Let it Shine, Let it Shine

Today's focus are on a road trip necessity, sunglasses. After I got these beauties I didn't know how I went without them. I loved them so much that I ended up buying a second pair of the exact same pair, (well exactly same, with some personal modifications. More on that later)

Of everything I own, I think my Raybans (serial#RB4061) are among my favorite and most used. I carry one pair with me everywhere in my purse and another pair usually inhabits the glove compartment of my car. I have many, Many, MANY memories associated with these sunglasses. Many involving road trips, but others involving the everyday and the monotonous. In addition, they have graced lifetime events such as Graduations, Weddings, and Baby Showers...

The big reasons sunglasses are so important to me now are mainly medical. After walking or driving when the sun is at its peak you can feel your eyes getting tired. At the age I am at now, it is nothing, but I know many of my elders have had to have surgery on their eyes. The stories of being awake while a doctor sticks a needle in your eyes, I cringe just thinking about it, but I know it's their way of telling me to protect and prevent while you're young. (Nature can be as dangerous as it is beautiful. And the sun can damage your eyes as well as your skin. This is why dermatologist say you should use sunblock daily. I don't know why more optometrists don't recommend sunglasses.)

Back to the pleasant memories. I actually never wore sunglasses until later in my life. This is mainly because I had other accessories framing my eyes, my glasses. I always thought my only options (other than wear contacts every day) were clip-ons, but those are not the most fashionable and can be quite bulky. Then there were the transition lens, but they would be annoying because they take time to adjust every time you walk inside a building and everyone knows you were out somewhere. Then one of my friends showed me her Chanel Sunglasses. They were beautiful and prescription. Apparently, they were the damaged unwanted possession of a relative, but my clever friend took them to a optometry shop, they replaced the lens (easy p easy, no questions asked) and they were good as new.

A few days later I showed up at a Lenscrafters, where after an hour of trying on every pair they had and a few recommondations from a nice female sales associate, I found my Raybans. (Hint: if you get the lens and frames at the same time they usually have deeper discounts. Also Lenscrafter usually has regular promotional sales). Originally, I wanted the famous Rayban Wayfarers, but the shape was just not right for the shape of my face. They also had the option of Rayban branded lens, but I thought $100 more just to add a logo in the periphery of my vision was not quite what I needed. I believe they had 3 different colored lens to choose from and I chose brown (casual color and easy to style with).

Also an added bonus were that Rayban lens are polarized and limits glares from reflected light, as seen in the image of the beautiful Red Curves of the Golden Gate. (Polarized lens are a personal preference, the sales associate at Sunglass Hut says some people like it and some don't. I thought everything felt more focused and crisp with polarized.) On an end note, I was lucky enough to get a deal on the same pair of Raybans with the signature logo a little while later. (Having the logo on the front does add something a little extra, and did not impede vision as I originally thought). Now I have sunglasses for when I have contacts on and for off days when my eyes need their rest. I was on the lookout for new Sunglasses for a while, but were drawn back to what I knew worked after all the complements I got about them.

Raybans Serial # RB4061
Lenscrafters Discounts