New York State

A MOTHER has revealed that she is refusing to buy her child new school shoes for the rest of term as she has come up with a handy hack to keep her current pair looking fresh. 

Samantha Potts, a savvy woman from the UK, explained that rather than constantly splashing the cash each term on new school shoes, she simply uses a Sharpie pen to colour in where the material has peeled off.

Tiktok/@samanthapotts05

A savvy mum has shared that rather than buying her daughter new school shoes, she instead colours them in with a Sharpie[/caption]

Tiktok/@samanthapotts05

But Samantha Potts was met with harsh criticism from many, with users even calling her a “cheapskate” for her actions[/caption]

But Samantha’s quick and easy trick has been met with a barrage of nasty abuse, with mean trolls accusing her of being a “cheapskate”.

Not only this, but other parents voiced their concern that Samantha’s idea could set her young daughter, who is in primary school, up for “ridicule and bullying”. 

Posting online, Samantha gave her followers a close-up look at her daughter’s black shoes, with half of the gloss peeled off.

But with Samantha “fed up of buying shoes”, she got a permanent marker to give the tired footwear a freshen up for the last term. 

Alongside her short clip, Samantha said: “When it’s the last term of the year at school and your kid has decided to peel off her shoes – you are now stood here colouring it in with a permanent marker because you don’t want to buy any more shoes.”

Samantha then asked: “The question is, do I pull this bit off so it’s the whole front of one shoe? Do I keep it on? Who knows?”

Following this, she asked her followers: “What will look better? I feel like at this stage it can’t get any worse.” 

Showing off her daughter’s coloured-in patent shoes, Samantha recognised: “I know they look bad.”

The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @samanthapotts05 just 15 hours ago, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 221,800 views.

Not only this, but it’s also amassed 3,324 likes, 735 comments and 296 shares. 

But trolls were stunned by Samantha’s purse-friendly idea and many eagerly raced to the comments to voice their opinions. 

One person said: “Shoe Zone £10. Go buy some cheapskate.” 

You can’t let her walk around like that for six weeks, please buy her some shoes

TikTok user

Another added: “Never would I send my kid to school in shoes like that, regardless of it being last term or not.” 

A third commented: “Asda do school shoes for £6, that works out at £1 a week!” 

One mother fumed: “You can’t let her walk around like that for six weeks, please buy her some shoes.”

Whilst another slammed: “Or just buy your kids new shoes! Would you go out like that? No.. so why make your child?” 

At the same time, another fuming user wrote: “I’ll buy new shoes. This is not on. I get it times are hard but there has to be a pot for this stuff. 

“I wouldn’t dream of sending a child to school in those. Knowing how mean children can be, you’re opening your child up to ridicule and bullying.”

She is only in Year 1, most days her dresses are covered in pen or paint or her lunch from the day and she couldn’t care less so I don’t think a little permanent marker on her shoes is gonna bother her

Samantha Potts

But in response to the haters, Samantha later responded: “Wow, didn’t expect this to blow up as much as it did. 

“Just to clear a few things up – she’s got 31 days left. Nine of those are PE so she will be in trainers. 

“Why would I teach my kid that intentionally ruining something gets rewarded? It’s wasteful and the structural integrity of the shoes are still there, if they were broken I’d replace them.

“She is only in Year 1, most days her dresses are covered in pen or paint or her lunch from the day and she couldn’t care less so I don’t think a little permanent marker on her shoes is gonna bother her.”

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club

LOVE Island stars Harriett Blackmore and Ronnie Vint have split up after rekindling their romance on All Stars earlier this year. 

The couple, who were recently on holiday together in Ibiza, have now both unfollowed each other on social media, with Ronnie also deleting photos of Harriett.

Instagram

Love Island stars Harriett Blackmore and Ronnie Vint have split up after rekindling their romance on All Stars earlier this year[/caption]

Instagram

The couple, who were recently on holiday together in Ibiza, have now both unfollowed each other on social media[/caption]

Rex

They gave their romance another shot on All Stars this year[/caption]

It’s now been confirmed to The Sun that the pair have opted to go their separate ways.

Their split comes just days after the couple were hit with split fears by concerned fans. 

Fans had spotted that footballer Ronnie, 28, had deleted photos of Harriett, 25, from Instagram – sparking fears they had separated.

But Ronnie took to his Instagram story to deny that they’re on the rocks at the time, and said posts about the break-up are fake.

The Love Island star shared a screengrab from an Instagram page that claimed he and Harriett had split.

