NOW CLOSED: Toes out? Sandals on? How do you prepare? Share tips and experiences with Clarks and you could win one of ten pairs of their gorgeous summer sandals!

[AnnMumsnet]

Hello

We've been asked by the team at Clarks to get you talking about the (sometimes) dreaded first time you get your sandals on for spring/ summer....if it's not here yet - it is coming!

Share your thoughts on this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where ten lucky winners will get a free pair of shoes.

So, have you got your feet out for summer yet? Is it a 2 stage process for you (tops of feet and then toes) or do you go for the full sandal straight away? Or do you NEVER bare all?

What's your favourite type of sandal? Flat and relaxed, a height-boosting wedge or maybe a strappy number?

What date or occasion did you you/ will you do it? Does it need to be a special occasion?

Do you have a pamper ritual before getting your feet out? What it is? Full scrub, pedicure or a quick slick of a nude varnish? Share your tips (please!)

If your feet never see the UK sun, why not?

And if they're out all year round and look ok how do you manage it?

Clarks have a bigger promotion running at the moment and there are chances to win some lovely prizes by checking out their comps on <a class="break-all" href="http://instagram.com/clarksshoes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">instagram</a> and <a class="break-all" href="http://bit.ly/14SjJH7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Facebook</a>. On Instagram they want you to tweet a picture of your sandals with the hashtag #FreeYourFeet and you could win £500 worth of Mr & Mrs Smith vouchers and £150 worth of Clarks shoes, whilst on FB you could win one of five pairs of shoes simply by answering their sandal survey. Check out the links for full details and T&Cs.

In the meantime please do share your experiences on this thread.

Thanks and good luck.

MNHQ

I have a pedi every six weeks religiously, so my feet are always nice (shame about the rest of me!) sadly, I wear a UK 10 / 44 so I have no hope of buying sandals from Clarks or anyone else on the high street (sigh)

I always have painted toenails, they look odd now if I don't. I also use Sudocrem to keep my heels soft and all in all my feet look pretty good. I love wearing flat open sandals as I hate sweaty feet and feel much more comfortable when my feet can breathe.

I am pretty good at looking after my feet all year round. If you have a quick buff with a pumice once a week, saves it needing a major job come the nice weather. I prefer my toes with varnish on, so keep them like that, with a basecoat as I like red . Sandals with a small heel, but comfortable for work as I usually doing that or shopping. Too old for v high shoes now!

As soon as it's remotely warm enough my summer shoes come out.

I luff wearing flip flips as I only overcame my toe post phobia last year so once I'd cracked it, I bought a few pair of havianas and lived in them all summer!

Foot care wise I used to get a pedicure every couple of month, it is the only beauty treatment, salon or home, I had. Well kept feet with v neat and tidy toenails (a bright or rich colour) looks fab.

As dh is being made redundant I now do my own footcare at home with a rich moisturiser and a foot multihandled tool thingy. My toenail painting is no where near as good as a salon, and dh once or twice doies it for me.

Never wear heels, and I havemy eye on the kestral soar sandlas in white, but budget issues due to dh and not sure if I can carry off the retro look or fall into frump mode, and daren't risk the money if I look a frump!!

Once I'm in sandals,that's it,I wear 'em till Autumn. Don't bother much with pedicures or cream,but always wear shiny red varnish through the summer.

I love the summer as I love wearing sandals/flipflops.

I do have a routine though - my feet are hidden away in boots all winter although every couple of weeks I use a pumice stone to try and stop the skin getting too hard. I also take off nail varnish and give my toes a break from it for the winter.

I do have a full ritual before I get my feet out - I use a foot bath and soak them first, then remove the hard skin using a scrub and a pumice stone, then slather them in moisturiser and wear cotton socks overnight. In the summer I use a bladed footfile every week and moisturise my feet as often as I remember. I always have my toenails painted, usually red or a coral colour. I use a foot deodrant as well most days.

I love flipflops, and also birkenstock type sandals. I much prefer flat ones to heeled ones. I am quite tall so tend to stay away from heels as much as I can. Sometimes I wear a small wedge.

Best thing ever for manky nails is Barry M's 3 in 1 nail hardener, bottom/top coat. It strengthens them so they grow a little longer and can be painted or filed. That and some Vaseline slathered over my feeties, pop some old socks on before bed and the next morning they are heavenly soft.

So, have you got your feet out for summer yet? No
Is it a 2 stage process for you (tops of feet and then toes) or do you go for the full sandal straight away? Straight away

What's your favourite type of sandal? Flat and relaxed, a height-boosting wedge or maybe a strappy number?wedge

What date or occasion did you you/ will you do it? Does it need to be a special occasion?i need good weather!

