You've been framed!
One of the things a lot of my personal shopping clients struggle with is finding the right glasses to suit their face.
With such a huge amount of frames on offer, it’s no wonder that the whole process of finding a pair can be overwhelming. Luckily help is on hand with some new services available to the spectacle wearer.
If you’re short on time and don’t want the hassle of trying on loads of pairs of glasses, then the Specsavers Frame Styler is for you. It uses facial analysis to scan your face shape and features and then it identifies different styles and colours for you to try from their in-house range. Not only that, but they break them into three categories, ‘Whisper’, ‘Talk’ and ‘Shout’ so you can choose a pair to also suit your personal taste, whether that be something very subtle or a more statement pair.
I tried it when I was getting my latest pair of glasses and it was nice to see some suggestions of frames that I would have never had considered trying out. The Frame Styler is offered as standard as part of your normal eye appointment or you can pop instore and ask to use the service.
If you’re looking for some fashion frames and something a little bit different that come at a very reasonable price, than look no further than Cork-based business Espy & Iris.
Founded in 2019 by three sisters, Christine, Katie and Lisa Brosnan who all share a passion for glasses, this company is the only one in Ireland that offers a 'try before you buy' service.
The customer selects five pairs of frames from the website which they then get to try out for five days, thus allowing you to really get a feel for the quality of the frames, plus you can get the valued opinions of friends and family.
If you need additional help in choosing, you can upload pictures of yourself wearing the frames and Espy and Iris will help you make a decision.
After five days, you send back the samples and you can order whichever pairs you liked online. Better still, prices start from €50 for a pair of frames with prescription lenses and as one of the sisters is an optician, you can be assured you’re getting a high quality, professional service.
Nowadays so many frames are quite oversized and not suited to everyone and so Espy and Iris also offer a great selection of frames more suitable for those with a petite face which are highlighted on the website.
It’s also ideal for customers who struggle to make it to the more traditional bricks and mortar store. Something that I found very interesting is that they also provide blue light blocking glasses which protect your eyes from the harmful glare emitted from screens and in this day and age most people will use a screen on a daily basis.
Let’s not also forget that in every opticians from Specsavers to independent stores like Egans and Crowleys, there are staff in there that have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to helping you pick a pair of glasses.
With so many great options of frames out there to suit all face shapes, tastes and budgets, there really is no excuse not to wear the perfect pair of frames for you!