Do you ever put something off and put something off until all of a sudden years have gone by? That’s the silly story about me and glasses. In high school I started having trouble seeing the chalkboard and got some glasses to wear during class or at sporting events. That eventually turned into wearing contacts full time in college until one day I wound up with an eye infection. The infection forced me to go without contacts for a few weeks, and I decided “eh, I can see fine!” and stopped using any form of optical assistance all together.
I would take my old glasses to a concert or use them to watch movies, but otherwise they could be found on my nightstand, collecting dust. Fast forward ten years. I’ve spent a lot of time squinting and not seeing anything at a distance very well. I remember driving this fall and thinking “man, it’s a particularly beautiful day today, the leaves are so crisp and colorful!” It was when I got where I was going that I realized I had my glasses on. Ha. Or the time a neighbor and I were talking about an event we were both at, and he said he was standing not far from me but I had no recollection of seeing him…facepalm.
Aside from missing a lot of the beauty of life, I’ve realized how much all that squinting was affecting my face. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to try and maintain what I’ve got – not age it faster by furrowing my brow to make things out all the time. A few months ago I walked into a vision center at the mall and got an exam. While my vision was pretty much the same, my last prescription hadn’t been correcting astigmatism in my right eye. After I got my script I reached out to you all on Instagram and talked with a few women at my church who always have cute glasses on. Zenni came up several times, and I decided to give them a shot. I’ve been wearing my glasses daily and get asked every time I story on Instagram where they’re from, so I figured it was time to share all of that here for you!
Zenni is quite an amazing source for glasses. Not only do they carry hundreds upon hundreds of options, they are incredibly affordable. My last pair of glasses I purchased almost 10 years ago were around $350. I felt like that was a total splurge, but at the time you had to splurge to get style. To compare, I bought five pairs of glasses and one pair of sunglasses from Zenni and spent $136.71 for everything. Crazy, right? Well, let’s talk a bit about the process and what I got.
Zenni has a feature where you upload a straight on picture of yourself and then you can try on glasses virtually. Obviously I would prefer to try glasses on in person before I buy them, but at their prices one pair was 9.95 with the prescription lenses! it was worth the risk. I feel like every pair I got was what I expected, some even better.
I’ve been wanting to try some with a round shape and I got a black pair that is rather safe (super lightweight and comfortable) and a tortoiseshell that is a bit more eclectic and fun.
I also wanted to try some fun pairs. You know I love color, so I took chances on a lilac and cobalt blue frame. The shape on the lilac isn’t my favorite on me, but I actually ended up wearing these on New Year’s Eve. They were super fun with the sequins and pink lip I wore. The blue gives me some energy and freshness on a day I need extra oomph.
BLUE CAT EYE | GEOMETRIC TORTOISESHELL GLASSES
The last pair is definitely my favorite, and while they’re pretty large they’re very comfortable. I have to laugh, because while they’re Micah’s favorite, he also called me Harry Caray when I first put them on. I was hoping for a more fresh, Iris Apfel. The slight cat eye really lifts the face and feminizes the shape too.
I also bought this round, tortoiseshell pair and had them made into prescription sunglasses. I went ahead and paid for all of the glasses to have the anti-reflection coating too, at $4.95 a pair. They definitely still have some reflection, but it’s not something you see as the wearer. The most I paid for a pair was $34.90, the least was $14.90. The glasses came in about a week and a half, and the shipping was $4.95 for everything. Each pair comes in its own hardshell case with a cleaning cloth. I’ve had my glasses for several months now and had no issues.
So there you have it! I love my glasses and am constantly looking at their site to see what I’d like to try next. The options are so fun and inexpensive, it’s going to be hard not to become a glasses hoarder! I think next I’ll go for these, these, or these. And I definitely want to get some more sunglasses before summer hits. Let me know if you have any other questions. If you have a kid who wears glasses, what a worry-free option. I seriously can’t recommend them enough!
Now that I’m wearing glasses all the time I feel like I need some contacts for special occasions when I don’t want to have to wear them. Is there a place that sells contacts online that you love? Would appreciate any recommendations you may have!
This is not a sponsored post. I have used affiliate links, but I purchased these glasses on my own, and all thoughts are my own.
Photos by Justin Salem Meyer.
LET’S CONNECT! FIND ME ON…
Edi says
Contacts? COSTCO! They are a fraction of the price of wlsewhere, and I, sadly, am practically blind and my contacts are expensive as you-know.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Oh! Ok, I go there quite often! I appreciate the tip and will definitely be checking them out, thank you Edi!
Kim says
I love your glasses and will definitely give Zenni a try because the prices are unbeatable. How do you feel about the quality? Would you say they’re comparable to designer brands at a major eyewear retailer?
themakerista@gmail.com says
I feel like the quality isn’t really any different than major retailers. I’ve only had them a few months, but haven’t had any issues!
JAYNE MCLEOD says
LOVELY … AND I LIKE THEM ALL !!
JAYNE
themakerista@gmail.com says
Thanks, Jayne!
Bethany says
i’ve pushed off ordering new glasses too! and now i’m trying zenni – thanks for the rec 🙂
themakerista@gmail.com says
Good! Hope you love them as much as I do!
Bebe says
I I wish I’d been wise enough to have check my Sam’s Club prices for contact lens much sooner than i did. I can get a 6 month supply of Air Optix for both eyes for less than what the left eye astigmatism lens alone costs anywhere else. We feel our annual Sam’s membership is well worth it even if we bought nothing else there for the entire year. We truly appreciate this savings.
themakerista@gmail.com says
Oh, good to know, thank you!
Carolyn says
I have resigned myself to needing my glasses for reading nowadays. In the UK our eye care is actually relatively cheap, eye tests being free, and discounts on frames for some
themakerista@gmail.com says
That’s so great that it’s so affordable! This website has been such a money saver for me!