GIVE YOUR BOX CALF SHOES A LONGLASTING LIFE

Goodyear welted shoes are characterized by their high durability and resistance in time. In today's post we will tackle the care process we use here at Carmina to ensure the shoes longevity. We have chosen our bestseller Oxford, model 910 in beautiful tan boxcalf leather and assembled on one of the house favourites, Rain last to illustrate the proper care for your shoes.

First things first, remove the laces so you can have easy access to the entire work area. Next, inset the shoe trees, they will not only help maintain the shape and absorb humidity inside the shoe, but it will also provide a smooth surface, which will help with a correct application of the care products.

Prior to starting applying the care products it is of utter importance to brush the shoes entirely and remove any dust or dirt. Not only you will make sure that your shoes are clean before applying the cream but it will also help with providing a deep nourishment for the shoes. For this step, we have chosen our larger Carmina brush to cover more surface in less time.

It is now time to apply our shoe cream using a chamois or a soft cotton cloth. We have selected the colour to match the tan colour of the shoes. We will start by applying small quantities of cream using circular movements. The cream will help nourish and soften the leather making wearing the shoes more comfortable. It wiill also help not only to maintain the colour but also cover any visible scratches or subtle stains. Once applied, it is important to let it dry for about 2 to 5 minutes or untill the shoe are not sticky to touch any longer. This would be when you can make use of the time to tackle the other shoe.

After dried, we go back with the brush to be able to remove any excess products and bring the shine of the shoe. For this step, we have used our medium-sized Carmina brush, in order to have a better precision in our movements.

Now is the time to apply the wax. Ideally, you could mix in a bit of the cream used in the previous steps in order to add to the colour, however, for this tutorial we have chosen to use our colourless wax in order to showcase it is appropriate to use on any colour shoes.

Use the chamois or the cotton cloth to applyu the wax, make sure the cloth used is clean. We will apply it using circular movements, the same way as done for the cream. Avoid using it on the areas such as the vamp or quarters, where the shoes wrinkle as the layer of wax could crack and have an unpleasant look. Leave the was to completely dry (2 to 5 minutes).

Once the wax has dried completely, it is time to the shoes that sought after shine! Brush the shoes till you get to the desired shine.

In case you are not fully satisfied with the shine you can go ahead an apply another fine layer of wax, focusing it on the cap toe and the counter areas. Remember to let it completely dry in between working with layers. It is best practice to apply a small amount, brush and repeat rather than use a big amount of wax that will take a long, long time to dry and can look uneven.

The wax will offer protection against moisture and other external factors. Feel free to use this routine once a week or once every other week, adapting your routine to the frequency of use. We do recommend maintaining a shoe routine despite

Remember that using shoe trees whilst the shoes aren't being used will help maintain the shape of the leather and prevent wrinkles forming on the cap toe or quarters. Wooden shoe trees can help absorb the moisture which in the long run will prevent the shoes to wrinkle or even worse, break on the inside.

Make sure to maintain a regular care routine for your box calf shoes, this will ensure your shoes will last a long time and avoid small damage become permanent.

Use a shoe horn when putting on the shoes, in order to avoid wrinkles to form on the quarters, in the heel area.

Leave dry the product completely between coats, this way you make sure the cream is absorbed and it will profoundly condition the leather and the wax will offer its best results.

Work with fine layers, it is good practice to apply 2 even thin layers of product rather and wait a short time to dry between them, than one thick coat that will take a long time to dry and can look uneven. Waiting for the product to dry completely between coats is of utter importance.