Between all the things I love, be they vacation, shopping, cooking, reading, or hanging out with friends, they all have one thing in common ... opportunities to wear sunglasses. Sunglasses are the best thing since sliced bread. I swear I'm not joking.
starting at the top left: betsy johnson, a.j. morgan,
charming charlie, charming charlie, and american eagle
In this photo we see only a small cross section of my sunglass collection. I became obsessed with sunglasses at a young age when I could only wear prescription sunglasses in this weird marble/blue color while I desperately wanted to wear cat-eye-hot-pink-cinderella-glitter sunglasses. I'm sure you can see the importance of wearing a pair like that.
Though some people think it's odd to wear sunglasses at all times while outside, you honestly should. It's not just for people like Rachel Zoe, a pioneer of wearing sunglasses in dark places. (She took Corey's words to Hart ... pun intended.) Why pay tons of money every year on anti-aging products for your eyes when you can buy a pair of sunglasses that will last years AND look super stylish. The trick to this is wearing them when you're outside, every season, and splurging on classic pairs. The sun still shines in the winter! If you follow this advice, the only lines you'll have are laugh lines, not lines from squinting or sun damage and a life-long fashion staple. (Think about the bragging rights after you've had them for 10+ years?!? I mean, once you're over 5 years, you're golden. Example: I haven't had Taco Bell in at least 9 years. That's kind of impressive if you knew where I went to school.)
Going back to our amazing, non-expiring, compliment inducing, anti-agers, just like with sunscreen, you need to make sure with sunglasses that you have proper spectrum protection! They only work if you wear them and have the proper amount of UV screening.
CARDINAL RULE: Only buy sunglasses marked with either 100% UV protection or over 400 UV lenses.
There is never a reason to compromise this rule since, regardless of how cute the frame, you're wasting money on a product not at it's best. It's like buying a shirt that was ripped in half: though you can probably learn to make due with it and get it for a great price, you're still getting damaged goods. If you buy a product at 95% UV protection, the sunglass maker is only out to make a buck, not actually provide a good product.
All this being said, I also recommend glasses that have pretty consistant shading to them. Though having it fade to clear towards the bottom might be stylish, your delicate under eye skin probably would not be getting the same amount of protection your eyebrows would be getting. It's also helpful while driving since having a such graduated lenses can be distracting.
Now, back to lighter topics, don't these glasses make you think of Harry Potter?
I bought these A.J. Morgan sunglasses for under $2 about a week before the second deathly hallows came out. I was neck-deep in potter mode. This is also probably the best deal I EVER got on sunglasses ... though I'm always looking out for the next pair!
My next tip: you don't need to spend too much on a pair of sunglasses to get a great pair. If you still want that designer look, I totally recommend going to Stein Mart where they have brands like Michael Kors, Betsy Johnson, and Jessica Simpson on super sale. No one needs to know how much they really cost! It can be our little secret.
Last piece of sage advise: only buy a super expensive pair of sunglasses if you know you're going to wear them A LOT/they are a classic frame that will never go out of style. Case in point: I asked for and was gifted a pair of medium ray ban wayfarers in black for my birthday. I, without exaggeration, wear them everyday. That means, to date, I've worn them over 430 times. This pair is my go-to pair. They go with everything, look stylish, and have SUPER dark lenses. Sometimes, I'll even have 2 paris of sunglasses in my purse at a time: stylish sunglasses to wearing around and my ray bans for the serious stuff! Always be ready for anything! I mean, my purse is often times large enough to fit an entire sunglass hut inside so there's no reason to be caught fashionably off-guard.
Hope this helps everyone with their own sunglasses collections! Too much is ever enough when it comes to this accessory and, if you want to try a trend, try a cheap (but fully UV protected) pair from a place like Forever 21, Charming Charlie, or Stein Mart.
Live in comfort and shock with style! Also, don't get crows feet before you have to.
PS: If a pair dosen't fit all that great/too tight but is cheap, break out a sander and sand down the sides so they open up more. I've done this countless times since my noggin is the size of a basketball ... I also do this sort of DIY with all my clothes. I'm the straight girl of mad fashion mistakes (though I do love the "Gay Macgyver of High Fashion").
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