​Champions choose Aida. That's the catchy slogan that started popping up all over my Facebook news feed in the past year. I began hearing about Aida shoes from the Pros in my studio and I noticed the Aida booth at more and more competitions. What was so amazing about these shoes that I suddenly couldn't turn a corner in the dance world without bumping into Aidas? Well, I decided to invest in a few pairs and find out for myself. For the past three months, I've worn my Aida shoes for almost every practice and at three comps, and I'm happy to say they were worth every penny!

What other brands have you worn?
Before jumping into my experience with Aida shoes, let me provide some quick context for what I am comparing them to. For the past few years, I've worn Supadance shoes for both smooth and rhythm, and Ray Rose practice shoes. Before that, while I was still deciding how much of a financial commitment I wanted to make with my dance shoes, I wore some Arthur Murray brand shoes and Stephanie dance shoes.

The Pros

• Custom fit - I have weird feet. They're short in length, wide in the front, and narrow in the heel. And while that combination of peculiarities may be unique to me, I know many others who have odd quirks to their feet. Whether they're super narrow, two different sizes, or ridiculously high in the arches, everyone has different feet, so it would make sense for everyone to have different shoes. Now I've ordered "custom" shoes before. In fact, I thought I had a pretty good fit with my last pair of Supadance shoes. I went on the Supadance website, chose my size, width, heel height and heel shape, then signed off on the extra charge and zero return policy since my requirements were special order. It wasn't until I had an Aida rep measure my feet, have me try on 10 different pairs of shoes (no exaggeration), and walk me around in them did I realize what I had been missing out on. I discovered my feet were actually a full cm shorter in length than I had been ordering, and I needed a triple wide for the front of my foot to be comfortable in rhythm (a width that I actually haven't seen offered by other companies).

• Custom fit continued ​- ​Having shoes that feel like they are molded to my feet has made such a difference in my dancing and my level of comfort. I'm far less wobbly now that my foot is actually against the back of the shoe, and I can actually spread my toes out when I take a step to have more balance. The number of features they can customize on the shoe is incredible and the best part about going to their booth was they had tons of the features available for me to figure out what combination worked best. In the past, I've gone to vendors at comps and asked if I could try on shoes in a wide to know if I needed wide or double wide. Often I was met with the response that they didn't have any with them, so I was once again left guessing. At Aida, they had both wide and double wide for me to try on. And when the double wide was too small and they recommended the triple wide, they guaranteed me that they would fit or they would exchange them for free since I couldn't try them on. That guarantee was so comforting having had past experiences where I've bought shoes that ended up not fitting and being unable to return. Plus, it turns out they were right, so I didn't need to take them up on it :)
• Stability - These shoes feel solid! If you read the company's website or ask their reps, they'll explain to you the science behind the heel placement and how they balance the shoes, but the short story is these shoes helped me feel more connected to the ground and like my weight was finally in the right place on my foot. I've noticed my balance has improved (though these shoes won't magically fix all your balance issues if you're not doing all the proper dance-y things :)) and I'm more stable when I take a step.
• Cushioning - Now, I did something I would never recommend, and I am still a little shocked I did. I wore my smooth shoes from Aida at the Superstars comp without breaking them in first. I bought them, put them on my feet, and hit the floor. Before you call me crazy, I promise I had a reason. I was dealing with a foot injury, and the pressure from pressing into the floor made the pain worse. My Aida shoes had much more padding than the shoes I had been wearing, so I decided to try them out. I figured it couldn't be any worse, so I put some KT tape around my heel and the front of my shoe (where I would typically get blisters), then went out for my first smooth heats. The difference these shoes made was incredible! My pain was minimized and it felt like I was stepping on little cushions. I was able to get through the competition successfully before I took a break to let my foot heal. While I would have stubbornly danced through the pain (note: I don't condone this, I'm just apparently a masochist) even in my old shoes, the Aida shoes made the experience much better. Once I was able to get back to dancing, I noticed the padding on the shoes didn't flatten out, and even after a couple of months in them, my shoes are still just as comfortable as when I first put them on.

