Guys, I’ve struggled with sunglasses my whole life. Well okay, just the past few years. I didn’t really care about protecting my eyes from the sun before that (I know, how naughty).
However, when I did start looking into sunnies, I found that the vast majority of them didn’t fit me. You guys have no idea how heartbreaking it is when you walk into Nordstrom/Illesteva/Warby Parker/any major fashion retailer and try on sunnies that can’t even fit around your head, especially when you heart these babies (I don’t need glasses, but just in case, right?). The arms were always so, so tight around my head— it was like they were trying to squeeze the brain juices out of my noggin. Have any of you watched the show Brain Dead? Remember the CHI- catastrophic head injury- scenes? Yeah.
Side view of my rather flat face. I’m the one holding a phone, teddy bear, and bag, right next to my cousin who is also on his phone (hi John!). This is at my other cousin’s high school graduation.
Another issue was that my puny Asian nose wasn’t large enough to hold up sunnies. Instead, I had my chubby, baby fat-filled cheeks supporting the bottoms of the lenses, causing the sunnies to rise each time I talked or laughed (at Illesteva, the nose pads of one pair of sunglasses actually floated above my nose LOL). Then, when I took the sunglasses off, I’d have two lovely red horizontal marks across my cheeks. Ugh.
You know what isn’t fair? My sister actually has a decently-sized Asian nose. My mom says that her nose looks like a Korean person’s nose AFTER plastic surgery. What’s up with that, genetics?
After some more research, I found out that most sunglasses on the market don’t suit faces like mine because Asians have a smaller nose bridge and higher cheekbones (essentially a flatter face), causing traditional sunglasses and glasses designed for those with a larger nose bridge and lower cheekbones to slide off the nose and land on the cheeks. Asians also have larger heads, making for a very tight fit around the arms of the sunglasses (with many sunglasses I’ve heard the hinges creak as I attempted to get the arms to fit around my large head); some people even get migraines from their sunglasses due to this.
With this in mind, I began looking for sunglasses with adjustable nosepieces, such as aviators or clubmasters. I found myself a nice little pair of clubmasters from Lucky Brand. Not particularly durable or anything, but after adjusting the little metal nosepieces, I was so freakin’ excited because THEY DIDN’T HIT MY CHEEKS. Plus, they didn’t squeeze the life out of my head! Yay!
Unfortunately for me, while my clubmasters didn’t create marks on my cheeks, they did create marks on the sides of my nose. To keep the sunnies off my cheeks, I had to turn the nose pieces to their sides so that the weight of the sunglasses was being distributed across two small lines rather than two flat planes. To give you some imagery, it’s somewhat like the weight distribution that occurs when you rollerblade versus when you rollerskate.
Another issue was that after an hour or two of wear, my Lucky Brand sunnies caused a slightly painful squeezing sensation just above my ears. I thought this was normal, but after I told my sister and she gave me a blank stare.. No? Okay.
Family photo! I’m in the clubmasters at the very right of the photo.
I then ventured onto eBay looking for Ray Ban 2140s, their wayfarers. And guess what I found? ASIAN FIT RAY BAN WAYFARERS! I wanted them so badly, and yet I was afraid of purchasing off of eBay because I doubted their authenticity. I’m always a bit wary about purchasing items from sellers who have tons of that exact item available. Things just seem a bit.. sketchy.
I looked for more official retailers online, but none of them sold Asian Fit wayfarers in black; they had only funky color patterns, which aren’t really my thing. Asian Fit wasn’t even an option on the American Ray Ban site. They were available only on Ray Ban’s Hong Kong site, which doesn’t ship to the U.S.
I figured there had to be alternatives. At this point, all I wanted was a pair of sunnies that actually fit my unique Asian facial contours.
Say hello to my little puppy. Sorry for the bad quality and my double chin, but when you’re trying to take a selfie on Snapchat in a moving car, things don’t turn out as nicely as you’d like for them to. 😉
I then Googled “asian fit sunglasses” and came across a few brands.
Oakley.. Meh, not a big fan of the sporty shape.
Ooh, Kay Tran has some cute stuff.. $200-$300? Bye.
TC Charton.. The lowest price range is $0-$193. It’s like they’re trying to hurt me.
I then looked skeptically at my last Google result: Covry Sunwear.
Hmm. Not bad.
They clearly pay close attention to aesthetics; just look at their website and Instagram. So en pointe!
Those Castors are pretty cute, a bit reminiscent of wayfarers.. And that clear frame on the Lynx is nice! The Vegas ain’t so bad either. $95 you say? That’s actually kinda.. doable.
*This post was written in June, it just took me a little longer to post this than I thought it would. Oops. Just to let you know before you continue reading.
So here I am, waiting impatiently for their re-stocking and new releases in July. I literally can’t wait. They’ve been offering a few discounts here and there, but most of their sunglasses have been sold out, so I’ve let each promotional offer pass me by as I look longingly forward to next month.
I’m really hoping you’ll make me a happy girl in July, Covry. Your Instagram is making my eyeballs drool.
For years and years, I avoided wearing sunglasses because they left me with pulsating pains on the sides of my head and massive red cheek indents.
I didn’t even bother trying on any sunglasses at the store (and I love trying on everything I see) because I figured there was no point— the arms of some would be too tight, and others would just slide right down and hit my cheeks. It was actually somewhat laughable when the nose pads hovered above my petite little nose.
