I am at my wits end now trying to find glasses

[GinAndOnIt]

So, after a previous thread trying to work out what colours suit me, I've finally whittled it down to wanting glasses with a 'cool' colouring. I think I was going wrong before because I was picking brown glasses.

I've just had my third set of trial glasses through the post from Glasses Direct (brilliant idea by the way!) and the glasses are blue, pink, purple and grey. They all look shit. I've got a very petite face, so my current glasses are from the teen range at Specsavers, but they are way too trendy for me (and red FGS) so I'm not keen on them.

My eyesight used to be a lot worse, and I wore contact lenses at all times for years and then finally got laser eye surgery. The laser eye has been starting to fail for the last couple of years, so I'm back to glasses, but eyesight is still fairly okay. I don't want contact lenses (apart from special occasions) because at the moment, I take my glasses off as much as possible so as not to make my eyes lazy.

Am I just destined to always look shit in glasses? I must say, I find thin metal frames or frameless glasses to be very aging on me, and I much prefer the look of a solid frame. Any tips on lovely glasses you have and love? They always look so lovely on other people.

[OCSockOrphanage]

Do you have access to a really upmarket independent optician locally? If you do, go and spend an hour trying on frames just to find out what suits you. Fashion is just as volatile in eyewear as anything else, but the big chain operators generally have very dull frame selections. The Glasses Direct idea is promising, but not really addressing your need for inspiration and a refresh.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I've found the best way is to take my prescription, go into town at a quiet time and go round every optician trying lots of them on. You can fairly quickly start eliminating features/shapes that don't suit, look in the mirror and ask yourself what it is you don't like about a particular colour/shape/style. Also ask advice from the staff who will want to see the prescription. All this is assuming you can see well enough in blanks (I wear my contact lenses for this). If not maybe take selfies with them on.

[Ginmakesitallok]

Why do you think being able to see (I. E. Wearing your glasses ) will make your eyes lazy???

[GinAndOnIt]

I do have an independent optician locally, but I'm not sure I'd call him upmarket! His selection is rather limited too. Otherwise, there is Specsavers, Asda Opticians and Tesco Opticians. (There is Optical Express too a little further away, but for various reasons, I refuse to buy from them)

The thing is, I've now tried on 12 different styles of glasses, and none of them suit. DP thinks the Harry Potter style suit (which is what I've got now) but they don't sort of match my style IYSWIM? It's so tricky.

So far I've managed to narrow down that frameless, metal, browns/reds/oranges/blacks don't suit, as well as anything too square. Plus anything too light in colour washes me out.

I may try once more round the shops (but maybe with DP with me to fight off the sales people..I get distracted and flustered when I know they're watching, and can't concentrate properly) and possibly give up altogether if that doesn't work. I am planning to dye my hair a few shades darker, so maybe that will change things a bit.

The latest Ines from Glasses Direct are so lovely to look at, it's such a shame they look so rubbish on my face!

[GinAndOnIt]

gin I was told by the optician to not wear my glasses all the time, so my eyes don't rely on them to see.

[user1477282676]

My DD was told that too OP. Some people don't believe it though...don't know why!

[booellesmum]

Ginmakesitallok Wed 26-Oct-16 13:20:36

Why do you think being able to see (I. E. Wearing your glasses ) will make your eyes lazy???

Exactly my thoughts. If you need glasses you need them. Wearing glasses will not make your eyes lazy. Put simply your glasses prescription is based on the physical size and shape of your eyeballs which cannot be changed by wearing glasses. The only time wearing glasses could make your eyes "lazy" is if there is a prism in them which you come to rely on rather than your eye muscles doing the work themselves - and this is to do with the muscles and muscle control, not vision.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I will try on dozens and dozens before I buy, the differences can be really subtle, two pairs that look similar on the rack can be quite different on. I find it hard too, but the right pair are out there somewhere! If I find any likely contenders I take a photo of me in them and also photograph the model number etc on the inside of the arm.

[AuntieJuice]

I was told that the best way to find glasses to suit you was to look for frames which follow the line of your brows at the top - kind of like the same shape as your eyebrows. You also can't do worse than checking out the Specsavers website, they have loads more on their site than they do in store so if you see some you like you can ask them to order them in for you (I did this with the last pair I bought, I loved then so much that I'm getting new lenses put in the frames as a second pair to my current ones!). Colour is a tricky one but I find that the lighter brown plastic frames are much better for my pale skin!

