I went to Costco a few days ago to buy a few more boxes of my contact lenses, because, in true to Karen fashion, my prescription was about to expire, because I left it to the day before the expiration date to restock…
Anywho, since I was already in the optical department, I decided to try on some frames.
Girl! – when did all of the frames at Costco get fancy embellishments on the sides? Like, you’ve got the front part that goes over your eyes, and then you’ve got the — I don’t know the technical word for them, but I want to call them arms. They’re the part that goes along the sides of your head and behind your ears. The last time I bought a pair of glasses was a looong time ago (coming up on 10 years), and I don’t recall that little area being such a popular location for decorative accouterments.
It seemed like every pair I saw at Costco had at least some sort of brand logo on the side, or weird gems, or a pattern or crazy color.
Am I alone in wanting a pair of glasses that aren’t too fussy? I mean, I get the allure of glasses being jewelry for your face, but I like mine on the simple side. I dunno… I don’t want them to compete with my makeup.
I use my glasses for distance — driving, watching movies at the theater, that kind of thing. I don’t need them for reading (yet).
Speaking of reading, here are some of the stories that caught my eye this week.
- Since we’re on the subject of glasses, this one’s for all my Canadian peeps: apparently, BonLook is the new Canadian Warby Parker.
- Five makeup looks for ladies and gents with hooded lids or monolids to try.
- Ever since I read these words by journalist Lizzie O’Leary about the harassment she experienced during her career, I’ve been thinking (even more than usual) about the things Connor Claire might experience when she enters the working world: “Over the course of my career, I have shrugged off things that horrify me now. I learned to push through the routine humiliation. As an ambitious woman, I often ran an internal calculation about how much ‘trouble’ I was willing to make. Should I fight about the story I want to do or the unwelcome remark about my legs?”
- Meet five women currently running for state and national seats across the country.
- Is Target trying to become the Sephora of drugstore beauty?
- Speaking of Sephora, here are 9 insider hacks from former Sephora employees.
- Estée Lauder shares recently hit a record high.
- Benefit is recalling this bestselling brow product.
- What’s it like to do IPL? (And what is IPL?) My friend Jane tells all about it.
- 6 face masks for oily and acne-prone skin
I want to check out more frames this weekend. I know there’s a Len’s Crafters at the mall, so I might swing by to see if there’s anything cute.
I’ve considered using a service like Warby Parker, but I also like the idea of getting them from someplace local where it’s easy to get them adjusted if there’s an issue, ya know?
If you wear glasses, where do you usually get them? Are you happy with the ones you have now? Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂
Have an excellent weekend, my fabulous friend.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Happy Saturday, Karen! I get my glasses from my eye doc. He carries TC Charton frames which are designed by an Asian woman for Asian faces. My glasses fit so much better than before, despite my Filipino nose and higher cheekbones. And their frames are on the simple, classic side. Highly recommend! Their website lists locations, if you are interested.
Last pair I got was from JCPenney, I like the frames but the quality isn’t great, the lenses have felt loose since I got them. I have Warby Parker ones too, also not the best quality however. Target has some cute ones!
Give Jins a try! I believe they’re a Japanese brand, and they have a location in SF. I really like that they’re trendy, cheap, fast, and good quality. ALSO, they have a ton of frames made specifically for Asian faces, which is super helpful for me because nothing ever stays on my nose bridge!
I actually had a really cute pair of glasses from BonLook that I loved that they no longer make ?
I wear contacts almost exclusively, though I have some glasses that are a few years old. I am completely incapable of keeping glasses clean, plus they’re not great for circusing, so contacts are better for me. My vision is not great. It’s really hard to do makeup if I’m not wearing contacts.
Just like all my things such as clothing, purses, glasses or even dealer license plate frames on my car – they better be plain and simple with absolutely no advertising on them unless they start to pay me to advertise for them! If it’s a small symbol or the same color on color, I can handle it though ~ UGH!!!
