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March 1, 2011
Foot a-peel
Foot Appeal
Product Category:
DIY foot spa
Price:
Php599
Available at:
Rustan's Essences, Pioneer Centre Supermarket, Unimart Supermarket, Cash and Carry Supermarket, ROX, and Watsons
Tester:
Hannah, writer
The sound of a foot file at-work and the delicate soles that come after the scrubbing have always made me skip the foot spa every time I visit a nail salon for a pedicure. But, I'll admit, my soles have been in rough shape—soft corns and cracked heels have started to appear—so when I was asked to review a new DIY foot spa product, I took the chance to give my feet some well-deserved pampering.
Foot Appeal, said to be the first of its kind in the local market, claims to contain powerful, yet safe and natural root and flower extracts that exfoliate and moisturize the feet. It supposedly allows the skin to mature faster naturally and lets old skin peel off painlessly.
The product, which contains a clear liquid that faintly smells of medicine, is worn like a pair of socks for 60 to 90 minutes. Thirty minutes into the process, I began to feel a ticklish and itchy sensation, perhaps proof that the solution had started to penetrate my skin. I took the foot mask off after an hour and to my horror, my fresh coat of nail polish had been dissolved. I had to wipe the remaining color off with acetone and wished that the label had given me a warning. But to have the same effect as acetone, I thought, Foot Appeal mustn't be as gentle as I'd thought.
Peeling, the label read, should begin in two days, so I waited. And waited, and waited some more.
I finally saw the first sign of peeling on the fifth day, just around the balls of my feet. I tried to pull the old skin off and it, indeed, came off easily. The product warns against forcefully pulling the dead skin in order not to damage the new skin, but it was so surprisingly painless that I couldn't fight the urge to do it anyway. A week since I wore the foot mask, my soles were soft, pinkish, and practically new.
Peeling on the top of my feet began soon after, but this second round of peeling didn't come off as easily, especially between the toes. Worse, my feet looked dry, and the flaking looked like a skin disease would break out any minute. The stubborn peeling went on for a week even as I soaked my feet in warm water and scrubbed the old skin off every night. But by the time the old skin had completely peeled away, I was delighted to see that a dark area of my feet—sunburn marks from years of wearing slippers and sandals—had already evened out.
Except for the dissolved nail polish and the ugly peeling on the top of my feet, I say the product did fairly well—a month after I used Foot Appeal, my feet remain soft and smooth, and I supposedly don't have to use it again until the next two months. The DIY foot spa is convenient and easy, but it's definitely not for people who want instant results.
For inquiries on Foot Appeal, call (632) 733-8300 or e-mail customercare@imf-wellness.com.
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