The post appeared to show Ronnie commenting: “Yeah it’s true. Will explain my side of things later,” along with the caption: “Ronnie Vint is sharing his side of that story with what happened with Harriett.”

But Ronnie insisted that was simply a cruel hoax by a social media user.

He wrote: “This is clearly a set up. Edited because we are sweet and I haven’t commented a thing. Thank you.”

Just a day before, Ronnie and Harriett posted a since-deleted story around the same time, saying “LOOOOL”, with a black background.

One fan wrote on Reddit: “Harriet and Ronnie broke up??

“Ronnie posted this on his IG story and deleted the movie premiere photo with Harriett.”

Another added: “This is not the first time he has done cryptic stories and archive and unarchived posts with her.

“Why make it obvious on socials? Just fight in private.

“I highly think their relationship will end on very bad terms with how clear it gets that it’s so unhealthy.”

A third shared: “Both wiped each other from their IG. How people do that so quick is beyond me.”

However, the photos in question were then back and restored on Instagram.

Since that speculation online, Harriett posted Instagram snaps of the pair enjoying a sunny holiday in Dubai, and captioned them: “Dreamiest week”.

They’ve also been enjoying time together in Ibiza recently, but have unfollowed each other while away. 

It comes as the villa duo’s plans to move in together were recently revealed.

Harriett opened up to The Mirror, saying: “In June. Everything’s happening at once.

“We’re moving up towards London, which is exciting.

“It’s really close to Matilda [Draper], so we’ll be spending a lot of time with her and going back and forth.”

Last summer, the pair had originally split just weeks after previously leaving the villa.

However, viewers watched as Harriet and Ronnie rekindled their connection on Love Island: All Stars.

Although Ronnie was an original All Stars islander, his then-ex entered as a bombshell on Day 11.Having reunited, the pair fell short of winning after being “dumped” on Day 34 of 36.

Rex

Ronnie took to his Instagram story to deny that they’re on the rocks recently[/caption]

Instagram/Harriettblackmorex

The couple posted photos from a holiday together last week and are currently in Ibiza[/caption]

AFFORDABLE beauty products have a special place in my heart.

While I love testing luxury launches, there’s nothing more satisfying than finding a gem for less than a tenner.

This year, more budget products than ever before have impressed me by far out-performing their price tags.

When Rimmel Thrill Seeker Lip Ink Pen, £9.99, landed on my desk in January, I put it to one side while I continued working.

But to my surprise, a few days later I realised I’d reached for it before every meeting that week to look more polished, and the colour had stayed put all day.

It’s not patchy or sticky, and the slimline nib means I can trace my lip line, then tilt the pen on its side to fill in the bulk of my lips.

Aldi

The brand new Lacura Watermelon Serum promises to brighten skin[/caption]

Similary, I bought Maybelline Instant Anti Age Eraser Eye Concealer Color Corrector Pink, £9.99, on a whim with low expectations after a passport photo left me looking like I had two black eyes.

The original version is my favourite budget concealer – even though I hate the sponge applicator, the formula and coverage is unrivalled.

The light-pink hue is perfect for my blue-toned shadows and it applies smoothly.

The sponge (for all its unhygienic flaws) helps control how much product is applied so you don’t overload the delicate under-eye area.

Plus, it layers well with my concealer, and makes my under-eyes look far less tired.

Aldi

Aldi Luminous Filter is a returning fan favourite[/caption]

They’re just a couple of the affordable beauty products to have made it into my regular rotation over the last six months, and I’m always on the hunt for more.

So, when I heard Aldi were launching not one, but seven new beauty dupe products this week – all under £5 – I had to put them to the test.

Here’s how I got on...

LACURA LIP BALMS, £3.49

It only takes one look at these new balms to guess who Aldi used as inspo.

Drum roll please… it has to be Summer Fridays.

The tasty flavours are right out of the viral brands playbook – although Aldi’s are £19.50 cheaper – and sure to be a hit with those who love sweet treats.

Having tried all three, the 90s brown Dulce De Leche variety is my favourite, because of the pout perfecting sheer tint it delivers.

On application, all three of the shades melted across my lips quickly, so didn’t take any blending out, and felt buttery soft, with a gloss that isn’t sticky or greasy.

Aldi promise the formula is packed with Shea Butter and Murumuru Seed Butter to deeply hydrate and soothe lips – although I found they wore off quickly, and left my lips feeling tight and dry.

LACURA SCULPTING BRONZING STICK, £4.49

When I first opener the Sculpting Bronzing sticks, I was worried.

