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 like to wear flat sandals in summer. I prefer something sturdy that holds my feet in cos I'm quite clumsy!

I paint my toenails various colours throughout the year but I like to wear bright, happy colours in the summer. I use a ped egg and soap and glory foot cream to keep my feet feeling smooth and looking good :)

As a finger nail biter, I love to get a pedicure and have painted toe nails. I keep the dry, hard skin under control as much as possible, but really enjoy sitting in the massage chair having my toes attended to!
I move straight from boots to sandals as soon as the snow has gone. My large feet are happiest when sandal season starts

I love wearing flip flops I'd wear them all year round if I could! I like a good old fashioned spongy oak normally worn only on the beach as they are comfy and can throw away and replace often. I have a few pairs of pretty sandals when I'm off out and just invested in a nice pair of edges. I actually like my feet doesn't matter what I weigh they always look good. I prepare them with a pumice stone a exfoliating scrub and then a good tip is to put E45 or any moisturiser on your feet and keep socks on asking as you can for soft feet. Toenails are always painted in a bright colour :-)

will this thread never ever end?

CLARKS CHOOSE A BLOODY WINNER

I go to a chiropodist every 8 weeks, so my feet are usually looking quite nice. I always paint my toenails in summer.

I wear mules as I cannot wear high heels.

I love summer and finally managing to wear shoes without socks!
My nails must be painted if they're being shown to the outside world. My feet require moisturising and a pumice stone to sort the heels out.
I generally prefer flats, mainly some clarks leather flip flops that a bought a couple of years ago in tan leather and loved them so much that I bought them in red as well.
I don't need a special reason to get my toes out, just the sun! They've been out all weekend and long may the sunny weather continue!

A blue home pedicure and a few nights of socks and cracked heel balm. Also some serious filing of hard skin. Then my trotters are good to go.

If it ever gets warm enough to take off my socks I'll give the old heels a filing and steal some of DDs nice nail varnish.
My faithful Habiasnas have btoken so i'm on the lookout for something new.

I have never manged to be organised enough to prettify myself but a friend of mine went to work at a beauty salon recently so I now go for a pedicure once each month, I really enjoy it and it makes a wonderful difference. I usually have nail polish put on my toes but have twinkletoes done before holidays as it lasts so much better.

My favourite sandals are fitflops. I'm sure I have a bum like J-Lo but, sadly, mine is encased in a thick, protective coat of lard

I keep my feet sandal (or slipper) ready all year round. It cheers me immensely to see lovely polished toenails especially in winter! I generally i file and buff off the hard skin around the heels, moisturise (just normal body moisturiser -whatever I m using), if I have an event or something on I know I m going to be getting my feet out or say at the start of summer, i ll do full pedi - soak feet remove hard skin and I ll smother feet in 8 hour cream and wear moisture socks overnight then finish with fixing up the cuticles and nails next morning.
I m loving the orange and purple wedges I se on the clarks ad beside me .. might have to investigate those further.

First sign of good weather it's socks off, flats on. No preparation. Obviously pretty soon after it's flats off boots back on.

I do a lot of walking so I always have a pair of sandals I can walk distances in, as strappy and pretty as possible bearing in mind what they will go through. Plus some less robust metallic or sparkly ones for other times. I have to have some back support or my feet fall out of them so no flipflops for me.

I try to keep my feet reasonable throughout the year with foot cream and exfoliating then have a professional pedicure once the sun appears, with a couple more pedis over the summer. (Not good at doing nail varnish myself). I think a pedicure is the best value beauty treatment you can have as they last for ages.

My feet are out all year in one way or another, either in sandals at weekend or open toe, slingback shoes for work. My feet overheat and really stink get very sweaty in closed shoes.

I have a pay-day pedicure every month to manage the worst of the dry heels. They used to be very cracked, but I do now slather them in moisturiser (just a cheapy normal supermarket one, not even one for feet) and put trainer socks on overnight in the middle of the month to get them softer.

Polish colour is always dark, either dark purple (done last night actually!), a dark blue the same colour as the Red Bull Racing F1 cars may or may not be a link between this and my Mark Webber obsession or a nice deep red. Never anything that the majority of people would class as summer colours.

