Beauty Tuesday: Silver Linings
I was lucky enough to get a free sample of Silver Linings, ultra-thin shoe liners with antimicrobial silver ions — and really love them. They're intended for women who wear shoes without socks (of which I'm totally guilty).
I was intrigued when I pulled them out of the box — they really are super thin, maybe a bit thicker than a manilla folder. Because of this, they don't affect the way your shoe fits at all (in fact, I still had my Insolia inserts in at the same time I tried these out).
After a day of wearing them, I noticed that a) my feet didn't seem to be sweating so much, and b) my feet weren't sticking to the inside of the shoes (or yanking up the padding in the toe box). Finally, after wearing shoes for 6 hours with the inserts, I gave them the smell test: nothing, nada, no odor. Nice!
They're available at Silver Linings for $15.99 for a pack of three.
Check out our review policy here.
Update: They're now available at Amazon – $16 for a pack of five.
Are they re-usable, or single-use? Do you leave them in the pair of shoes?
Hi Corporate Tool,
Each pair lasts for up to one month depending on how frequently you use them and how much your feet perspire. They can be transferred between shoes, but due to the non-adhesive anti-slip backing, they will best remain in place if you leave them in the same pair of shoes.
How do they attach to the shoe? Can you reuse them?
They have an anti-slip backing that enables the liners to grip to the shoe interiors, sort of like the grippiness of a mousepad. There is no adhesive, so they won’t leave any sticky residue or damage your shoes. You can use each pair until the softness wears out (up to one month, depending on usage).
I was curious about both of those things too, so I found this on their FAQ (never heard of the company before btw)
How long do Silver Linings last?
A pair of Silver Linings lasts up to one month or until the softness of the material wears out.
How do Silver Linings remain in place in shoes?
Silver Linings are backed by an anti-slip grid layer which allows the liners to grip to your shoes and stay in place. Since Silver Linings do not use adhesives, they will not damage your shoes or leave any sticky residue behind.
and the third question
Can Silver Linings be transferred between shoes?
Silver Linings work best when one pair is used in the same pair of shoes. Transferring them between shoes may reduce the effectiveness of the anti-slip grid backing.
Though I don’t really understand how it would reduce the effectiveness of the backing … What I’d be more concerned with is that they’re one-size-fits-all and they say that you don’t have to trim them.
I would think that moving them is a bad idea b/c of the faux-adhesive… It might not be glue, but whatever it is, has to grip to something!
Hi lawDJ,
Thanks for your comments. I recently founded Chu Shu and launched Silver Linings, so that is probably why you’ve not heard of me :).
To answer your question about transferring Silver Linings between shoes, the backing is made of an anti-slip material (think of a mousepad). When you put the liners in your shoes, they will grip the shoes fairly well. But, if you frequently transfer Silver Linings between shoes, they will continually pick up any residue in your shoes which will reduce the “grippiness”. Hope that helps answer your question.
It’s nice that this product is from a small, woman-owned startup. I’d like to see more reviews of products like this, Kat.
Sorry lawDJ, I missed the second part of your post. Silver Linings come in half shoe length sizes and cover only the forefoot area where most of the moisture is. This way, they fit most shoes sizes and shapes.
I swear it’s like you are reading my mind! I was going to threadjack the coffee break today to ask about something similar.
Can you wear these with hose (ie, will you slip with hose)? My feet sweat even through hose (lovely, I know).
Yes, you can! Silver Linings will absorb moisture and prevent slippage whether you’re wearing hose or not.
This seems like a lovely — if somewhat costly — discovery.
I’m intrigued. I’ll definitely have to test-drive them myself. Thanks for the heads up!
Based on a recommendation on this site, I bought summer soles and really love them. They last more than a month, but essentially involve the same concept of an adhesive that you stick in your shoes. My shoes do still smell though, but perhaps not as much as without the summer soles.
I hadn’t heard of summer soles, but just bought some of these Silver Linings! Thanks for the rec, C! I am one of those people who hates wearing shoes without hose — seriously, who can walk around with sweaty, sloshing, stinky feet?! I don’t get it! But, I do it anyway since hose seem to be out of favor now. Hoping this product will do the trick.
I have tried both Summer Soles and Silver Linings and I much prefer the latter. Summer Soles took some expert trimming and then were sort of difficult to put in once I had peeled of the back to expose the adhesive. I messed up a few times before getting it right. Then they were fine for a while, but my shoes ended up smelling eventually and when I tried to remove them to put in another pair, the adhesive was so strong it clear ripped the bottom leather lining right off the shoe and attached to the leather on the sides of the shoe and I basically ruined my Calpyso flats.
Silver Linings (so far) were super simple to just throw in: no trimming, and they totally gripped and stayed in place in my flats. I’ve worn my flats for about a week, and I think that silver technology really works! And this week in NYC we had a major humid heat wave (and a ton of walking around in it with friends from out of town), so I think I gave them a run for their money. I really like them!
Threadjack:
What are your best tips for dealing with difficult clients, the kind that are never satisfied, no matter what you do?
I’ve found that you need to document everything with those kinds of clients. Anything you tell them in a letter, follow up with an email or letter, i.e, “just wanted to confirm / clarify”, etc. It’s very helpful when they come back with questions or complaints. You can point them to the written statement and are able to say “I told you x” and explain that you told them the risks, told them what would be happening, etc.
I would also mention it to your managing partner or supervisor on the case. I’ve found that 90% of the time, they know. And it’s good to get them in the loop if there are questions or problems.
