Baby, it's cold outside - what about my pedicure?

Well, friends, it's here. Whether you were dreading the end of shorts and bare feet or counting the days until the mercury dropped so you could wear your cute boots and jumpers, winter is officially here. Thongs and sandals have been relegated to the back of the wardrobe while boots and socks are back in action. Time to ignore those tootsies and take pedicures off the to-do list, right? WRONG!

Winter is the best time to pamper your feet! They're all snug in your socks, not getting abused by sandals and beach-walks. Your post-pedicure state of smooth, moisturized feet will last much longer this time of year.

But, "what about polish?", you ask. "It's too cold to wear thongs after my pedicure!" Well, you have a few options:

1. . Go au naturale - You can simply forgo polish on your toenails. You'll still get all the dry skin buffed off your feet, a soak in warm water, exfoliation, toenails and cuticles trimmed and tidied, feet massaged and moisturized, toenails buffed up nice and shiny, then pop them right back in your shoes and away you go with beautiful, naked feet!

2. Toughen up, buttercup - It's not like we live in New York or London. There's no snow and ice and no danger of frostbitten tootsies. Unless you have to walk more than a few blocks, just going from the salon to your car or a train in your flip flops isn't that bad. Just be careful on crowded public transport and don't let anyone trod on your newly painted toes - but that goes for all year 'round!

3. DIY polish - Another option is to have your pedicure right up to the base-coat. We'll pop one coat of protective base coat on your toenails, which dries very quickly. A bit of cuticle oil on your toenails, and you can slide safely back into your shoes. Once home, give your toes a wash to remove any oil. Thread a tissue between your toes to act as a toe separator, then use the polish of your choice, followed by a top coat -we at French Pink recommend Seche Vite ($21) - for fast drying and no chipping.

Winter is also a great time of year to indulge in some extra-pampering treatments at French Pink. Add a paraffin dip to any of our pedicures for a warm, relaxing way to hydrate your hooves. Paraffin is a warm wax masque saturdated with essential oils that locks in moisture for deep hydration.

Looking for new and exciting ways to take care of your feet at home? Ask one of our nail technicians to show you all the tools and products that we retail. Foot buffing paddles, scrubs and creams formulated just for dry feet, cuticle treatments, polishes - you name it, we have it - and if we don't have it? Well, then you probably don't need it!

So, don't neglect your feet just because the weather's frosty - they'll thank you when summer rolls around, and so will we!