Carlyn is interested in all things fashion, cooking and styling.

How to Stop Doc Martens From Squeaking

As the owner of a pair of Doc Martens, you know just how great these shoes can be to wear daily. They are the kind of shoes that really give you that extra sense of power and strength. At the same time, though, these are shoes that often feel pretty fantastic to wear on a day-to-day basis. When you stick them on, you notice just how well-designed they are.

However, no matter how good your DMs are, you might have one problem you cannot escape: that squeaking sound!

Unfortunately, finding how to stop Doc Martens from squeaking can be a time-consuming experience. If you find yourself losing a lot of time and effort trying to de-squeak your DMs, then this simple guide is what you are looking for.

Given how iconic and outright stylish these shoes are, the last thing you want to do is put up with that awful screeching sound. So, how can you go about stopping it? What are the main steps that you need to take to make that squeak come to an end?

Why Are My Doc Martens Squeaking?

The challenge to stopping this particular problem is that there is not often one reason why your shoes might be squeaking, and the cause is not always obvious. You could spend a lot of time going back and forth trying to clean up your shoes and trying out every tool in the book to make them stop squeaking. No matter what you try, though, you might just find that your shoes continue to make that awful noise.

So, the main reason why it might happen for most people is the friction being caused between parts of your Doc Martens. However, it could come down to a whole host of other reasons, including but not limited to:

• The shoes have a lot of perspiration which is causing this odd sound to be created.
• The shoes have a lot of moisture built-up by rain, perhaps due to a leak in the shoe.
• The shoes are wet and have been left to soak and have now taken in lots of water.
• There is an excess of adhesive on the shoe product, which can happen during manufacturing.
• An abrasion exists between the soles of the shoes and the surface area of the shoe itself.

Try to remind yourself that there will not always be one simple cause for your shoes making that awful noise.

Finding the Problem at Hand

The next step is to determine which of the above issues (or other issues) could be causing your shoes to make such an awful sound.

To help you get started, you should take the time to look at your shoes closely. A simple way to find out the cause is to listen for where the sound comes from. You might even want to put the shoes on and have someone sit close to your feet as you walk around.

The closer the ear is, the easier it might be to spot the actual reason for the sound being made in the first place. Many people choose to replace the sole, but if the squeak is coming from the inside, this will not make a big difference.

Walk and listen to the sound of the shoes and try to pinpoint where the sound comes from. When you notice the sound, try and replicate it with specific foot movements and pressure on certain parts of the shoe. Have someone next sit to you as you do this, though, and between the pair of you should quickly work out why your shoes are making this awful sound.

How to Stop Doc Martens From Squeaking

So, the main way to get this problem to stop is to get together a few simple ingredients.

Materials Needed

• Talcum powder
• Bicarbonate
• Baby powder
• Thin needle

If the sole is the cause of the sound, just lift the inlay slightly and put some powder on the midsole section. Lay it back done, and see if the squeak has stopped. You might even find that some sprinkling around the edges of your insole can be enough to lift the issue and get your shoes sounding normal once again.

Another solution might be to get rid of some of the air in the sole. To do this, all that you need to do is create a tiny little hole at the bottom of your sole using a thin needle.

Getting your DMs to stop squeaking can seem like an eternal quest, but a mixture of some powder or a quick prick of a needle can be all that you need to bring this annoying issue to an end finally. Good luck!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 Carlyn Hayes

A keen digital marketer who loves helping small business grow their reach.

Are Vans Business Casual?

When it comes to getting dressed up for a business casual event, one of the hardest parts of your style to pinpoint is your shoes. Nothing can be more frustrating than a business event where you need to wear tight dress shoes all day long. At the end of the day, your feet are normally red, raw with discomfort, and undoubtedly have a few blisters forming.

If you want to avoid that for business casual attire, you might have your eye on a pair of Vans. Yet you might also be wondering, are Vans business casual?

Like any other fashion query, you might have, the answer trends to be it depends. It depends on the event, the host, your position within the hierarchy, and just about any other event-minded question. For example, service staff might get away with wearing something like a muted pair of Vans; someone in a higher position, though, might be expected to dress like a star.

So, you should absolutely keep that in mind as you go about the process of creating the right wardrobe style for your upcoming business casual event. So, are Vans business casual? Could you pull it off?

There is No 'Definitive' Answer

As you might have already found looking around, there are so many mixed responses to wearing Vans in a business casual setting. Given they are mostly casual sneakers, more formally minded people will typically say no. Basically, this comes down almost entirely to the premises that you will be visiting.

