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EBEAUTYDAILY.COM-EyeBuyDirect.com: Fashion Trendsetters’ Choice for Specs Appeal

12/10/2008 Back

I have specs appeal - and so do you!

by Aly Walansky on December 10th, 2008

So yesterday I mentioned my latest foray into sexy new frames.

Now, here’s the story: I am lucky enough to have incredibly sexy Prada frames that I received as a gift from LensCrafters last year - I love them and wear them to death. However, I live in perpetual fear of losing/breaking the, and realized that it was time to get a back-up just in case I have a klutz attack.

EyeBuyDirect is perfect both for a secondary pair, a fashion-frenzy pair, or even as your one-and-only: And no matter what pair you choose, you are pretty much guaranteed to be in and out of their ordering process in under $50. And that’s even if you choose the fancy schmancy designer options!

In the face of the flailing economy (it’s effecting pretty much everyone I know), these dramatic savings would be a life-saver even if the glasses weren’t so damn hot. These factory-direct glasses run from about $8 to $50 for both frames and lenses but you’ll need to do a little work to put in an order. Make sure you have an accurate, updated prescription: You’ll need that info to set up your profile on the site. You’ll also need to know your pupillary distance (PD), which is the distance between the centers of your pupils, to ensure a proper fit. (It’s important…I got it right this time, but once before made a debacle with another online storefront and the glasses were unwearable.)

Your optometrist should be able to give you that number and all your other measurements, but most online retailers also provide instructions for measuring it yourself.

Another reason I’m a believer in this site now: It’s just so darn cool. Let’s face it: It’s a hell of a lot harder to buy glasses than say, a cashmere sweater, online. Many people wear their specs all day every day: They are going to want to try it on, and see how it looks and feels before passing on the cash - no matter how affordable that pair may end up being.

This site sort of has a “virtual assistant” of sorts, melded with the facebook of eyes. Their Eye Try tool allows users to upload photos of themselves and virtually try on various makes and models of eyewear. They can also post pictures of what they look like wearing various frames to the e-retailer’s Wall of Frame social community, allowing friends and strangers to offer comments. A little weird? Totally. But it ends up being incredibly fun and addictive once you get started playing with it.