Protect your eyes from harmful sun rays while looking good. Here is a guide on how to buy sunglasses.

Only a few people pause and think about what to look for in sunglasses when they go shopping. While buying sunglasses is a crucial decision, people don't give it a lot of thought. Unfortunately, this leads to dissatisfaction. Soon, you will realize you don't love your sunglasses. Yet, you spent a significant amount on the pair.

The best sunglasses should protect your eyes from harmful Ultraviolet A and Ultraviolet B rays. While that is enough, you might want to make a fashion statement, too. The sunglasses you wear are an extension of your personality. Think about your wardrobe choice. It is creative and so should be your choice in sunglasses. Today, we will teach you how to buy sunglasses that reflect your creativity and personality and protect your eyes from UVA and UVB.

Fashion Trends

There is a new trending fashion every few weeks or months. Fortunately, some older styles always return. For example, shield sunglasses came out in the early 2000s. The pieces have made a comeback, but they look bigger with clearer lines. If you have a maximalist wardrobe like Jlo, you are the best person to wear shield sunglasses. Other trending sunglasses include sport, classic black, retro tinted, cat eye, and aviator sunglasses.

Some of these glasses are new, while others, like aviator, have been around for a while. These never go out of fashion. You can pick a traditional aviator pair with teardrop lenses or a newer design with square shapes and chunkier materials.

For people who don't know what's trending, you can view fashion websites or turn your eyes to the street to get inspiration from celebrities.

Personal Clothing Style

Do you have a personal clothing style, or is your wardrobe all over the place? It is good to have a variety of clothes. However, it is better to have a cohesive wardrobe. Your wardrobe should have a theme. For example, you might want a classic elegance theme if that is your style.

Whatever your clothing style is, it should match with the sunglasses you wear. Your wardrobe is an extension of your personality. Wearing sunglasses that don't match your wardrobe will portray a confusing picture. Therefore, buy sunglasses that are in harmony with your style and personality.

Face Shape

Do you have a round, heart, square, oval, or oblong face? Whatever your face shape is, it is flattering. However, you need to balance your features with sunglasses in the opposite shape.

Study your face carefully to know what your shape type is. There is a guide for that. For instance, the width and length of a round face are almost equal. Celebrities like Selena Gomez, Leonardo DiCaprio, and James Corden have round faces. Meanwhile, Justin Beiber, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Rihanna have oval-shaped faces.

Would you like to know what to look for in sunglasses, depending on your face shape? People with round face shapes should go for angular-shaped sunglasses to even out their features. This includes cat eye, square, and rectangular sunglasses. Oval-shaped faces can get away with almost all types of sunglasses. Meanwhile, someone with a smaller forehead and wider jaw looks best with oversized sunglasses. Heart-shaped faces look good with averaged-sized glasses.

Activity Scenes and Purposes

Another factor to consider while buying sunglasses is your working scene and purposes. Would your pair of sunglasses handle your activity level? For instance, if you are skating, running, or biking, you will need a different pair of sunglasses than someone relaxing on a beach.

Both of you need sunglasses that can 100 percent protect you from UV rays. However, as a sportsperson, you might need glasses whose lenses are made from polycarbonate because they are less likely to shatter. Otherwise, buy sunglasses with plastic or glass lenses.

Sunglasses Styles

Sunglasses come in an array of styles, each leaving a unique impression. Here are the sunglasses styles available in the market:

• Rectangular: as the name suggests, these are sunglasses with wider lenses than tall. They have sharp or curvier corners. Rectangular sunglasses are classic and versatile and can be worn with a casual outfit or a classier outfit to a wedding. People with diamond, oval, round, and heart-shaped faces wear these pairs perfectly.
• Square: Square-shaped sunglasses are a softer relative if rectangular. These pieces feature big and blocky lenses with sharp or curvier corners. They are perfect for all face shapes, especially round faces.
• Round: Round sunglasses are common with rockstars. However, anyone who prefers bohemian style would rock this pair. People, particularly those with square and strong jawlines, look good with round-shaped sunglasses. You could pick a bohemian-style pair featuring a thin, round frame or a modern pair with thicker frames.
• Aviator: As the name suggests, these pair were originally designed for fighter pilots in the 1930s. They were popularized in the 1970s and have remained trendy even today. Teardrop-shaped lenses, double bridges, and flat browlines characterize aviator sunglasses. These pieces usually have colorful, tinted lenses paired with metal frames. They are ideal for diamond, oval, and square-shaped faces.
• Cat Eye: If you are into fashion, you likely know Marilyn Monroe. She played a huge role in popularizing cat eye sunglasses in the 1950s. They are the most Hollywood type of glasses. They are sometimes called butterfly-style and feature thick and bold or thin and delicate frames. People with heart-shaped, oval, round, and square-shaped faces can complement their looks with cat-eye sunglasses.
• Wayfarer: They were originally developed in the 1950s. They feature a broad upper rim with thicker frames. People like JFK love this pair. They also look perfect on a round, oval, or diamond-shaped face.
• Geometric: These are recently invented. They come in geometric shapes like octagons, trapezoids, and hexagons. They are memorable and trendy. Geometric-shaped sunglasses complement round, oval, and square faces.
• Oversized: looking for a little drama? Oversized sunglasses offer the best protection from harmful lights because they cover a larger surface area. Their lenses could be oval or square with thick frames.
• Shield: these became popular in the early 2000s. They have returned, with celebrities like Kim Kardashian and JLo rocking them.
• Others: there are many other types of sunglasses. They include navigators, which closely relate to aviators, clip-ons, tortoise shell, and browline/club master. 
  
