How to fix your snapped or broken Ferragamo Jelly Bermuda Flats

So my favourite pair of Ferragamo Bermudas snapped. All because a clothes hanger at an outlet store was snagged on my left shoe and I tried to get it out. Outlet stores are often messy with clothes hangers on the floor, lesson learnt: where more sturdy shoes to such places!

I couldn’t find much help on the internet for snapped Ferragamos, everyone recommended bringing it to the store (I did and it was proven futile, see below), so I decided to write on it.

How to Fix Your Snapped Jellies

Assuming Ferragamo will not repair your snapped jellies even under “warranty” (see my outraged story below), how will you repair your shoes?

• What will not work (1)Hot glue or superglue– no glue in the world can withstand the tension of walking and still successfully stick two pieces of broken rubber, especially if it is 2 joining pieces without any back support. (2) Burning and fusing two pieces of broken rubber– Bad idea, it will probably burn and the shoe will turn black, give you a toxic high, and you still have a pair of broken shoes.

What will work- using thread and needle.

You will need:

• Good quality thread that matches the shoe
• A needle that is fatter in width than normal needles
• A thimble to push the needle through the hard rubber

Directions:

• Just thread the needle and start sewing the two pieces of rubber together. Very basic sewing skills required. Take extra care that the thread does not get tangled while sewing, if not you have to start all over again.
• Use the thimble as support to push the needle through the rubber. Aim to sew the middle part of the rubber together first, then work your way to the edges.
• Sew many times and securely enough, so the rubber will be sewn together and not move.
• Will take 20-30 mins for a good job.
• Finished product: Repairs done on left side of shoe! Barely noticeable except for thread colour! All done!!

Side Story on these Ferragamo Bermudas

To recap, I bought this pair at Ferragamo Sydney International Airport. When I went to the airport, they told me to go to a “proper boutique” for warranty. Fair enough.

I went to the Singapore boutique in Paragon, Orchard Road in Dec 2018. They told me to get stuffed, there is now no warranty for the Bermuda Jellies, and even if I have the receipt, they won’t do anything for snapped jellies. The Ferragamo SA told me not to buy the jellies anymore. She didn’t even ask me for my receipt.

Like WTF? Why sell something you can’t provide reasonable assurance for? Are you that unconfident about your product? Maybe it’s just the Singapore branch, but this already put me off for Ferragamo’s after-care.

During this Black Friday sale in 2018, I bought three pairs of Ferragamos, all authorised Ferragamo online resellers, which I assume have no warranty. If I buy jellies in the physical Ferragamo boutique and yet there is no warranty, there is no point in buying in the boutique. This experience in Paragon has soured me on Ferragamo shoes completely. Time to consider another brand of shoes perhaps?

Review: Longchamp Le Pilage Cuir Crossbody in Cherry Colour

Recently bought this mini crossbody bag from the Marina Bay Sands Singapore Longchamp boutique. It was priced at SGD$234 (USD$170), 40% off down from RRP SGD$390 (USD$284). This was during the Black Friday Sale, 23/11/18.

For this Black Friday Sale in Singapore, only selected styles and colours had up to 40% off. As usually classic colours are not on sale like navy, black, tanned leather brown.

This bag is highly raved on YouTube. I first discovered it when a friend I went on holiday with was carrying it. And because of the practicality of the bag, and the amount of stuff you can fit in there, I highly recommend it. Do a search on YouTube for “what’s in my bag” to be convinced.

In the product description, it is made of Métis Leather (lamb and goat leather). When I saw that, I thought I would need to “baby” the product if I were to get the light grey colour I was eyeing, “Pebble”. Hence I got a darker colour “Cherry” in bright red, as I do not like to baby my products. This was Made in Romania and comes in silver hardware.