The Cons

• $$$ - At $220 a pair, these are probably the most expensive dance shoes I've seen. That being said, I think they're worth every penny. Aside from all the benefits listed above, if you've ever ordered a new style of shoes and gone through the pain of shipping them back and forth to the company, then you know how quickly those shipping costs add up. If you get fit for your Aidas with one of their reps, you'll know you're getting the right fit and avoid all shipping costs. Plus they do run the occasional sale. They recently had one for Memorial Day and when I spoke to one of their sales reps he told me they run their best specials around Black Friday - so if you plan in advance you can snag them for a little less. 
• Flexibility - For the first few weeks wearing my shoes, they were a little stiffer than my previous Supadance and Ray Rose shoes. I heard similar things from some of the Pros I spoke to about their shoes. After those first few weeks though, I found that I was able to point my feet in them without as much effort and the flexibility was comparable to my other shoes.
• Locations - There aren't tons of studios that carry these shoes and they aren't at every comp, so it can be challenging to find a location to go try on new shoes. That being said, once you know your style and customizations, you can re-order online. Another challenge to contend with is how popular their booth is when you can get to it. My first time trying to get Aida shoes was actually at USDC (September) last year. There were so many Pros clamoring to get their shoes that I was passed over several times, and I ended up leaving quite disappointed. Several of my other friends have had this experience as well. I recommend going in the middle of the day when there are fewer people around and they aren't getting ready to pack up for the evening. At Superstars, I visited the Aida booth again (this time at around 11 am) and had a totally different experience. The rep was able to spend 20 minutes fitting my feet and having me try on different shoes until I found the perfect pairs.

Overall Recommendation
While I do miss the easy slip-on buckle of my Supadance shoes and the prettier flesh color (hint, hint, Aida if you're looking for new features to add!), I don't think I'll ever switch again. These shoes delivered on what they promised and fixed problems I didn't even realize were coming from my shoes! The improved feeling of stability, perfect fit and extra comfort of these shoes make them my new favorite shoes and worth the investment. I highly recommend stopping by their booth at the next competition in your area and trying on a pair for yourself. 

Feel free to share your own thoughts on Aida shoes in the comment section below, or whatever your favorite brand may be. And as always, until next time, happy dancing!

Ever since starting ballroom dancing I've been on the search for the perfect lipstick. Through showcases and competitions I've tried many brands: cheap and expensive; matte and glossy; liquid and solid, yet I was never truly satisfied until September of 2015. What happened in September of 2015 you ask? Well LA Splash launched their line of Disney princess lipsticks! I purchased 3 different shades without even thinking about dance; I just simply needed to own Disney lipstick! Much to my surprise, they ended up being the perfect lipstick for dancing.

Why did you hold out on us?
Now you may be thinking, "September of 2015! Why didn't you mention this sooner?!" The truth is, I was afraid to recommend it knowing I hadn't tried the latest and greatest lipsticks; however, this past weekend I finally got around to testing out the last few brands I wanted to compare, and I can confidently report that LA Splash was the clear winner. During my time as a dancer, I've tried Wet N' Wild, Clinique, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Bare Minerals, and the final brands I tried this weekend were Stila, Tarte, and Smashbox. The biggest problem with all these lipsticks was staying power. I found that after an hour or so most of the lipsticks had faded or smudged, but I left the LA Splash color on my hand for two days (and I washed my hands and showered numerous times during the weekend) and by Monday morning it still looked good!

​The Pros

• As I mentioned before, this lipstick lasts! I have put it on at 8 am for a competition and despite eating, drinking, and sweating all day it still looks perfect at 8 pm.
• No smudging! I can wipe my mouth with a napkin, kiss my boyfriend, accidentally get hit by another dancer's enthusiastic arm styling and there are no smears. The lipstick doesn't bleed into the little cracks that extend from my lips onto my face or rub off. I've never had it get on my teeth, which I'm always super grateful for when I look at my pictures!
• The color stays true! Several of the red lipsticks I've tried in the past end up looking more pink than red after a couple of hours of wear, but the LA Splash lipstick colors remained the same from when I first applied until when I finally removed them at the end of the night.
• Quick and easy application! The brush applicator makes it really easy to precisely line your lips then fill in with the color. The liquid lipstick glides on, only requires one coat, and dries in minutes.