If you arrive as a guest at a business casual event, you should not really be so worried. Dress it up with a pair of chinos and a shirt and go for something nice and dark in terms of Vans, and it should work fine. If you are working there, though, the difference comes down to how your boss sees the style of a pair of Vans.

The secret is often in the description of business casual. If anything is mentioned about shirts, even open collars, then we would advise against turning up in a pair of Vans. There is no right or wrong here, but if you are a staff member who wants to avoid the scorn of higher-ups, you might want to leave the Vans in the cupboard.

There is no answer that suits every business casual attire option, sadly.

Avoid The Vans on Day One

If you are starting a new business opportunity or a new job, do not risk it unless they are very clear about casual dress. First impressions more or less always make a big difference.

However, if you turn up on day one and notice an assortment of more informal shoes, ask your boss. Before you ask, though, maybe run it by a few of the less confrontational new colleagues. You might get a good answer from someone, especially if they seem to be wearing less formal attire. The secret is to always avoid doing it on day one, though.

You can always rock up in your Vans the next day and show them off to your new workmates. The worst thing that could happen is to turn up on day one and get told to head to the store, or home, to get more suitable attire.

While business casual is about as wide in description as one could imagine, most businesses will have at least some kind of idea of what they will and will not allow.

Making Your Own Decision!

There is no real way to know if Vans are business casual until you turn up at the event. Business casual is a fashion term that can be extremely diverse or overly limited. With that in mind, then, you should spend a bit of time looking into the Vans that you do own.

If you think they are very muted (i.e., all black), then think about it. As mentioned above, though, a quick message or a quick query to a colleague could be enough to help you avoid this faux pas. If you are short on time and want to risk it, then fair enough; but we highly recommend you bring a more formal pair of shoes, like a pair of loafers or derbies, that you could change into in the off chance your boss isn’t impressed!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 Carlyn Hayes

A pomade enthusiast who loves to experiment with new pomades and hair styles.

How to Clean Magnetic Lashes

If you own a pair of magnetic lashes, then you want to know how to make them last. These expensive cosmetic accessories can be pretty hard to keep in good condition if you do not properly care for them.

Lashes are a vital part of the modern makeup industry, and many people have grown accustomed to attaching their own lashes. This is a common practice, as some see it as more cost-effective than going to eyelash appointments. However, if you are looking to buy magnetic lashes, then you want to know how to properly keep them in good condition.

Once you understand the cleaning process, it is pretty easy to repeat! For now, though, owners of a magnetic lashes set should focus on learning the basics of cleaning.

Let’s take a look at the easiest solutions to wind up with clean magnetic lashes. The solution is quite simple, but actually putting it into practice can be a surprisingly touch challenge overall.

Simple DIY Eyelash Cleaning Method

Typically, there are two commonly used methods to clean up eyelashes. One of the hardest challenges you might face when choosing is to decide on what method to try out. Typically, though, you can clean your magnetic lashes with a few simple products from around your house.

Materials Needed

• Strong eye makeup remover
• 90% rubbing alcohol
• Cotton buds
• A cotton swab
• A set of tweezers

Cleaning Steps

Step 1: Remove the Lashes

To get started, you need to first remove your magnetic eyelashes. To most effectively remove your magnetic lashes, we recommend you use the lash band. Simply tug on the corner of this lightly; never grab! Be sure that you are careful as you remove the lashes as you could damage them otherwise.

Step Two: Grab the Makeup Remover

Now, you should remove your magnetic lashes and then set them down somewhere safe. Before you do anything else, though, make sure you clean the lashes to get rid of any eyeliner or any residue from your makeup. This is most effectively done by taking the cotton pad mentioned above and soaking it with the eye makeup remover. Make sure you use eye makeup remover, not nail polish remover.

Also, ensure that it is not an oil-based eye makeup remover!

Once you have soaked the cotton pad, you should rub down the eyelashes with the cotton pad.

Step Three: Repeat

Do this a few times to help get rid of any residue left over. Try and use as little pressure as you can, as excessive strength could damage and ruin the look of your lashes. If you take it slow, though, it will be fixed with minimal stress.

That's It!

Once you have done this, you should now have a set of cleaned-up magnetic lashes. However, you still need to actually clean the magnets within the lashes.

How to Clean the Magnets in Your Magnetic Lashes

If you want to ensure longevity, you must also pay attention to the magnets within the product. Many do not realize how important it is also to clean the magnets. This requires very specific, very minuscule pressure. Do everything you can to remove all eyeliner from the magnet, avoiding any scratches as you work your way around the magnet.

Use Rubbing Alcohol!

If you wish to remove the magnet resid, you should use the 90% rubbing alcohol we spoke of earlier. Take the swab that was listed earlier and begin to slowly rub the strip. Again, be careful as excessive pressure could distort or even pull off the lashes from where they are being stored.

