So you found the perfect shoes, but they’re missing that little je-ne-sais-quoi. How about sprucing them up yourself, Louboutin-style?!?

That’s just what I did for my wedding pumps: sprayed the bottom with a tiffany-blue spray paint to add a flirty touch to my dancing step!

Let me walk you through the process so you can do it yourself!

Your list of ingredients:

you’ll need:

• the shoes (in this case, a cheap pair of white pumps, with a naughty leopard-print lining ::roar::)
• masking tape (1/2 inch is best as it goes around corners well)
• newsprint (or newspaper, or whatever you can get your hands on)
• spray paint (in desired color)

The process:

first, carefully tape around the edges. You’ll want to do this part VERY CAREFULLY, this is the most important and difficult part. If you spend the extra time to do this right, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache, panic, and clean up later.

Go all the way around the bottom of the shoe, masking the edge of the area to be painted.

Once you’ve gone all the way around, paying special attention to all the curves, wrap the entire shoe with paper.

Use your free hand to roughly rip the correct shape, while taping it down over the first layer of tape with the other hand.

Make sure to not leave any holes or creases that the paint could spray of leak through.

Once you have both shoes gift-wrapped and hermetically sealed, you’ll want to wash the area with rubbing alcohol or vinegar, whatever you have on hand. Nail polish remover works too.

My shoes had been used once before, so they were a little bit dirtier than is recommended, but it’s alright.

Now you’re ready to start shaking that spray paint can, and read the instructions!

Usually you’ll want to keep the can about a foot and a half from the shoe.

Try your best to keep the layer light and even.

If your layer is too thick it will take forever to dry, and if it’s not even, it will be harder for the paint to dry in an even and shiny layer. You’ll get bumps.

You should only need one coat, but if you need two, let the first layer dry fully, according to the directions on the paint.

You’ll notice my paint bubbled up a bit around the parts that were still dirty. This is why you want to wash your shoe well. I didn’t mind too much, that’s the part that gets walked on anyway, but if this happens to you in a noticeable part of the shoe, get paint thinner, take the paint off, wash your shoe again, and try again. This is obnoxious and messy, so make sure to clean your shoe thoroughly.

If you’re not used to spray paint, try spraying an even layer on a piece of paper first to get the hang of it.

If you know you hate spray paint, try with a craft paint instead. personally though I find spray paint evens out best and leaves no brush marks. It’s sharp.

You could also do this with a nail polish, but it’s more expensive, and you’ll want to apply it with a bigger brush than the one provided.

Once your shoes have dried enough to be touched without leaving marks, very carefully take first the paper off, then the inside layer of tape.

Not waiting until they’re fully dry helps the tape come off clean, but be careful not to let the tape touch the shoes.

If you did a crappier job taping than you’d hoped for (as I did) keep calm and take out your nail polish remover and cotton pads. Carefully wipe off the paint, folding the pad, or changing it, after every wipe so as not to spread the paint even more.

If you want extra bling, once the color has dried fully, you can give it a layer of glitter, either with a spray glitter paint, repeating the above steps, or with a glue and glitter, the way it is applied in this tutorial. 

For extra longevity, consider a layer of clear lacquer.

Voila!

You can also do this for your special going-out shoes, or for any special occasion, and in any color!! Go wild and thank Louboutin!

Let me know how it goes!