Simply Striking

Step out in style

Spring Break is almost here and it is time for your feet to come out from hiding in your pumps, sneakers and boots and go on parade in your sandals and flip-flops.

You may be nervous because your feet may not be looking up to par after hiking across campus in your 5-inch pointy-toed stilettos all winter. Take your toes out of your shoes for a quick look. Dang, they look a little worse than you remember. That big toe nail is cracked and bruised from when that biology textbook fell on it, the heels of your feet are hard and dry and your third toe’s joint is dark from rubbing up against the top of your shoes. It is not looking good, and here you were planning to wear your strappy sandals tomorrow.

Do not worry. Here is what you should do to get a good manicure whenever you need it with out paying nail shop prices.

First, soak your feet in warm water. This makes it easier to exfoliate and do away with dead layers of skin. We used a HOMEDICS foot spa ($24.99 from www.amazon.com) for this step. If you do not have a foot spa, then a grab your supplies and head to your bath tub. Add oil to the water, it helps soften dry skin and keep it soft. We like Skin So Soft Original bath oil, ($12.50 at www.avon.com). Soak for about 5 minutes then scrub off layers of dead skin with your loofa, or a sugar scrub (Aromatherapy 16 oz. scrub $10, Bath and Body Works), rinse off and towel dry feet. DO NOT LOTION. Because of the oils you used for soaking, it should be unnecessary to lotion your feet. Besides, lotion will interfere with the nail polish. It is now time to paint. To start, take a strip of toilet paper, twist it up and alternate placing the tissue between each toe. The “in” colors for nails this season are the pastels, pinks, peaches, lilac, and of course the always popular, white French manicure. Feel free to add crystals, make polka dots, swirls, whatever design you desire to customize your toes. We did light pink toes and made watermelon slices on the big toes. After the base coat of the pink (Wet and Wild $1, Wal-Mart) on the big toes, use a green to create the rind at the top near your cuticle. Use a dark blue, or black to create the seeds. Now all you need to do is add some liquid concealer to your feet to even out color variations. Do not worry, no one will be able to tell and your feet will not look busted anymore. You will probably need a color shade lighter than your normal facial makeup, smooth on with a cosmetic sponge and step out the door.

Latoya Lewis and Whitney Whitehead are sophomore fashion design and marketing students from Pensacola and Phillips Ranch, Calif., respectively. Contact them at simplystrikingdivas@ yahoo.com.