A well-polished attempt

Dear Betsy, I like to have painted toes but can't afford to go to a salon very often. Whenever I try to paint them at home they smudge and look awful. Do you have any tips for me?

Amna.

Dear Amna,

I sympathise with you Amna. My problem is not my technique, but my poor eyesight and the fact that these days, my feet just seem so much more difficult to reach than they used to!

First of all, make sure you plan to paint your toenails when you have several free hours before you have to put shoes on again. You can of course wear flip-flops or similar 'toe free' sandals. Wearing shoes,(even a few hours later) especially high heels that force your foot forward and downwards, will almost certainly result in smudged toenails.

As in most things, preparation is all. If you are having a home pedicure, then first scrub your feet, do the cuticles, cut and file your nails and massage in foot lotion. Next, cleanse your toenails with a cotton ball soaked in nail enamel remover. This is very important, as if there are any traces of creams or oils left on your nails then the enamel will not adhere properly and it will peel off easily.

One of the easiest ways to "isolate' your toes to ensure they are easy to paint is to use two facial tissues folded up lengthways into a ribbon about one inch wide. Now thread them between your toes beginning behind your big toe . This will separate and anchor the toes to make them easy to paint.

Begin by applying a thin layer of base coat, starting with the little toe on your left foot, moving up to your big toe then on to your right foot, beginning at the little toe and ending up at your big toe. This technique means you are less likely to smudge neighbouring toes with your hand as you gently paint them.

Allow a few minutes for the base coast to dry. Now it is time to apply your chosen colour. Before doing this, turn the bottle upside down and roll it briskly between your hands to warm and mobilise the enamel. It is best not to shake the bottle relentlessly as this can fill the product with air resulting in an 'altered state' enamel being applied and therefore more likely to chip off and peel easily.

Apply one thin coat using the above toe rotation method. Allow a few minutes for it to dry and rea-apply another thin coat.

If your application has been less than perfect, then now is definately the time to use corrective measures. Dip an orange stick in enamel remover and using the thinnest edge, run it gently around the edge of the nail bed to remove excess colour.

Applying a thin layer of top coat now will help increase the shine and also help to seal in the enamel and prolong the life of your pedicure.

At this stage, do not be tempted to speed up the drying procedure by using a hairdryer, madly waving your feet around or holding them in front of the air conditioner! All of these methods will force dry the uppermost layer before allowing the lower layers to completely dry, which will no dout result in a surface thickening and resultant clumping and peeling.

It is best to just be patient and allow them to totally dry off naturally for as long as possible before putting full shoes on.

You can re-apply the top coat every day or so to help prolong the life of the enamel.

If you want to prevent your bottle of nail varnish thickening then make sure you always clean the neck of the bottle with varnish remover after each use. This ensures the lid really seals properly and does not allow any air into the bottle which is one of the main reasons that enamel thickens in the bottle. Next time you go to a salon or spa for a pedicure, check out their enamel bottles. A real professional will know to clean the bottles and prolong the life of the product.

If your enamel has thickened in the bottle, then unfortunately you have two options. Throw it away and buy another, remembering the above tip for the future. Alternatively you can buy a bottle of nail enamel thinners, made by several companies including OPI and Mavala.

An important point to remember whether on hands or feet, once enamel begins to chip or peel, you should remove it at once as it also chips and peels away fine layers or your natural nail, resulting in week, brittle nails. Happy pedicuring, Amna.