Sorry, should have said, anything you tell them on the phone or in person you followup with a written email or letter. Obviously, no client requires a letter followed up by a confirming letter. Ha!
I agree with Anon that you should follow up every in-person or phone conversation in which an agreement or decision is made with an email confirming the details of the agreement or decision. I also would write memos to yourself with the “minutes” of any conversation you have with the client, and save them in your files. And alert your higher-ups to the difficulties you’re having, so it’s not a surprise to them if the client complains.
Agree you need to make sure the partners are in the loop and document things. Beyond that, some people are just complainers by nature. Try to listen to the complaints without getting defensive, say something that validates their feelings (without admitting you did anything wrong), and make a suggestion about what can be done at that moment and/or going forward to accommodate the client’s preferences.
It can also be a good idea to have “checking in” conversations periodically where you flat-out ask the person how you’re doing. You might be surprised to find that the client is happier than you think, even though he/she is getting upset over things. If not, the response may be helpful in figuring out what the client really wants from you. And the client will probably be happy that you cared enough to ask, even if things don’t improve at all.
This is definitely true. I’ve been yelled at by clients for not having done complex analysis that they didn’t ask me to do and told that my work product was “unacceptable.” Then when you discuss how you are doing, they are happy. And then they send you more work. Go figure. Sometimes the trick is just being able to professionally take criticism, admit when you are wrong, and defend your actions when you are right.
Definitely document everything. I also find that the key is MORE communication. It can be difficult because you want to talk to difficult clients even less. But the more difficult the client, the more I keep them involved and informed regarding everything I do. I usually set up a once-weekly reminder to email them, and tell them everything that has happened on the case. Apologize when you do something wrong. Explain your actions where necessary. I usually have a lot of luck in getting the “difficult” clients to be happy with me. Of course, there are always people who are frustrated at the situation they are in, and nothing you do is going to stop them from taking their anger out on you.
Someone told me once to never use the words “I’m sorry” or “I apologize” – anything that sends the message that you screwed something up (unless you actually DID screw something up). Like if I don’t call/email a client back ASAP (but still within a reasonable time frame) I’ll never say “Sorry for getting back to you so late…”
Otherwise, it sends the impression that you are doing something wrong and gives them more fodder to be cranky and high-maintenance.
I think you got bad advice. Owning up to mistakes I have made (admittedly minor) has gotten me far in my career. It completely changed my relationship with one difficult client. They called to tell me that omitting a word from an enclosure letter was unacceptable at this level and for my billing rate. I agreed, apologized, and promised to do better in the future. I also thanked them for addressing it with me directly. From that moment on, they loved me. Loved.
I think there’s a difference between owning up to a true error/taking responsibility for a mistake (which takes courage and should be applauded) and apologizing for things that don’t need to be apologized for (ie, calling later instead of immediately in operaghost’s example, or knocking on someone’s door and starting out your conversation, “Sorry to bother you, but…”). For the latter, there tends to be a gender division, and I think it hurts women (especially young professional women) when they say “Sorry” where men would not. As with all things, it’s a not a fixed rule — I usually mirror what the other person does (for example, I work with a male senior associate who sometimes says sorry when he doesn’t need to, and so I say it back to him).
In terms of a real f**k-up, I recently heard a senior associate gracefully avoid taking blame while at the same time validating the client’s anger and taking responsibility. She said, “I could give you a dozen reasons why XYZ happened the way it did, but this is a client-driven industry, and if you’re not happy, I did something wrong. I don’t want to lose your business, so let’s talk about what we can do to mitigate this now and how I can prevent this from happening in the future.”
Bless you! This is great!
Kind of related – I’ve had great luck with nano silver soap on my face. It’s really helped clear up my skin and I have had very very very few of the big red cyst pimples since I started using it.
Good to know, anon! Yes, silver is a fantastic antimicrobial – I noticed that it got rid of the odor in my shoes after using Silver Linings for just one day. Silver technology is used in a wide range of applications including athletic wear, toothpaste, water coolers/filtration systems, etc.
My friend who has been visiting for 8 days in NYC, just told me and my boyfriend about some sort of new underwear he is traveling with, that has silver threads woven into it, and it is based on some underwear they created for the army, where you can wear it up to 30 days! Not that he was not washing his, but he said they were really comfortable, and great for traveling.
I’m definitely going to try these. I love the product reviews where a company rep actually comes and answers questions. Thanks so much Jennifer, and congrats on your new business!
Is the only place to buy them on the website or can I find them at a store?
Right now, the product is only available online. But, it’s free shipping for the summer!
CW, not sure where you are based, but Silver Linings is now available in New York City at Angel’s Shoe Restorer (666 5th Avenue at 53rd St).
Jennifer Chu – I just came across this thread. Do you ship to Australia? Thanks.
Hi Marie,
We now ship internationally. Take a look at the shipping options on http://www.silverliningsnewyork.com/buy.php. If you have further questions, just let me know. Thanks!
How do they work with peep toe shoes? i have a pair of basically plastic peep toes which i love, but sweat in profusely. these seem great, but i was wondering how much they would stick out.
Hi ES,
I use them in my peep-toe shoes, and they don’t show at all. I just set the liners slightly further back than I would in a pair of closed-toe shoes. Hope this answers your question.
Jennifer
thanks jennifer!!
Hi All,
In case you’re interested, we’re hosting a 25% off sale through tomorrow. Chu Shu won first place in the NY Public Library Startup Competition, and this is sort of our way of celebrating. If you have any questions, just let me know.