So NOT Betty Crocker!: From skanky to swanky in 15 minutes

Have you ever looked at your feet and suddenly thought....OMG!!! How did my toenails get so horrendous?! Chipped nail polish aside, these look like bear claws! Although you're probably distracted by my sexy flip-flop tan lines! You know it's true!

If you're like me and don't have the money (or lack of common sense) to pay $40 for a pedicure, then do it yourself at home. Your feet will feel so good and you'll feel pampered. It's a nice little way to take care of yourself. Here's a quick rundown of how I do mine when I'm pressed for time, which is all the time it seems.

Run a few inches of hot(ish) water in the tub and add in some cheap shampoo for bubbles and a nice smell. When I have more time, I use my foot spa thingy dingy and let them soak a long time with the massaging/vibrating feature on. Hea-VEN!

Remove your chipped nail polish.

Plop your feet in the hot water for a good soak. If you have really tough calluses, let them soak for quite a while to soften them up. It'll make them easier to remove later. Sit back and play a game of Words with Friends on your phone. I swear, I have upwards of 7 games going at any given time! So fun! Don't drop that phone!

After a few minutes, use a foot pumice stone/bar to slough off the dead skin. Note the toe ring. I got this 15 years ago with an old boyfriend. Don't tell my husband. That boyfriend was killed in an accident and I've just never had the heart to remove the ring even though I'm certain I'm probably too old for it.

I found this awesome little pumice thing that's shaped like a sponge called Mr.Pumice. It's really lightweight, unlike the old fashioned pumice stones. It gives a little when you use it and doesn't take off tons of skin. It's gentle enough to use every day or two (or when I remember), and only cost about $3.00 at Sally Beauty Supply. Love that place!

Next, I scrub my feet and calves with a cream that has some little seeds in it for exfoliating. I believe this is called Raspberry Pomagranite Body Scrub by Queen Helene. Also from Sally Beauty Supply for a few bucks. Be sure to get your ankles and between your toes really well. You'd be surprised how much dead skin is hiding there. Ack!

If you're feeling up to it, you can give your hands a quick scrub, too. They're going to be wet from rinsing your legs off in a second anyway, so have at it! You can just rub your hands together now, or use the cool little kit below. My sister-in-law gave me this little hand scrubbing kit from MaryKay several years ago and I love it. I save it for when my hands look really bad and it works like a charm every time!

Pat your legs and hands dry and apply some lotion. I didn't take a pic of that cuz my hands were greasy, but I'll just be confident that you know how to do that on your own. :) I highly recommend extra virgin coconut oil. Nothing compares to it in the skin softening department! Once you try it, you will never want to go back to regular lotion with all of its chemicals and nasty stuff.

Next, trim your nails. They'll be nice and soft now. Ack! Mine are all stained from my old nail polish.

File.

Clean beneath your nails.

Use a cuticle stick to soften up your cuticles. Coconut oil would probably work for this, too. I bought this years ago and have finally used the last of it. Love this little thing. I'll be keeping my eye out for another one soon.

After a few minutes, you can use the rubbery end of the stick to push the cuticles back and even scrape away some dead skin...ewwww.

Wipe off any excess cuticle cream as it kinda has a waxy-ness to it that repels the nail polish. Sometimes I'll even run some remover over my nails again. Paint your nails as desired. I always use a nice red as I think it looks good with everything. It's funny because I seldom paint my fingernails unless it's a special occasion. When I do, it's a natural color. But RED toenails are just....purdy!