For anyone with podophobia [1] or strong convictions about proper cab etiquette, what I'm going to say may sound especially heinous: I performed a full-blown foot mask [2] in the back of a New York City taxi — I'm talking shoes off, crinkly foil wrap on [3] — and it kinda changed things for me.
Why I felt compelled to do this while stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic is precisely the reason people skimp on self-care rituals [4] all the time: there is simply not enough time in the day to pamper yourself. So when it's your job to test the latest products [5], and the only thing standing between you and a little R&R [6] is another beauty appointment 45 minutes uptown, you do what needs to be done.
Now, back to the mask. My treatment of choice was the brand-new Dr. Jart Dermask Foot Smoothing Mask [7] ($12), which contains two fancy silver booties that strap onto your ankles like other foot peels [8] on the market but also promise to coddle your heels with the kind of moisture that makes you forget you've been squeezing them into those too-tight Doc Martens you got on sale at DSW [9].
I don't know about the rest of you, but getting the feet of a toddler sounds like a dream in my I-walk-everywhere-in-this-damn-city world. But did it work? Let me explain, ahead.
Taking the Foot Mask For A Test Drive
My shoes were off within minutes of me stepping into the taxi, and I couldn't believe how easy these booties were to maneuver on. While the directions state you should leave the foot mask on for 15-20 minutes, I had about a 40-minute drive ahead of me, so I figured I'd let them simmer. I'd been pretty brutal to them over the Summer, after all.
A Note on the Packageing
Let me explain what I appreciate most about this foot mask. It's not how the formula is both hydrating and exfoliating, and warms up in minutes after you slip it on — although that is all true — but rather, it's that the liquid lining the inside of the foil sack doesn't extend up to the ankle area, like other foot masks I've tried, which makes it less messy to apply and far more conducive to use in the back of a moving vehicle. (Although, it's worth noting that this would also make it easier for at-home use, since it's very difficult having to sit like a statue like you have to wearing the other formulas.)
Dr Jart Dermask Foot Smoothing Mask
Because you would have to pay me in approximately nine million Chipotle burritos before I agreed to put my bare feet on the internet (just trust that it's for the best), you'll just have to believe me when I say that my soles after 40 minutes in the Dr Jart Dermask Foot Smoothing Mask [10] ($12) felt softer and more baby-like than they have in years. The only part of the experience I could do without is the side-eye from my cab driver.