This post was sponsored by Amopé™ as part of an influencer activation for the #AmopeCrowd and Socialstars™. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review, but all opinions (and sandal-ready feet) are my own.
Florals and citrus, a shorter hairstyle, light breezy dresses, sandals...warmer weather opens the doors to both shed our winter layers and reveal some skin.
Depending on how you look at it, this can be a welcomed change, or something that you dread. I used to be embarassed to wear sandals or my favorite flip-flops out in public. It always seemed that no matter what I did, I could not reign in the cracks on my heels or the dryness on the tops of my toes. (Please tell me I'm not alone.)
Sure an amazing pedicure at one of my favorite local spas would whip my feet into shape, but only for a short time. As much as I enjoy time at the spa, it's not always in my budget and sometimes I just can't swing my schedule. So finding the right products to get that spa-worthy pedicure at home is something I'm always on the hunt for and I think I finally found the right mix.
I've been talking about the
Amopé™ Pedi Perfect Wet & Dry Rechargeable Foot File for a few months now and I have to say, my feet have never looked better. I've been using it 2-3 times a week to exfoliate my feet using it on two speeds and both wet and dry.
How-To Pedicure on Dry Skin:
Doing a pedicure on dry skin with no water involved is easy peasy and literally only takes a few minutes. I'd recommend this when you don't really have too much time for a full-on pedicure. I squeeze this in while I am watching one of my favorite shows (The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Shark Tank, The Profit, etc.)
1. Put a few sheets of paper towel under your feet, and turn your
Amopé™ Pedi Perfect on the highest speed (press the top button once.) I use this setting just for my heels, the sides of my feet and my big toe (for some reason I tend to get calluses on that toe the most.) Do this for a good 60-90 seconds moving the electronic foot file up and down. It works fast, so this amount of time is plenty.
2. Next, turn it to the lowest setting (hit the top button twice) and focus on the ball of your feet, gently on the tippity top of your toes (avoiding your nails) and anywhere else that your feet are sensitive. This will only take you less than 60 seconds.
3. Most of the exfoliated skin will be on the paper towels, but if there are any on your feet, just gently wipe it off.
4. Apply cuticle softener then clip and file your toe nails. Then push back your cuticles.
5. Apply your favorite lotion, which you'll notice will quickly absorb into your skin now that you got rid of the dead skin.
6. Last step is applying your favorite polish and top coat.
How-To Pedicure on Wet Skin:
One of the best things about the Amopé™ Pedi Perfect Wet & Dry Rechargeable Foot File is that it is waterproof so you can use it in the shower and around water. Sometimes I just use it in the shower (again, when I am short on time) and sometimes I soak my feet to really soften them up.
1. Grab a plastic basin and fill it with warm water. Drop in a bath bomb - a mini bath bomb will do the trick, but most of the time I only have medium-sized ones on hand. The epsom salt will help to purify and remove toxins and the fragrance is always a great stress reliever. Soak for a good 5-10 minutes.
2. Follow steps 1 and 2 from the dry pedicure how-to minus the paper towels.
3. Grab your favorite salt scrub (mine is citrus) and scrub between your toes, around your nail beds and then a once over your entire foot. I love salt scrub for this because it has just the right amount of grit to really exfoliate where the electronic foot file can't go. The moisturizing oils in mine really hydrate my feet too.
4. Rinse and pat dry leaving your feet slightly damp.
5. Apply your favorite hydrating lotion - and don't forget between your toes (I feel like this is often overlooked!)
6. Then follow steps 4 and 6 from above.
You could of course do this while watching your favorite shows too, it just takes a bit longer. These steps can be done in the shower, as well, naturally waiting to do steps 4 and 6 until you are actually out of the shower!
I do the dry, quick version 2x a week and then do the wet version via shower once a week. Once a month I do the wet version with the basin and bath bomb. It makes a huge difference and I'm no longer embarassed by my feet. They are super soft, hydrated and are no longer dry and cracked.
If you follow this how-to I would LOVE to hear from you, let me know the difference it makes in your feet!
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The best part of living in a tourist area (the Poconos), is that there are a lot of little gems waiting to be discovered. For me, this gem has been right in front of my face for 13 years.
I've driven by Utopia Salon & Day Spa countless times, but let me be honest, I never really gave it a second thought based on the outside. I guess you could say, I judged a book by its cover.
Utopia Salon & Day Spa is located on the busy highway of Route 6 in Hawley, it's also right by an intersection for Wallenpaupack school district and Turkey Hill (where all of those tourists going on Lake Wallenpaupack are gassing up their boats.)
When one of my favorite spas was totally booked, I decided to do a quick search of others in the area. Utopia was the first to pop up. I looked at their menu and saw that they were completely affordable and when they said they could get me in next day, I was stoked.
It was when I pulled into the parking lot that I realized there was a lot more to the building than you could see from the road. When I entered the back of the building, I was taken back by how beautiful it was inside with its local flare of wood floors, stone fireplace and wood beam ceilings.
I waited for my pedicurist, also named Shannon, and was greeted and taken down to another room to pick my lacquer. All of the polish was Morgan Taylor, and I chose Well Spent, a purple creme. I was then led to the pedicure room which is a quiet, intimate room of 3 pedicure chairs and a bench to sit on for polish drying. I sat in the chair nearest the window that looked out to some trees. I remarked to Shannon, that sitting there, you would never know that the intersection was just a few feet away.
Utopia's spa pedicure ($47) consists of 55 minutes of calf and foot pampering. Aside from the typical nail clipping, buffing, polish removed and reapplied, your feet and calves are exfoliated with a citrus sugar scrub and then a hydrating green minty masque is applied. Before painting my nails, Shannon gave my feet a nice massage (honestly I probably would've paid more for her to do it longer because it was so relaxing!)
The pedicure chair is a massager and I sat there in pure bliss while it kneaded out my sore back muscles.
Something I particularly loved about Shannon was that she was not an over-talker. We've all experienced those kinds of people at least once or twice while spa-ing where the person giving the treatment just won't stop talking. Shannon spoke when I asked questions, made light conversation, but didn't make silence feel awkward at all. I just felt completely relaxed. When I book my next pedicure, it will definitely be with her.
If you happen to be in the northern tier of Wayne or Pike counties near Lake Wallenpaupack, I recommend stopping by Utopia Salon & Day Spa for some extra pampering.
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