Painted toe nails are in abundance in summer months, being shown off in the latest sandals or on the beach. Yet current beauty trends are all about maintenance and grooming, so there are many reasons to keep up with a pedicure habit throughout the winter.
A really great pedicure is not just about painting nails, so it is important to seek out a comprehensive treatment when organising a regular slot.
- The best type of pedicure provides a balance between relaxation and manicuring and should leave you feeling tranquil.
- The nail polish part of the treatment should stand up to at least two to three weeks of wear and ideally only need to be removed when it grows out, rather than when it chips.
In winter feet are mostly tucked into socks, tights and boots so what are the benefits of paying for monthly pedicure?
Pedicured Feet Walk on Air
Anyone who has never indulged in a pedicure before will be amazed at how fantastic feet feel after just minutes of the professional treatment. A good pedicure should leave feet as comfortable and light as walking on air wearing feather socks. Feet often get little care compared to faces and even hands so this treatment really makes a huge difference.
- A regular pedicure can give warning of the early signs of conditions including corns, bunions or fungal infections and will encourage anyone to treat their feet well in order to prevent these from occurring.
A Pedicure Encourages Exercise Instead of the Piling on of Winter Pounds
When it is cold and gloomy outside it can be hard to be motivated to exercise. Indoor exercise such as swimming, Bikram Yoga and Pilates benefits greatly from having beautifully manicured feet to distract you from a sluggish feeling or self-consciousness. Regular devotees of such exercise might have great bodies but it is surprising to see how few of them look after their feet.
So even if you're trying to shift Christmas pounds, and not feeling too hot in a leotard or costume, having beautiful toes will give you the edge in the beauty style stakes and certainly make up for flabby thighs. It is also a good opportunity to get feet out of the socks, give them an opportunity to breathe and for you to actually admire the beautiful pedicure. Come summer feet will already be looking fabulous without the need for sandal-panic and thighs will most probably toned from all the exercise.
Beauty Treatments Help to Keep the Economy Going
With the global economy as well as the environment suffering it is hard to see how buying throwaway beauty products, cheaply manufactured abroad and with a huge price markup, helps anyone much other than the giant beauty corporations. Great beauty treatments are ones that provide a feeling of luxury and are useful at the same time. Fashion is moving away from constant new must-haves, to finding long-term solutions and high quality beauty products that will be used on a regular basis rather than thrown away when the cheap packaging breaks.
Having a spa pedicure employs a local beauty therapist and provides a month of fabulous feet; all without collecting a drawer full of unused, gloopy nail polishes. Spending money on regular treatments and services, rather than cheap throwaway make-up items, helps the local economy more than most people realise. Anyone who has ever worked in a quiet local salon can verify this; treatments mean jobs to local businesses.
Benefits of Massage
A good pedicure should involve a foot and calf massage and this is amazing for unlocking stress in one of the hardest working areas of the body. The British NHS information site (NHSdirectory.org) says that 'massage therapy, eases tension, stiffness, pain and enhances wellbeing.' For such a short and affordable treatment, a pedicure can often feel as relaxing as a full back massage.
The Ethos Behind the New Grooming and Beauty Trends
The 2010 L'Oréal report on UK beauty industry trends confirms that beauty spending has been going up throughout the recession as people buy smaller treats to feel good. After all, a new lipstick for a party is a much cheaper glamor fix than a new dress. Yet while this lasts, we do seem to be approaching a more maintenance focused and less throwaway attitude to beauty. Many of the important product launches of the last few years have been about long term beauty benefits and achieving a polished, timeless look.
The fashion in make-up for real vintage rather than cheap retro seconds this, as beauty looks to a time where there was less cash to throw away on cheap items but appearance in public was more formal. Whether you are interested in beauty trends, old fashioned glamour or taking a step away from the last few decades of buying plastic sundries, a winter pedicure is the perfect treat for hard working and neglected feet.
Sources
- The UK Beauty Industry 2010 Trends by L'Oreal, accessed 25.11.2010.
- The NHS Directory of Complimentary and Alternative Practitioners, UK, accessed 25.11.2010.
Shefali Choudhury - Writer and visual artist, Suite Beauty topic editor, Shefali spent 10 years in professional makeup artistry from beauty to blood ...
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