Beauty Maintenance Day 5: Pamper Feet

It's been weeks, maybe months, since I've pampered my feet. Normally, I cut and file my toenails (if needed), and apply a cuticle and foot cream after a good shower. Since the Stay-at-Home order, I haven't even done that! Why? I don't know.

My feet were looking pretty raggedy. My nails had grown a full 5 cm since the last maintenance! I knew this because the end of the nail polish had grown away from the cuticle like I was rocking stripes across my toes.

I was scrounging around under my bathroom sink, again, and found an avocado foot scrub package that was in my Christmas stocking. Why not?

STEP 1: WASH FEET

This fun fest was not planned or scheduled. I decided, impulsely, to give myself a foot scrub in the dead of the afternoon. The instructions said to start with clean, dry feet which meant I had to wash them. I could have pulled down my Conair Foot Spa Massager that was hermetically sealed and stored on a top shelf in my closet but I decided that I didn't want to wash anything else (besides sealing and storing it again).

Instead, I grabbed a washcloth, soaked it and added some hand soap. I took off my pants so I could SEE my feet. Then, I scrubbed my feet, turned over the washcloth, rubbed the soap off and dried it with the hand towel close by. Step 1 was completed.

STEP 2: APPLY FOOT SCRUB

I positioned my feet on the bathtub, thinking that, by being close by, I could clean up faster. Then, I opened the package (which wasn't easy - I should have had scissors nearby) and applied the thick, oily sugar on my feet. Quite a bit of this fell on the floor...next to the bathtub.

I applied the scrub in a circular motion over every nook and cranny of my feet. I concentrated on my heels so all the dry skin would be sloughed away. Each motion resulted in more scrub on the floor.

Then, I used the washcloth nearby and rubbed off the scrub. That was not enough. I had so much of the sugary scrub in between my toes and everywhere else. Clearly, I had to rinse it off. So, thinking I was fairly clean, I walked over to the sink. Why not the bathtub? I don't know. I was creating oily, sugary footprints from the tub to the sink.

Imagine me, in my underwear, lifting my left foot into the sink. I'm not that agile so it didn't look like a yoga pose. I was sweating and panting due to the exertion. I took off my shirt. Eventually, I was able to heave the left foot into the sink and wash it under the running water. Now, I had to do this for my right foot. I started slipping - my wet foot could not find a good foothold on the oily footprints - but I managed to hoist the right foot into the sink and, quickly, rinsed it. Unfortunately, I did not take the towel with me so I had to walk, with two wet feet, to the tub to retrieve the towel. I did not fall, surprisingly, since I am the clumsiest person ever.

STEP 3: CLEAN FLOOR

Every choice I had made up to this point was because I didn't want to clean anything else. Yes, I didn't have to clean my Foot Spa Massager or the bathtub. The floor, on the other hand, was a mess! I was on my hands and knees wiping the mess thinking "why?". I don't know.

STEP 4: REMOVE NAIL POLISH

I found my nail polish remover under the sink, dabbed it on a cotton pad and removed the old nail polish. I never realized how pale and lifeless the nails looks after applying acetone!

STEP 5: CLEAN UP CUTICLES

I had two tools that would help: a wooden cuticle pusher and a stainless steel cuticle trimmer. I pushed down the cuticles and scraped the cuticle bits out of the corners. In some places, I trimmed the extra nail stuff on the sides. Then, using a metal file, I cleaned under the nails.

STEP 6: CUT NAILS

I have a great pair of toenail clippers. They're sharp and strong. I trimmed the nails straight across.

STEP 7: FILE NAILS

I shaped the nails using a glass file. (I've found that they last longer and are very sturdy.) When I reached the tiny toenails, though, I didn't spend much time. There wasn't much nail to work with!

STEP 8: APPLY CUTICLE CREAM

Burt's Bees makes a cuticle cream. Their hand salve is great, too. I rubbed the cuticle cream into my cuticles to soften them.

STEP 9: APPLY FOOT CREAM

Yes, I have foot cream but, in a pinch, I'll use hand cream or lotion. I applied the cream on my whole foot - heels, arch, insole, bottom, between the toes and the toes themselves.

STEP 10: PAINT TOENAILS

Normally, I'm not one to paint my nails but I found a product by Essie that strengthens my nails and puts a shine on them. This was an onerous task because I didn't have those toe spreaders that one sees in nail salons. I spent most of the time cleaning off the extra nail polish with my fingernail. The result, however, was presentable toes. (Notice how I've got some of my hair stuck in the polish.)

STEP 11: PUT CLOTHES BACK ON

I decided to put on a shift rather than my pants and shirt. I quickly dressed before my husband came back upstairs.