Step 1 - At the end of your morning shower (wait until the very last minute so your feet have "soaked" as much as possible) smooth your feet with a gritty sugar scrub. One of my all-time favorites is Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish.

Step 2 - Clip and file your nails - no cuticle clipping! Trim straight across to avoid ingrown nails.

Step 3 - Swipe nails with polish remover. I love Karma Organic Nail Polish Remover in Lavender. It smells amazing, it's non-toxic, and it won't dry out your nails like an acetone-based remover. If you have a couple extra minutes, use a buffer to smooth any ridges.

Step 4 - Polish. Skip the base coat and top coat and go for one swipe of really high-quality polish like the ones by Chanel. Lately I am loving the bright pop of Chanel's nail polish in Holiday.

Step 5 - Throw on some cuticle oil, carefully slip into sandals, and enjoy your pretty toes!

Heels

Pros:

• They add mega-height (and mega-confidence!)
• Dresses up any outfit
• Lengthen legs, show-off killer calves

• Super-comfy!
• Perfect for showing off your new pedicure, soft heels and all
• They work on the beach, the lawn, and pretty much anywhere else
• They can be dressy or casual

Cons:

• Great for tall women, not always great for the super-short
• Some lack arch support (which is why we love CitySlips - perfect amount of cushioning and flexibility)

It's a beautiful addition to our city and we have had a wonderful time exploring all the stores that are making their Utah debut - Tiffany & Co., Michael Kors, Tumi and Coach are just a few...

The City Creek Nordstrom is immaculate (the light fixtures alone are worth the trip!), and the Sixth & Pine Cafe serves up incredible contemporary comfort food, but of course the highlight of the new development for us was Salon Shoes. Seeing The Stylish ShoeCover on display among all of those perfectly lit pumps and sandals was a dream!

If you live in Utah or get a chance to visit, make sure you stop by City Creek and let us know what you think.

Black wedges in a round-toe and a peep-toe from L.K. Bennett

Lipstick red and pretty blue floral strappy sandals

Color! Sky-high color block wedges and candy colored patent pumps at Bloomingdales

1. City Slips - these foldable flats come with their own carrying case (sound familiar?) and make getting through the dreaded airport security line slightly less painful. They are also perfect for times when you need to be meeting-ready (a.k.a. in heels) right when you hit the ground because they slip right off and into your handbag.

2. Sole Goddess Foot Balm - They call it a lip balm for your feet, I call it a complete lifesaver. We spent hours walking during our trip to Berlin for the Travel + Leisure Design Awards. I was sure all that time in heels would leave me with some serious blisters, but I prepped my feet with Sole Goddess everyday, and I made it through the trip blister free! We actually got to partner at recent trade show with the creator of Sole Goddess - Danielle Lutz (the adorable redhead in the picture above) at our "Shoe Solutions" booth along with Shelby Mason of Bootights.

3. Travalo Refillable Perfume Atomizer - I discovered this tiny gem while watching Pamela Pekerman on NBC Miami in a segment called "Innovative Accessories". The Travalo is a TSA approved, ridiculously easy to use atomizer that side-steps the potential disaster of attempting to funnel perfume into a tiny bottle by actually attaching to your fragrance pump. No spilling or dripping, just the perfect amount of perfume to take on a trip.

Now it's your turn! Tell me about the travel item you would run back home to pack - even if you were already at the airport...

The event was held in a cool, contemporary venue called Department – a building that was a post office many years ago and is in the process of becoming a very chic restaurant. Very Soho. When we arrived after walking through a courtyard we came upon the T+L letters rotating across the brick building followed by a lighted photo of each award item. A small but sincere red carpet led into the building.

The space was packed with interesting people. Each honoree was given a flashing red "WINNER" pin so we were able to spot each other. We had lots of fun that evening with the designer of the Best Small Hotel in Baja, Jorge Gracia. We also chatted with Scott James, creator of the Best Men's Travel Fashion blazer, representatives from Joby.com who won Best Tech Accessory for their micro camera tripod, and from Fiat who won the award for Best Car Design. It was amazing to spend an evening with such innovative and creative people. We were honored to be part of such an elite group.

We each went up onto the stage to receive our award from Nancy Novogrod, the Editor in Chief of Travel + Leisure magazine, and Luke Barr, the News Editor.

The next day we were treated to an amazing Design and Art Tour of Berlin with Travel + Leisure, followed by a traditional German lunch.

We checked in to the Soho House Berlin yesterday, and it is amazingly cool, hip, and  gorgeous! Perfect place to unwind after touring around Germany for the last six days. The Travel + Leisure 2012 Design Awards ceremony is tonight! Got the dress, got the shoes…. Got the excitement. Stay tuned. Photos to follow....

The winner of a recent giveaway we hosted on the style blog Stilettos & Diaper Bags just happened to have her own fabulous blog called Lotus Blossom Design. We loved the way she styled her shoe covers and we just had to share the pictures and the fantastic article she wrote, "Grace Carter to the Rescue!" Thank you to Lotus Blossom Design for showing off your Stylish ShoeCovers, we hope they will keep all your fabulous heels protected from the Chicago rain and slush!

We are so excited to announce that The Stylish ShoeCover has been selected by Travel + Leisure’s 2012 Design Awards as the “Best Travel Accessory”! Look for us in the March issue of Travel + Leisure magazine.

The winners were selected by a distinguished panel of jurors, including fashion designer Derek Lam and architect Billie Tsien. Other honorees include the Fendi & Maserati Luggage Collection, the Fiat 500, and Espa at Istanbul.

The awards ceremony will be held in Berlin, Germany on March 7^th, and we’ll be in attendance! More to come on our European adventure soon…