This will ensure that you are left with a set of magnetic lashes that are free from the residue and build-up that can cause them to stop working to the same level as before. If you do this, then you should make sure that you have totally removed all signs of the make-up on your magnetic lashes.

This can take a bit of time, so be prepared to be patient and to take your time.

Cleaning Up and Finalising Your Magnetic Lashes

Once you have finished the cleaning process as listed above, you should now take the time to dry off your magnetic lashes properly.

This can be done simply by putting them onto a towel and leaving them to try. You might wish to try and speed up the process, but we recommend that you let them dry naturally to avoid potential damage being done to the lashes in the first place.

Take your time when cleaning your magnetic lashes, and you can find that they will be in useable condition for a long time to come. Simply follow along with the above, and those magnetic lashes should be good for a few nights out yet!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 Carlyn Hayes

A keen house proud house dweller who wants to share her tips on cleaning.

How to Clean Yellow Shoe Soles

After time you will notice that your trainers will begin to yellow at the soles, even if you only stick to wearing them on dry days and pavements. This is natural for a lot of trainers and white-soled shoes.

Trainers and other footwear tend to go yellow because of the natural reaction of oxidation. This occurs when your soles touch water, accelerating the oxidation process, meaning your trainers go yellower faster.

It’s best to avoid water the best you can; however, the process can usually be reverted should they become yellow.

Before you start any of the cleaning processes below, wipe down your trainers, so they are clean and dry ready to apply the whitening treatments.

So without further ado, here are some of our favorite concoctions to get your trainers and footwear looking brand new and pristine white once more. We are going to discuss the five following cleaning methods:

1. Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda
2. Baking Powder and Washing Detergent
3. Toothpaste
4. Using a Professional Shoe Cleaner

1. Hydrogen Peroxide & Baking Soda

Make a paste using hydrogen peroxide & baking soda, ensuring you don’t make it too watery. Hydrogen peroxide can be bought from most supermarkets or on amazon.

Then using an old toothbrush, scrub the paste onto the white sections of your shoes and where they are most yellowing. Leave for a few minutes, ideally in direct sunlight, to help bleach them back to pristine white.

Rinse off, and they should be back to looking new. If the results aren’t as white as you would like, repeat the process, leaving it on for a little longer.

2. Baking Powder & Washing Detergent

Baking powder is well known for getting your trainers sparkly white, so for this mixture, we’ve used it again along with some washing detergent too.

Ideally, it’s best to use white-specific washing detergent rather than generic color washing powder. Most people will have this in their utility room, though.

Follow these steps:

1. Mix one part of baking powder into two parts of washing powder - you will properly only need a teaspoon for quantity.
2. Add a drop of water so that the powders form a paste - remember you can always add more water, but you will struggle to take it away without losing the mixture, so go careful.
3. Once you have the mixture, apply it to the yellowing soles using a toothbrush, scrubbing as you work your way along.
4. Putting your shoes in a sealed plastic bag will help avoid the oxidation process, which makes your footwear yellow in the first place.
5. Leave to dry for around 30 minutes or longer so that the mixture has time to dry completely. Wash off using warm water and a sponge where you should reveal pristine white soles once more.

If you feel your trainers could do with another round of treatment, repeat the process once more to make them whiter.

3. Toothpaste

This toothpaste option works best on mildly yellow soles and is a nice safe option to begin with, as some of the other options can be a little abrasive. If your trainers are stained, using some other methods may be more effective, though.

Follow these steps:

1. Apply some toothpaste (ideally pure white toothpaste, not the kind with blue particles) onto an old toothbrush and work into the areas of the yellowing trainers.
2. Leave this to soak in, ideally in direct sunlight, to help with the bleaching process.
3. Wash off with warm water and keep repeating the process if your trainers still look a little yellow.

If you need to do this process again, try scrubbing a little harder and leaving on for longer; this should help get them cleaner.

4. Professional Shoe Cleaner

There are many professional shoe cleaning solutions on the market, specially formulated to combat yellowing soles to make them white again.

Choosing a trusted name is always a good route to go down, such as ‘Kiwi White Shoe Cleaner’. This is created with a built-in sponge applicator, where the solution is squeezed through the sponge, directly onto the shoes.

All individual professional shoe cleaning solutions will have their own instructions to ensure you get the best results. This tends to be a very quick and easy option with most having a built-in sponge applicator and ready-mixed solution, which is great for some on-the-go quick cleaning.

Going for a specific ‘trainer whitener’ or specific to the types of shoes you are trying to make less yellow will be a good way to go too, rather than going for more of a generic shoe cleaner.

