FOOT FILE
We didn’t quite realise the Pandora’s Box we’d be opening when we invited brands to submit ‘MANUAL DEVICES’ for testing; we received everything from silk hair turbans to blusher brushes, and both nail and foot files.
At Beauty Bible HQ, we absolutely SWEAR by a good foot file. With lashings of moisturiser to follow, you can deliver many of the benefits of a professional medi-pedi on an ongoing basis (and certainly, in our case, stretch the time between appointments for those). Little and often, is our advice.
As keen walkers, we are all firm believers in the importance of keeping feet happy – and honestly, nothing cheers them more than a whisking with a great foot file. And these, our testers concur, really ARE great!
GOLD AWARD and BEAUTY STEAL Soap & Glory The Heel Deal Foot File
In Soap & Glory’s signature pink livery, an ergonomically designed foot file with a handle, angled to offer perfect access to soles and heels. It has three filing heads: one to remove rough skin (the ‘RUFF’ side), one to smooth, for a final buff ( ‘SMOOTHIE”), plus a bonus toe-piece file to access between the toes. (Not sure we’ve ever thought of that, but we’ll be trying it, moving forward.)
£10 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘I didn’t have high hopes for this simple tool, but it was amazing in every way. Easy to use, extremely effective and easy to clean...the best foot file ever’ • ‘Really helped foot cream penetrate difficult areas; great on heels but worked well on a callus on outer side of big toe and small calluses near toes’ • ‘Loved the three different filing heads, one rough, one smoother and especially the smaller tool for hard-to-reach places – genius! I’d most definitely recommend – this works better than the Scholl electric foot file! ’ • ‘Your feet get such a hard deal in life, and this is a little bit of luxury, to be able to give them a good scrub and give yourself that just-pedicured feel’ • ‘I think feet tend to be every person’s worse nightmare and this gives you a real treat. You feel like you are walking on air’ • ‘I use O’Keefe’s foot cream after use, and in combination with the foot file, the cream gave me the softest feet I have had for a very long time; the cream absorbed much more quickly and kept my feet soft, even the next few days’ • ‘This foot file looks good, is very well designed as it is easy to grip and feels sturdy. I found it best used on dry skin. For regular use, it is a brilliant tool to keep your feet soft and smooth’ • ‘I think this will last ages, but if I had to buy another foot file, I would choose this mainly because I like the angled design (and because it is pink, the men in my house will be less likely to "borrow" it!’
£10 - click to buy
SILVER AWARD Margaret Dabbs Professional Foot File
Margaret Dabbs has pulled off a double, winning in this Foot File category, as well as an Award in the Nail File section, here. Sometimes described as ‘The Rolls Royce of Foot Files’, this is the very same slimline file that Margaret’s trained medi-pedicurists use in her clinics, to eliminate hard skin and calluses. It relies on ‘Compressed Crystal Technology’ for the buffing effect, one side with a finger grade, the other rougher, and comes with two replacement pads.
£30 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘By far THE best foot file I have used. Easy to hold and use, a serious piece of kit, not flimsy like some – and I like that it comes with extra sanding paper’ • ‘It just files off the dead skin without any trouble, leaving feet feeling super-soft in no time at all. I reckon I could become a pro just using this beauty! ’ • ‘A definite recommendation – yes, yes, yes! I have tried every gadget under the sun to try and get on top of the hard skin that builds up on my feet. I’d never have thought that something that looked as simple as this foot file would work so well! Some foot files are like actual cheese graters and can hurt your feet, but this is perfect; the file glides along without feeling abrasive, but still works extremely effectively’ • ‘It’s not cheap, but it really is the best file I have used. delighted with the results and keep on top of them by having a quick slough every few days’ • ‘Seemed a little industrial when I saw it but it's absolutely perfect. It takes the horrid, dry, flaky heel skin off with little effort. Before I would have had to spend at least 30 mins with A Micropedi, whereas this takes 10 minutes, tops. Feet feel smooth and look superb’ • ‘I was blown away at how easy it is to use and how effective it was on my hard skin. I'll never use anything else now. My feet are so soft, smooth and hard skin-free. Great that the pads can be replaced too!’
£30 - click to buy