There’s very little variation between the two shades, and they’re both very warm hued – bordering on orange.

On skin, they’re very pigmented, and you have to work quickly to avoid them going patchy.

After some trial and error, I found using my fingers – rather than a brush or sponge – worked best, as the warmth helped melt the product into my skin.

I’m extremely pale, so they’re both too dark for me, but if you aren’t paper-white, you’ll have better luck.

The formula layers well over foundation, and once it’s set, it doesn’t budge, which will be great for hot summer weather.

I swatched both sticks on the back of my arm to work out which shade I should apply to my face, and despite removing both within a couple of minutes, they left a stain that withstood a bath and a shower!

LACURA WATERMELON BRIGHTENING AND BRONZING SERUMS, £4.99 EACH

I’m a huge fan of Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Serum, £32 – both the untinted and bronzing variety – so as soon as I saw the packaging of these serums I knew they were a dupe.

Niacinamide is one of my favourite skincare ingredients – thanks to it’s ability to reduce inflammation and redness, balance oil control and soothe skin – and both brand’s hero it in their formulations.

In fact, the first five ingredients are exactly the same across the two, so on paper you’d expect them to be similar.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

The bronzing serum is extremely glittery, and very orange, giving me flash-backs to the Geordie Shore style fake tan of my teens.

Thankfully, the untinted version was much better.

It has a thick serum formula, that instantly cools the skin soothing any irritation.

I used it for a few days, and my skin felt softer and more plump – although it does have a strong watermelon scent, so that’s something to note if you struggle with fragranced products.

LACURA SHIMMER HYDRATING FACIAL MIST, £4.49

When this landed on my desk, I immediately question when I’d ever have an occasion to wear it.

If you haven’t already worked it out – I’m really not a fan of glittery products on my face.

My skin is oily enough as it is, and I don’t think the vampire look is very in.

Formulated with antioxidant ingredients including Vitamin E, Chamomile, and Green Tea, the formula definitely leaves skin brighter and feeling refreshed.

It took a few minutes to dry down, during which time the glitter transferred to everything I touched.

I can’t get past the school-disco levels of shimmer, but if that’s your thing, you’ll love the face mist!

LACURA BLUSH, £3.99

As far as I’m concerned, blush is the most underrated make-up product.

So many people worry about where to apply it, or going to far and looking like a clown – but get it right, and it’s the quickest way to add life to your face and revive your complexion.

There’s two shades of blush; coral – which has a peachy orange hue and candy, that’s more pink in colour.

Again, they’re both extremely glittery – I’d love to meet the Aldi boss who’s obsessed with the stuff!

Supposedly, they’re dupes of the iconic Nars Orgasm blusher – and while the packaging certainly looks similar, the OG formulas are not nearly as shimmery.

Thankfully, after a few uses the glitter isn’t quite so prominent – in future, I’d scrape the top layer of product off to get rid of it rather than apply it to my face.

The blush has the perfect level of pigment, so you only need to dip your brush in once for enough pay off, but not too much that you risk over-doing it.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better blusher for the price.

LACURA LUMINOUS FILTER FOUNDATION, £4.99

Last time this was on shelves, shoppers went wild – calling it a dead ringer for Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter.

I’d not tried it before, so I had high hopes.

The product description claims it ‘creates a flawless base and blurs imperfections’ which sounds right up my street.

The consistency is thinner than I expected, so I have to wear foundation on top to get enough coverage – which means I then loose out on the glow.

As you can guess, it’s also more sparkly than the £39 version, although I went in expecting as much so I wasn’t too offended.

Having experimented with it a few times now, it works best if you mix it with your foundation, or use your fingers to apply to the high points of your face rather than as an all-over primer.

If you want a Flawless Filter dupe that’s more like the real deal, I prefer E.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow, £15.

LACURA MICROBLADE EFFECT PEN, £3.49

Tiktok goes wild for micro-blade effect brow pens, but in all honesty, I’ve never quite understood the hype.

This one has three distinct tips, which do help to create hair like strokes, but the ink formula quickly spread into the fine lines and texture of my skin – so the definition quickly disappeared.

With this kind of formula, it’s really hard to control the pigment load you apply to skin, so you can quickly end up with brows that’re far too dark.

If you want to try the trend, £3.49 isn’t too much of a risk, but be warned it’ll take a lot of patience to get right!

Overtourism in the Balearics has sparked fierce backlash.

They were together for a decade.

It's not been a popular film.

She revealed the truth behind her exit decision.

It's been a turbulent few months for the Beckhams.

Love is in the air!