One of the most relaxing and enjoyable things about being a woman is getting a pedicure. Better yet, a French pedicure. Hey, hey, men gets them too I hear you say … but they definitely will not opt for a French pedicure.
I have gotten a few done at a salon before for about $20-$25 which usually include a soak with bubbles, trimmed and filed nails, pushing cuticles back, dead-skin or callus treatment, lotion application, and usually a nice little mini-massage along with the application of the polish.
Now, all of those extras that come with a pedicure of course will cost you. Just like all the other finer things in life. Prices for a French pedicure at a salon or nail specialist cost between $20 and $30. Usually it is a $5 extra on top of your usual pedicure treatment. But, if you would like to save a few dollar bills by doing it yourself, at home, follow these tips! Although I don’t know why you would bother doing-it-yourself with prices are so cheap these days.
Get Those Nail Polishes
For a French pedicure, you need two colors. You need white and a light pink or peach tone for the base. You could even try using a light pink with a bit of a metallic in it for some extra spunk.
You can get these nail polishes at most drug stores, cheap beauty stores or $2 stores for about three bucks. Do not pick a base that is really thick because you are applying 2 1 layers of nail polish and if you have 2 layers of thick nail polish, it is hard for it to dry.
Lotion and Soaking
Of course soaking your feet in warm water to soften them isn't necessary if you are giving yourself a French pedicure at home, but it can be very enjoyable.
Also, to relieve your toes and feet of dry skin, exfoliate your feet then apply a nice soft lotion (Jergens will do) or other Pedicure Treatments. Massage the lotion onto your feet, between your toes, on your cuticles and even on your lower legs for the full relaxation effect. Once you have applied the lotion to the cuticles, you can gently push them back with your nail or one of those a cuticles pusher if you have one handy.
Trimming and Filing Your Nails
To apply a French pedicure, wait until your nails have grown out a bit. You can trim them by either squaring them off or rounding them off. For a French pedicure I suggest you have more of a square look to your nails so it is easier to have an even line for the white polish. But obviously if your taste differs, then go for it. Oval, square oval and rounded are popular too!
After trimming your nails you can go the extra step and smooth them out by filing them. But remember, don't make them too short or it will be hard to apply the white!
Applying The French Pedicure Polish
This the main bit about this whole process. We have finally come to the last few steps to the perfect French pedicure-applying the polish itself.
Base Coat - First going to apply one even layer of the base coat (the pink or peach colored one) to all ten toes. Wait for it to dry-usually about a minute or two, depending on what kind of polish you use.
White Tip – Applying the white tips to your French pedicure is the most frustrating step. Apply a thin even amount in a straight, smooth line on the tip of your nail. Don't make it too big of a line, or too small of a line. You will be able to tell if it is even or looks like the right sized line but I try to make mine about the width of between 1 of my big toe and for the smaller toes between 1 and 1%>.
Final Base Coat-This is the last step to the perfect French pedicure. Make sure your nails are completely dry first. Next, apply another thin layer of the pinkish base coat over all ten nails again. This makes the pedicure look more even and neater. After this, you are all done.