All in all, if you’re considering this bag, try it out in the boutique. I highly recommend it for travelling. The bag in black colour is a safe choice, which I intended to buy in full price, but when I saw in the boutique, it was too conservative and not striking, so went with the discounted Cherry red colour. This red colour suits most if you travel during the winter and tend to wear a lot of dark colours. The red colour pops very well against a dark canvas.

Here is a picture in store, cherry (red colour) on the left, pebble (grey colour) on the right.

Review: Salvatore Ferragamo Jelly Ballerina Flats and Favilia High Sandals in Nero

I recently bought these two pairs of Ferragamo jelly shoes during the Black Friday Sale 2018 from mytheresa. Mytheresa is a German online store, and upon doing further research, it is deemed to be reputable and selling authentic products.

Check out my other review for the Ferragamo jelly shoes with the buckle.

This is taken from the Ferragamo USA website as of Nov 2018, where it retails for USD$295.

Pricing

For the Jelly Ballerina Flats, I got this from Mytheresa. It was reduced from SGD$365 (USD$265 equivalent) to SGD$281 (USD$204 equivalent). SGD$281 is inclusive of SGD25 DHL express shipping charges.

For the Favilia High Sandals, it was reduced from SGD 339 (USD$246 equivalent) to SGD 262 (USD$190). SGD$262 is inclusive of SGD25 DHL express shipping charges.

I had to pay shipping charges twice as one item was out of stock. The benefit of that was I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of paying GST (needed for above SGD$400 imports). Not that much difference if I were to buy two pairs of shoes in a single order and pay 7% GST.

Shipping

Lightning fast! Absolutely insane! I bought my first pair on Friday night and received it on Monday morning. I asked mytheresa to delay shipment of the second pair by a day, because in Singapore, if you have two separate orders from the same retailer and on the same flight (delivery by air mail from Germany to SG), they will charge you for GST.

Fit of Shoe

I bought 9C for the two jelly pairs. Usually I am 8.5C in normal Varas and Varinas (have to go half a size down). For other shoes, I am a UK 7, EUR 40, Aus 9.

For the Jelly 1cm ballerina flats, they recommend to take half a size up, as they only do whole sizes. Turns out it’s was half a size too big for me. I couldn’t walk properly in these shoes without my hind foot coming out every 5 seconds.

I was going to return it, but I checked the website, there was no stock left in one size down and it wasn’t going to be easy to find it at such a cheap price post-Black Friday. So I decided to stuff the front of the shoe (to make the fit tighter) instead of returning it and it works fine.

For the Favilia 3cm High Sandals, the bigger fit was perfect for my broad feet. The picture is terrible but I assure you it looks really glam with a nice dress or pair of jeans.

General Thoughts On The Shoe

For the Favilia 3cm High Sandals, these shoes are NOT made for walking. While I have broad feet, the straps across the width of the feet were not uncomfortable, but the hard plastic sole was just unpleasant to walk with.

With no cushion or padding, it’s like walking on a hard surface. These are NOT the shoes to go out window shopping with, or if you intend to walk a lot.

I still recommend this shoe, because it does look awesome with the gold and better if you have a nice pedicure. It’s suitable for work if your workplace allows open toed shoes. But either drive, grab a cab or make sure your mode of transport doesn’t require too many steps.

Review: Leaders “Intense Plus” Mask Range

This is a review of the three Leaders Intense Plus Masks- Bright, Snail and Clear

This is the cheaper range of the Leaders Mask, made in Korea but sold to Thai consumers. As you can see, the sheet mask is quite thick, and not as thin as the 0.2mm Etude House Masks.

Price: I bought these Leaders Masks on sale in Watson’s Bangkok Central Mall Ladprao for about SGD$0.90 each (or USD$0.65). In comparison, the Etude House 0.2mm Masks only cost me SGD$0.55 each (or USD$0.39) purchased in Seoul.

Skin type: Combination skin (on the dryer side), young working adult skin, no pimples but with big pores around T-zone. In an air conditioned room almost 18 to 22 hours per day.

