DIY cap toe shoes [you'll never guess what color]

...that is, unless you have Twitter, in which case you already saw a preview of these babies last week.

We've certainly all familiarized ourselves with the ever popular cap toe shoe trend, correct? Basically, it's a shoe with a different color on the toe box...I'll allow Christian Louboutin to demonstrate:

tres beautiful. my inspiration.

The cap toe shoe is a great incorporation of color blocking, and it can either spice up a neutral shoe (add some neon!), glam up a stodgy pair (metalics work great!), or just add some fun contrast.

Well, I happened to have the following pair of boring-ish black leather shoes...fake leather mind you, as they were just $10. Aren't they just begging for a more interesting color on the other side of that zipper?? I didn't want to go with a distinct color, since these are my current wear-every-day-during-commute shoes (I am NOT ruining my heels on the streets of DC), and therefore need to match everything. Wait. I have an idea. What about...gold?
 

So, first I layered on some regular old white acrylic paint. Doesn't matter how it looks, we're going to cover it up in a moment anyway. I tested it out, as I recommend you do as well, and though the gold went on full-coverage, I wanted to be able to use it sparingly and reserve it for the additional two zillion posts I have planned that will require liquid gold leaf...so, on with the white to give us a nice base.

I didn't tape. I just didn't think it was necessary. I have a pretty steady hand I just didn't give a hoot what happened to these shoes. Feel free to tape away if that floats your boat. Once the white dries, layer on the gold, and once the gold dries, layer on a protective application of polyurethane. It seals, waterproofs, adds some shine.

Came out decent, no? And they look even better in instagram, of course.