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How healthy are YOUR feet?

Hands up if you think foot care starts and ends with pedicures at your local beauty salon?

Well, you’re both right and wrong. Right because a beauty therapist will help keep your nails in check, file them down, give you a relaxing and revitalising foot massage and paint them a nice colour that will lift your spirits. But you are also wrong because a beauty therapist is not medically trained and as much as they can recommend a pretty colour for your toenails, by law they cannot diagnose any foot problems.

I have often been heard telling clients, ‘you may want to see a podiatrist to address that toenail problem or to tackle that hard skin’. It’s very important that you know the limitations of a beauty therapist and always walk in the opposite direction if you see a scalpel in their hand, unless they have an accompanying certificate of use, of course.

This is why regular checkups with your podiatrist are essential for the health of your feet. Regular means every three months, unless your feet are in such perfect condition and can get away with a bi-annual visit. . Our feet do so much for us and we sometimes take them for granted, until you have a problem.

I went along to my local podiatrist recently for a check up and a question/answer session.

So what did I learn? Here goes:

What is the difference between a podiatrist and chiropodist?

In today’s terms they are both the same people. A chiropodist has a diploma in foot care, whereas a podiatrist has a degree in foot care. However, as the profession becomes more sophisticated they are merging into one.

What does a podiatrist do?

They treat a variety of foot problems, including disorders of the skin, nails and delicate small joints of the lower leg and foot.

A lot of foot illnesses go unchecked without regular visits to the podiatrist and because some of them just look like cosmetic issues, people can be unaware that they are carrying a potentially serious issue. For example fungus of the nail can present itself in so many different forms from yellowing or whitening of the nail to thickening or thinning of the nail. With all these possibilities see why a visit to the podiatrist is important?

Further tidbits:

• Keep toenails short. To just above the where your skin underneath and the nail form a seal. This is important to stop debris building up underneath the free edge, which can lead to infection and also to stop cracks and breakages of the nail itself. The big toe especially, takes the brunt of many knocks and a long nail increases the chance of painful breakages. Trust me I know, that’s why I’m sat in the podiatrists chair!

Quick Tip: after filing, remove nail dust and debris by using a medium strength toothbrush to clean around the sides and underneath the nail free edge.

• Use a foot file once a day. The feet must be dry before you file as its most effective then. So file before a shower or bath.

• Sandals and flip flops are great for summer, but they put a lot of pressure on the feet and encourage the development of hard skin and calluses. Therefore don’t spend all day in them. If you do, remember to coat the soles of your feet in thin layer of Vaseline. This will help prevent the build up of hard skin.

• Cosmetic foot creams are great for smell, but it’s important to use one that contains Urea. Urea is the body’s natural moisturiser and it helps break down hard skin, repair and relieve hard skin and its associated problems.. Results can be seen in as little as seven days. CCS Heel Balm was recommended as the best.

• It’s important to get hard and dry skin medically removed with scalpel. Do not do it yourself or let a beauty therapist do it. Practically you cannot see underneath your feet without great difficulty and a podiatrist will be able to do a much better job as they know exactly what they are looking for.

• Avoid getting toe nail extensions like acrylic or gel overlays. It may look great, but viral and fungal infections can grow underneath the overlay and infect the toenail. Although, the podiatrist can treat the infection, it takes a good few months, up to twelve, depending on the location of the infection, for the infected nail to grow out. During this time, you cannot have any public pedicures as infections; especially fungal and viral are highly contagious.

So there you have it, foot care is extremely important, especially if you have underlying health problems like diabetes or are receiving chemotherapy. I must say that my visit to the podiatrist was both interesting and an eye opener and I hope more people take the time out to make visiting the podiatrist as often as visiting the dentist. A check up is all it takes to keep you walking on the right path (pun intended!)

To make your visit to the podiatrist more relaxing, book in for a spot of reflexology as well. Many podiatrists offer this service and it’s a relaxing way to combat stress and tension.

NOTD: Model's Own Green Flash

The dreaded flu has got me, so I couldn't make my YSL manicure yesterday. I had already painted the perfect picture in my head of the teal blue nail polish with the gold tips. Hey hoo, I'll have to get myself better as quickly as possible so I party with YSL Rock & Baroque nail colours.

