When I had my eyes zapped with a laser (read my experience here) it was partly because of convenience, but a part had to do with vanity. I wanted to wear pretty sunglasses dammit! 😛 Anyone who’s had to fork out lots of money for prescription sunglasses can tell you how that feels (and back in the day, they are never as pretty as those you can buy off the rack) and secretly, I’d always hankered after a pair of aviator sunglasses. I know, blame Top Gun LOL! 😛
But one of my side-effects of undergoing lasik is light sensitivity. For me, wearing sunglasses isn’t purely for vanity. I need to wear sunglasses when I go out in the day because my eyes are just too sensitive to the light.
So, coming back to aviators. I’d always wanted a pair, preferably with polarised lenses. But every pair I’d ever tried (Ray-Ban does the popular ones) looked weird on me. The large tear-drop style of lens just didn’t sit well on my face and trust me, I have a big face. I should be able to handle aviators!
But one day, I came across a newer, slightly more updated design of the Ray-Ban aviator online which they call the Cockpit Aviator RB3362 and on a bit of a whim, I picked it up. The online reviews (there aren’t many) say that it’s smaller and somehow, more suited for Asian faces. That’s me! 😀
You know what? The reviews were right. It is a much more flattering design, on me at least. And I believe it would be the case for anyone who has a problem with aviator style sunglasses.
The lenses have a less pronounced tear-drop design so you don’t have as much of a bug-eyed look. The gold wire-frame is light and does feel a little fragile. If you are careless with your sunglasses then this one might end up getting squashed. I have a pair of sunglasses with plastic frames that I keep in the car. I find those more sturdy.
The frame has the bar across the top that is present in all aviator glasses designs, but the bar is slightly curved instead of running straight across. I feel that this softens the design slightly.
I believe the lenses themselves are glass, but don’t quote me. The reason I say so is because I used to wear glass specs (oh yeah, those were the bad old days) and these have a bit of heft to them, which would not be there if the lenses were plastic.
For anyone interested, the lenses were a 59mm width and the total width of the sunglasses are 14cm. I must ensure I pick sunglasses with wide lenses and wide width due to my large face boo! So nothing below 56mm for me. I learned that the hard way, trying to stick too-small sunnies on this large mug 😛
And when done right, I think I look pretty bad-ass in these 😀
I bought mine from Shopbop during their last 25% off sale so I thought it to be a good enough deal, and I got it in under a week.
I didn’t have to adjust the plastic nose-guard which fit out of the box, and the sunnies themselves were a comfortable fit. I do find that they don’t offer as much protection as my plastic pair, because there is less of a wraparound effect. The lenses aren’t polarised but I find them comfortable enough in blocking the glare from the sun.
But you know, sometimes, you just got to wear a pair of bad-ass sunnies, pair them with hot red lipstick and go get ’em! 😀
Do you wear aviator style sunglasses? What’s your favourite sunglasses?
Well even if you don’t, it’s good practice to wear sunglasses that have proper UV rating and proper protection. It protects your eyes from the sun, glare (reduces squinting and lines!) and UV rays can cause cataracts. Sometimes, fancy or very cheap sunnies are a little suspect for this reason. They may not be properly rated and may actually cause your eyes more harm because your pupils dilate when shaded and allows more UV rays in. So if you’re going to wear sunglasses, get a proper pair, not just the cheapest pair, and there is no need to get the most expensive pair either. Or maybe you’re like me and just want to get a bad-ass pair LOL 😀
p/s I’ve kind of missed not writing about just beauty products or beauty posts 🙂
Paris B
Ray-Ban Cockpit Aviator Sunglasses RB3362 Price: US$150 Availability: Various Optical stores and online. I got mine at Shopbop
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I have a pair of Rayban prescription glasses with Transitions lenses. I like to pretend that they’re Wayfarers. But what I know for sure is that after getting this pair, I’ve been obsessed over the brand. I’ve been hankering to get the reflective aviators for ages, or another pair of prescription glasses with the aviator shape.
Ooh nice! I always wanted Transition lenses but I came from the era when they were not very hip and only old lechery uncles wear them LOL! I have a pair of Wayfarers but they’re too small for my face and to be honest, I don’t like how they look on me. You know what’s funny? I see so many of these reflective sunglasses but I don’t like them >.< Oops did I say that aloud? 😛
Bad ass alright. I’m so tempted by them. I have a pair of Raybans and they make me look like a bug. 😛 I am sticking with my wayfarer-like with polarised lenses from Burbbelly. 😀
Thanks 😀 Next pair, I want polarised lenses! Ever since I broke my last el-cheapo pair, I’ve been missing my polarised lenses
I have two different pairs of polarised Ray-Bans: one the RB3362 (same incompatibility problems with the usual tear drop shaped aviators :P); the other I found on clearance for under RM200 (yay), but the lenses are chipped and scratched here and there that replacing them would cost more than how much I spent on the whole pair…
Wah, raybans for under RM200 is such a score but pity about the scratches. I suppose you won’t feel heartsick about abusing them then eh? 😉
Ooooh you’re looking so bad ass I love it!
