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.

1. I loved the color – well, the green. The brown is a coppery brown and I wasn’t sure how to wear that color with the green considering it’s a limey light green shade. So, I used the brown as a liner.

2. The consistency is a creamy stick. Kind of like a lip balm.  The green, which I wore on my lid, creased.  I don’t even think it was noon – so about 3 hours into my day – and the product had slid up my eye lid and bunched up into the crease of my lid. This was a first for me.

3. The brown which I used as a liner thanks to it’s sharper shaped end, stayed in place pretty well.

4. Covergirl often has a smell to it that I don’t like. This doesn’t seem to have that smell. That’s good.

5. The packaging is pretty cool. One color stick on each end with a clear cap so you don’t have to guess at what you get.

6. Pricing is reasonable I suppose. I’m not familiar with this type of eyeshadow so I’m probably not a great judge of price.

Overall, it’s not bad, but there were two major drawbacks for me.

1. I wasn’t sure how to use the two colors together to get a smoky look. I’m not a newby to makeup either.

2. If the product won’t stay in place, it does me no good.

 I also got some nice couponsfrom Covergirl and I used one to purchase the new lashblast lengthfrom Covergirl.

There isn’t much to share here, but here are the points I found to be true.

1. It has that Covergirl smell that I dislike and that smell sometimes gives me a headache.

2. Brown (6m) is a good color for me. I have medium brown auburn hair.

3. It didn’t really appear to add any length, but I already have fairly long lashes.

4. It wasn’t clumpy and seemed to stay put for the day.

Spring has definitely sprung and that means time to SPRING into treating yourself to something new. Ready?

OK we know you’re busy, so here’s the deal! Our friends at Sears have a bunch of offers for some big savings that will reward you, the family and your home this Sunday 6-9pm in store and all day on Sears.com.

All you have to do is visit http://www.sears.com/familyandfriends to see the full details.

In the meantime here are just a FEW of the ways you can save this Sunday:

    •  Extra 20% off on Misses’, Women’s, Men’ and Kid’s Apparel. Did someone
       say new summery outfit for the workweek? Or jeans for the kids!
    •  Extra 15% off on Rewards for Shoes. Sometimes the shoes DO make the
       woman! Or the husband.
    •  Extra 10% off plus 6% back in Rewards for Appliance, Electronics,
       Housewares, and Outdoor Living to name a few. Maybe this Sunday you can
       get that patio set you’ve been dreaming about since last summer!
    •  Extra 5% off on Lawn & Garden. Best time to get everything you need to get
       the yard ready for Summer!

But these are just a few of the different ways you’ll save at Sears this Sunday. You’ll have to head to the store to see all the other savings. And before we let you go, don’t forget to tell your neighbors and friends by posting on your Facebook wall.

So the question is what will you get?

Charms n Thingsis having a sale on their Italian charms. I have a couple bracelets and bought one for my daughter’s birthday this last Feb.

My next purchase will be one of the watches at Charmsnthings.com because I find that after several years of not wearing one, I have a need to know what time it is again. Plus, I can add my existing charms to the band, and buy more charms to fill it in if I want to.

Complete customization, over time, or right now! Ask Deb for specialty charms too. She’s happy to support our troops and help you get a custom charm to fit your gift giving needs.

Today’s tip comes from Tami at Essensu holistic skincare

I volunteered to pass the word around because Teri was a member of my inagural test group for coaching and helped me realize my dreams. So, I’m returning the favor.

20% off everything and free shipping, domestic and international, in The Beaded Branch on ArtFire.

Today, I’m just going to share a couple places I think you should visit. Not that I want to tell you what to do, but really,  you should visit these places. Really. Convinced yet?

You can win a full charm bracelet and 4 charms of your choice – a nearly $30 value! Debbi is a great lady and she sells great stuff. Sassy Give a Way! Charms n Things italian charms

The second place I think you need to see is RedHeadRanting.com. Jenn is crazy! But she’s nice. Just like most of us redheads, she’s a little radical and very opinionated, but that alone makes for great reading. She’s also down to earth and a single mom of 2, with 1 dog. Maybe I like her because she sounds so much like me? nah…….National Cupcake Day and Websites to Avoid

Spray your pantyhose with hair spray or rub a small amount of lotion onto your pantyhose.

Today’s tip brought to you by Jenn Flory of Thirty One Gifts!

When your favorite lipstick runs out, you can make it last by turning it into lip gloss! 

 Scrape out the “corners” of the tube with a tooth pick. You need about a ¼ teaspoon or the amount of 3 small chocolate chips. If have more than that it is fine.

You will need :
1 1/2 tsp grated cocoa butter
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/8 tsp vitamin E oil
1/4 tsp of lipstick

In a microwave heat the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E oil in a microwave safe container at 15 second intervals until throuhly melted.
Stir in the color chips and keep stirring until melted and well blended.
Pour into small container and allow cooling before using.

Now you can have your favorite color a little longer. This is especially nice if the color has been discontinued.

 Todays tip is brought to you by Marie Davies at FaeryCharming

They wanted me to write about them, but I’m not sure what a little blogger like me can do for them from all the way over here. But, since I used to work in a salon, at least I understand what Hair extensions are, right? Right!

This post is sponsored by Hair extensions but the stated opinions are my own.