I try to keep my feet nice all year round. I use a footcream every night and keep an eye on hard skin etc. When it gets too bad I treat myself to a visit to my choropodist for a natter and a tidy up. Nail polish is generally only for special occasions.

I find it hard to find sandals I really like and are comfortable for walking in. Many seem either to be form or function and not often both.

Bit of polish and then just wear my sandals with confidence! Not socks!

I love toepost sandals and have them on as early in the year as possible. I make sure my feet are looking their best by painting my toenails (usually a pretty pink or pearl) and getting a decent heel balm to ensure my heels are ready to face the elements.

Bought myself a micro-pedi - it's wonderful and very easy to use. Great result, no more snagging the bed sheets (what an admission!). Have been doing lots of extra moisturising after evening shower/bath and am noticing smoothing/plumping of skin. Occasionally I use a heavier type oil like almond oil on top of foot which is deeply moisturising, leaving a lovely glow.

I love my fit-flops or bejewelled sandals and paint nails in bright tango orange or deep fluorescent pink. It needs to come off or be retouched as soon as there's a chip though or you're drawn to looking at the blemish.

I like to get my feet out as soon as the weather is warm and usually am always barefoot at home. Roll on Summer, we're missing you.

I visit a podiatrist every 3 - 4 months for an overhaul and the only downside is she's very thorough with nail cutting. What she cuts off though I paint over, even it's my toes! From a distance, it's all good!!!

Sandals on as soon as it is warm enough and off when I start getting frostbite. Either sandals or barefoot as much of the year as I can be.
Prefer cushioned soles so can walk far with no pain.
No particular "foot" routine as feet are feet and mine look okay.

So, have you got your feet out for summer yet?
Only once or twice. Weather's been too changeable.

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?

Full sandal straight away - I go from boots to sandals depending on the weather.

What's your favourite type of sandal? Flat and relaxed, a height-boosting wedge or maybe a strappy number?
I love a medium height wedge strappy sandal or a flipflop style with very padded sole. Can walk in both of these all day and still feel cool and comfortable. I avoid any sandal with thin, hard soles.

What date or occasion did you you/ will you do it? Does it need to be a special occasion?
No - just a lovely sunny day. As soon as the summer dresses come out, the sandals do too.

Do you have a pamper ritual before getting your feet out?
Yes. I think it's unkind to others to flaunt hard, cracked skin.

What it is? Full scrub, pedicure or a quick slick of a nude varnish? Share your tips (please!)
I do a proper home pedicure with pumice, hard skin remover and gritty scrub then apply lots of foot cream, trim , clean and file nails and add a pale natural polish or a bright one, depending on where I'm going. Then moisturise every day and pumice feet twice a week to make sure they stay soft.

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?

What's your favourite type of sandal? Flat and relaxed, a height-boosting wedge or maybe a strappy number?
COMFORTABLE!!!!! Is the absolute top priority - if it's not comfortable then there's no point in wearing it otherwise you're going to be hobbling around, wincing in pain and it's just not worth it. I've had comfy high strappy sandals and uncomfy flat ones - so it's not just a height thing. But for every day in the summer (assuming we actually get one with sun in!) I go for a nice squidgy sole that's relatively flat. And since having dc I've ended up with ones that I can adjust across the toes just because my feet swell now (didn't before!) so they have been more sporty than I'd have liked. I like the Clarks ones with the comfy soles and pretty metallic shades with maybe a bit of beading or something pretty up the middle. Not too strappy, solid enough to know you're not going to run out of your sandals or break them the next time you have to charge after your headstrong 5 year old who can out run you and is heading towards the road... But there again, not boring and sporty.

Have just had a look on the Clarks site at their sandals and I mean a cross between the front of the Renver Shine and the back of a Renver Band. PReferably with an Originals sole. I like to have a nice coloured pair of sandals - black, nude or navy or white can get very boring. The mixes of pink, purple and orange are nice at the moment but it's also good to have a soft pale denim blue or a gentle mid green colour (ie not out and out girly colours) which also go with lots of things. Metallics can be good too so long as they are not too shiny or bright.

