QUESTION: I bought a pair of those slip-on type shoes without backs. They have a medium heel and look real stylish – but they just won’t stay on my feet. Are there any tricks to keeping these shoes on?
ANSWER: The shoes you’re referring to are what used to be called “mules” but now are more commonly known as “slides.” (An apt name, considering their tendency to slide off the feet.)
The old-fashioned mules, usually decorated with fluff or feathers, were most often seen on the feet of leading ladies as they lounged about their boudoirs in 1940s’ movies.
When you’re lounging, it’s easy to keep mules on your feet – or dangling seductively from your big toe, a la Jean Harlow. But when you’re out and about, it’s a challenge. But it can be done. Here’s how:
– Select a style with a fairly low heel and sides that wrap around the foot almost to the heel. These are a lot easier to keep on than high-heeled slides that cover little more than the toes.
– Better yet, look for a style that has a high, elasticized vamp (the part covering the top of the foot).
– If possible, wear slides over bare feet, which have more “grab” than slithery stockinged feet.
– If you must wear stockings, use a trick employed by runway models. Take a strip of masking tape and double it over, sticky side out. Press the tape to the sole of the slide, toward the front, so that the ball of your foot adheres to the sticky upper side of the tape.
Such is the price of looking fashionable.
Match do to hair type
Q: My pet peeve is with hairstyles that looks great when I leave the salon but awful the first time I try to do them myself. How can I do a better job of styling my own hair?
A: First, talk to your hairstylist. Explain that you have a hard time doing your own hair. Ask whether you need a more manageable style or whether a styling lesson or different products are the answer.
The key is to choose a style that works with your hair texture. For example, if your hair is fine, lots of short layers won’t really work. Longer layers or a blunt cut usually will. And if your hair is curly, forget about a sleek style. It will be a never-ending headache trying to keep your hair smooth.
Find out what products work best on your hair type and why. Ask your stylist to show you how to use the styling tools essential for your looks.
And don’t expect a style to last much longer than six weeks without a trim.
Glasses and makeup
Q: My glasses always smudge my makeup where they rest on my cheeks. What kind of makeup can I get that won’t smudge?
A: The problem is with your glasses, not your makeup. Glasses should rest on the nose, not the face.
Check with your optician. Probably all that is needed is a simple adjustment of the stems.
