Jambu Shoe Review & Giveaway!

Most days you can find me wearing flip flops. Since I teach yoga and practice yoga everyday, I feel like I'm always just about to take my shoes off -- so what's the point of lacing up? Now that I ride my bike so often, you might also find me in my highly unstylish (vegan!) clip-in bike shoes. Not to mention the fact that I am also almost always wearing yoga clothes.

I know most people spend the day looking forward to getting home, taking off their work clothes, and slipping into their yoga pants. Well, for me it's the exact opposite. Ha ha. I always love an opportunity to kick off the flip flops, put on some non-stretchy fabrics and some fancier shoes, and feel like a real grown up!

My first-ever pair of Jambu shoes. I found these at a local shoe store years ago, and I still love them 

I couldn't believe that such cute and comfortable shoes were all vegan.

A few years ago, I started to feel like I was living my whole life in my PJs and I felt like slob. So, I embarked upon a "Wardrobe Improvement Project" (aka WIP) -- an effort to supplement my non-yoga clothes options. In addition to a few skirts and a few nice tops, I was gonna need some cute vegan shoes. Turns out, that's a bit more easily said than done. I looked high and low before I finally hit paydirt! I discovered a super awesome pair of dressy shoes with cute detailing and strappy straps ~ made by a new-to-me brand called Jambu Shoes. They had great-looking shoes, and many (though not all) of their styles were vegan. Since that first discovery, I have owned, worn and loved many pairs of Jambu shoes.

My second pair of Jambu shoes were these excellent and comfy little sporty shoes. 

They were perfect for dog walks and bike rides.

  

on the bed, chewing happily                                              tragedy strikes

 I am forced to talk about these shoes in the past tense because a couple of years ago Miss Dottie Bonkers chewed the straps off of the left shoe -- and despite multiple efforts, I was unable to repair them. Taking these pictures made me realize that I had actually held on to these shoes all this time just because I liked them so much. Finally, it was time to let go. I took my photo with Dottie (the perpetrator of this heinous crime against vegan shoes) and finally tossed my destroyed shoes. 

*wipes tear from eye*

By far my most favorite pair of Jambus are the pair of lovely little brown Esmerelda boots that I found on Zappos a couple years ago (Zappos even has a vegan search filter!). I fell in love with these comfy, warm, stylish and snazzy shoes. Plus! They even have a super easy Velcro open-close, so they aren't a hassle to take on and off over and over again during the course of the day. That's a nice convenient touch for a yogi like me.

I gotta tell you something about these boots. They put such a Pep In My Step! Every time I put them on, I feel a little more sassy, a little more daring and saucy, a little more take-on-the-world. Even my mom noticed that I walk differently when I wear my Jambu boots! It's like they're magic little confidence-giving mood lifters. 

Since I love them so much, I featured these little brown boots in my vegan Christmas gift guide last season -- and to my total delight, I got an email from Jambu asking if I'd  like to receive a new pair of Jambus and do a review. Heck, yeah!! They have quite a few vegan styles - as you can see here - some are more dressy and some are more sporty. It sure was hard to pick, but I decided that my life would be greatly improved by a sweet little red pair of boots.

so cute!!

I was right! Somedays I want to feel fancy and elegant and sophisticated - and my brown boots are perfect for those days. Other days I need a little more sass in my step, a little more flair on the feet - and these red boots really bring it!

These boots are SO comfortable. They have a slight heel, but they feel really stable to walk in. The soles inside are cooshy and super comfy. The shoes are lined, but I still feel they are more comfortable when worn with socks. They are also pretty warm, so they're better for days or nights when you want cozy feet and not for hot days. But, you should probably be wearing your flip flops on hot days anyway!

Stevie-approved!

Even though I usually wear a size 9 or 9 1/2, my brown pair of Jambu boots are actually an 8 1/2. In fact, all my old pairs of Jambus  seemed to run a size or two higher than standard sizing. So, when I first wrote back to Jambu, I asked for a red pair of Esmerelda boots in size 8.5, figuring they would be the same.  

Jambu seems to have resolved these sizing issues though, because it turned out that the 8.5 were just a bit too small for me. Feeling confident about the sizing, I wore them out to dinner for one night before realizing they really were too small for my feet to keep wearing them. I felt so sheepish about writing back to Jambu to let them know that my sample shoes were too small. The folks at Jambu were super gracious about it and sent me another pair that fit perfectly! My new pair is a size 9 and fits perfectly with a thin pair of socks on my feet.

Jambu Esmerelda Boot Giveaway!

it could be YOU snapping your heels in these fancy red boots! 

Luckily for any of you with size 8.5 feet - After my ordering snafu, I just happen to have a super snazzy pair of size 8.5 red Esmerelda boots from Jambu! After talking with the folks at Jambu, they suggested I put my too-small-for-me shoes to good use and feature a give away on my blog. Like I said, I did wear them that one time, but they are essentially brand new and they want a happy home on your feet. 

To enter - just leave a comment here and tell me about your favorite shoes ever, or your favorite pair of vegan shoes, or whether you are a fancy shoes or a flip flops person, or really just say anything nice. I'll pick a winner on Thursday, April 30th.

Sorry international friends, this giveaway is open to USA readers only.

**Free Two-Day Shipping!**

Happily, even if you aren't a size 8.5, Jambu has offered a code to receive free 2-day shipping 

if you order from their site: "jambuvegan"

Also, in honor of Earth Day, they will be planting a tree for every pair of shoes ordered, 

and giving away tote bags. Pretty cool! 

Stevie & Amey : friends for life

I know it's silly, but one of my favorite things about these boots is how cute they look when I look down at my own feet. This can most definitely not be said of every shoe style in size 9