Totes slipper socks are perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century, as they cunningly combine the hitherto disparate worlds of slippers and, um, socks.

Moisturising slipper socks, on the other hand, are an invention dreamed up by the devil solely for the purposes of freaking me out.

Do you remember the film Shallow Grave? Remember how they found the new flatmate had died suddenly? Well, imagine if you will, that just before Ewan & co decided to hide the body they lopped his feet off, hollowed them out, spread the freshly de-fleshed skin with a thick layer of Vaseline and decided to use them as a lovely pair of moccasins. That rather charming comparison may give you some idea of just how icky these horrible things are.

Appearance wise, these look pretty indistinguishable from regular Totes slipper socks. Mine are pink and are made of the same thick, soft cotton. They come to just below the ankle and on the soles are the non-slip treads in the shape of little feet. These work effectively, especially on wooden floors, but as they are quite tacky to the touch they may pick up fibres from carpets or rugs.

The inside of the socks is made of a soft, rubbery-silicone material that feels cool and smooth to the touch. The theory is that this lining softens and moisturises the hard skin on the feet, leaving them smooth and soft. For additional benefit, the packaging suggests that applying moisturiser before putting the socks on will give increased benefits. It's recommended that the socks are worn for 20 minutes, or overnight.

From personal experience, I'm amazed that anyone manages to keep these on for 2 minutes, let alone twenty. The first time I wore them I had about two false starts before I could bring myself to put my feet into them fully. You know on the Bushtucker Trials where they have to put their hand into a vat of slime with some kind of horrible creature lurking within? This is a not dissimilar experience. The lining feels clammy and tacky against the skin and it never seems to reach body temperature; the cool feeling and slippery sensation means you're always acutely conscious that you're wearing them.

When wearing them overnight I found them unbearable against my skin, and I don't have hyper-tactile skin or any kind of sensitivity. I think I lasted perhaps an hour before I kicked them off and even then my feet felt like there was a sticky, clammy residue on them. Not to be deterred in my quest for supersoft feet, I persevered with them the next day and put them on as I was sat on the sofa watching telly. This was slightly better as I had distractions to take my mind off the unpleasant sensation but I was still very aware I was wearing them. Additionally, walking in them was tricky as the lining made my feet slip inside the sock and so my balance felt insecure - walking down stairs was particularly troublesome and I imagine that running or walking quickly whilst wearing them could actually be quite dangerous.

After twenty minutes of wearing them I could bear it no longer and took them off. There was a bit of a difference in the hard skin around my heels but I wouldn't say it was revolutionary; I could have achieved the same effect with a decent moisturiser and a thick pair of ordinary cotton socks. The lavender fragrance that the lining of the socks is impregnated with did leave a nice scent on my skin but it didn't last long as the unpleasant sensation caused by the lining meant I washed my feet shortly afterwards.

The socks are machine washable on a low temperature but obviously the lavender scent will fade with each wash. Tumble drying is not advised, as it will affect the lining causing it to melt and lose its effectiveness.

I bought mine for around six quid from one of those Book People representatives on the recommendation of Darlene the secretary. I should have realised that Darlene lies; the woman genuinely thinks the greatest album of all time was recorded by Westlife and her other top investment tip was one of those Indian head massager tools that looks like a big spider with metal legs and doesn't so much 'massage' the scalp as 'really bloody hurt' the scalp. Given that The Book People offer items at a significant discount, I imagine these might cost around £10 if bought directly from Betterware. There's no way they're worth that, though; a better use of funds would be to spend three quid on a pair of cosy socks and seven quid on a good moisturiser.

Unless you consider Ed Gein to be an inspirational icon and have always wanted to wear a cadaver as slippers, I'd suggest these are definitely a product to avoid.