Give Your Boots That Military Mirror Shine

Looking to make your boots shine? It takes elbow grease, but it's doable. This is the way that the military does it.

Steps

Brush off any dirt or dust on the boot, from heel to toe.
Wrap the duster cloth around your index finger, making sure there are no wrinkles. Apply a medium layer of polish to the boot using the duster and your finger. Rub it in until a faint shine starts to show.
Once the faint shine comes through and the polish has been worked into the boot, take your index finger and the cloth and dip it lightly into the water, and start rubbing it into the boot over the polish in small circles about an inch wide. Keep doing this until a greater shine comes through and the swirls start to disappear.
Leave it to dry for a few minutes, and then once dry, take your index finger again and apply a thin layer of polish to the boot, start rubbing it in until an even better shine comes through, then apply the water to it using the method in Step 3. Leave to dry again.
Take the damp index finger and apply a tiny dot of polish to the boot and work in till it shines. Make sure that the cloth is very damp but not dripping.
Repeat Step 5 until you get the desired level of shine.
Take the soft shoe brush and buff the boot all over until it starts to shine, then take the soft cloth and buff again until desired shine is obtained.
Repeat until happy with results.

In step 6 you should apply maybe about 8-9 layers as it gives best shine.
Make sure that the polish you use is a Kiwi brand, as other brands will probably tarnish your boots and contain chemicals that will make them crack
The back of a teaspoon can be used to press normal polish into cracks in the boot before adding a coat of parade gloss to give the shine.
Apply the polish to the sole edges as well. Boots look much neater and greater if they are cleaned literally from ground to top.
To get a gleaming shine, use Kiwi Parade Shine polish AFTER a base of Kiwi Shoe Polish - it contains silicone, which makes the shoe/boot much shinier - but will make the boots crack IF they are the base layer.
Another point to think about is to melt the polish onto the boot/shoe - sit the polish tin in hot water to soften to a thin paste and rub in.
Another option is to use Leather Luster. This is a product that you paint on to the boot and allow to dry. This will give you an almost "instant" mirror finish with low maintenance. However, this finish will crack and will be next to impossible to remove. It should only be used on surfaces that will not bend.
You may also want to consider using cotton wool unless your duster has been boil washed because of the yellow dye in the duster.
You can also use vinegar instead of warm water for improved results.
Use more water than polish.
If the boot gets scuffed, just polish it with the method of polish on, polish off. This will remove the scuff quite easily.

Do not use alcohol as it can strip the already existing polish of the shoes!
Be wary when using Kiwi Parade Gloss as the silicone in the wax will create large, deep scratches in the polish if and when you scuff your shoe