Buying a new pair of sunglasses can be a tricky feat. It sounds easy enough, just stroll down to the pharmacy and pick out a cool looking pair of cheap designer sunglasses and you’re done with it. Well, the first obvious problem with that is that the sunglasses in supermarkets and drugstores aren’t likely to be authentic designer sunglasses, they’re more likely to be knock offs.

Secondly, choosing a good pair of designer sunglasses actually involves making a serious of decisions – based on both style and functionality – to ensure you get the best possible match for your tastes and needs.

Searching for Designer Sunglasses Based on Style

Style might not be the most important element of a new pair of sunglasses, but let’s be honest with ourselves; we wouldn’t be spending money on it or putting it on our face if we didn’t think we’d look good.

That doesn’t make you vain, if anything, it makes you practical because you don’t want to waste your money on sunglasses that are perfectly functional but never take out because you don’t like how you look.

The first thing you need to do when picking out a pair of designer sunglasses is to think about the shape and structure of your face. Just as different shirts, jeans, skirts or dresses, and so on, fit different bodies differently, various types of sunglasses do the same thing.

Do your research beforehand and you’ll find yourself wearing a pair of designer sunglasses that complements and accentuates your best features. Use these simple rules as a guideline and jump off point:

•    If you have a square face – Typically, women want to soften the angles of a square face. Large, round frames are great for this, as are ovals and cat-eyes. Men on the other hand probably want to accentuate their square jaw, so sharp, angled sunglasses would fit the bill.

•    If you have a round face – Most people with round faces want to make their face seem less wide. Buying some designer sunglasses with extra wide frames can help to shrink the wideness of your face, while gentle, rectangular angles or smooth curves can help add definition.

•    If you have a triangular face – This is a triangle facing downward, so your jaw is much sharper and narrower than your forehead. For this, designer sunglasses with straight top lines such as aviators can keep attention at the top of your face while round frames can help smooth the sharp curves of your face and even them out.

Obviously, nobodies face fits neatly into any of these categories, (nor the additional facial shapes of oblong, oval, etc). So, while the above can be used as a guideline, ultimately you have to go by feel and what you know about yourself. Buying quality designer sunglasses is a decision you have to make, knowing your own taste, style and preferences.

Choosing Designer Sunglasses Based on Functionality with Lens Colors

There’s no denying it, choosing your pair of designer sunglasses based on the shape of your face is a move for style. Picking out a colored pair of lenses however is both for style and for substance. Depending on where you will use your new pair of sunglasses and in what kinds of conditions, different color can actually be better than others.

Grey, brown and green are the basics and they are the only ones recommended for driving. They don’t really distort color, they just offer an overall dimming of light. Other lens colors, such as orange or yellow, offer high contrast and are therefore great for when you’re in the snow or on the beach. Red lenses fall in between those groups and offer a combination of high contrast without extreme distortion.

Picking Designer Sunglasses Based on UV Protection and Durability

No matter how much fashion sense you have, you should always have the sense to try to protect your eyes. While minimum UV protection rates are from 60-70% for a pair of sunglasses to meet recommended standards, many feel that you should only wear sunglasses that offer at least 98% UV protection.

This isn’t a prerequisite for increased price, as many fashion sunglasses do not offer legitimate UV protection. So if you’re trying to protect your eyes and your vision, choose based on strong UV protection percentages with your new pair of designer sunglasses.

Another element of functionality you should consider is where you will be wearing them and what you will be doing. Let’s say you’re on a construction site, you’ll want a pair of sturdy sunglasses that is resistant to breaking and shattering for maximum eye protection. In this case you should be looking for polycarbonate sunglasses, ideally ones that meet ANSI standards for durability.

If you’re on the beach all day as a lifeguard, you want to minimize sun glare, so polarized sunglasses, which contain an extra filter are your best bet. If you’re always active and on the move, playing sports and who knows what else, you’ll want glasses that are scratch resistant, frames that won’t go flying off your head and wide or wrap around lenses that protect your vision as you move and turn your head from side to side.

Clearly, different situations call for different kinds of sunglasses. That’s why it’s not as easy as going down to the store and turning the display around a few times to find something stylish and cheap. Those cheap sunglasses will break or scratch before you even get to use them, and they certainly won’t be up to par in any other measure either.

When you want real designer sunglasses you have to put the time in beforehand to know what you’re looking for. Make your decision based on a combination of style and functionality, and you’re guaranteed to end up satisfied.