A while ago I wrote a post on different types of shoe inserts, including an insole to give a shoe some extra padding. A couple of months ago I was approached by a woman named Chai who is the owner of a new shop called AirPufs. Chai asked if I’d be interested in reviewing an insole that she patented. I asked how it was different than a standard insert besides the fact that it had really cute designs.
I read her story about being a flight attendant in search of more comfortable shoe solutions and discovering marshmallow foam, which is 20x more shock absorbent than any generic material that mass market brands use.
I was intrigued. I offered to test them but wouldn’t agree to doing a review unless I actually believed that AirPufs were better than standard insoles. Plus, they’re twice the cost of commercial brands, so they really needed to be better in order for me to share them with you.
I’ve been testing them for months now, and since this post is happening you know what the verdict is!
AirPufs boggle my mind! The special foam they are made of makes them pretty dang thin (much thinner than gel insoles and possibly even thinner than these other foam ones I was previously using) but are surprisingly better than the other foam inserts! At first I couldn’t tell if AirPufs were different than commercial brands and I almost declined the review. But I decided I had to do some thorough comparison before I fairly declined.
I did a side by side comparison with dorky tests like standing in heels for 5 and 10 min increments with AirPufs in one shoe and a commercial brand in the other to see the difference. Then I switched which insert was paired with which foot to see if it was all in my head. You guys! AirPufs won! Whereas the commercial brand lost cushiness within a few minutes, AirPufs didn’t. With my old insoles I was starting to feel the hardness of the shoe at the heel and balls of my feet, but AirPufs’ cushiness outran them. When I switched which foot got which insert the hurting foot instantly felt relief with Airpufs and the previously cushioned happy foot felt the pressure points. The difference was not in the immediate feel, but in the longevity of comfort.I was wearing them on these days:
Like I said, I’ve been testing these things!
I don’t want to over promise anything to you by telling you your feet won’t feel ANYTHING. They will. It even happens in flats, you know? But, get this. Was I able to walk around a whole lot at a wedding for several hours holding an extra 17 pounds of cute baby without thinking about my feet? Yes. And did I spend over an hour dancing–REALLY dancing (I like to get down, what can I say?)–in crappy, cheap H&M heels and not want to cry or throw off my shoes? YES. YES I DID. I did not take off my heels and change into flats–that I brought–to dance. Say WHAAAAT?
On a pain scale of 1-10 I maaaaaaybe felt a 3 by the very end of the night. Like I said, you’ll feel something. Even in flats you feel SOMETHING after hours. But, a 3 out of 10 in a crappy pair of heels ain’t too shabby, you know? In fact, I’d say that’s actually wildly amazing. I’m utterly impressed that I danced in heels for an hour after walking around in them for several hours and didn’t even think about throwing off my shoes ASAP in the car!
Now that I’m retelling what happened at the wedding I can’t even believe it as I’m saying it. But I know it happened because I wrote it down after, haha!
And this weekend for Easter at church I wore my blue pumps (farthest right pic above, but with a diff outfit). I stood, walked, and even jumped in them for 6.5 hours and my feet were fine!
Thin and lightweight. Also anti bacterial. I can’t attest to the anti bacterial nature, so I’m just going to trust Chai when she says that. But like I mentioned before, they are very thin and lightweight.
Cute designs. Besides AirPufs helping me last all day in my heels, they come in 12 cute designs. How fun is it to look inside your shoe at a pretty lining? I didn’t really know the answer to that, but now I do. SO FUN. 🙂 Also, it makes them great for open toed shoes too because if the lining peeks out, at least it’ll be cute and interesting.
Reusable. There is a strip of adhesive on the bottom to keep AirPufs in place, but it also allows for reusability. You can take them off and reuse them in other shoes. Though, beware, the shop advises that multiple removals are not recommended to keep adhesive sticky. So, while they are reusable I would still use that feature minimally. I personally haven’t tried the adhesive yet because they’ve stayed in place in my pumps without it. Once I bust them out for open-toed shoes I’ll probably start using the adhesive.
Use in flats. Chai told me that another AirPufs user said they also used AirPufs to make flats more comfortable by turning them around so that the widest part of the insole is at the heel. I didn’t even need to turn mine around–they made my flats super comfortable putting them in the normal way!
International Shipping
If you have an aversion to heels, seriously, get AirPufs. I honestly could not wait to post this review because of how great they are! I just ordered a bunch to give as gifts to my friends because they’re pretty freaking amazing.
Chai is actually based in Singapore but ships internationally. For US, shipping should be about $4, though that will change depending on how many pairs you order. For further questions about shipping, ask Chai through Etsy or Shopify. 🙂
Everyone should over to AirPufs on Etsy RIGHT NOW! 😀 If you’re not on Etsy you can also go to: http://airpufs.myshopify.com/
This post was created in partnership with AirPufs. All opinions are mine. For more on PMT’s sponsorship policies, see disclosure.
