u/Texas22

A few days ago I posted this review of my summer sandals. I said I would come back and update you on the Rutsu Venus, so that's why I'm here now.

Run! Don't walk, run to order these! Lol. Seriously, they have 20% off their sandals right now with the code SANDAL20 "while supplies last".

I walk a lot everyday and I a lot of that walking is on pavement. These sandals are absolutely perfect. Just enough cushioning, completely flexible sole, and no issue at all with my high arches even with the cross straps. They are like Crocs material, one continuous mold. These are NOT serious trail walking and hiking sandals. Think "everyday walking and errands comfort". I'm hoping they make them in more colors - maybe a metallic would be cool. Btw, I live in Texas and we wear sandals 10/12 months, so that's why I like a variety.

Here is their return policy if you want to try them out.

I also received the Skin.02 in Black and I'm not sure why I didn't order those first, they are really gorgeous.

For reference, my feet are 26.1 cm long, 9.5 cm wide and I ordered a Size 10.

I'm really impressed by this brand, I will probably order some of their hi-tops for the winter to try out.

For context: I've been in barefoot shoes for a year now. I have very high arches, my foot length is 26.1 cm and width is 9.5 cm. I wear a Women's Size 10.

Pic 2: Xero Aqua Cloud in Gray, Xero Genesis in Black, Xero x J. Crew in Khaki - These are my overall picks. I wear the Aqua Clouds just about everyday. The sole is a tad thicker than the Genesis and it has a little heel kick guard which helps when walking on gravel. The Genesis is great but it literally is as close to walking barefoot as you can get, but not having to be barefoot. It's a thin sole with some string attached, lol. I wear these around the house a lot. I bought the J. Crew design for dressier outfits, but I don't love that the cord and cord brackets don't stick so I'm constantly having to pull them tighter when I wear them all day. Very cute design tho. My favorite thing about this shoe is that every joint is adjustable, so you can see that I have the top knot at different places on each shoe to accommodate my high arches. Once your straps are adjusted, you can trim the excess cord and reattach the clips, but they don't bother me so I just leave them. Edit: I forgot that I had also ordered the Genesis Leather sandals but I wound up returning them because the leader cording was so thick and inflexible.

Pic 3: Lems Switchback - These are the least "barefoot" of the sandals. If you look them up you can see how thick the soles are. Which would be great if are walking on rocky trails or across water. Personally, I do not love them because I have not been able to adjust the straps to accommodate my high arches. The soles are so thick and inflexible that I can't walk naturally without the top pressing down on my arches and causing pain. I will say these are sturdy shoes and I'd imagine they would last quite a long time with heavy wear. I did have to return the first pair I bought because of factory defect, but that was no issue at all. If you do not have high arches and need a durable trail shoe, you will likely love these.

Pic 4: Rutsu Skin 2.0 - LOVE these sandals. I was looking for a Birkenstock barefoot replacement when I found these. It took a couple of wears to break the straps in to my comfort, but then the straps feel like butter, I actually forget I'm wearing shoes at all when I wear these. I can definitely wear these on a full day of normal walking. They had a recent 20% off coupon so I ordered them in black as well. I also ordered their Venus sandals, so I'll report back on those.

Pic 5: Groundies Cadiz - I don't believe they make this style anymore because I found them on clearance. I didn't love them because I was told to size up (to an 11) and they wound up being way too big, in acutality I should have sized down. Even then, I'm not sure the front strap would fit right. It's too long and doesn't sit securely on my feet. I will wind up selling these. On looks alone, super cute shoe.

Pic 6: Vivo Tracker Ora - These are the shoes I wanted to work SO badly! If it weren't for my high arches, they would have been perfect. The sole is fantastic, so flexible but thick enough to walk for miles on pavement. They are so super cute, I got compliments everytime I wore them. However, since the toe and ankle strap are attached, I could never find a way to make them fit over my arches comfortably. When I did find the right position, the velcros on the ankles didn't meet up. I even thought about sewing an extra velcro pad higher on the ankles strap to help, but then I couldn't justify putting that much work into $130 sandals, lol. I wound up returning these - Vivo's "try" policy is nice. Love these shoes tho and again, if you don't have the arch issue, I would wager you would love these.

Why TF did they cut to this demonic filter of her standing there like a plastic blow-up doll. You can’t convince me that this family isn’t into the Dark Arts.

After going down this rabbit hole and after the fuckery of Episode 19, I have changed my mind about KC.

Regarding Bryce, now I see why he kept bringing up KC excluding Brinity from the “strong couple” conversation. Bryce has KC clocked as shady!

You all were right. I stayed defending KC and saying Aniya was being overbearing and it was more on her. I WAS WRONG!

And then during Hearts on Fire when Aniya said that KC is always doing the most and making her feel crazy. There’s nothing I hate more than a gaslighter!!

And I now get why Aniya was making a big deal about him not ever being serious because why would you be laughing in Tianna’s face when you’re telling her you’re gonna sleep in the bed with someone else tonight?!?! She had every right to get pissed.

Plus the way he kinda manhandled Kayda in the challenge. 🥵 This man is being slept on. If he doesn’t find a couple, I hope they bring him back next season.

I’ll forever side-eye Kenzie for getting exactly what she asked for and then choosing French Fries McGee knowing full well that he would DJ Skribble anyone who comes around next.

What is this wet and slimy Hefty garbage bag loooooook???

Just let me be in my bed alone and fart whenever I want to at this point 😅

I hope these two wind up together. They have the most chemistry of any two people I’ve ever seen on the show.

Someone gave me this rosary bracelet but I don’t know the picture that is on the saint medallion?

Bought these Groundies that I absolutely love the look of, but made the mistake of going with the site’s recommended size which leaves too much space at the back.

I can’t return or exchange them. So my first option is to sell them, but I really would like to keep them. Second option… how easy or hard would it be to trim off some space from the heel area? What tools and materials would I need?