Hey Karen! I’m with you. I cannot stand all the bling and crazy patterns on glasses either! I just recently had to get glasses (which I did thru Target) and it was such a chore to find something without a huge gold logo. And I had to do this for 2 pair – regular day glasses and sunglasses!
Good luck finding something you like!
I got my frames at my eye doctor’s office. (Totally was not expecting to have to wear glasses when I went for my checkup earlier this year. ?) He works for my HMO and if I go to him, they chip in $150 towards glasses every other year. I went with a pair of Ann Taylor frames that are black with light blue trim, so they’re practical with a little fun thrown in.
Costco the last 2 times, it’s about $500 cheaper than my eye Dr’s place
i have a “fancy Rx” to put it nicely
you need to look a few times before you find something good, then act , b/c they won’t have it again
I’ve been going to Warby Parker for years, but it’s easy for me because I live right near NYC where there’s a few locations. My current glasses are WP and I get so many compliments on them! But I totally understand wanting to be nearby in case of any issues. I like the glasses in the photo though!
Last pair of glasses I ordered from Warby Parker came with a completely wrong prescription. I took them to my eye doctor which is huge drive for me and she said they were way too strong and just completely off for my eyes. Tried to get them remade at Warby but they said I gave them the wrong Rx. It was turning into such a hassle debating with them, I just dropped it and those glasses sit in a drawer to this day. Not sure I’ll ever order glasses from them again.
Hey Karen!
I’m with you on simple frames. I love my Warby Parker frames. They cost me a mere $99 and I like them better than any glasses I ever bought. I’ve spent a fotune at the eye doctor for glasses and they did not compare. I like that you can try the frames on at home and if you don’t like your glasses for any reason, they will take them back. I ordered mine online, but Warby Parker has a real store in Atlanta. Maybe they have a store in San Fran?
Have a great weekend!
I buy my glasses from Zenni Optical online. My Dad took the plunge and ordered a pair from this well and loves them! They have great customer service and the price out of pocket is cheaper than what I would have to pay with insurance.
My glasses are from Sam’s Club, and they’re actually Tiffany & Co. frames. I’ve been going to Sam’s Club because the optometrist at my location and prices are good, but I had no idea that they would carry brands like that! Before these glasses, I had been wearing the same frames for about 8 years, so these had to be pretty impressive to get me to switch over.
My sunglasses, meanwhile, are from SEE Eyewear. Some of the designs are a little crazy, and it can get a little expensive, but they have Groupons pretty often. I would definitely get another pair from them again in the future.
I’ve gotten my last 4 pairs from Warby Parker and love them so much – and that includes prescription sunglasses! And it’s not that they’ve broken over the years, I just get bored and it’s covered by insurance. 🙂 My various optometrists have always been willing to adjust them for me for free, even though I didn’t buy through them. I’ve found Costco’s selection to be a little dated for my taste and the optometrist is always crazy overpriced. Plus when you go through Warby Parker, you can try the frames on ahead of time for free, so I’ve never been less than thrilled with what I ordered. I also pay attention to the measurements of my existing pair, so I’m not wasting time ordering ones that will fall off my face.
Hi Trude,
I’ve heard good and bad things about Warby Parker. Which frames do you have?
How are you and the baby doing?
My prescription is the same in each eye and not progressive or anything, so that may contribute to my great experiences. 🙂 I’ve had the Barnett frames since last summer and love them oh so much, and I’ve have the Madison frames for my sunglasses since 2013 (my eyes haven’t changed too much so they still work just fine). Can’t go wrong with classics!
The baby is sitting low and heavy today, but otherwise we’re good. 😉 I’m still getting migraines with the pregnancy hormone surges, which sucks, but I’m just glad my morning sickness was fairly mild and only during the first trimester! I’m at 26 weeks now and trying to make the most of the energy I still have before the 3rd trimester gets going.