Wednesday, July 10, 2013

the time i won some free shoes.

a couple weeks ago i checked my email to find out that id won a super awesome giveaway over at the dainty squid. the prize was a free pair of shoes from shoemint, and i was BEYOND stoked. i had literally JUST told james about how i really needed some nicer-than-flip-flops-but-not-exactly-fancy shoes. i mean, i have plenty of really fancy shoes for wearing to fancy dates and weddings, and plenty of comfy but not exactly attractive shoes for wearing to the park and grocery store. what i dont have enough of are the kind of middle-level shoes for wearing to church and regular restaurants. but, you know, were broke and they would have to wait for some kind of miracle (like winning a contest). 

anyways, after i got my prize credit, i was SUPER excited to find out that they had a bunch of the summer shoes on clearance for half price (summer shoes was really what i was interested in anyways, since i live at the beach and its always summer) and i could get TWO new pairs of shoes with my credit! i ended up picking our the ally in silver:

photo via shoemint

and the patricia in metallic:

photo via shoemint

both of which totally fill my current shoe needs, AND since i got a new pair of neutral flats, that meant i can finally throw out the two raggedy pairs that i only keep around for those times that i specifically need neutral flats (not that often, but often enough that i needed to have some around). i waited very, very impatiently for them to arrive, and now that ive worn them a couple times each i thought id share my thoughts on them with you:

ill start with the pros:
1. shipping was free and fast (all i had to pay for was sales tax).
2. both pairs were exactly as described online (though the ballet flats were a lot less shiny than the picture).
3. the boxes are SUPER awesome and totally reusable.
4. both pairs are very comfortable.

BUT there were a few cons:
1. they seem to run a bit small (not a big enough difference for me to return them, but just something to keep in mind).
2. shoemint doesnt seem to send a shipment notification email.
3. shoemint is actually a shoe "subscription" type site with incredibly complicated policies, and if you dont read the fine print you can get stuck with an $80 charge every month.

and lastly,
4. for the price point (retail is $80, and theyre described as being "sold at a discount"), i was really disappointed with the quality. now dont get me wrong, i am SO thankful to win these shoes and both pairs will be getting a TON of wear, its just that i had much higher expectations. in my opinion, the $40 sale price was definitely appropriate (and if you caught an additional discount they would be a steal), but if i had actually shelled out $160 for these shoes, i would have been really bummed. its not that their cheap shoes, its just that theyre definitely not luxury shoes, the soles are thin and flat and the leather of the ballet flat is a bit thinner than id like to see. but obviously since they were free this isnt exactly a relevant complaint, i just couldnt honestly recommend them as a good value at full price. 

anyways, thanks again to kaylah of the dainty squid for the wonderful giveaway! 

and if youre in the market for a new blog to read, the dainty squid is one of my very favorites, check it out:


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