Say Bye to Yellowing Soles!

The results from any of these methods can vary as to how long or often you should be cleaning your yellowing soles. The best advice is to stay away from water to slow down the oxidation process so that you shouldn’t have to clean them as often.

It also depends on how often you wear them and how often you will have to clean them. It is best to clean them once they have a hint of yellow, rather than leaving them until they get very yellow and the stains are much more stubborn to remove.

I hope this has given you some good tips to removing those nasty yellowing stains and have those shop-bought pristine white trainers once more. Should you have any questions or may have some of your own concoctions to getting your trainers white from a yellowing sole, please do get in touch.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 Carlyn Hayes

An avid beard lover who loves helping her partner improve the look of his facial forest.

How to Grow a Pointed Beard

Have you ever wanted to get your beard to be a bit more shapely?

Many guys just have wild beards. Sticking out at one end and totally flat on the other. Most of that comes from how you sleep and the kind of natural parting that you create through hours of being asleep.

However, when you want to get something a bit more specific, you may wish to get a pointed beard. No, not like the caricature style of Satan; more like something akin to a Van Dyke or Stiletto beard style. How, though, do you go about doing that? Specifically, this post will show the steps you can undertake to get an all-around more pointed style beard.

Step 1: Take Your Whole Beard Off

To get a quality pointed beard, we recommend going back to the start.

This means dicing off as much of the beard as you can and then getting it back to totally smooth. We even recommend going for a classic Turkish barbers razor shave. Within a week or two, you should now have a solid level of growth (well, at least the foundations).

Anything from 1/4” to ½” in length should be good enough for this point. This allows you to build the beard from the start into that sharp-pointed overall look for the beard.

Step 2: Get Your Cheeks Nice and Smooth

Make sure that you have your cheek areas entirely smoothed. They should not have any kind of hair or build-up, even those silly whisker-like hairs that come in need to come off. If you do that, then you will already have created a lot more definition.

Now, your beard will have a clear point of definition, especially as the chin is often the place with the most prominent beard growth. You can still use a beard trimmer for most of these steps; again, these are general guidelines and not hard and fast rules.

Step 3: Get the Little Parts Right

The next challenge of making a pointed beard is making sure you leave the right shape for your beard.

So, make sure that you start from the sideburns and then move inward. Get to around 2” from the mouth, and you should shave the neck sides and the bottom hairs underneath and around your Adam’s apple. This should leave you with a kind of circular beard style.

Step 4: Get the Goatee Sorted

Next, you will want to start working on the goatee part of your beard.

This means making sure that you get the line as clear and as defined as is possible. Trim from the neck upwards, taking off increasingly smaller sections of the beard as you go about the shaving process. You should look to use a good quality razor to help you achieve this, as cheaper razors will typically create messier finishes.

Step 5: Style It Right

Now, to finish this cleaner and sharper beard off, you want to use some form of beard wax. It should leave your chin, beard, and your mustache separate from one another. With some wax, you can create some natural protrusion that should help to make your beard a bit sharper and pointier.

This is a hard thing to get right, and it will usually mean that you have to keep coming back and making small adjustments daily. If you want to get a quality pointed beard, though, you’ll need to learn the value of patience and precision.

With the beard trimmer, you will want to start on a higher grade and come in naturally towards the beard. Then gradually lowering the grade more but getting further away from the beard as you reach the bottom of the point. This is what creates that natural point. Less is more at this stage; you rather take off too little than too much. Then make sure to mimic the same actions that you are doing on one side of your face and beard as you do the other to create the symmetry naturally.

Towards the very end, you will be one of the lowest grades but also barely on the edge of your beard as you create the natural curve and pointed aspect of your beard.

You can see a great example of this in the video just above. Notice how the beard trimmer barely gets into the beard towards the end, but make sure to be brave enough to actually shape and curve out the beard-pointed aspect that you want.

The Alternative Approach: See a Barber

If you are looking for a quicker approach to the whole few steps above on styling and growing a pointed beard, you can always just grow a standard one and then head down to the local barbers and ask for that style.

Then take note of what they are doing to form that style you're after, and don't hesitate to just ask them questions about general beard care and how to form the point.

Just to be sure, it's a good idea to bring a picture of the beard style that you're after, so you and the barber are on the same page as to how you want your beard to actually look.

They will be more than happy to help you with the above. Plus, make sure that you do actually take care of your beard the right way as well. Make sure it doesn't get too dry; lukewarm showers and beard oil are good for that. Be sure to wash your beard as well, because just like regular hair that forms on the top of your head, they get dirty and smelly too.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 Carlyn Hayes