I’ve seen the presentations on the shopping channel and I’ve seen the infomercial. It makes me curious. Did they do some editing to make the models hair look great, or does the product really work that well? I used tobe in the hair industry and I wish it would have hit the market before I left so I’d have insider information about how well it works.

The products are some kind of hair care system – an alternative type of cleanser and conditioner along with a comb and styling type product.

My future sister in law, Angela, tried the products from a local beauty supply store that are a knock off of the WEN brand. She wasn’t impressed and said it left her hair looking like it does when you haven’t washed it for a few days. Greasy and heavy and somewhat limp. I don’t know how long she gave it or if she used it right. It could be that the nock off just doesn’t work as well either.

I’d love to hear if anyone has any experience with the real products though.

This is a sponsored post, but the story is true and my curiosity is authentic.

But, my potential weakness comes in the form of a shoe that says it can help work the legs and but even harder than the same excersize performed using typical shoes. Is it true? Well, I’m testing it out and I’ll let you know when I’ve tried them over a period of time.

Before that happens though, I thought I’d share how hard it is for someone with short toes to get a good fit out of this shoe!

I started by trying on the Payless brand version which was much too long in the toe area. In order to get my arch and heel in the right place of the foot bed, the toe post was about half way up my toe, instead of being in the pit of my toes. Uncomfortable!

I then went to try on Sketchers brand at a department store to see how they felt. The size 6 felt better on my toes, but still worried me.  These cost nearly $50 and that is simply out of the question right now for something that may not fit well. So, I looked on ebay and amazon. While they both had sketchers brand, what I found in my size and the particular color I want, was nearly retail price. I only shop ebay to find rare items or true bargain prices. But, I found a knock off and decided to try it.

Here’s what I got. LA Gear Trim Step The seller was awesome. I had them in 2 days. However, when I wore them last night for a short walk and at a slower pace than normal thanks to my ancient basset hound, they left me with blisters on the insides of my toes! The part of the shoe that goes over the top of my foot (the top of where my arch is) was very tight and rubbed almost to the point of blistering also.

Today I went to Target to get something completely unrelated. Guess what? They have a version called TrimStep. It looks exactly like the LA Gear version. Here’s the difference. They had a size 5 and it is the right fit.

So, four pair of shoes later and about $30 used, I have a size that is 1.5 – 2 sizes smaller than I ever wear!

Tonight I took the new pair for a walk. I walked fast on gravel and pavement and they felt good. In fact, I felt propelled forward and while these are not a soft cushy type of rubber, they felt bouncy while I walked. I felt something in my calves. Something like being worked out! My left calf was kind of yelling at me at one point so maybe they really do work?

 I plan on wearing them to work at a 9 hour a day job tomorrow to see if they also help my back which is another proposed benefit of this style of shoe.

We’ll see, and I’ll let you know.

Today’s tip comes from Tami at Essensu holistic skincare

Today’s tip is supplied by Dana of Gourmet Delight Candles

Alex says: you place the bell of the snuffer over the flame of the candle and it blocks out all the air to the flame – snuffing it. I think this method also helps cut down on the smoke from an extinguished flame, but don’t quote me on that.

Today’s tip supplied by Morika at Under The New Moon

Today’s tip is sponsored by

Today’s tip is sponsored by

Today’s tip is sponsored by

Today’s tip is sponsored by