I would absolutely love to get a pedicure every week, but like most college students, I just can’t afford to do that. So I sacrifice my poor, little feet in order to have money for essentials like, I don’t know, food. In order to keep myself free of hunger pains, my feet have taken a turn for the worst. They are cracked and dry, and no matter how cute my nail color is, they still look bad.

Enter the world of Exuviance: it’s like a pedicure in cream form. I’ve been using this for just a week and my tootsies already look way better. Watch the vid for my review!

[Disclaimer: I received this product to review and received no payment (as in money) for a "good" review. This review is 100% my personal opinion based on my experience with the product.]

No matter how crazy you think your personal situation is, it is not just you. So, let’s bring it all out in the open. Right here. Because you are not alone - we’ve all been there before.]

It’s Friday (or Saturday, Sunday…or any day that ends in “y”) and you are gonna hit the town with the ladies. You crack a beer and sip it in front of your closet as you figure out which low cut top and jeans to wear. The stereo in your room is blasting a little Lady Gaga to get you in the mood. Once you are dressed and properly accessorized, you gather your friends together for a little pre-party dance party.

Soon it’s time to go, so you throw on your favorite pair of going-out stilettos and make your way to the party. They aren’t comfortable, but you convince yourself that by the time they start hurting you will be too drunk to notice.

You walk to the party, holding hands with your BFF and having the “I love you so much” conversation that only happens when you are 3-4 drinks in. Upon arriving at the gathering, you make your way to the keg and fill up your red Solo cup. And the night officially begins.

There is dancing, there is drinking, there are laps around the room to see just which cute boys you may want to flirt with.

And then the pain sets in.

As you stand in a corner chatting it up with a friend of a friend of a friend, your baby toe starts to feel as though it is going to fall off. You switch your weight to the other foot. And then back to that foot.

You dig your heels into the ground and attempt to push your foot back in the shoe. You lean to the right and slip your left foot out of the pump. You try to drink a bit more to numb the pain.

But each attempt only offers momentary relief.

You can think of nothing else but the pain; nothing the cute boy is saying is registering. All your attention is focused on finding a band-aid or some place to sit. Too bad this party doesn’t have toilet paper, let alone benches for resting your aching tootsies.

You consider taking off your shoes completely before looking at the beer soaked floor and thinking better of it. You’ll just have to deal.

And you do. You sort of hop/hobble around the party, pausing frequently to readjust your feet in the shoes. You curse yourself for not opting for flats when you had the chance.

When it is finally time to head home, you wonder if you’ll even make it. Sometimes, if your friends also made unfortunate shoe choices, you can convince everyone to hop in a cab (even if that cab ride is 3 blocks). Usually, though, you are forced to suck it up and limp home in pain, 20 yards behind everyone

else because you can’t move any faster.

You kick the shoes off as soon as you get in the door – or, if it’s bad enough, as soon as you can see your door in the distance – and rub your ailing feet. The blisters have already formed and will probably plague you for a week. You swear you are never going to wear those things again, but you know that’s not true. They look so good with your skinnies and make your legs look a mile long.

Those blisters will clear up in time for next weekend. And then you’ll do it all again.

This is the time of year when I long the most for new shoes. Summer shoes are bright and fun and eye-catching. And it’s warm enough that you don’t have to cover them up with pants, jeans, or other such nonsense.

But sometimes, friends…sometimes summer shoes betray us. Sometimes high heeled sandals bust our heels. Sometimes seemingly-perfect shoes cut up the backs of our feet. So while I can’t guarantee anything, I have combed the internet searching for shoes that at least look like they might not kill you.

Here, dear College Candies, are the shoes I am lusting after right now, that I imagine will leave me with chaste, unharmed tootsies.

Drool.

I’m sorry, I’m a sucker for faux snakeskin.

These little ditties are, yes, wedge platforms, but they’re not too high and they have a peep toe so your toes won’t get squished. Plus, the foot-bed is pretty high so you have a better chance of it really holding your foot in and not rubbing.

For the price of a movie and a small soda, you could have these cute metallic (very in this summer) sandals from Payless. Not bad!

Aren’t these cute?! There’s something very Westerner’s-idea-of-India about them, but, what can I say? Totally sexy. Even better, you can order them online; doesn’t get more comfortable than that.

Look at these adorable little yellow sandals! I just want to eat them up. Or like hug them, or something. Anyway, you get the point. They’re freakin’ cute. Plus, flat. Your foot will be held in snugly with a slingback. Ah, perfection.

