40 is the new sexy

DEAR RISSA,

I wear a size 40 and I have a hard time shopping for shoes in my size! Where can I go to find a good selection of footwear for my needs?    EMMA T.

 I know how you feel. My feet are size 8.5 to 9 and I wear a size 39, but it is also difficult to find good shoes that not only fit well but are comfortable, too. I can imagine how much harder it is for you. Most local brands carry sizes 39-40, but the shape of the shoe is rarely comfortable for people with a big shoe size. At times, they are too narrow, making it uncomfortable for people with wide feet. I myself have long slender toes and even if I go for size 39 with our local brands, the short vamp of the shoes doesn’t give a comfy fit. In my experience, foreign shoe brands are more forgiving and take into consideration wide feet or long toes. I particularly love going to the Adora Shoe Mecca (prices range from P3,000 to P8,000, Adora is located at Greenbelt 5, Makati). This special section of Adora features a well-curated selection of shoe brands, which offer shoes even for women who wear a size 40. Whenever I need a new pair of shoes, the Adora Shoe Mecca is a one-stop shop for all my shoe needs — no matter the occasion. Stella Luna and Schutz are particularly my favorites. They fit my size 39 feet perfectly. Even if some of their heels are a mile-high, they’re extremely comfortable. They’ve allowed me to breeze through weddings, big all-nighter events, and even pregnancy!

RISSA

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BE YOUR OWN HALLOQUEEN

HEY, REGINA!

It’s Halloween next week and I still haven’t come up with a costume! I don’t have much of a budget to work with, but I still want to try to dress up anyway. Any advice?                                             LIA

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year! It’s totally a non-holiday invented for nerds like me, so we can pretend to be superheroes, supervillains, whatever we want, for a few hours.

You’ll be surprised with what you can come up with if you just dig through your closet. (I once had to dress up for an ’80s party and managed to scrounge up everything I needed for a Madonna costume, just from looking through old clothes I hadn’t worn in months.) You might not have the time to make an elaborate, Lord of the Rings-level fantasy costume, but if you think of characters you like that dress in normal clothes, something interesting might just occur to you.

I think the easiest last-minute costume is a zombie, though. Just come as a zombie anything: zombie Marilyn Monroe, zombie beauty queen, zombie superhero. You can make yourself look properly undead with makeup you already own; just create bruising under the eyes with black and violet matte shadow, and use the black to contour in the hollows of the cheekbones. You can make cheap (and yummy) fake blood with pancake syrup mixed with red and green food coloring. (Just prepare to get sticky!)

Happy Halloween!

REGINA

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DON’T BE BLUE, TRY BLUE GREEN FOR YOUR EYES

DEAR LUCY,

How do I pull off electric blue-greens for the eyes even if I am not blonde and very fair-skinned? Or should I just ditch the idea?

PIXIE

Why ditch the idea?  Makeup is supposed to be a fun thing, there are no hard and fast rules.  I’d say go for it!  Blues and greens are a refreshing alternative to the blacks and browns that we all fall back on, and they can be surprisingly very pretty.  Just a few tips to remember: Exercise restraint, be sure to smudge gently so there are no harsh lines. And don’t sport bright cheeks and red matte lips. To balance the vibrance of the eyes, go for sheerly contoured cheeks and luscious lips in a soft peach shade.

LUCY

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Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil. Send Regina Belmonte your questions at vivatregina.tumblr@gmail.com or tweet her @vivatregina.