Rocky start (or: Why Ralph and I are not currently friends)

Last week, I went to Bellingham with my mum, as per usual.

We stopped at Value Village, as per usual.

I made a bee-line for the shoes, as per usual.

I discovered a pair of beautiful velvet smoking slippers with gold crests, as per not-so-usual.

They had leather soles. I was intrigued.

Turning them over, I discovered that they are Ralph Lauren. And they were 5$.

Needless to say, they're mine now. And, today was the first day that I decided to wear them. So, upon arriving at work (back to the usual now), I swapped my rainboots (yes, the sunshine is gone, alas!) for my fabulous, pratically-new Ralph Lauren smoking slippers. Two minutes in, I started to limp.

I've lamented the trouble with flats before, but I thought these might be different, because they're, well, Ralph Lauren. No dice. The backs are driving me crazy, and I'm worried I'll be coated in blisters by quitting time.

But, not one to give up easily, I'm trying to stretch them out a little. I have no ice on hand, so I've doing this:

Ridiculous, I know, but I have jammed a stack of post-its in either shoe (yes, I only order bright coloured post-its. Who says you can't have pretty notes?) in a desperate attempt to save my heels.

And it looks insane, but it seems to be working... Fingers crossed. Note to self: Always buy 5$ designer shoes from Value Village, but be ready for a world of pain if they're flat.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

More tips and tricks!

I've stumbled upon another awesome trick for stretching out your shoes:

I found this little gem on coffee, light & sweet, though it's been originally credited to The Observer, and the original post can be found here. I've also linked the photo to coffee, light & sweet's post (got to give credit where credit is due, after all), but here's what you do:

Put on a pair (or two) of thick socks and squeeze your feet into the offending footwear. Then, blast the tight spots a few times with the hairdryer, while flexing and relaxing your feet. Keep the shoes on until they're good and cool, and then remove your socks and put the shoes back on. They should be must more wearable! 

If it doesn't work the first time, simply repeat until they're properly stretched. 

Easy, no?

If you try it, let me know how it works for you!

Stretch your shoes with ice!

MichellePhan, you are a genius!

Check out her video on how to stretch your shoes with ice. So clever!

Personally, I've never used this method, have you? Let me know how it worked for you!

Michelle Phan also has lots of beautiful makeup tutorials, and some really cool costume makeup tutorials, make sure to check out her other videos!