How to have HAPPY FEET

Here’s my pick of the tricks and treats that will get them back in shape – fast

Don’t wait for the daily holiday beach walk to exfoliate your feet. Instead, for serious hard skin removal, try Skin Republic Foot Peel (£9.99, theskinrepublic.co.uk) – treatment bootees containing an exfoliating serum packed with AHA (alphahydroxy acid). Wear them for up to two hours then rinse feet. It can take a few days for the peeling to start but, once it does, it can continue for a week, so do leave plenty of time in your prep schedule for it to work.

If you want a faster job, go for the Lova Skin Instant Foot Peeling Kit (pictured, bottom right, £44.95, ukbeautyclub.com), which includes a foot-peeling spray. Use on hard skin, wait for 90 seconds, then gently rub with the doublesided foot file that’s included. Even the toughest skin rubs off easily.

For a mix of exfoliating and moisturising, try Ameliorate Intensive Foot Treatment (£15, boots.com). Lactic acid smooths stubborn hard skin and a hydration complex boosts moisture without leaving a greasy residue.

A nourishing moisture boost can be found in Starskin VIP The Gold Mask Foot (£11.50, beautybay.com). This 15-minute treatment offers an intense hit of hydration and contains a delicious-smelling blend of rosehip oil and shea butter.

Also great is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Heel Repair (£4.99, superdrug.com). This rich balm comes in a handy stick for application and kept our cracked heels at bay.

Another trusted option is podiatry guru Margaret Dabbs’s

The right tools and a hit of hydration make all the difference

Foot Hygiene Cream (£20, margaretdabbs.co.uk), which absorbs quickly and hydrates deeply.

Small tools that make a big difference include the Margaret Dabbs Professional Foot File (£24, as before). It’s a seriously good buffer for hard skin but go gently to begin with. To keep nails clean around the edges and underneath, get the

Navy Martha Nail Paddle (pictured right, £32, navyprofessional.com).

If you want someone else to do the work for you, global pedicure don

Bastien Gonzalez is now in residence at London’s Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park (mandarinoriental.com). A treatment will cost a cool £140, but your feet and nails will never have looked or felt better. For a more widely available Medical Pedicure (from £85), head to your local Margaret Dabbs clinic (as before).

And if your toenails aren’t going nude (though they can after a Bastien treatment), here are our favourite colours for toes on show (pictured from top)…

1 Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Blueberry Muffin (£3.99, barrym.com) – bright and zingy, this is the ultimate summer shade.

2 Nailberry L’Oxygéné in Rose Blossom (£14.50, nailberry.co.uk) is a delicately elegant pink.

3 Essie Strike A Rose (£7.99, superdrug.com) is a very vibrant pink that’s just short of being fluorescent.

4 OPI Funny Bunny (£13.50, opiuk.com) is a white polish that looks great against a bronzed foot.