Summer is sandal season, the time when everyone is faced with the prospect of exposing their dry, cracked heels to the world. I like to walk around my house barefoot and wear flimsy ballet flats, so I get a lot of hard skin on my feet. I’ve also never had a professional pedicure, but I have tried everything from the Ped Egg to pumice stones to intensive moisturizing creams and was excited to give Scholl’s Velvet Smooth Express Pedi range a go.

Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi Electronic Foot File

This is an electronic tool with a roller head that works to remove hard skin from the feet. We were off to a bad start with the packaging – the foot file was encased in plastic and getting it out was a Herculean feat. Once I got it out of its sheath, though, I was happy to find that batteries were included, and it was set up and ready to go in two ticks.

The file makes a lot of noise and creates a cloud of dry skin dust, so you might want to put down a towel to prevent making a mess. You have to be very careful with it or you can end up snagging it on your toes and hurting yourself. Do not experiment with it by trying it on your legs (I learned that the hard way…).  It also stops working if you press it too hard onto your skin, so as tempting as it is to try to speed up the process, there’s really no point.

This is not a magical product that immediately leaves you with silky smooth feet, despite the relatively hefty price tag of PRICE It might take a few days and a couple of intense sessions, but eventually, you will start to see results – for less effort than with the Ped Egg and less money than with a regular pedicure.

Scholl Velvet Smooth Foot Soak

A foot soak is a great way to relax after a long day, and this one works well to soften feet before using the file – although it’s hard to tell whether that’s a result of the warm water or the ingredients in the product.

Scholl Velvet Smooth Intense Serum

This serum is for use after the electronic foot file, or whenever feet are in need of a drink. It contains hyaluronic acid and green caviar to hydrate the skin and comes in a handy pump bottle. At €8.99, it’s expensive enough for a 30ml bottle, but it’s a pretty high concentration. The formula is light and absorbs quickly, so it’s perfect for anyone who doesn’t like waiting around for heavy creams to soak in.