ALEX’S STAYCATION TIP no. 2: How to have happy feet

The majority of my hair, skin and beauty products are organic or at least free of the worst offenders (such as parabens, phalates and sulfates). So, when I came across the ZOYA nail polish line a few years ago I was thrilled. The company was the first to take out the toxic ingredients found in polish, like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and dibutyl phalate without taking away the staying power or great shine found in the older formulas. You don’t have to suffer when you make eco-friendly beauty choices. And with hundreds of colors there’s something for everyone (including plenty of sparkles for the kids who tend to chew the polish off ingesting all sorts of chemicals).


Whether you have pedicures done year round or wait for summer, here's a polish to keep you happy and healthy. Right now I’m wearing GIA, a bright coral red but I‘m loving the new La-Di-Da Summer Collection, especially the nostalgic 80s neon pink ALI and perfect with a tan AMERICA. I’m tempted to pick up the sampler collection to try the whole group. For my hands I love a light, clean polish like SADIE.

The ZOYA site has a search engine to help you narrow down colors from their massive catalogue and rates each polish according to tone, finish, color family and color intensity (0=Very Sheer – 5=Very Opaque). Buy online or check their database for a store near you.


When hands and feet need some TLC, I am addicted to Yes To Carrots Pampering Spa Manicure scrub. This paraben and phalate free scrub is made with Dead Sea salts, oils and extracts from carrots, sweet potatoes, pomegranates and figs. It’s a one-minute mini manicure. Just massage into hands or feet and as British newspaper The Guardian wrote, "Rub this grainy liquid into your hands, rinse and you'll be left with a non-greasy coating of moisturiser. Absolute genius." xo a.