In the meantime, to cheer myself up, while I drunk a mug of Lemsip (btw I hate Lemsip), I dug out this Model's Own polish I picked up earlier in the week. Its called Green Flash. A lime green with a touch of yellow currents and silver shimmer.

I still haven't decided whether I like green on me and I have tried many, many greens. My last go was with OPI's Jade is the New Black. Even though I got lots of compliments, I'm still undecided. Put it like this, it wouldn't necessarily be my first choice. But this green is bright, glittery and shimmery and the magpie in me was instantly drawn to it. I'm always giving greens 'one more go.'

The colour looks exactly as it is in the bottle, which is a good thing as its always a bit disappointing when you put a colour on an it looks different to whats in the bottle. Though the first coat was a tinsy winsy bit streaky (I think because of the glitter), but on the second coat it was fine and it produced this metallic foil finish look. I finished it of with Essie's Good to Go top coat.

I'm not a fan of metallic looking colours, so this green is out for me, but I do think is very pretty. What do you think?

Friday Favourites

Did you enjoy last week’s Friday Favourites?

This week the accolade goes to Rimmel’s Professional Eyebrow pencil. With three shades (black brown, dark brown and hazel) at just under £3, its a bargain!

This is eyebrow pencil has been a staple on and off for over ten years, depending on how flush the bank balance is. It got a lot of use during college days, but as my taste got more high end, I switched to the likes of the Chanel, Shu Uemura and Dior eyebrow pencils. Although, those pencils are gorgeous, I’ve come back to my trusted favourite.

The pencil is standard with a brush on the cap, nothing too special, but I find that its soft on my skin and doesn’t drag, which is something I’ve experienced before with some of the luxury brands, whose pencils don’t always glide easily. It has good coverage and fills in the gaps in my brows nicely. As a child I had very bushy eyebrows and in my teenage years I over plucked majorly. So now, I do use a pencil to extend my brow and I feel this one doesn’t give a stark and overly obvious brow line. It looks natural, has good staying power and lasts till bedtime, no matter how much running around I do!

Brows are such an important part of make up and the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow pencil does such a fine job in helping us girlies frame our faces, that it thoroughly deserves this week’s Friday Favourites trophy!

So over to you, are you a brow pencil or powder person? What’s your favourite eyebrow brand?

POP IN: a bespoke shopping and beauty experience

This week, Clerkenwell in east London, plays host to POP IN, a pop up shop.

On show will be jewellery from Michelle Krausz, selected collections from graphic designers Eak Design, creature maker Susan Horth, lighting designers Hausfreund Sascha Kipferling, wallpaper & housewares from Michael Angrove, millinery from Rebecca Coffee & Kate Underdown and fashion from Pure Harte.

For the beauty hounds, there will be exclusive pampering sessions complete with makeovers, consultations and demonstrations from The Chapel Hair and Beauty (where Kay works, so you are in for a treat!). There will also be make up from renowned make up artist Anne-Marie Simak.

So POP IN from 5th -7th August. It promises to be good fun!

For more details: www.popinclerkenwell.tumblr.com 

Kay's Ultimate Home Nail Kit

Kay, has allowed us to delve into her nail kit and being a professional nail technician, her home manicure kit is rather large, containing seventeen items! But, its what keeps her nails in tip top condition so here goes and below she explains what each product is and why she uses it.

(Its not in order of use)