However, I got really into sun protection a few years ago, especially once I saw a couple extra brown spots popping up on my skin and hearing about how my mom’s eyes had gotten sunburned in the past (seriously).
With that, I launched into a full-scale search for the best cruelty-free facial and body sunscreens and sunglasses. The sunscreens were relatively easy to find— the sunglasses, not so much.
Unfortunately, even as a few major companies like Ray-Ban and Karen Walker are creating “alternative fit” sunglasses, they still don’t fit well on me. I guess my nose is just really, really petite.. and my head is on the wider side. For instance, Ray-Ban sells Asian Fit sunglasses, and while the arms were curved and wide enough to accommodate my head, the nose pads still weren’t sufficient, and the sunglasses fell back on my cheeks. Obviously this made me super sad as this was at the height of the Ray-Ban wayfarer’s popularity, and I wanted a pair so badly. Also, I’ve tried on a pair of groovy alternative fit Karen Walker sunnies, and.. you guessed it! It still didn’t fit well.
Luckily for you, I’ve done a large, almost astonishing amount (I’m almost a little scared of how much I looked into this. If only I poured this much work into my studies.. Hah. ;)) of research into alternative fit sunglasses so you don’t have to suffer the same sadness that I suffered.
I’ve lined up a few tips for you to find your most amazing sunnies that you can wear comfortably and stylishly while protecting your precious peepers!
First of all, metal frames are your friend. Your best friend, really. The metal arms and nose pads can be adjusted with ease, which is why my go-to pair is currently a pair of Ray-Ban Lennons. All I needed to do was extend the nose pads a bit, curve the arms a tad, and voila, I had a pair of adorable sunnies that didn’t give me pain nor leave me with cheek indents. I still get nose indents from the pads sometimes but that’s not too much of an issue for me.
You should definitely be a little more careful around acetate frames as they’re obviously not adjustable. If you can try them on before buying, definitely do so.
Second, smaller lenses are more favorable. With smaller lenses, there’s less surface area that could potentially clash with your cheeks when you smile. However, this isn’t a huge deal— my face is on the larger side so I will admit that I wish the lenses on my Lennons were bigger.
When searching for sunglasses, or even just normal glasses, it might be a good idea to start with larger companies first to get an idea of fit. Try on a pair of Asian Fit Ray-Bans or Karen Walkers, and see how they feel. Your nose bridge might be more prominent than mine, or your head might be more narrow, and so that may be enough for you. However, if it still doesn’t fit well, you’ve got to dig a bit deeper.
The brands I came across in my search were Covry, Jins, and Warby Parker. Well, I also came across Oakley (not the cutest things in my opinion, unless they’re a necessity for sport) and some pricier brands (like TC Charton and Kay Tran), but ya girl is a broke ass college student so I didn’t look too much into ones that were out of my price range. However, if you’ve got the dough, it definitely won’t hurt to see if any of their designs pique your interest!
I have a tendency to trust companies that specialize in this particular fit because it tells me that their focus is on designing sunwear that will really and truly fit on people with different facial shapes. It’s not that I have anything against those larger companies that decide to add on an alternative fit line, but with those, it feels like more of an.. afterthought. Like it’s just a little thing they decided to do on the side to generate more revenue, without putting too much thought into all the work and adjustments that need to go into it. But I digress.
Covry focuses exclusively on alternative fit sunwear, and obviously the fact that they specialize in a particular fit lets me place greater trust in them. They offer both metal and acetate sunnies, and have expanded into glasses not too long ago. Their designs are pretty damn cute and not terribly expensive. Their nose pads are definitely.. sizable, so although I haven’t gotten a pair, I do believe they’d fit well, especially given their favorable reviews.
Jins also offers both sunnies and glasses, in both “standard” and “alternative” fits. However, I also trust them quite a bit as the company actually originated in Japan, so I do believe that they know what they’re doing. They’re a little more affordable than Covry, and also have a greater variety of designs to choose from.
Last of all, Warby Parker launched their alternative fit line fairly recently. While most of their designs are also fairly affordable, the line is incredibly limited— I’m talking maybe 3-4 designs for sunnies and glasses each. And even then, I’m not sure the nose pads are large enough for someone with a tiny ass nose like I do, but I do still think it’s worth a shot. Luckily, they have their try-at-home program, so you get to try on your favorite designs at home before deciding to purchase! Hooray.
Keep in mind that everyone’s facial dimensions are different, so what works for one person might not work for another. Therefore, I highly suggest you don’t cross a brand off your list just because I have— your nose bridge might be taller, or your face might be narrower. Ray-Ban’s Asian Fit might just work for you (you lucky dog). Good luck in your search and let me know which pair you end up buying!
Ten articles before and after
TRIANGL review: Milly in Santa Rosa Splash (dupe)
TRIANGL review: Chloe in Miami Mint
TRIANGL review: Winnie in Arizona Sunset (dupe)
Lokai authenticity: how to tell if a Lokai is real or fake
saturday sounds: summer playlist— 8/20
TRIANGL authenticity: how to tell if a TRIANGL bikini is real or fake
TRIANGL authenticity: how to tell if a TRIANGL bikini is real or fake
5 Warning Signs That Your Jewelry Is More Damaged Than You Realize | CHURINGA Jewelry Repairs