1Soak your feet in warm water. For a little bit of extra pep add some bicarbonate of soda or a few green tea bags.

2Use a salt or sugar-based body scrub to remove any surface dead skin. Tackle any severe dead skin with a pumice, foot file or electric sander (depending how bad the problem is), gently removing any thickened, hard or cracked skin.

3Trim your nails. This should be done with clippers only and you should only ever cut straight across. Shaping toenails can lead to ingrowing nails, which can be very painful. Now apply a rich foot cream containing urea to your feet and nails. If you can, pop on some socks, go to bed and paint your nails in the morning. Alternatively, if you're in a ruch, after two to three minutes, rub over the nails with a flannel or the edge of a towel. This prepares your nails for painting, but will also help remove any excess cuticles.

4Paint the toenails. Toe seperators will help you avoid smudging from one toe to the next. If you don't want to buy toe separators, use tissues pushed between the toes to keep them apart - this is better than cotton wool, which can shed fibres. Paint toenails as you do fingers, with two or three thin coats applied in long strokes. And, as always, don't forget the base coat.