Log onto: www.butterflytwists.com and enter code cleverlittlesoles at checkout to get a free pair with every purchase.
(You can purchase any colour but the free pair excludes colours: deep purple, red and gold).
Shoe of the week!
These dreamy Pleaser Romance Mules, £49.99 are perfect or Valentines Day, taking a nod to the ultra girly and glamorous era of the 1950s (one of my most adored decades for style).
Romantic, tactile and feminine, they're sure to seduce your man. Paint your toe nails a hot pink neon shade for a modern look and insert your Love Your Shoes gel pads for maximum comfort whilst you saunter before him. Ooh la la.
Available from www.vivaladiva.com
How to turn a wobble into a wiggle
Six-inch stilettos are the ultimate seduction weapon but walking demurely in them is a whole new feat! My classes tell you how to walk in high heels with sex appeal including a few trade secrets in making them as comfortable as possible so it's less about the pain and all about the pleasure...
Since Carrie Bradshaw pranced around in her Manolos with Big and Victoria Beckham decided high heels should be worn at every occasion (even a theme park!), stilettos have become the ultimate fashion statement.
But they’re also a legendary weapon of mass seduction. One of the most celebrated sex symbols of all time, Marilyn Monroe once said, “I don’t know who invented the high heel, but all women owe him a lot.” They’re sexy, provocative and they make the wearer appear taller and slimmer thanks to the added height they give.
Wearing stilettos encourages you to adopt a more sensual pose by pushing you forward, causing your back to arch and pushing your bust up and out. Consequently curves become more pronounced and their intrinsic power is realised!
With this power comes confidence so they’re the perfect choice for when ‘entertaining’ your other half. However, you need to learn to walk in them and care for your feet since wobbling, limping or falling over mid striptease does not a sexy gal make.
So how do you turn that wobble into a wiggle?
Read the news page for more info.
National Search for Stylish Women in Heels The Love Your Shoes national search for stylish women in heels is on (see onwards for entry details).
‘I am instantly drawn to any shop, magazine or website that features those all-important killer heels. I can't help myself.
My heart will start to race, my breath will quicken and I will convince myself that it would be wrong not to try them on. After all that does no harm to the bank balance does it?
So I'll try them for size. My height will whizz up, my confidence and inner sex appeal will go through the roof and my bank balance will automatically plummet.
But it is all in a good cause, as I have never once regretted that "I couldn't help myself" purchase.
It doesn't even matter that I stand at a good two inches taller than my boyfriend with heels (well it matters to him). I know a night out just wouldn't be the same in flats’.
Rachael could win a £100 shoe voucher to spend at House of Fraser. Good luck you sassy style queen!
With almost 40 percent of women buying ill-fitting shoes, Bethanie Lunn investigates the damage potential and the extreme steps women are taking to fit into their heels.
In a recent survey by the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCP), 37 percent of women confessed to wearing uncomfortable shoes, while research by specialist trainermakers MBT shows a further 40 percent of women have had accidents in high heels. With these injuries costing the UK an estimated £29million a year to treat, and some women spending their own cash on surgery to make their feet fit their shoes better, I found out more…
THE PAINFUL TRUTH
A staggering 80 percent of British women suffer from foot problems, yet only two in fi ve seek medical advice – the results affecting our day-to-day activities. “Two million working days are lost every year through foot-related problems, the majority caused by wearing poor footwear,” says the SCP’s Lorraine Jones. “It’s important to wear shoes in the correct size and that are appropriate for the activity you need them for. Most foot complaints are treatable, but if problems aren’t detected early on, or treated properly, some can become very serious, leaving wearers in pain and having diffi culty walking.”
Our desire to wear fashionable shoes is driving the market to produce designs with even more damage potential – earlier this year, market research by Debenhams spurred them to launch the Miss Goldie Mega Platforms, which, costing £65 and featuring six-inch-high heels, are estimated to be the highest shoe available for the lowest price on the high street. Shoes that squeeze the front part of the foot into a ‘cul-de-sac’ are the most damaging, according to podiatric surgeon Emma Supple from the SCP. “Prolonged wearing of heels and shoes with a pointed toe will deform feet, as they adapt to the structure of the shoe. With 28 bones, the foot can be squeezed into all sorts of shoe shapes but, as feet are an adaptable structure, they then form corns, calluses, bunions, thinned skin and even toe-joint stiffness, which can lead to arthritis,” she explains.
