While many people concentrate on getting their bodies ready in the hope of summer sunshine, others are concerned about baring all in another department.
Sandal season can be as daunting for some as swimsuit season and the first step is always preparation.
After the neglect of winter, spend a bit of time washing your feet in a basin of warm water and bath oil. Leave them to soak in order to soften the skin. Epsom salts are a great addition to baths and leave the skin smoother.
Rinse your feet off in the basin and lightly dry your feet with a towel but make sure your feet are still damp.
Exfoliate the feet with a scrub or a pumice stone, concentrating on problem areas at the heel, ball of the foot and the outside of the big toe. Rinse the feet again to remove any dead skin. Moisturise feet with a good foot cream.
As with fingers, use a cuticle stick or a cotton bud to gently push back the cuticles.
Cut your toenails and use an emery board or nail file to shape them. Always file in the one direction. Keep the top of the nail squared off, as trying to shorten or rounding off the corners can lead to ingrown toenails.
Painted nails, be they fingers or toes, always look good if they are maintained. Try to start with a base coat to protect the nails. Choose a bright fun colour to draw attention to your newly buffed feet. Some people use a foam toe separator but cotton wool balls are just as good.
For the very adventurous, why not add a pattern. Take a toothpick and dip it into another colour and dot it all over the nail for a polka-dot effect or use to make a flower, with a different colour for the centre. Afterwards coat with clear polish.
Then comes the hard part, staying still. Don’t move your toes, don’t even attempt to put on shoes, or worse socks, until the polish is completely dry.
For those who think this sounds like a bit too much trouble, go to a podiatrist or get a pedicure. Prevention, of course, is better and easier than trying to undo the damage.
Always wear properly fitting shoes, not too big, too small, too narrow or too wide. This reduces the chance of blisters, corns, calluses and many other foot disorders that are caused by poor-fitting shoes.