Some may say a little pain is worth it, but I totally beg to differ. Especially with the flat, gladiator sandal making its mark this summer. This shoe is perfect with a dress and can be worn to walk all over town, to a long day of work, or even a long night of dancing.

When the lights came on at the end of the night we waddled out as our feet wailed and kicked our shoes off as soon as our butts hit the frozen leather seats of my Volkswagen Jetta.

“Oh my God,” my friend cooed, stretching out her visibly red and blistered toes. “That feels amazing.” When I dropped her off at home, she walked from the car to her front door barefoot, despite the snow on the ground.

I did the same and spent the following morning – as I often spend Sunday mornings – nursing my ailing feet with a hot bath and lots of Band-Aids.

My mother called me mid-way through my foot therapy and commiserated with my pain. And then gave me the best advice I have ever received:

“Get some Cole Haan pumps.”

It didn’t seem revolutionary at first – especially because the thought of trying on anything besides a slipper was out of the question – until I got myself over to Nordstrom and slipped into a pair. They are just like slippers!

The folks at Cole Haan teamed up with the people at Nike and created tmade the super-pump. It looks super sexy (like a Manolo) and feels super comfy (like an Ugg…minus the fur). There are tons of styles and I swear to you, I could wear this shoe all day and never feel an ounce of pain. No more getting wasted until my feet go numb!

At around $300 a pair the price tag is mighty hefty, but after wearing these shoes for one day I can tell you it is more than worth it. Just think of all the money you would be saving on Band-Aids, pedicures and cabs! These shoes truly are remarkable; I can’t wait to take em for a bar spin this weekend.

Huh? Strapless sandals. Need I say more? Well since this would make for a pretty lame blog if I didn’t, I will.

Have you ever been out in the sun so long that you get those annoying flip flop strap tan lines? Like while you’re spending Friday’s paycheck “wisely” on all those cute little outdoor stands in SoHo (For some reason that antique owl-shaped can opener suddenly seems like a vital investment.), or at an amusement park with your friends for the day whilst trying your best to hold down that (bad, bad decision) corndog? Well apparently someone really had a problem with those little tan lines, because some Aussies at Treds have just created, tadaaa, the strapless sandal.

Apparently these clever (but weird) creations run for about nine Washingtons and last about a year. They stick to the bottom of your foot (Those with sweaty feet syndrome, beware.) with some sort of special adhesive that can be washed and reworn. Don’t ask me how it works, I’m just here to make fun of it (while secretly and simultaneously ordering a pair online).

To me they kind of look like you’ve just got something stuck to the bottom of your foot. I wouldn’t be surprised if while wearing them I accidentally forgot what they were and tried to frantically kick them off, like toilet paper trailing a heel. What’s fun is that since they stick to your foot, you can’t really call them a flip flop anymore. There’s no flop! They’re flipflips!

I guess if you’re really anal about tan lines on your feet, (maybe you’re a lifeguard… that could maybe make sense?) then these sandals must seem god sent. Heavens, what will they come up with next?

My ex used to tell me, “I see guys in there all the time… it’s so not a big deal.” And my response has always been the same: “show me one guy that I know, or even one guy who’s even remotely like me that goes in there, and if they tell me it’s not a big deal, then I’ll do it.”

I’ve still never received that confirmation, and I still don’t know any other guy who’s ever done it, but I nevertheless decided yesterday that it was time to suck it up and get it over with.

And so…I got a pedicure.

Most of you reading this probably don’t think this is a big deal at all, but I assure you, it is. Think about it… outside of New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, how many of you actually know a straight guy who is NOT a metrosexual and yet still gets pedicures? Not many of you. Maybe most guys just don’t know any better and still assume that the overall point to getting the pedi is getting your nails painted, but for whatever reason, the serious stigma continues to exist that getting a pedicure somehow shows a sign of homosexuality.

However, I’m here to let everyone know (and girls, you certainly have my permission to show this article to your nappy-footed boyfriends) that getting a pedicure really isn’t a big deal at all.

Let me first admit that I was definitely in an altered state of mind (use your imagination…I’m not sure I could have even gone into the salon if I’d been totally sober), and I went in there with a supportive girl friend, both of which went a long way in lessening my apprehension. And it certainly helped that once it was announced that I wanted a pedicure, I started getting whipped around the salon so quickly that I didn’t even have time to process what was going on.