Some women have parts of their toes removed and their bones filed down to fit their shoes
DRASTIC MEASURES
In the US, some women are undergoing cosmetic foot surgery – including having parts of their toes removed and their bones fi led down – to fi t into their shoes better. Apparently, some patients at New York City Footcare clinic even bring in photos of their favourite painful shoes and request to have their feet moulded to size. The 20-minute surgery costs around $1,250 (approx £760) per toe. “For full recovery, after swelling, patients will be back in their shoes in four to six weeks,” says NYC Footcare’s Dr Oliver Zong. “The absolute worst thing that can happen to a patient is a bad complication and they lose a toe, though this is extremely rare.” British women are now hot on the heels of their American counterparts, with experts reporting an increase in the number of foot surgery procedures, including “plumping” the ball of the foot with a dermal fi ller to give it more cushioning and slimming down the ankle using liposuction. “Some patients come in with short toes that they want lengthened, or they want to have their toe cascades [the alignment of the toes] improved, so that when they wear strappy sandals their toes don’t look out of place,” says Nigel Mercer, President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. According to MBT, one in three foot surgeries on women are to correct disfi gured toes caused by ill-fi tting shoes, and the procedures aren’t cheap. Toe straightening – the most common foot surgery – can cost £1,200 while bunion removal can cost a whopping £4,000.
The moral of the story? Be sensible, look after your feet and they'll look after you.
Read onwards for some tips...
I am now the official face (and feet!) of Love Your Shoes!
I make a perfect fit for Love Your Shoes (s'cuse the pun), since I have a particular penchant for high heels but refuse to damage my health and keep certain styles banished to the wardrobe because they hurt too much.
So imagine my delight when I became the feet of Love Your Shoes and a box of these discreet foot saviours were delivered to my door!..
Ah, bliss. My Louboutins have never felt so good.
About Love Your Shoes, the foot saviours
“Love your Shoes” gel cushions are specially designed to give you long lasting relief on your feet, so you can wear your beloved sky-scrapers for longer - very pleasing news to us all.
A recent survey conducted by the makers showed that most of you have tried gel cushions but over half of you have not been entirely satisfied and your complaints ranged from:-
*Gels being too bulky in the shoe and therefore squashing the toes.
*Gels moving around and creasing whilst in the shoe making them more painful and uncomfortable to wear.
The same survey also showed you wanted a washable, reusable anti-slip gel to use in all your shoes and so the shoe braniacs at Thornton & Ross have listened to you and believe that with the “Love your Shoes” range of gels, you will be able to wear your high heel boots, shoes and sandals pain free for longer.
These magical, well cushioned slim line gels are adhesive, washable and reusable. Plus they come in a handy protective case, so you can store them easily and hygienically whilst on the move.
There are four types of gels in the Love your shoes range:-
Ball of Foot Gel Cushions –provide blissful relief from burning ball of foot pain
Invisible Gel Heel Cushions – provide soothing relief of heel pain
Invisible Gel Heel Guards – provide relief from sore heel rubbing and stop shoes from slipping
Invisible Gel Spots – provide extra relief for any sensitive spots on your tootsies.
The Love your Shoes range start from £3.99 and are available from Superdrug and leading pharmacies.
Hot Shoe Trend!
Celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna have been spotted sporting the new thigh high boots trend.
I love this trend since it blends a sassy mix of fetish and femininity but to avoid the Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman appeal, you need to pick your outift with care.
A mini dress is the perfect way to show off your boots but ensure there is no plummeting neckline to avoid overkill. Choose a mini sweater dress for the day and team with opaque tights. These boots also look great worn with city shorts, coloured tights and an oversized sequin smock top with a boyfriend blazer. Get you.
Tightsplease has a fantastic selection of patterned and coloured tights. It is the way to show off your pins this season. I match the cerise tights to my lippy for a bit of fun.
Best of all, the generous bods at Tightsplease are offering you all 10% off Love Your Shoes products and any other purchases.
Look out for my November newsletter to redeem and if you don't recieve it. Sign up here now!
Calling all shoe lovers!
I am looking for photos of you or your friends in your favourite heels. Simply send me your images and a paragraph telling me why you love heels so much and you could win a £100 shoe voucher to spend at House of Fraser!
Five runners up receive a foot care kits from Love Your Shoes and the best images will be published here.
To enter, email your images and words to guidetofabulousness@googlemail.com
Good luck!
