Beauty Clinic: I've shopped till I dropped!
Q. I’ve got Christmas shopping tired feet and legs – and frazzled face and everything else as a consequence! Any thoughts please?
A. Our feet work pretty hard anyway and pounding pavements and standing at checkouts adds to the wear and tear. At the risk of stating the obvious, we would start by wearing comfy shoes with supportive soles. Our go-to footwear every season is FitFlops (fitflop.com). Their specially designed soles take the weight off our feet and frown off our faces.
Newsflash! Sarah’s favourite going-round-town F-Sporty Überknit Crystal Sneakers are on sale now for just £36, in a range of colours and sizes. Go and browse the range – from ballerinas to boots, and discover Uma Thurman’s edit. Your feet will thank you, we promise.
Booking in with a podiatrist twice a year is a failsafe way of keeping feet in the best possible shape and protecting against problems. (And if you’re planning long walks, it’s a really good idea to book in in advance as a podiatrist can also advise you on the best shoes.) The College of Podiatry (cop.org.uk) offers a Find a Podiatrist button for the UK and overseas, and lots of other helpful information.
Do take care to dry your feet thoroughly after washing and then keep them supple by applying a moisturising cream. Lots of choice here but for dry to very dry skin we’re keen on CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, developed by dermatologists. A generous 454g pot, which will last you for months, is £14.50 at boots.com.
When you come home with tired feet, treat them to a hot footbath laced with Kneipp Herbal Foot Bath Crystals with calendula and rosemary, £10 for 500g from Amazon.
Heavy legs often go with tired feet and French natural range Puressentiel offers restoring Circulation Ultra Fresh Gel with 17 essential oils and menthol to perk them up/£12.99 for 125ml at Amazon.
Apply the gel, massaging it in up and down and round your legs, then lie down on the bed or floor with your feet up on the bedhead/wall for a few minutes – or longer if you nod off, which we sometimes do...
Happy shopping!