1. OPI Swiss Guard - This is an antiseptic gel that I use to clean my hands before a manicure and also use to keep the nail plate sanitised when I push back my cuticles.
2. OPI N.A.S 99 -  This is an antiseptic spray which I use this for many things: to sanitise tools, to wipe debris off the nail plate, to make sure the nail is free from oil and grease before painting. Its 99% Isoproyl Alcohol and 1% Thymol, so it contains no water, therefore doesn't create mould. (That's more essential when doing nail extensions)
3. OPI RapiDry Spray - This is the very last thing I use after a manicure, it drys nails to a hard, glossy finish in next to no time. (see other post: http://beautymaze.blogspot.com/2010/06/products-of-week-opi-dripdry-rapidry.html )
4. Leighton Denny Brilliance Polish Remover - I love this nail polish remover as its designed to lift staining from the nail plate and gently return it to a healthy pink appearance.
5. OPI Finishing Butter - I use this as hand cream and I find it very luxurious and keeps my hands, nails and cuticles well hydrated.
6. OPI Drip Dry Drops - I use a drop of this on each nail after putting on top coat and it gets nails touch dry in five minutes. Good for someone who is always on the go like me.
7. OPI Nail Envy Original - I use this product every so often when I feel my nails need a bit of a strength boost. I either wear it on its own or use it as a base coat.
8. OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil - This is my 'go to' product for cuticles and I use it every night to keep my cuticles moisturised. It's got heaps of avocado oil, which skin absorbs very quickly, so no greasy fingers!
9. OPI Ridge Filler - I cannot continue a manicure if I'm not using this product. If nails are in good condition, I use this as my base. Its got silicone in it, which sits in and skims over ridges on the nail plate to produce an even finish to polish.
10. OPI Bond Aid - This is very similar to OPI's Chipskip, but this is a professional version, which I use to balance the pH of the nail plate and create the perfect polish surface. It's only sold to trade.
11. Essie Good to Go top coat - I find this top coat light and quick drying. It does its job very well.
12. OPI Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment - I try to use this at least once a week. It contains AHA's which gently work on eliminating dry and hard cuticles.
13. Fluffy Stick - I picked this up from OPI and its great for wiping away dust and particle of the nail. Also its more cost effective than using a cotton pad each time you want to wipe the nail.
14. Leighton Denny Crystal File - This is my all time favourite file, the Rolls Royce of all files. I have two, this large one and a smaller handbag sized one. Its won countless awards and is so easy to use. You can file nails in any direction and I find it seals the edges of my nails to prevent sharp bits that can catch on to things.
15. Cuticle Pusher - I know it looks like something you'd find at the dentist, but its the best cuticle pusher I know. The scoop end fits perfectly into the base of the nails and you can gently work away at dead cuticle and you use the pointed end to clear everything away. I find it much better than plastic hoof sticks and miles more useful than wooden hoof sticks.
16. Leighton Denny Corrector Brush - This is my perfector brush. After painting, I go over every edge with this brush and some polish remover. Even if I can't see polish on the skin, I still go over with this brush to create a flawless finish.
17. Cuticle Nippers - This is not something I use very often, as I don't believe in cutting cuticles and dry skin around the nail as it can lead to infection if cut incorrectly. However, when used by a professional and not tugging on the skin, its fine.

So, this is Kay's ultimate, can't live without nail products. You can see she's heavily into OPI as well. What's your ultimate nail kit? We'd love to know what your must have mani products are!

Dissolve the Day with Dermalogica's Precleanse

Sometimes you wash your face and thinking its clean, you proceed to toner only to see traces of make up on your cotton pad! How annoying is that? Goes to show your cleanser isn't doing a full and proper job of cleaning your face.

This is where Dermalogica's precleanse comes up trumps. As the name suggests you use it before cleansing and it dissolves oil based make up, sebum, sunscreens and environmental aggressors from the surface of your skin, prior to your usual cleanser. In a standard issue white and grey bottle, it basically gives your cleanser a helping hand and ensures you get a more thorough job done.

Precleanse suits all skin types and its great for oily skin, even though it's an oil based cleanser. It feels very light on the skin and you can actually feel it working to liquefy dirt and grime on the skins surface. It's even gentle enough to use on the eye area and tough enough to dissolve waterproof mascara.

Precleanse is made of a number of moisturising oils - olive, apricot, kukui, borage and rice bran. It's also hydrophilic, meaning it loves water and can easily rinsed away with water. Surprisingly, given the number of oils, your face isn't left looking like you've apple bobbed in a vat of grease.

Apply it to dry face, before using any water, paying close attention to massage it into areas of congestion. Then, boost Precleanse by wetting hands and massaging your face again to create a milky emulsion. Wash this off before you continue with your usual cleansing routine.

The bottle is 150ml and you get can easily get three months use out of it. And at approx £20 you do get your money's worth. Precleanse is a valuable weapon in achieving a professional cleanse at home, with skin feeling clean and healthy.