Jul

29

Best Sunglasses for Road Trips

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Summer is in full swing and the time for road tripping is before us. So, what are some of the essentials for a perfect, All American road trip? Well, you’ll want a great playlist with all the road trip classics, a cooler full of refreshing beverages, and a pair of sturdy and classic Ray Ban Aviators or another American-made brand.
Driving sunglasses are extremely important for long road trips. On the road, literally every moment your eyes are assaulted with flashing images, hazards, signs, other traffic and attractions. You need to stay calm, ready and attentive without ever getting sore eyes or strain due to sunlight. If you wear prescription lenses, you’ll need to have a pair of contact lenses to wear for long drives so you can take your sunglasses on and off, or else be prepared to switch between your prescription sunglasses and eyeglasses as the demands of the road change.
Some of the best sunglasses for road trips have the following features:
Gradient lenses that allow you to have darker UV lenses and UV protection towards the top for while you are watching the road , and less color in the lenses for when you are changing the radio or checking the map when more light is needed.
Light weight frames are also important. America is huge, and any road trip is bound to cover several hundred miles meaning you’ll be on the road for hours on end. You’ll want sunglasses that are comfortable and lightweight. For driving in a convertible, you’ll also want something form-fitting and preferably non-metallic as metal frames heat up against the skin quickly.

Jul

24

Benefits of Bug-Eye Sunglasses

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Some people, men especially, don’t understand the bug-eye sunglasses (otherwise known as Jackie O shades) look. Critics claim people wearing them look like anime characters, or resemble a fly. But once you’ve tried on a nice pair of Dior bug-eye model sunglasses you’ll be hooked because of all the benefits.

Wide visual field. Because the lenses are so large you get a wider range of vision. Smaller lenses and frames leave your periphery somewhat blocked, and hamper overall visual range. The bug eye sunglasses don’t do this, and with contact lenses in, or with prescription lenses the range and comfort far exceed smaller frames and lenses.

Blocks more light, especially peripheral light. Because the lenses are so large more light gets sent through the lenses and filters out UV rays that damage your skin and eyes. This gives you superior protection for your eyes, but also for the extremely sensitive skin around the eye—which is a prime spot for wrinkles. The number one way to decrease your wrinkles or prevent them is to wear adequate sunscreen or block the light with a hat or large sunglasses. This is especially true of women with crow’s feet. In addition, more peripheral light is blocked with bug eye sunglasses because they are often form-fitting. This causes decreased eye strain and skin damage, as well as a more comfortable and relaxed fit.

Distributes weight. Bug eye sunglasses evenly distribute the weight of the lenses and frames between your ears, the bridge of your nose, and to a smaller degree the surface area of your upper cheek. Sitting flush or nearly flush against your face means there is less resistance, less drag and less to balance. You’ll notice how light they feel (despite their large size) because of the even weight distribution.

Jul

19

Contact lenses, a guide from A to Z

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Acuvue. They provide both disposable and long-wear contact lenses, though they are most well known for their durable and long-lasting 1-day Acuvue soft lenses. They are thin, soft and yet durable and if necessary can be worn overnight without causing pain.

Air Optix. The opposite of Acuvue, these lenses are more popular with people hoping to get more wear out of a single, long-term lens. High quality, affordable and with quite a following.

Bausch & Lomb. The special 2-week lenses are what I wear. I think it is the perfect mix between a disposable contact and a long-wear contact, and financial I like the breakdown.

Cooper Vision. The biomedics line is especially popular due to the UV ray protection in the contact lenses. The disposable lenses, although not recommended, can last more than the one day advertised.

Focus. The Dailies collection is extremely popular, and incredibly moisture rich. For people with constant dry eye or sensitivity to wind these are a great option.

O2 Optix. These lenses are unique in that they are designed to allow your eye to breathe. You know that sophicating feeling some contact lenses can leave, especially if you wear them every day. O2 Optix transmit five times more oxygen to the eye, and because of this are comfortable, and healthy.

Proclear. Their special PC technology lenses allow for moist eyes all day long. For folks with dry eye problems these lenses, like the Focus options, are extremely helpful in fighting dry eye and scratchiness caused from abrasions from heavier contacts.

Vertex. These are specifically designed for an active lifestyle so they combine great fit, moisture enhancing and breathability with a slightly larger contact to avoid slippage during athletic events.