I love aviator sunnies. I never thought I could wear them so for years I only stuck to the more conventional styles. A year or two ago, ASOS was having one of their usual 20% off storewide sales or something like that, and I decided to give one of their cheapie aviators a go. It was only 15 bucks and if it didn’t work for me, at least I’m not wasting money on very expensive sunnies. Okay, this is so tooting my own horn here but hot diggity, I looked mighty bad ass with it. I love it so much that I placed another order asap on ASOS (this time with reflective rainbow lens).
When Shopbop had their 25% friends and family sale soon after that, I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Rayban aviators. I don’t know the style; it’s not like yours. It’s sharper at the bottom. LOVE. SO LOVE. I don’t go back to other styles now. Why, when I can look bad ass with aviators? 😛
Thanks Tine! I’ve seen pics of you in your aviators too and it really made me itch haha! Good call on starting with a cheapie pair. At least that way a mistake isn’t as painful! 😉
I just got rayban sunglass as a gift and it is amazing! I feel so cool 🙂 it has quite proper protection that i had never had with my prev burberry.
And I bet you look cool in them too! 😀
I really like Ray-Bans and I want to buy a pair. I think they look alright on me, but I’m told they’re too big for my face. I’m not too good at choosing glasses so… I have yet to invest in a pair. Maybe I can find one that is smaller and will fit my face better.
I think I like the waffer style more though.
The aviators seem too… flimsy and I’ll probably end up breaking them somehow.
Maybe then these are the ones you’re looking for! I hated choosing glasses when I had to wear them. The worst part about making new glasses was choosing the frame. I never knew what looked good and I had a very limited selection coz I lived in a small town so yeah, never very fashionable, me 😉
haven’t looked back since getting a pair of ray-bans a year ago. mine is similar to yours – slightly smaller to suit the asian face 🙂 and like you too – i now have a new found appreciation for sunglasses since going to do lasik on my eyes. gotta keep them protected!!
Woohoo! High 5 on similar sunnies! Spent so much on lasik, better protect those peepers! 😉
I would love to try aviator glasses but I feel like I’m mocking the pilots if I wear them, especially in airplanes (when your flight is on very, very sunny day, hehe). I like those sunglasses that give the aura of old-fashioned, graceful look but then, I usually borrow my Dad’s old sunglasses, haha.
Haha why do you feel that way? I actually think they might feel cool that we wanna be like them? 😉 I like the Audrey Hepburn round, oversized sunnies too! That’s how my other pair looks and actually, those feel a lot studier!
I need my sunglasses. When it gets too bright, my eyes water. I have a pair of aviators from Ray Ban as well. I got it 4 years ago and it’s still going strong. I usually prefer my Dior wayfarers though. And I have a pair of cheapo generic brand sunnies which I got on a whim because I didn’t have one with me 🙂
Nice! I found the wayfarer design doesn’t suit me. I have a pair that’s too small for my face. bleh… In our weather and sun, sunnies are a must!
I would certainly categorize sunglasses as beauty products. 🙂 They can make a girl pretty. I’ve also recently ordered 2 glasses online. It was a tedious process trying to ensure that they fit. In the end, one didn’t…but that’s ok. It wasn’t costly. Practice makes perfect. I’m sure my next order would have a better fit. Keeping my fingers crossed.
You have a point right there! 😀 Yes, sunnies are definitely beauty related right? 🙂 I found that ordering sunglasses online, the important measurements was to know the width of the lenses and the width of the sunglasses. If you have an existing pair that fits, use that as a guide and it’ll be a much easier process 🙂
I do love me some aviators as they help frame my face (I’ve read around that the shape of sunglasses, glasses, etc can make or break your look). But the thing that I hate, personally for me, is that they don’t sit well on my nose since I don’t have a high nose bridge or whatcha-call-it (sighs).
Well I don’t think they’ll break your look per se, but it can unbalance your face. The good thing is that sunglasses can be taken off. Imagine regular glasses that can’t. I went through years looking like a dork in my glasses so it’s a sore point with me haha! The problem with a lot of these brands right, is that they cater to the caucasian face 😛 Unfortunate as it is, they assume everyone has a high nose bridge!