Tiffany Blue Glitter Shoes - Updated for 2016!

Giving up glittering for lent will *fingers crossed* hopefully mean catching up on blogging. So here goes!

In 2014, I did a Tiffany Box Shoe and shared my thoughts/research/insanity on how best to match that iconic shade (at the time, I went with Recollections "frost" blended with Martha Stewart "wintermint") and a recent chat with a fellow shoe-glitter-enthusiast reminded me I've been meaning to write an updated post!

Tiffany Box is a fairly common theme for Muses shoe glitterers - like ruby slippers and Cinderella shoes, it's just one of those themes we all love to put our own unique spin on (full disclosure: I was not the first). Tiffany blue and black are also the official krewe colors of the newest arrival on the Carnival scene, the Krewe of Pandora (their signature throw is a hand decorated glittered box). So maybe some Pandora ladies will find their way here and find this info useful! Maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about with all this "krewe" and "signature throw" talk, but want to DIY some Tiffany blue shoes for your wedding day - I got your back.

My glitter collection has grown a lot since 2014, including a new shade introduced by Martha Stewart called "crystal mint," which is pretty damned near perfectly matched to Tiffany blue (probably not a coincidence based on the sheer volume of Tiffany blue that appears in wedding boards on Pinterest). So while I stand by my blending on Tiffany Box Shoe version 1.0, it was time to revisit the concept. I pulled some "top contenders" for the closest mix-free match to Tiffany blue (including the two I'd mixed previously and a Tiffany & Co. bag for comparison) and put it up to a vote over on my Instagram account:

#1 is Martha Stewart "wintermint," #2 is Recollections "frost," #3 is Martha Stewart "crystal mint" and #4 is ultra fine glitter from Joann's in "Caribbean blue"

Popular opinion (and I happen to agree) was that #3 was the closest match to Tiffany blue. So there you have it - just make sure (as always with an iridescent sheer glitter) you're layering over a similar pale blue or white so the underlying shoe color doesn't bleed through (I would prime with white spray paint first, personally or start with a white shoe or purse). I should also note that Martha Stewart "crystal mint" is what GlitterBuzzNola used for her Tiffany shoe, and you can see for yourself how lovely it turned out. I buy Martha Stewart glitter at Michael's (usually using a 40% off coupon), you can buy it online here. Note that there isn't any "crystal mint" in the 12-pack, so you're looking at getting one of the 1.5 oz bottles (which is about the right amount for covering one average sized shoe).

I can't just leave it at that though, as Martha Stewart iridescent glitter is on the higher end of the price per ounce scale. Martha Stewart iridescent glitter is $5.99 for a 1.5 ounce bottle at Michael's, so $4/ounce if you're buying full price, a somewhat more reasonable $2.40/ounce if you use a 40% off coupon.

The #4 option shown, Extra Fine Glitter from Joann's is a bit cheaper: $4.49 for 2 ounces, so $2.25/ounce regular price and $1.35/ounce with a 40% off coupon (though honestly I tend to use my coupons at Joann's on trim, as I think that gives me more bang for my buck, so I'd probably be getting this on a 20% off entire purchase coupon day instead)

If all that math isn't really your thing and you just want to make a decision based on color/prettiness, here are some pictures to help with that:

Tiffnay bag for comparison plus glitter samples (essentially what I posted on IG but no filter)

Samples of (left to right) MS "wintermint," Recollections "frost," MS "crystal mint" and Joann's fine glitter "Caribbean blue" with flash

Tiffany bag on the far left for comparison, and full bottles of glitter with samples of each. The big jar on the far right and the sample below the others is Gary's glitter by the pound which wasn't in the original voting block.

Same, but with flash

So, what I'm doing on my Tiffany Box 2.0 (I'm doing some riffs on the box wedge approach I did for my Chocolate Box shoe, including a Tiffany box filled with jewels), is two coats of the cheaper Joann's and a third exterior coat of "crystal mint" so I can use the pricier stuff in moderation and save it for another shoe (maybe another Tiffany shoe or two or three, who knows?) I'm planning a Disney themed challenge for myself this year, and I imagine it'll come in handy there.

Here's my Tiffany Box after the first two coats of Joann's "Caribbean blue," I will update when the shoe is finished:

I also must add that Gary's makes a powdery blue that I straight up fell in love with this year. Gary's is one of the best prices around ($8.50 per pound the last time I was in there) and who doesn't love to buy local? It's just a hair too pale to be a 100% perfect match for Tiffany blue, but it's pretty close and so so much cheaper than Martha Stewart. When I posted this shoe I was fiddling with over on Instagram, I actually got comments that it looked I was doing a Tiffany shoe!

So, I would definitely recommend a trip to Gary's, especially if you had a ton of boxes to glitter...at the very least you could give yourself a break by doing 1-2 coats of that, then following up with a coat of one of the pricier glitters if your heart was really set on one of them.

Ribbon-wise, I used an actual Tiffany box ribbon on the first shoe, but for this one I'm using papermart.com double-faced white satin ribbon. I buy a ton of stuff from papermart.com (including the plastic gift bags I use for my shoes and sequin trim), and I've liked everything I've bought from them. And no I don't get anything for saying that (don't I wish!) Their double faced real satin ribbon is luxury on a spool. Sidebar: they also sell glitter by the pound and in little 1 ounce bottles...it's a little less fine/chunkier than Martha Stewart, Recolllections or Gary's, but still workable (what it lacks in fineness it makes up for in brightness). Explore the site a little, and if you're ordering anything get yourself a few of the 1 ounce tubes to check out/play with if you're curious and get a spool or two of sequin trim from them (you have to pay for shipping, but the cheapness of the sequin trim is worth it).

Sooooo that's everything I've got on Tiffany Box glittering...anyone got any other tips? Leave 'em in the comments pretty please!