Jul

12

The Best Fishing Sunglasses

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Fishing is not only a skilled sport, but one that requires apt and focused attention and a whole lot of luck. Having spent the last month on a lake in Michigan fishing I can testify to the importance of high-quality equipment on the lake. Nothing is more important (other than rod and reel obviously) than high-quality sunglasses. A great pair of Ray Ban Aviators or sporty Oakley sunglasses will go a long way in prolonging your vision and helping you to see past waves covered in sunshine.

The outdoor sportsman is a different breed from the traditional athlete. Outdoorsmen don’t train in the traditional sense, they train in the philosophical sense as they pray for abundant fish. With good eyewear, you can ease up on the prayers a bit. Aviators cover a broad range of vision and because the ear pieces are a bit longer than normal they will stay on your face as you reach over the boat to net your fish. Another option are the Oakley sports sunglasses that make your vision a bit more enhanced and, in some cases with orange or yellow tint, increase contrast so you can see when a fish jumps or bubbles, or size up your beast as you reel it in.

Nike also makes great sports eyewear that can be fully utilized on the boat. But serious fishermen might make you the laughing stock of the community if you head up north to do you fishing in neon eyewear. Your best option is to avoid the overtly sporty gear and stick to traditional and versatile gear like Ray Bans or even your friendly Serengeti.

Jul

9

Ed Hardy Ski Goggles: Review

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This year I got a pair of Ed Hardy women’s ski goggles from Smart Buy Glasses. Since I spent the winter in Whistler, BC, Canada, I thought I’d write up a review for the goggles that kept me safe on some of the world’s harshest slopes.
Vision: the snug fit of the Ed Hardy goggles made it possible for me to wear them all day long on the slopes with my Clearvision contacts in, little to no air penetrated the goggles and they did not fog up on the interior—which has happened to me before with rental goggles or generic cheaper equipment common on lesser slopes. Whistler is no place to be cheap. Since the mountain was fit for the Olympics, it is surely deserving of top-quality eyewear.
Tint: the Ed Hardy ski goggles come with an extra pair of lenses (pop in) that are orange tinted. My second day on the slopes of Whistler a storm rolled in that included all the worst conditions for skiing including fog, sleet, low-visibility and summit snow. The orange tinted lenses popped in quickly while I was on the ski lift, and increased contrast so I could see the minor changes on the slope fractions of a second faste, saving me countless wipeouts.
Fog: Anti moisture coatings (water proofing) made it possible for me to ski in the fog, sleet and snow that varied across the dual mountains of Whistler/Blackcomb.
Style: many snowboarders maintain that skiers are simply not as cool or chic as their snowboarding counterparts. This is downright ridiculous. Skiing takes a lot more skill, more muscle control and the end wow factor is a bit higher. Ed Hardy goggles on a skier should not be out of place, but sadly many skiers think they can’t wear cool gear while on skis. This is erroneous! Bring the cool back to skiing with Ed Hardy next winter, as this reviewer gives their goggles two thumbs up for style and performance-enhancing attributes.

Jul

7

Celebrities who Ruin Fashion

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Lady Gaga makes fashion unfashionable. This is just a fact. Prada and Dior are now being lumped in with the trashy and uninspired looks of our drunken celebrity elite. While she claims to be breaking down the stereotype of what the female body should represent and look like, I think she is simply trying to stay in the limelight as long as possible (at the heavy cost of making fashion seem even more ridiculous than the layman already thinks it is!).

And eyewear fashion is getting a particular look of scrutiny from the general public because of the appearance of strange eyewear phenomenon like the shutter shades made famous by our rapping friends, and the oversized goggle-like eyeglasses worn by movie villains like those in Ironman. Blind-aid sunglasses of Lady Gaga (in image) are simply not helping sunglasses popularity in America.

While movies like Sex in the City try to make fashion, well, fashionable, I think they are missing the mark on a massive scale and only serving to make fashion look ridiculous and elite. Fashion should be accessible to everyone, not just celebrities or socialites like Sara Jessica Parker and Lady Gaga. Fashion should create beauty, enhance the physical form and be available to everyone. With Target and Wal-Mart enlisting the help of designers to make ready-to-wear fashion that is high class and yet affordable, one would think a love for fashion was on the rise. On the contrary, with high fashion now available to the masses celebrities are forced to go more and more extreme in an attempt to stand out and keep their elite status. This is why you see Sara Jessica Parker running around New York looking like she escaped a Looney bin, and why Lady Gaga walks around with lace socks on her head.