoked to hear it had launched its own version of Baby Foot. I've written about my crazy-dry feet before and how no matter what I try, they always seem to look so haggard. This gave me hope. First, despite having exfoliating ingredients, it actually doesn't peel off your skin. Rather, a combination of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and vitamins come together to leave your feet supersoft. It says you can leave them on for only 20 minutes or cover the masks with socks and sleep in them overnight. I'd recommend the latter. There's nothing more satisfying than waking up to an overnight skin transformation. —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor6. Short on time? Try buffing.
If you’re too tight on time to pull out all the stops with a pedicure, the fastest way to get your feet in good shape is to just buff your nails. “Skipping the polish saves time, but proper buffing will still give you a super-high-gloss finish,” says Lippmann. Quickly rub on some lotion afterward, and you’re good to go.
Revlon Shape 'N' Buff File & Buffer
Deborah Lippmann Smooth Operator Nail File
Bella Cacciatore is the beauty associate at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @bellacacciatore_.
