When I was much younger I worked in a pharmacy. One day a customer told me off for wearing open-toed shoes with unpainted toenails. "I am disgusted by you," she said, and this is a true story, "wearing sandals and not even bothering."

Anyway, I'm never painting my toenails again because she did such an amazing job I don't want non-professionals like myself to touch my feet in case I ruin them.

Laura took the polish off my nails, filed them and pushed back and trimmed excess cuticle. That wasn't that much fun, but the next bit, when she rubbed a sweet-smelling foot scrub into my paws and wrapped them in hot towels, was great. She buffed the nails and rubbed cuticle oil into them before my feet were put in plastic bags full of warm paraffin wax which were then covered by little white booties.

The wax sets on the skin and acts like an intensive moisturising treatment. As well as this benefit, it feels lovely because it's so warm; in winter it must be bliss.

Once the wax was removed--as promised it comes off whole like little wax booties--Laura massaged my feet with moisturiser and treated me to a French polish pedicure: clear polish with white tips, which gives the impression my toenails are not painted, just flawlessly maintained.

My feet look all pink and plump and smooth and my toenails look brilliant with this faux polish effect. I keep holding my feet up in the air to better admire them. And, on the inside, I'm raising one toe to that mean woman.

* Pedicure with French polish and paraffin treatment at Stephen Marr Hair, Skin and Body clinic in Ponsonby (09 360 0588).

Editors note: Auckland stylist Lucy Vincent-Marr has turned the hairdressing fraternity on its head after becoming the first woman to win the Schwarzkopf Hairdresser of the Year title in its 12 year history. Her partner Stephen Marr won the avant-garde hairdressing award.