  

Quality of sunglasses

Not all sunglasses meet the minimum required quality to protect you from harmful UV rays. What to look for in sunglasses to determine their quality? Here are things to consider.

Durability

Sunglasses have an expiry date. This is when the UV protection wears out, leaving your eyes exposed to harmful light. Usually, the UV protection wears out in 2-3 years. Ask your seller about the expiry date of your sunglasses.

UV Protection

Buying your glasses from a reputable brand is a little assuring that they have UV protection. Alternatively, you can check for a UV label. This could be 100% UV protection or the UV 400. The later label indicates protection from all sun rays with wavelengths of up to 400 nanometers.

Sunglasses Color

Lenses have different colors that either complement your fashion or elevate your sports performance or your leisure activity. Sunglasses with grey tints are a perfect choice for outdoor activities during sunny and cloudy days. Brown sunglasses improve contrast, making them the best to wear on a sunny day. Green sunglasses have the qualities of both brown and grey sunglasses. They perform the function of these glasses, including offering better contrast and transmitting colors in their pure form. If you plan to spend time in a low-light or sunny environment, rock this pair for perfect contrast and color transmission.

Do you love playing video games, skiing, or watching tennis games? These activities make you move your head a lot. Therefore, you need a pair of glasses that provide eye comfort and sound clarity. Yellow-tinted sunglasses function well when performing various activities, including skiing. Pilots will also love the comfort this pair provides. 

Meanwhile, blue and purple sunglasses improve color perception. They are popular among golfers because they reduce glare. People spending time in snowy, misty, and foggy environments should wear blue-tinted glasses.

Hairstyle

Your hairstyle also determines how good you look with a pair of sunglasses. You could be wearing a focal fringe, high ban, ponytail, short hair, or any other hairstyle. Get your inspiration from celebrities or online guides. For instance, rectangular sunglasses complement the side braid hairstyle, while someone with space buns looks good with oversized sunglasses.

Skin Color

Wearing any sunglasses without considering your skin tone may project your look poorly. Skin tones can be classified into light, medium, and dark. Light-skinned people should wear colorful sunglasses like red, green, white, and others. A person with a medium skin tone can get away with any color of sunglasses, from dark to bright colors. Meanwhile, people with dark skin tones should avoid deep, bright hues of sunglasses. Red, yellow, orange, deep blue, and purple look best on you.

Lens Type

The primary purpose of sunglasses is to protect your eyes. Therefore, you must consider the lens type when buying sunglasses. Here are factors to consider.

Non-polarized lenses

The difference between polarized and non-polarized lenses is the glare-filtering coating. Non-polarized lenses lack the glare-filtering coating, but they protect against harmful UV rays.

Polarized Lenses

Do you spend much time at the beach or around reflective surfaces like water bodies and snow? Leaving your eyes naked around these surfaces can strain them. With polarized sunglasses, you get a clearer vision without squinting your eyes. Polarized lenses improve contrast, making them perfect for people driving, fishing, sunbathing at the beach or pool, and playing in the snow.

Gradient Lenses

Gradient lenses are more tinted at the top, blocking a lot of light from overhead. They are a little tinted at the bottom, allowing a significant amount of light.

Blue light-blocking lenses

If you spend a lot of time staring at the screen, you need a pair of glasses with blue light-blocking lenses. Digital devices and the sum emit blue lights that strain your eyes.

Photochromic lenses

These are glasses that function as both regular eyewear and sunglasses. They darken when you go outdoors to function as sunglasses. However, these glasses won't protect you from UVB when driving because these rays can't penetrate your car. In other words, you might need a different pair of glasses for driving.

Reflective lenses

These are also called mirrored glasses. They have a reflective material on the outside to reduce glare and visible light.

Eyewear size

You must have noticed eyewear comes in different sizes to meet the needs of different people. You probably have a small face while another person has a bigger face. If that person were to wear your glasses, they would leave them stretched to some extent. So, before you buy sunglasses, consider the measurements to pick a pair that perfectly fits you. Your seller will need your bridge measurement and temple length measurements, among others.

Comfort

Some people keep adjusting their sunglasses to sit well on their faces. With these two tips, you can pick a pair of sunglasses that offers comfortability.

Nose Bridge Height

Measuring the distance between two lenses is important. It gives you the bridge width, which could be between 16mm and 31mm. The measurement can be printed in the frames, or your seller can measure it for you.

Frame design

The frame design is another thing you should put a lot of thought into. Some designs are unisex, while others are perfect for males, females, or kids. In addition to that, you can consider your face width, low bridge frames, minimal rimless frames, or any other design you want to try.

Conclusion

Sunglasses are essential for UVA and UVB protection. They have also become a must-have fashion accessory. So, if this is your first time buying sunglasses or you made mistakes in the past buying, you need this guide on how to buy sunglasses. Above everything, ensure your sunglasses can protect your eyes from harmful sun rays before you consider your appearance.