These are very cute little shoes and my 3 year old adores them.  The sparkles are coated so they do not scratch or rub off on things (other sparkle shoes we have owned have left sparkles all over the house or scratch my daughter on the legs as she plays).  They have the comfort and flexibility of a sneaker which is great.  But... they don't seem to hold up very well.  After just a few wears the seams started to pull apart in a couple of places (despite the fact that the shoes are at least a 1/2 size too big) and the strap was fraying.  My daughter still loves them and is still wearing them months later, but I think they will fall apart before she outgrows them.