When I was younger I always wanted glasses. And braces too. I know, was I like on some stereotypical nerd spree? I even used to un-bend paper clips and mold them around my upper teeth to mimic the look of a retainer. Anyone who knows me realizes how ridiculous that sounds since my parents’ genes gave me teeth that even braces envy. And considering neither of my parents got glasses until they hit their 50’s – glasses were also a distant dream.
However my second year of college I noticed the projector screen was getting a little blurry from my back row seat in the auditorium. This was it! My chance to validate my need desire for four eyes! I made an appointment to see an eye doctor and no less than a few days later I was walking out of that doctor’s office with a prescription in hand! Granted it was a -.25, which to be fair is probably how MOST people’s eyes naturally are. I know this because more than half of my friends can put on my glasses and they can see better too!
And so began my journey for the perfect frames for my glasses! Who knew there were so many choices!?!? In the end I settled on a pair by Eddie Bauer that were rounded oval and black on the outside but brown on the inner rims. Apparently I loved them because almost 10 years later I still have the SAME FRAMES. It’s not like I didn’t go look at new frames, it’s not that I didn’t want a change, it’s just I never quite found a pair I thought could replace them. I felt like it was hard finding eyeglasses for my face shape, not just any shape will do! Enter endless hours hunting for the perfect replacement pair and failing to do so. Until now.
I should mention first that I don’t have vision insurance. That means out-of-pocket expenses for me! So price was a MAJOR factor for me when looking for eyeglasses frames. And of course cuteness. Because now that I’m beyond my childhood dreams of wearing glasses, I realize they are kind of like a permanent accessory; therefore, cuteness is an important quality! So when I heard about GlassesUSA I was really excited! It’s an online retail shop that sells glasses frames AND lenses and (in many cases) for less than $50! Yes! Glasses frames AND lenses staring at $18. Without insurance. Without all these extra add-on fees. Without the fear that you’ll choose a frame shape that will not only be unflattering on your face, but your wallet too!
My favorite feature on the site was the “Virtual Mirror” because one of my first thoughts when I started investigating frame shapes was, “How do I know what this is gonna look like on MY face?!?!” Enter the “Virtual Mirror!” You simply upload a photo of yourself and then you can click on the frames you are considering and it will overlay them on your photo so you can see precisely how you’ll look! Without this feature I’m not sure how I would have decided! Speaking of which I finally decided on the Reverie. Although for the great pricing and all the back and forth I did about which ones to choose – I should have just bought a couple pairs!
How do I look?
If you’re in the market for new glasses frames (read: yours are almost 10 years old or you can’t resist testing it out to see that I’m really telling the truth about getting frames and lenses for less than the price of a steak dinner) then I HIGHLY recommend you go check out GlassesUSA. I personally prefer the full frame glasses, but at this price I think I’m willing to venture out into rimless frames. And I might just end up dragging all my friends along too!
