*This is not a sponsored post. My own personal opinions.
Note: you can only buy Tieks online.
Limited edition Pop Pink!
My Tieks ballet flat obsession began back in April 2015, when I purchased my first pair of Metallic Pewter Tieks. Fast forward two years and my obsession is still going strong. I recently purchased my 5th pair!
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My patent red Tieks from eBay had a few scratches on the side, so I dabbed a little red tinted Tarrago leather cream into the spot to camouflage & nourish the leather. Luckily the scuff was small enough that it isn't noticeable. I usually clean the outside of the patent leather Tieks with some gentle soap and water to keep them shiny. All of the insoles can be cleaned and moisturized with Lexol or Tarrago shoe cream.
Angelus also makes paint specifically for leather shoes. Angelus, Lexol, & Tarrago can all be purchased directly from their websites, or on Amazon. Angelus also makes a patent leather seal and a regular leather satin seal. The pewter Angelus paint is almost an exact match for the Metallic Pewter Tieks. I touched up mine about a year ago (I did not use a seal coat, just the paint). I used a craft sponge and dabbed a thin coat over the entire shoe to cover scuffs and brighten. It's still holding up a year later, no peeling.
In March 2016, I purchased my Lilac pair of Tieks. The first day I wore them outside, I had a freak accident and slipped on something slippery like oil on the train platform at 30th Street, (wasn't the Tieks fault, they do have non-skids soles!) I scuffed the heck out of my brand new, very expensive shoes! I was pretty pissed and upset. I didn't even think about contacting their customer service, because I didn't think I could exchange. I posted about being sad on Instagram... and someone from the Tieks Team actually reached out to me and told me to contact them by email and they would replace my damaged pair. Talk about amazing customer service!
When Tieks are new, sometimes they may feel a little snug and the dye on the brighter ones may rub off on your toes, (this happened to me with the Tieks Blue), but once they are broken in, they feel like slippers. Also, I've never had a brand new pair ever give me blisters on the back of my heels, which is a common and frustrating occurrence for me whenever I wear new shoes.
In warm weather the leather insoles can sometimes make an annoying squeaking noise. There are a lot of thinner insoles made especially for ballet flats, that may solve this. I usually use a bit of baby powder on the bottoms of my feet to stop that, (or you could use a dab of cornstarch). Some people may also not like how their big toe leaves an outline when wearing their Tieks- there's an article on this blog of how to use moleskin to reduce that.
Tieks are also prone to scuffing (all over) but mostly on the backs of the heels. See above in this post for how to use Angelus leather paint or Tarrago tinted cream to fix this. In my experience, the patent leather barely scuffs though!