First things first… why didn’t anyone ever tell me that when you get a pedicure, you get to sit in one of those leather massage chairs?? Hell, I go to Brookstone for no reason whatsoever other than to sit in those chairs! Had I known, I probably would have found my way to the salon a lot sooner.

Let me tell you right now – a video of my face during this experience would have been priceless. I just didn’t know what was coming! You know how they turn on those jets in that tub of water? I almost jumped straight out of the chair! I didn’t know when they wanted me to switch feet, when they wanted me to relax, nothing. Basically, I was like a little kid lost in the mall. I knew I was supposed to be relaxed and enjoying myself, but I was simply too tense to let loose.

Speaking of funny faces, another priceless mugshot appeared when my lady moved to take the razor to the bottom of my feet. I’m not saying that my feet are about to fall off due to leprosy, but they aren’t exactly sleek and smooth either. In any event, it was clear that this lady looked at my feet like a real estate developer looks at an abandoned acre of swampy marshland. My feet were to be her masterpiece, and she proceeded to razor my feet with incredible fervor. Let me tell you, I think I could have my feet scraped all day long. What a great sensation.

As the appointment wound down, and my initial excitement (adrenaline?) began to ebb, I experienced an epiphany. As long as I’m not painting my toes pink (or any other color for that matter), there’s really nothing feminine at all about getting a pedicure. It’s basically just a glorified foot massage, and I don’t know any guys that would turn one of those down. So while I relish in my unexpectedly rejuvenated feet, here’s one straight guy who’s not afraid to stand up and say unequivocally that I get pedicures, and I enjoy it!

In any case, I do a lot of walking in the summer, and I suspect you do too. I also love cute shoes. I’m sure we’re alike in that way as well.

If these two things are true, perhaps your feet also look as though tiny elves have hacked and scraped away at what was once beautiful, pristine skin. Cute shoes don’t always mean comfortable shoes, and walking every day can turn a slightly uncomfortable chafe into deadly pain in less than twenty minutes.

Which is why I was so glad to find earththerapeutics.net. It’s this great site with lots of nice things for those sandal-ravaged feet we’re all trying to hide. Besides cute little moisturizing booties, a fun rolly foot massager, and a tea tree oil foot soak that looks divine, earththerapeutics.net also has great blister guards and gel strips which pad those pesky sandal straps.

‘Tis the season to have cute feet, darlings. Don’t let your shoes give you scary skin (and have someone ask if you have a mild case of leprosy…from personal experience I can say that sort of question makes everyone feel real awkward real fast), and give those hard working heels a reward for keeping you three inches off the ground all day.

(Click on the photo for the answer or jump over to see them all.)

The Feet

The Celebrities

(Fergie, Jessica Alba, Cameron Diaz, Mischa Barton, Heidi Klum, Jessica Simpson, Claire Danes, Eva Longoria, Christina Aguilera)

The Answers:

A. Jessica Simpson B. Jessica Alba C. Eva Longoria

D. Cameron Diaz E. Claire Danes F. Christina Aguilera

G. Heidi Klum H. Fergie I. Mischa Barton

Who has the UGLIEST Celebrity Feet???

Luckily, I didn’t give up. I tried every product in or around the foot care section of Duane Reade before stumbling upon an ingenious blister blocker: surgical tape. It stays on for the entire day and is thin enough to not create any discomfort between your feet and your oh-so-fabulous shoes. It works great as a preventive blister measure; and in my case so many times, after the fact to keep those shoddy band-aids in place.

Even better, though, is the fact that it is clear; making it less obvious you’ve wrapped your feet up like a post-op patient.

While my surgical tape is always in my purse, there are a few new blister protectors out on the market gathering rave reviews. I’m looking to try band-aids new blister blocker stick, which looks like a teeny-tiny stick of deodorant and smells pretty damn good too. (A co-worker showed the new goods during our after work drinks as we swapped blister tips.) It works a bit like deodorant as well, as you just apply it on your foot before you hit the town.

Another new product I’m dying to try (if twenty extra bucks ever comes my way) is invisi-sole. Unlike other products, this rubber-like liquid is painted onto your shoes, instead of your feet, and is pulled right off at the end of the night. With invisi-sole there is no sticky residue or unseemly tape lines to deal with. But for $19.99 for 10-12 uses and roughly 30 minutes drying time, it takes way more planning than the other quick fixes.

Unfortunately my feet have already sustained permanent damage from my uncomfortable shoe habit. Luckily, there’s always my trusty surgical tape and a few new products just waiting for my rigorous tests.