High heels. Love them or loathe them, there comes a time when you have to wear them. During Christmas party season is usually one of those times. Sure flats are great, but every woman knows the illusion of long and toned legs that only high heels can offer. So I want to discuss some tried and true tricks that can help you keep from limping home while your heels slowly fill with blood from the million blisters your night out has won you.

I personally love heels. I could run in heels. If they are the right heels. By this I mean that they aren’t made by the devil. I’m sure that you all know what I’m talking about. Sorry Beauty and the Beast but THIS is the real tale as old as time. You see a beautiful pair of shoes in a store and decide that you’re going to splurge on yourself (let’s face it, even cheap shoes aren’t actually that cheap). You get dressed, do your hair and makeup and start feeling really good about yourself. You slide your feet into your brand new beautiful heels only to realize on the two foot walk from your porch to your vehicle that there is no way you are lasting all night in these torture devices. They are uncomfortable. The arch is bad. You’ve rolled each ankle twice and can feel them starting to swell already. Moral of the story is……try those bastards on and make a couple of laps around the store in them. If you can’t make it once around a tiny store, then put them back. They don’t look that good enough to sacrifice your ankles honey, trust me.

Living in Canada I have come to realize that not only do I have to be able to walk around the store in my heels, I have to test them on some sort of obstacle course before I can deem them “wear worthy”. If you can’t maneuver well in them to begin with then god bless you when you hit the layer of ice that’s awaiting your arrival outside. Oh and Canadian Murpheys Law directly states “when your hair and makeup is done, a blizzard will hit exactly three minutes before you have to leave the house”. A hard gust of wind will trip up some teetering heels in an instant and that foot of snow will hide any ice traps waiting to make you go ass over teakettle in that wonderful dress you’re wearing. So what I have to tell you is….score the bottoms of your shoes. Take a knife and make lines going one way then make lines going the opposite way. Just enough to rough them up a bit so that they have some extra grip. Sandpaper will do the job for you too. If your shoes are suuuuper expensive then take them to a cobbler. They can put a rubber sole on the bottom for you.

Another great side effect that can happen from your high heels are blisters. Your toes won’t be safe, the backs of your heels won’t be safe. You can end up rubbing the skin clean off of them. This hurts like hell and will prevent you from wearing even normal shoes in the future without wincing. Don’t be a hero. Try them on and if you feel as though they can wander into blister territory within three to four hours, invest in something to protect your feet. Some people like to do a couple of coats of liquid bandaid on areas that rub. Other people swear by plain old band aids or by spraying a layer of deodorant over them. Anything that can stay hidden while providing a protective layer between your foot and your shoe.

If sore feet and legs are your problem, then there are a couple of things you can do as well. For one, the reason why high heels make your legs look so good is because they make your muscles flex and stand out, resulting in longer and thinner looking stems. Give your calves a good stretch before you leave for the evening. Sore arches can be eased with gel inserts. That little extra bit of cushioning can add an extra couple of hours onto your night. If your feet begin to get sore in general then, well, sit your ass down. If there is a place for you to hunker down for a bit and relax, then bust it over there and have a time out. If you aren’t used to being in heels for a full night, then your feet are going to get tired and achy no matter what measures you’ve taken to prevent it.

Sometimes it’s fun to icorporate a really beautiful shoe into your outfit that you know other women are going to admire. Let’s face it gals, we wear heels for other women and for ourselves because men rarely notice how kick ass our shoes are. At the end of the day though, it’s all about the fit. If they are a bit too snug when you buy them, then by the time you have finished wearing them for a full night your feet are going to look like little loaves of bread pouring over them. If they are a tad too big, then your feet are going to slide. Even a little bit of sliding will make it harder to walk and will just promote more blisters. Make sure they fit like how they are supposed to. The only other sure fire way to conquer a night out in sky high sticks is to practice, practice, practice. Practice on slippery surfaces, on stairs, and on anything else that’s tricky. Trust me, it’s way less embarrassing falling in the privacy of your own home than in a room full of people. I’ve learned that one the hard way. If you’ve done all of these things and still can’t quite get the hang of it then I have one word for you…..wine. You won’t be able to control your feet after a bottle of wine anyway so your high heels will be the least of your problems. Plus when you fall, it won’t hurt nearly as much.

xo Stephanie