I gave these shoes a worthy try, but in the end, they hurt my feet and body in many ways. The thong between the toes is very stiff and hard and just hurts, no matter your "break-in" period. I never did feel my muscles "engage and tone", although my calf and foot muscles, and knees sure did ache after wearing them as much as I could for a month. My glutes and abs? They are not aware that I was wearing toning shoes. The one positive is that the foot bed is very cushy, but there is little arch support. Other reviewers noted them to be a bit narrow in the toes, and I would concur - my pinky was on the edge. One should also size up if you are a half size - I usually wear a 7 or 7-1/2, and I ordered an 8. This fit my foot appropriately - a 7 would have been way too small. I ordered the white/purple, and the color and appearance are nice - very cute and very purple!