[specialsubject]

Go back to specsavers.and look on the bloke side. No stupid colours, dickish logos or edna everage sparkles.

Better made too.

[GinAndOnIt]

Okay, I may have had wrong advice on the laziness side, but either way, I'd rather not have to go back to wearing contacts all day every day. I take my glasses off a lot throughout the day, and the whole point of laser eye in the first place was because of the absolute faff of contacts.

These are the current glasses I have from Glasses Direct. The dark purple probably fit the best, but I don't love them. I've also tried them in the other colour (brown) but the colour didn't suit. The light pink ones are horrendous on my face!

[GinAndOnIt]

special will the male glasses not be massive? I may have that wrong. The women's glasses are too big really, so if the men's are bigger, I'd have no hope.

[bobthebuddha]

Am in exactly the same position as you OP. I hate the way every pair I try looks on me, but I got loads of compliments on some I bought recently, even though I thought they looked pants (I think it might just be our own perception that's the problem ). Bought from Toyshades & only paid about £15 - if you sign up to their newsletter you get special offers and mistakes are not too expensive!

[FinallyHere]

I feel your pain. I prefer dull metal frames but really struggle to find them at the moment. Sigh.

[WhenIGrowUpIWantToBeAPenguin]

Whereabouts are you Gin? I have recently got some great glasses from Black Eyewear, their frames are vintage inspired but with a modern twist and all of their frame shapes come in a huge variety of colours and in some cases in different sizes too. Their staff were brilliant and spent ages with me trying on loads of different frames and colours - but as far as I know they only have stockists in St Albans, London and Brighton...

[GinAndOnIt]

Hmm St Albans might be doable, thanks when

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I can't wear metal or frameless (very strong prescription needs thick lenses so they look wrong), hate blingy bits of metal/logos, hate the ones where the inside of the frame is a different colour, hate thick arms, don't suit black or rich browns, would rather not wear them at all, so I feel your pain too, but I do get there in the end, you just know when you've found "the ones".

[GinAndOnIt]

I've just put my own ones back on, after trialling the others for the morning, and they just sit so much better. They look tiny compared to the other glasses when sat side by side on the table! Perhaps I just need to admit that buying from the teen range is inevitable, and that choice will always be limited.

[VivienneWestwoodsKnickers]

12 pairs isn't very many. I probably try on around 100 pairs every time I go specs shopping (every 2 years or so).

Do you get discounts on glasses with your contact lens company?

Agree with the going into shops to try styles on advice. I'm the opposite to you - I need wider glasses than the women's styles tend to be!

Have you tried rimless styles?

[PollyPerky]

I was told by a Boots optician not to wear my glasses unless really necessary (for reading) as your eyes rely on them. I assume it's to do with the eye muscles 'giving in' if they are helped by glasses.

OP I got a great pair at Specs savers- 2 for price of one.

[RaingodswithZippos]

I find that my opticians have been super helpful, they are a small independent and have ordered lots of different styles in for my super picky teenage son, for him to try on. May be worth seeing if you could do that?

[GinAndOnIt]

12 pairs is a lot if you think that's out of the ones left from previous whittling down, plus there aren't a great deal of glasses to begin with that are narrow enough! It's rubbish.

As said in the OP though, I find rimless really aging on me. What do you mean about discounts from my contact lens company Viv? I don't actually have any contacts yet (since the laser eye surgery days) I will get around to it eventually but have just been going Glasses-less at special occasions so far.

Rain I'll pop in to the independent guy next week and see if he would be able to do something like that, thanks.

[PopFizz]

I have these from Specsavers, they're pretty cool (but don't suit me greatly as I'm the opposite of you and need black,brown or red!)

[PopFizz]

They're fcuk 99 btw

[NicknameUsed]

I agree that you need to go into every optician you can and try them on. You need to take photos of yourself with them on so you can do a comparison.

In my experience Boots have always managed to come up with frames that suit me. Like you, I have a small head and most pairs of glasses are just too big for me.