What date or occasion did you you/ will you do it? Does it need to be a special occasion?
Won't be a special occasion - will be once it gets warm (and dry) enough to not need to wear socks. I often go through an intermediate phase of a comfortable (see a theme emerging?!) shoe that can be worn without socks before getting to sandals - a few years ago I had a fab Clarks pair called something like Hyacinth or Hydrangea that were fantastically soft leather on top, in a range of pretty colours and squishy soles. They were on sale for at least two years - but rapidly sold out as they were so popular so I didn't have as many pairs as I would have liked. I've also had several pairs of clarks trainery things that were like mary jane trainers with an elastic strap across - great to wear but tended to get very stinky very quickly.

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!)
I try to keep jolly coloured nail varnish on my toenails all year round - slosh it on before I get in the shower, it's dry by the time you get out and any bits that get on your skin whilst sloshing it on come off easily when you dry your feet. Winter shades tend to be a bit darker, maybe aubergine or silver or dark red. Summer - coral, bright red, turquoise, ice green...
I also try to use a pumice stone once summer approaches to help keep my feet nice and to use cream on any dry bits, a little work with intensive cream really helps. I used to have a great Scholl pumice stone that was a manmade one, wasn't too harsh, rubbed dry skin off easily without hurting but they don't seem to make them any more which is a real shame, so I just use whatever is on offer in Boots or TKMaxx.

(and can I just say that I have a pair of Clarks Originals slip on shoes that are at least 4 or 5 years old and are currently the most comfortable pair of shoes I have, but they are beginning to wear out, the soles now have holes in . Every season I hope against hope that you will do something similar, I'm still getting compliments on them even though they are battered beyond belief and get very little in the way of love or care. But nothing - they are all either lace up or ballet pump styles. Please please can you bring back the slip on that you can wear with socks and trousers - they are so great. It's a real pain when you have young kids to be faffing around tying laces - I just want to be able to slip on shoes (or even slip on boots) and go. Not mess around with laces!)

So, have you got your feet out for summer yet?
Once or twice I've worn flip flops,

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?

Straight from boots to flip flop.

What's your favourite type of sandal? Flat and relaxed, a height-boosting wedge or maybe a strappy number?
Flat and relaxed combined with a strappy number if that's not too much to ask.

What date or occasion did you you/ will you do it? Does it need to be a special occasion?
No special occasion, just wam and sunny.

Do you have a pamper ritual before getting your feet out?
Oh yes, scaly, hard feet with long unpainted toenails make me feel sick!

What it is? Full scrub, pedicure or a quick slick of a nude varnish? Share your tips (please!)
I use a Ped egg followed by a good exfoliater. I smother my feet in max strength moisturiser or very good hand cream then wrap in cling film and wear socks overnight. Next day rinse, moisturise and paint toe nails.

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?
Not all year round in the UK but ready to bare when going swimming with regular use of PedEgg, exfoliater and good toe nail polish.

I live in sandals from April-October. A nice pedicure to start the sandal season and some beautifully painted nails throughout is the way to go. I generally only really wear flat sandals but do have a couple of pairs of wedges for those special occasions or when I want to feel particularly girly.

I keep my feet scrubbed all year with a pumice stone once or twice a week in the shower. It removes dead skin and keeps my feet soft. A quick moisturise with Nivea lotion is enough to keep away dry skin. I usually file and buff nails in the summer and only use nail polish on special occasions.

About 99% of my shoes are Clarks. I can't wear any other shoes. I bought some Clarks wedges last March for the summer (had an inkling it may not be hot this year) that are not too high and comfortable.. Normally I buy flattish or strappy flat sandals. I absolutely love Clarks Active Air sandals and shoes and so does my husband.

I only get my toes out if its very warm. My feet are cold all year round, so it needs to be pretty hot for me to bare them.

I bought the Soap & Glory foot buffer file thingy, after seeing so many recommendations here on MN. It's absolutely THE BEST for your feet and I've tried 'em all. Mine are now sooooo smooth

Had sandals on yesterday morning. Had shoes and tights on my 2pm, when it started chucking it down! Great. June tomorrow?

i had been wearing sandals since last week. cant wait to get it out!!! love my flat huge feets. They look like flippers. lol. I love to wear flat sandals with lot of colourful flowers but i cant find them.