You may not put makeup on your hands and feet, but how they look says just as much about you as your face.  There is nothing worse than a woman in a fabulous outfit, complete with killer stilettos... and ashy feet, cracked heels or haggard toenails.  Likewise, a nice manicure before a job interview can show a boss that yours are the hands for the job.  Your hands and feet can give you confidence and give others a sense of how well you take care of yourself.

Hands

I am not a nail person.  My best friend would French tip my nails to her heart's content, but I was always the roomie who was clueless in that department.  I am still pretty awful at manicures, but I do have some tips.

I've heard stylists say that you shouldn't cut your nails, as they can split.  Perhaps this is true, but I've never had it happen.  I have, however, had experiences where I became extremely frustrated at over-shaping my nails.  I file and file, aiming for the perfect mani, and end up with often painful too-short nails.  My tip for others who just plain suck at shaping - cut to shape, and file gently.  I like slightly square nails, so I use standard clippers to cut right across, and simply file the corners to round them.  It's practically foolproof.

With color, clean off the nail bed once, then twice, with nail polish remover.  Apply polish to dry nails, and clean up any mistakes with a remover-dipped q-tip.

Don't freak out if you don't have perfect polish.  Something I noticed from the SATC movie - Carrie Bradshaw's super-short, bare nails.  Especially if you dress and do your hair outrageously, you don't have to wear that trendy polish.  Once you're accustomed to long nails, you can do anything from typing to putting in your contacts with ease, but those things are still easiest with them short.  Not to mention the peace of mind of not having to worry about breaking a nail.

They say your hands show your true age, so moisturize.  Ideally, sleep with hands coated in a good moisturizer and slipped into gloves.

Feet

For your feet, same rules apply.  Shape your toenails as nicely as possible.  I find that toenails are more likely to stain yellowish after wearing dark polish, so keep some light pink or peach polish handy so that when you go "bare" after removing a bold color, you don't look like you have a fungus.  There are few things less chic and sexy than fungus.

Recently I purchased a Ped Egg from Walgreens, and it is great for removing calluses and making feet pretty.  Unlike a pumice stone in a hot bath, the ped egg is a mess-free way to clean up your footsies while watching TV.  My boyfriend used it on mine earlier while I was blogging!

Lastly, lotion up.  You don't want to slip right out of your heels, so plan ahead and give lotion time to absorb.  Sleep in socks after soaking your feet in lotion, or lotion up and wear cotton socks while you do your makeup, hair, etc., then rub them dry and put your heels on just as you're about to leave.  Even closed-toed shoes can show your heel, ankles, and tops of your feet.