GET BEACH READY
According To Elle,
The Manicurist

According to Elle, "You're never fully dressed without a manicure." Styling nails is the ultimate glamour for this lady who knew at age 14 that she had a knack for working with nails. At 17 she began her own business taking in over 80 clients a week. She has now grown to be one of the hottest commodities in Tinseltown, known for caring to celeb clients like Angelina Jolie and Sienna Miller. Vis.A.Vis managed to get some of Elle’s advice on everything from, how to get hands and feet beach bound and common manicure and pedicure myths.

LJ: What tips can you recommend to get feet ready for the beach?  
ELLE: Get a pedicure, use scrubs like Barielle’s 60 Second Pedicure ($25, barielle.com ) and moisturizers like Barielle’s Total Foot Care Cream ($19.50, barielle.com ) to slough off dead skin and start exfoliating for glowing summer feet.

LJ: What are the trends for color? In fall and winter dark was plentiful, what does spring have in store for us?
ELLE: The shades are pastels, whether or not they are sugary or opaque.  

LJ: What are your five 'must do's' to always maintain healthy nails?
ELLE: File to a great shape, moisturize cuticles, drink water, take vitamins containing biotin and use your nails as jewels not tools.
 
LJ: Share some 'myths' about manicures and pedicures, like, cutting cuticles is good, or soaking feet in tea bags reduces sweating.
ELLE: Never cut cuticles, simply remove the epinicium. Also, do not use blades to reduce the callus. Just exfoliate and use a great foot paddle to remove dead skin as well as exfoliating scrubs and sugars to moisturize feet. Do not buff the tops of nails this only makes the keratin bonds snap and frey which causes splitting.

LJ: Any advice for getting rid of those oh-so-nasty bumps (corns) that develop from wearing sexy heels? 
ELLE: If you have corns, buy a corn remover pad and cut it smaller than the bump. Stick it on at night and in the morning use a dampened foot paddle to sloth the skin away. Little by little, they will be gone.

To obtain hands and feet that look refreshed and revived for summer try these products at home.

Linden Leave’s Foot Spa Mini Kit, ($21.95, lindenleavesusa.com ) and PLANET SPA Japanese Green Tea & Rice Candle and Rock Garden ($14.99, avon.com ) to help you get into the at-home spa mood.