SHOES / SHOE TLC + more

I used to store my white shoes with dust bags or plastic bags to protect them

but now I am using a waterproofer on all my stain-prone items!It works so well!

even if the white parts get stain , i can just wipe them off because they're just on the surface.

Using the paper to treat with waterproofer

after treating with waterproofer and spraying water on the surface,

tiny droplets form hence water isn't absorbed

leather care products / Wittner stores

Young habits die hard, they say and one example of that is my almost-OCD ways... in shoe care. Yes! Since I was young I've learned to value shoe care, thanks to my dad! Being poor and all that, you only get to have 1 leather shoes for the whole year. You have to stretch it ( no pun here lol) from June to March and if you're lucky (or not) you can either wear them again the next school year. I first bought my first suede shoes with my mom in a discount store and i remember smelling them and being all excited til we get home. My dad taught me how to take care of them as they are different with the usual nappa leather. So imagine my excitement when I get the opportunity to try on Wittner's leather shoe care products.

//Waterproofer

 I remember seeing a facebook video back when I was in the Philippines about waterproofing white shirts and jackets and shoes. I am so obsessed with everything white but maintaining its pristine condition is a nightmare. I haven't seen any waterproofers in Manila until I chanced upon them here in Australia. It acts like a sheath to prevent the rubber soles or even fabric parts of the shoes from getting wet and soak. You know, in the shoe world, water and stains are the rats and rodents. They make the shoes look old and dirty. I don't like trashy shoes.

//Leather creme

They're like the BB cream of shoes. It moisturises and restores the leather's color making it look deeper and newer. I literally shrieked when I saw my 3 year old Dr Marten's came to life after using the black leather cream. 

//Instant shine

I'm not always on that " let's clean the shoes" mood. Sometimes, you're too busy or you're running late or just slack to bother cleaning them so this is my quick fix.It eradicates the accumulated dust and in a jiffy the shoes can be in their most polished. I love using this one on my brogues and boots.

//Nubuck shampoo

I used to love Nubuck and suede but not that much anymore. Although I've got 2 shoes in Nubuck and as much I love the matte finish, it has become gray and sad. So after rubbing the shampoo all over, the depth and color were back.

// Stretch spray

OMG! I have never tried using them until now! I wished i have used them back in the day when I've attempted to wear the size 37 (Im a size 39) ladies brogues I bought in a thrift store. I was close to binding my feet like a girl from the Han dynasty but at the end of the day you'll just injure yourself. I think this is a genius product. I have this stiff and hard to break in shoes. It was narrow and tight but when I rubbed some stretch spray on the insides and tried them on with socks. After 2 days, they're now my size. It won't dramatically stretch but it's gonna be a gradual stretching but still , now , you can wear those narrow boots your bestfriend gave you or the discounted Rick Owens boot that was one size smaller.

 It's cool when people have this strong love for shoes but it's not when they just buy and obsess shoes and are unaware on how to take care of them. It's also not cool when they think that shoes ought to stay in their pristine condition without them even trying to do their end (and they think that it's a faulty product too). Shoes are shoes and they're supposed to be handled with TLC. They make your feet pretty and i think it's just fair to make them look pretty too. Sometimes you think that all you've got in your closet are a bunch of outdated and dirty shoes but hey, try cleaning them and no one would know that they're bought way way back in 2011.