Ok Lovelies, this is no secret… I LOVE MY FEET!
And really, we all should! They take us EVERYWHERE and they can carry a pretty heavy load.
This summer I am off on a new kind of Foot Lovers journey. I’m not talking about the greatest nail polish color or my very favorite DIY homemade foot scrub… although I do adore a good shade of purple… ahhh, and that Sugar Scrub –heaven!
Nope, this is a whole new kind of Chatter about my favorite body part, or shall I say PARTS since most of us have two!?!
After months of the truly grueling task of Seeking Employment, l GOT A JOB!!! (I’m singing that part… just cause it feels SO good!) And as with every new employee on the first day of work, I had NOT A CLUE as to what I would be doing. I was told our workplace is a “casual” setting, and when I arrived to see my boss and another co-worker in Flip Flops…. (The little ME inside my head silently shouted YESS! and did a “Fist pump”). Hers were bright pink, technically Fuchsia, and looked… bouncy? OOFOS Sandals!!!
I HAD TO HAVE THOSE FLOPPERS!
And so, this day started my new and exciting journey of reviewing orthotic sandals. Sound sexy? Say it with me… Orthotic sandals… First, they MUST be CUTE! If it is not cute, 90% of us don’t want it! They have to be comfortable and my initial feeling when hearing the term Orthotic Sandal, wasn’t so comfy… The shoes I put on my feet in the morning need to be the shoes I wear all day. I don’t know a single mother who wants to be carting multiple pair of shoes around in her car, along with the old Happy Meal boxes and wet towels from the pool. Finally, I need them to be resilient. Nothing worse than your flip flops falling apart just before you leave for the beach!
Seeing as how I am a “Newbie” to Orthotic footwear, I needed to spend a little time figuring out how to structure my reviews. My goal is to pass along the best overall foot care product information, in turn making you and your feet happier! I decided to follow the “Star” rating… with a little bit of a twist.
The general idea will be to give the sandal, shoe or insole an “Overall Rating”, and then note Price Points, Sizing comments, level of comfort and finish with anything related to availability (Example: Seasonal colors/styles)
I have also chosen to give you some of my personal information…. COMPLETELY going against EVERYTHING my grandmother ever told me about being a “Lady” … I know how frustrated I have been (a few DOZEN times…) to order something Online, get it a few days later, tearing the package open like a kid at Christmas, and then to have all excitement come to a screeching halt because it’s too big, too short, or just plain not what I wanted! Taking my experiences into consideration, our own body types/activity levels/personal preferences DO play a big part in our purchasing decisions.
About me:
Age group: 34-45 (go ahead and laugh… but I couldn’t defy Gram altogether)
Body type: Petite
Shoe size – 5 ½
General Activities/level of activity:
Activity Level? OH BOY! I am a mom of 2 boys, ages 12 and 6… (Need I say more?) LOL! We are usually running from home to school, stopping somewhere in between, then work, school, football, soccer, bike rides… and the list goes on.. and on…
OOFOS (said oo-FOSE)
Overall RATING: ✰✰✰✰✰
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I bought the OOFOS Thong (flip flop style) in Black. I opted for black, considering the likelihood of my oldest needing to borrow them. My Initial reaction?
Unfortunately, no one was Camera Ready for the “WIDE EYED” “HOLY (Stinkin’) COW!!!!” “Where have you been all my life???” look I had on my face. I swayed side to side and rocked back and forth letting my feet process this new sensation.
Bouncy was sort of an accurate description! Like moon shoes maybe? I wore these every day for a full two weeks to be certain my review would be “shopper” worthy. As far as durability goes… they certainly surprised me! No problems wearing them in the yard, or rain, they cleaned up great!!! The price was more than I would have paid in the past for sandals but this is one of those things that I feel to be worth every penny… and I HAVE to add that I will never be able to return to $5 flip flops! I now have new standards for my shoes. As far as sizing goes, as recommended I went up to a Women’s Size 6, as the OOFOS tend to run a bit tight -so if your a 1/2 size (like me at 5 1/2) you definitely want to order the next full size up!
It seem like every day I noticing new things. First, it was my 7 block walk… technically 14 (7 there and 7 back). And my knee wasn’t hurting? Why? The right knee ALWAYS bothers me after walking in flip flops… I began taking mental notes about how my body overall seemed to be responding. My lower back wasn’t bothering me at night… and then there was the absence of the annoying tingling in my toes??? All of the sudden I realized, I was standing straighter… this was incredible! I’ve been living with these annoyances that became a part of my daily routine, and now they are BETTER! Is it the Orthodic?? Or the OOFOS bringing my body parts into perfect harmony??? The OOFOS definitely provide a soft cushiony orthotic quality that I LOVE…..
-Liz