What I expect in a mask: Moisturising effect to combat the airconditioning, brightens skin with a dewy effect, clearer skin, affordable for daily use.

Bright Intense Plus Mask;

There was ample serum to apply excess on neck and collarbone. Mask did feel a bit heavy on the skin due to its thicker material. It wasn’t as comfortable as the Etude House’s 0.2mm Masks.

I tried to cover my underbags with the mask, by the fit of the mask was weird. The lip hole is too small and my bottom lip was “masked” as well. My lips felt numb after the procedure.

After taking out the mask (17 mins), my skin felt soft, tacky and moisturised. Can’t tell much of a brightening effect, but then again I use a sheet mask almost every day, so obvious effects might be minimised.

Clear Intense Plus Mask

Same as above, except my skin didn’t feel as moisturised as the Bright Intense and Snail Intense range.

Snail Intense Plus Mask

Same as the above, except my skin felt slightly more moisturised.

CONCLUSION

Overall: 3 out of 5 for a mid-range mask. Slightly better than average for a daily mask, but mask fit is weird and feels heavy on the skin. Not a comfortable fit, and I can’t wait to take it off.

My mask reviews are in three categories:

1. Budget masks- like Dermal and no-brands.
2. Mid Range- Etude House, Face Shop, Leaders, retail shop brands.
3. High End Range- SK II

This Leaders mask is worth it if you can get it on sale for its moisturising effects or if you are after a daily driver. The essence used in the mask is good quality, it’s the quality of the mask sheet that is a let-down. This would be better than most of the no-brand Korean masks. Out of the three, I prefer the Snail Intense Plus Mask.

It is a better mask than the Dermal Masks that I have reviewed, but then again, Leaders is almost 3 to 4 times more expensive than Dermal, so not a fair comparison. For a mid- range mask, this is slightly above average.

But given the choice, I would pick Etude House 0.2mm Mask over this Leaders mask.. Will not repurchase unless it’s very cheap or during mask-shortage emergency. Etude House 0.2mm is my HG mask that I will happily buy in bulk and carry back from Korea.

Review: Swisse Rose Hip Oil 50ml and Argan Facial Moisturiser 125ml (Product of Australia)

Today’s review is on 2 products that I have been using for the last 2 months.

Swisse Rose Hip Oil 50ml

Price as of Oct 2018: RRP AU$24.49 from Chemist Warehouse (Australia). Paid AU$12.25 (US$9 or SGD$12) during its half price sale. All prices in pictures are in AUD$.

Part 3: Getting Laser Eye Surgery (Lasek) in South Korea 2018 (Eye Dryness Updates, Aftercare)

My doctor advised to take the anti-inflammatory eyedrops for 3 months after the surgery.

Prior to Lasek: I have dry eyes but not to the point where I have to put eyedrops daily. During the consultation tests in Korea, they put paper strips on my eyes, Eyemedi said I had a bit of eye dryness but I could still proceed with the Lasek procedure.

Part 2: Getting Laser Eye Surgery (Lasek) in South Korea 2018 (Surgery, Pain Levels)

My surgery was at 2.30pm. Bring your sunglasses and hat so you can wear them immediately after surgery. And umbrella in case it rains.

Part 1: Getting Laser Eye Surgery (Lasek) in South Korea 2018 (Consultation, to-do list, Price)

I recently had Lasek (laser eye surgery) in Gangnam Eyemedi Vision clinic. Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post, I did not receive a discount, nor did I tell the clinic I would be writing a review. I’m just sharing as I do enjoy helping the general community.

Review: Salvatore Ferragamo Bermuda Jelly Ballet Flats (Nero and Oro)

Having recently purchased 2 pairs of Bermudas at Salvatore Ferragamo Australia (Star Casino Pyrmont Boutique- Nero (black) colour @ AUD$395 and Sydney International Airport Boutique-Oro (Light Gold) colour @AUD$260 ), this would be a perfect time for a review.

