Let me start this by saying that I think I may have the only husband in the world that regularly tells his wife that she ‘is not high-maintenance enough’.  I really think he is playing with fire, but we’ll save the extinguisher for later.  He is on his way home from an unusual business trip that took him south of the Equator…he went to Peru, where it is summer…while I have been snowed in, he got a sunburn LOL.  He asked me as we chatted on Skype “have you run out of nail polish?  ’cause those toes need some attention before I get home.”  Now you may think that this is sexist and blah…blah…blah, but I expect him to do manly things like use power tools & take the trash out…so I see no problem with him expecting me to paint my toes (even in the winter).  I did tell him that it is too cold to walk around while the paint dries…he offered varied solutions, none of which were as good as what I came up with. 

So this is (shamefully) what my toes looked like when he left…

I know…awful…I could never have gotten away with this in Phoenix, where flip-flops are a year-round wardrobe staple.  Now I really wish I had bought those UGG flip-flops I saw at Last Chance, now I understand what they’re for.

So, to comfortably do a home pedi in the winter…where it is frigidly cold (despite the heat being on)…you’re gonna need a few things…

In the dish is a mixture of (very) coarse Kosher salt…any coarse salt will do…I bought this particular kind & it ended up being way to coarse for cooking (for me, anyway)…but it makes a spectacular scrub.  I mix it with some olive oil, or sometimes my favorite massage oil (Tranquility by Aura Cacia), today was olive oil.  Wondering what the deal is with the socks & scissors?

I originally did this over the summer, because I couldn’t stand wearing full socks to bed…but my heels were a mess from the pool.  I slathered my foot with the thickest cream I could find & put some of these on before bed.  You can probably buy them all nice and pretty for this very purpose, but trying to save a little $$ & who doesn’t have an old pair of socks that could be used for better purposes?

You will also need polish…plan on MINIMUM of 4 coats…don’t you want it to last for more than a day or two???  You must do a base coat, 2 coats of color, & a top coat.  I must confess that I am a polish snob.  OPI is my absolute favorite, I get it when its buy 2 get 1 free at ULTA.  I chose a nude shade, that doesn’t show wear as fast.  My favorites are Skinny Dippin’ in Lake Michigan (pictured), Lincoln Park after Dark, You Don’t Know Jaques, and Malagra Wine.  Fabulous colors & fun names!

So now you’ll want to put some very warm water in your tub & get to scrubbin’ (take your old polish off first).  Apply a generous amount of your scrub (I guess you could buy one of these, too…but again, my way is cheaper) & rub around on all surfaces.  Concentrate on your heels & any rough spots.

I like to grab a handful & scrub my hands while I’m at it.  Then rinse off with warm water…no need for soap, you want the oil to remain.  Dry your hooves, they should be nice and silky now.  One important step is to go over your nails with a fresh bit of polish remover…it gets the oil off so your polish will stick better.  Now paint ’em!  4 coats…don’t skimp!  In 2 weeks when your toes still look good, you’ll be thanking me. 

Scrubbed & polished toes are happy toes…and make for a happy hubby, in this house anyway.  I think I left my toes in the warm water for too long…they look all wrinkley…or maybe I’m just gettin’ old.

Now, my better advice would be to head over to www.spatimenow.com & get one of those mega-deals on a fabulous pedi by a real professional…but remember I’ve been snowed in, so that was out of the question for me…and I have a husband with some expectations to pick up at the airport (if I can make it out of the driveway).

Today’s secret revealed…I’m really embarassed of the way my toes looked in the first picture, and one of the apps I use on Facebook (Networked Blogs) highlights the first picture of the post…that’s why the snowy scene starts things off LOL.