Q I paint my toenails regularly and I noticed they've turned yellowish when I remove the colour. What is the cheapest and most effective way of getting rid of the stains?

A A pretty pedicure shouldn't leave you with jaundiced nails.

The problem comes from you having very porous nail beds or using nail lacquers that are heavily loaded with pigments - common in darker and bolder shades. So paint on a base coat before applying nail polish.

Nail beds can also be stained if you leave on the polish for too long, says Juat Li, director of Fave Nails. She says you should keep it on for two weeks at the most before removing it.

She has this tip for getting rid of stains:

Dissolve a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate - it helps to whiten nails - into a bowl of water. Let it fizz, then soak toes in it for five minutes.

Next, give the nails a gentle buff with a nail buffer (pick one up from Guardian Pharmacy, Watsons or any beauty store). Then finish by massaging a drop of cuticle oil into the nail bed and surrounding skin.