Summer beauty how-to: the DIY pedicure

As Percy & Reed's resident nail artist, David Barton is the go-to man for all the latest catwalk nail trends. He gave Stylist the following tips for a perfect DIY pedicure to get your feet summer ready:

1. Remove excess skin

Whilst feet are still dry use Revlon’s Pedi Expert (£6.99, superdrug.com), with a gentle hand, to remove excess dry skin.

2. Soak your feet

Soak feet in a bowl of bath-warm water with a few drops of essential oil. Tea Tree oil is perfect for feet as it has antibacterial and deodorising properties and leaves feet clean-smelling.

3. Exfoliate like a pro

Whilst damp, buff feet with a finely-grained foot file to smooth out roughness. Then exfoliate with a granulated scrub.

4. Apply moisturiser

Wash all product off the feet and lower legs and thoroughly dry before applying a rich moisturising cream like Clarins Foot Beauty Treatment Cream (£19, boots.com)

5. Time to file

Using an orange-stick push back cuticles and then file toenails straight across. Ensure all excess oil and cream is removed by wiping over the nails with a remover-soaked cotton pad.

6. Coating x 4

For a long-lasting pedicure you should apply a base coat, two coats of colour and then seal with a protective top coat.

Product tip: Cool skin tones should try bright pink colours such as Maybelline’s Varnish in Bubblegum (£2.09, onlinecosmeticshop.co.uk). Warm skin tones look great against coral shades such as Maybelline’s Varnish in Salsa Sun (£4.09, boots.com).