The Cons

• This lipstick lasts! While this is by far the biggest pro it also means you definitely need some quality makeup remover to take it off at the end of the night.
• Dried out lips. Since this is a matte lipstick, it can steal some of the moisture from your lips. I recommend following LA Splash's tip: "Exfoliate and moisturize lips 15-20 minutes prior to application."
• LA Splash doesn't have countrywide stores or distributors. This means that you may not be able to try on the color you want prior to purchasing. I recommend doing a Google image search for the color that you're interested in. The search should bring up photos of real people wearing the lipstick, so you can see what it looks like in different lighting and with different skin tones.
• $$$. At $14 a pop, this isn't the cheapest lipstick. If you order from LA Splash's site they do have free shipping with no minimum, which makes the price a little less painful. You can also find the lipstick on Amazon (link below) for less money, and as a bonus, they sometimes have colors in stock that LA Splash is sold out of on their site.

Overall Recommendation
The StudioShine Lip Lustre is the clear winner in my book. I've used it for all of my performances and competitions for the past year and a half, and have never been disappointed in how it's held up. When I think about all of the things I tend to worry about before dancing, it's wonderful to not have to think about reapplying my lipstick or cleaning up smudges.

Hopefully this review has helped you, and please feel free to share in the comments if you have your own favorite lipstick! I'll continue to evaluate new lipsticks as they come out and report back if I ever find a better product. Until then, happy dancing!

As you may have guessed from the blog name, I love sparkles! So naturally, I've been dying to try out the glitter cut crease makeup look for competition. I finally got the opportunity this past week to try it out and experiment with the LA Splash Cosmetics crystallized glitter (which I bought on sale over the Thanksgiving holiday!) at an in-studio performance. The look and the glitter was a success! I received numerous compliments on my makeup and I largely attribute that to the glitter.

The Problems with Glitter
Despite buying the glitter when it was on sale during Black Friday, I didn't try it out until now for one simple reason: I was scared! I have used glitter in the past, both some inexpensive store brands and Too Faced Glamour Dust glitter, and had poor results. While the glitter was super sparkly and pretty, I found that I had to use a lot of it; no matter how much glitter glue I used, it would inevitably get in my eyes - making it look like I was crying during the performance.  Tears streaming down your face isn't a great look when you're trying to be sexy in Rumba.

The Pros
What I loved about the crystallized glitter was it had amazing coverage. I put on a light coat of white eye shadow and then applied Urban Decay's Bondage primer (another amazing product!) before applying the glitter. Then I I used 3 dabs of glitter and was done! It was super simple and quick. I recommend using a brush with compact bristles so you can pick up the glitter and press it on without losing a bunch. The lovely folks at Ulta recommended a concealer brush, but I found a small eye shadow brush that worked well, too.

The other great part about this glitter was it stayed in place! It didn't fall into my eyelashes and eyes every time I blinked. I attribute this mostly to the glitter, because I used the Bondage primer with the other glitters, too, and had no luck. It stayed on for the whole evening and then easily wiped off with makeup remover. I don't think I could ask for more! 

The Cons
At about $12 a container, this isn't the cheapest glitter. I feel it's worth the money though, especially since I expect it will last me quite some time given how little I had to use. LA Splash runs sales every so often (I got mine for $10 on Black Friday), or if you buy it from Amazon you can bundle it with other products you normally purchase on Amazon and get free shipping. 

Overall Recommendation
This glitter was a clear winner over the other brands I've tried. It comes in numerous colors (I tried the Fuzzy Flamingo) so you can pick something that matches your eyes or your dresses for performances, competitions, or just a fun night out dancing! I loved the coverage and staying power, and will be using it for my first competition this year, Superstars! I'll be trying out the Mai Tai color for my smooth look and will be sure to post pictures and let you know how it holds up to all-day wear. Until then stay sparkly and happy dancing!