Check out my other review for the Ferragamo Jelly Vara Ballerinas and Farilia Sandals

I have worn these two pairs for about 2 months. Now, I am absolutely in love with the Oro colour Bermudas and NOT the Nero Bermudas. The Nero ones look very boring, were full price at AUD$395 or USD$313 (it is a black classic item, therefore no sale), and simply did not have a WOW factor. It’s a plain black shoe without any glitter mixed in the black, topped with a dark pewter- coloured logo hardware.

The Nero ones above have a 1cm heel. It looks like black patent leather shoes. It’s just boring to me and doesn’t stand out much. However it is a classic black staple item. With all my Ferragamo shoes, I wipe my shoes down with a clean microfiber cloth with each use, and I expect at least 5 years out of these before the hardware starts rusting.

Now these Oro Bermudas above are my absolute favourite! These sparkle in any kind of light, have a 3cm heel and best of all, it was AUD$260 or US$213! These were off-season and the last pair, hence the discount. I love them because the colour is beautiful and very unique. It comes with gold coloured logo hardware and I feel like prancing around when I wear them.

Size wise: I usually wear AU 9, US9, UK7 or EUR 40 for most brand of shoes. For Varas, I wear US 8.5, as US9 is too big for my feet. I recommend you going half a size up for bermudas, if you are in between sizes. They do not make half sizes in Bermudas. The plastic doesn’t stretch as much and the top of the shoe will hurt you especially if you have broad feet like I do. So I tried both US 8 and 9, and ultimately went for US 9. During summer, it is more comfortable to get a bigger size as your feet swells a little during the day, compared to when you first wake up.

Comfort Level:Acceptable. Price isn’t always a good judgement of comfort for Ferragamo. They are not broad enough for the front of my feet and it’s not comfortable to wear them for more than 9 hours (even with office work and constant sitting). My Ted Baker jelly shoes are at a fifth of the price, and are more comfortable with broad enough width (which I also highly recommend)

Overall

I love all Ferragamo Bermudas as they are more upscale, designer product for rainy days. Mel or Melissa Jelly Shoes are just uncomfortable, a bit too common on the street and not classy enough for me. These Bermudas are dressy enough with office wear (can choose between a 1 to 3cm heel), luxurious looking and just a great staple in your wardrobe. I highly recommend them! Colour is completely subjective, so best to try in-store.

With so many fake Bermudas circulating the market, remember to always buy it first-hand from the official Salvatore Ferragamo boutiques or authorised resellers like Shopbop.com.

Review: Innisfree Mineral Ultrafine Pact SPF 25++ (Pressed Powder)

Price: SGD $25 at Innisfree Singapore Store, or USD $17 at Innisfreeworld

Shades Available: No 13 Light Beige, No 21 Natural Beige, No 23 True Beige

•  I am usually a NC20-25 and would pick No 23 if I was buying it online, as I do not like to look too fair. But upon swatching the shades in the store, I found No 23 to be very yellow/orange, and bought No 21 Natural Beige.

Item Description:

1. An ultrafine, lightweight powder particles created using the windmill technique. A powder pact that lightly covers skin like silk

2. Pore-blurring effect: Powder particles are much finer than a conventional pact to conceal pores.

3. Protects skin with fine, natural mineral powder and green tea extract from Jeju

**100% Jeju organic green tea
**Free from: parabens, silicon, synthetic fragrance, benzophenone, ethanol, and colorants (but there is talc and silica in the listed ingredients!!)

My review:

The coverage of this powder isn’t great nor does it add any radiance to your face. Personally, I like to use pressed powders after my working hours. It does cake if you put too much, but not as badly as the ZA Pressed powder. 

I don’t recommend this. The coverage is poor, it cakes, and all in all, it is very mediocre. I’ve always like Chanel Loose Powders and will recommend their powders over most brands in the market.