tweeking your foot candy!

these are just perfect!

At this point you are completely ecstatic about the pair of shoes you have on your feet. They fit perfectly, they're exactly what you want/need/like and they will definitely come in handy.

You've probably even started to imagine the pieces you have in your closet that you could pair the shoes with perfectly....and the more pieces you think of is the less guilty you feel about spending that cash/swiping that card you didn't plan to use. The more excited you get, the more you move about in the shoes; maybe even strutting back and forth in the store. (yeah admit it, you know that's what you do)

Now unfortunately, when you bought the lovely foot candy, you had no idea what they would feel like after a full day walking around in them.....or even an hour of being out and about. They didn't come with a 'carfax' and you've probably become a bit demotivated about rocking your once perfect shoes that have become a not so sweet treat for whatever reason.

So how do you fix this little dilemma? You really can't take it back and tell the clerk that the shoes weren't as kind to your feet as you hoped.....not like you want to give them back.....I mean they STILL are the perfect fit/colour/style....right??

Well, after having this problem myself ever so often with heels, flats, strappy sandals and sneakers, I've gone through a number of experiments and found a few 'foot candy fixers' that seem to work miracles for me.

Problem: it's rubbing the back of my heel/ I'm getting blisters on the side of my foot!
Solution:

       Band-aids are always an option, but they tend to not be very appealing to the eyes and ever too often they lose the adhesive and fall off at the worst times! This may seem strange but the solution is to somewhat stretch the back of the shoe. I used a glass bottle and set it into the back of the shoe so that it takes the shape of the bottle. This stretches the sides and helps the make the back of the shoe more rounded. Yes it may look weird but it works. And yes you may think this is going to make the shoe bigger than your foot, but it's all about how often you do it and how long you do it for. It does take a while to work though, I got my heels to feel better after 2 'sessions' for about 2.5 hours each, my flats have gotten 2 sessions and are still in need of another go.

Problem: these straps/shoes rub at my toes
Solution:
       Beautifully pedicured toes don't ever deserve to get blisters and bruises. Although straps can be simple, sexy or give that nice summer look; comfort is still a big deal. Once again, band-aids could be at your rescue, but depending on the style of the shoe and how it fits you, the band-aid may be of no much help. There are two ways we can solve this problem.

One solution is to push another shoe into the problem shoe. By pushing another shoe in, it helps to stretch it at bit, but the style of the problem shoe may make it a bit hard to get the worn shoe into it. Don't knock it until you tried it though, because it did work when I pushed my flats into my sneakers. This method may take quite a while to work, unless you really stuff the shoe in. Another method to try is to push an object into the top of the shoe to help stretch the area. You want to be careful about that though, short sessions are best (by short I mean about an hour each). Something that you can 'do and leave' is to stick a band-aid with some cotton into the shoe at the points that rub most (this clearly wont work for a strappy shoe though).

Problem: this zipper at the back of my shoes is nipping at my skin
Solution:
       I'm yet to come across a shoe with a zipper that has a nice little protector flap for you heel....but that doesn't mean you can't make one! With a few pieces of velcro and a bit of fabric you can help to not only hide the zipper for you shoe, but also make a softer backing for your heel. How this works is to stick a bit of velcro to the inner and outer sides by the zipper (the self-adhesive velcro is easier to work with). Get a bit of soft fabric and stick the other side of the velcro at the corners of the fabric.  All in all, the fabric and velcro should be able to make a small flap over the top of the zipper and make a softer backing for your delicate feet.  ][ sadly I can't find the shoe I tried this with, but when I do I'll post the pic ][


Now these are the 'solutions' that I've tried for myself and they work for me. More often than not, you would need to use the method more than once to get the result you want. Be sure to not leave them to stretch for too long, because then you may end up with shoes that are too big and that would be worse that them needing just minor tweeking!

Also make note loves, my feet and the way I walk may be different from you. That means that some of these tips&tricks may work like a charm for me and probably even someone else you know, but seem to not work so well for you. As you can see, I just tried a few random stuff and found what works for me, and trial and error is the perfect way to get the perfect thing for you.

By the way, these tips&tricks can also work for men's shoes....but most men probably notice a pair of shoes aren't comfortable and they just stop wearing them! -_-

Anywho loves, let me know if they work, and let me know what works for you!

Happy walking!