Do you have a pamper ritual before getting your feet out? What it is? Full scrub, pedicure or a quick slick of a nude varnish? depends on hoiw much time i have. Ideally out for a fully outsourced pedicure. If not, scrub, filing and polish at home

If your feet never see the UK sun, why not?they are but rarely...weather is not good enough!

I wear my sandals- especially flip flops- all year round! I find that it's only when I've had to resort to a few days of 'proper shoes' that my feet need attention.

I try to keep my feet looking good all year round but make extra effort at the first hint of sun. I always think so long as toe-nails are trimmed and painted it goes a long way to creating the illusion of well kept feet even if the heels are a little dry and cracked! When moisturising my legs I also do my feet to keep them soft too.

I LOVE it when I can finally get some air between my toes!

To prepare I usually have a nice hot bath (any excuse) and then when my feet are nice and soft I use a pair of tweezers to dig out all the old dead skin from under my toenails. Nice!
Then I push the cuticles down, trim my toenails, moisturise my feet and put on some nail polish.

I love wearing sandals but struggle with any sort of heel or wedge at the moment as my dc are still little and so I spend a lot of time kneeling down and in pursuit!

Love wearing sandals as I feel my feet are finally free! Being able to wear sandals is one of my favourite things about Summer. I love wearing both flats and ones with heels. Love wearing wedge heels with skirts and dresses. Very feminine:)I generally go for open toed sandals and strappy ones.

I usually scrub my feet well and apply some extra layers of foot lotion a couple of days prior to start wearing sandals. I also love to wear nail varnish.

When the summer sun makes an early and brief visit in May I spruce up my toes by popping on some nail polish and make sure I choose a colour with a great name. This year I chose paparazzi because of course that's sounds very glammy!

Inevitably I am back in boots quite soon after this but as soon as the temperature is above 20c again then its back to the sandals. I like a nice easy flat sandal that I can walk and walk in as that's is what the good weather is for, exploring and getting out there.

I love wearing sandals or flip flops but my feet are too cold right now.
I slather my feet in moisturiser then wear cotton socks to bed, it really softens my feet. A splash of nail polish and I'm ready to go.

I also alternate shoes so I don't get a tan line on my feet. :)

I visit a Chiropodist in Spring then use Flexiol nightly plus that fab Soap & Glory foot file.then I get my nails MINX'ed which lasts or months.would love some new sandals to show off all my hard work.

I live in walking-shoe-type-sandals as soon as its warm enought for me to feel my toes! No beauty tips, but My current pair are Merrels. Having said that they are well worn so a Clarks pair would be lovely!

I use a foot scrub throughout the year and file feet after a bath or shower. I also use almond oil to soften my feet throughout the year. If feet are particularly dry, then I smother in either vaseline or almond oil at night and put on a pair of cotton socks. In the morning feet feel like heaven. To keep nails clean and fresh, use a mix of tea trea oil and almond oil on a cotton bud and rub over the nail. Leave overnight and wash off in the morning.
Professional pedicure twice a year is a treat, but using the above method keeps feet perfect.

Sandals? You're joking yes?

In the event of weather permitting me to wear my Clarks Onslow Holly's I have:

Buffed my feet with the Soap & Glory Foot Buffer (the best IMO)
Moisturised at night with Boots Adavanced Footcare Intensive Foot Softener
Painted my nails with Mavala polish

That's it. As I type this I'm looking out at the swaying trees and rain. The heating is on, too!

A bit of polish on the toes always makes me feel like it is summery, even when the weather disagrees with me! As the nights are still cold enough, I lather my feet in moisturiser then sleep in cotton socks to help my dry feet. Very low maintenance - all the work is done while I sleep! I love peep toes shoes, whether they are flat or wedges so a nice little bit of polish always looks good peaking out. Once it's warm, I'm straight into thongs, whether it is a quick trip to the shops or a day out with the family!

And being pregnant means that in a few short months I won't be able to clip my toenails anymore, so what better excuse for a pedicure?!

I have been wearing flip flops all thru the winter.apart from when it snowed , when I resorted to boots.I alternate between flip flops and high wedge sandals.
No special occassion needed. And as long as I remember to paint my toenails , I really dont mind baring my feet.
Infact I really dont like closed in shoes much atall.

Flexitol is great, then a few dabs of polish and it's on with the flip-flops!

Flat sandals for me, hoping the weather will improve enough to wear them soon... A coat of nail polish in a bright colour is a must for me.

I like sandals which have closed toes, so I don't have to bother about the state of my toes!

Winter: boots
Summer: flipflops

Nothing in between. Nail varnish the same regardless of season. But I might shave my legs a bit more in summer, even though I still wear the same leggings alll year round!