Your Home is Your Spa

If you are like me, you have several lotions, salts, bubbles and tonics stored underneath your bathroom sink. About once a month, I put these to good use on my tired barking dogs. My very own tub is my perfect pedi bath. I pour various potions into the running water (today was lavender salts and lemon bubbles) and get to work!

The keys to long lasting pedicures are short toenails (unlike fingernails, long toenails are not attractive), cuticle remover, foot lotion, base coat, sexy red toenail polish, non-chip top coat and cuticle oil. Below are the steps to a quick and luxurious pedi, the FIG way:

• soak feet in your personal pedi bath





• remove all toenail polish and apply cuticle remover; I have found a new one from SpaRitual (a line of eco-friendly nail products) that is gentle and easy to use





• cut your toenails (short but not so short that you cannot file them); file straight with slightly rounded edges





• file your calluses with any handy foot file; fingernail files will also work





• dry your feet and slather with a nice lotion; I like Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion (I used it a few hours ago and my feet are still tingling)





• swipe your toenails with nail polish remover so the polish will stick





• apply a base coat; SpaRitual has a nice one





• apply two coats of your favorite color; I am partial to red because it goes with everything and always looks sexy - my fave is Essie True Red





• almost done! apply a chip-resistant top coat; again I like the one from SpaRitual





• last and very important: apply cuticle oil to each little piggy - this helps soften any blemishes on your perfectly beautiful toes; you guessed it - I use one from SpaRitual (it smells really nice)





• now put your feet up and relax with your beverage of choice for an hour or so (if you are like me, you rarely have an hour to put your feet up, so just keep your shoes off)
  

Any FIGs out there have similar or different personal spa routines to share?

The Naked Face

As a professional woman, I put on my face every morning (at least Monday - Friday). Surely the one who invented the concept of makeup was the same man who invented high heels!

On the weekends and any other day I happen to have off, I like to go au-natural and am always looking for ways to avoid looking like a haggard old maid when sporting a naked face. I have tried pinching my cheeks and curling my lashes to no avail. Alas, I always resort back to a simple swipe of lipstick, a pair of sunglasses and a smile.

Do you have a naked face look you would like to share with our fellow FIGs?

The LBP

We all know the LBD (little black dress) is an absolute must have. One is good, two is better and three is perfect. Different occasions call for different LBD styles. The same is true for the LBP (little black pump).

I have an entire shelf of LBPs: stilettos, mid-heel pointy toe, high-heel round toe, open toe: mid and high, ballet flats and embellished flats. And I probably have each in nubuck, patent and suede.

However, when I want to feel my absolute best, I throw on my Dolce and Gabbana patent leather stilettos. Works every time and no price is too high for a pair of shoes that makes me feel this good (okay, well I may be exaggerating just a tad here, but you get my point)!

What is your must-have go-to LBP?

The Scarf Thing

So I am trying to figure out how I can work the scarf thing to my advantage. I love scarves and have several that look very nice hanging in my closet but as soon as I wrap one around my neck, I look like a pinhead.

Over the weekend my sister and I were shopping and I found this cute seafoam green number with little tassels that had my name on it. With my sister's encouragement, I bought it and even wore it the next day. It looked fabulous with my jeans and white t-shirt (and my sister whispering in my ear, "you look fabulous, darling").

This morning when I attempted to tie one that has been hanging in my closet for ages, I felt like a pinhead. I wish my sister was not 500 miles away!

What tips do you have for tying a scarf into fabulous-ness when your sister is 500 miles away?

The Goddess Speaks

Many girls draw their inspiration from movie stars of the 40s, french style icons, and vintage fashions that can be found on the red carpet. I love to look at girls around me, admire their cute outfits, and think about how I can translate their looks to my own personal style.

Often, I'll see a cute girl (I don't care how old you are, you're still a girl) in a restaurant with a taupe skirt and yellow heels and translate that the next day to a cute outfit of my own.

But if I must name a style icon, I'll say it's Halle Berry. She's gorgeous, she has short hair like me, and she always looks pulled together whether she's photographed on a weekend run to the grocery store, or at an awards show.

Who is your muse?