I don’t know about you, but I have been called four-eyes during my life. At first, it wasn’t something I was proud of and I would wear my contacts instead. Yet, as I grew older, I learned to love my glasses because they are a part of who I am. Needless to say that the words “nerdy” and “geeky” have been given an ironic twist these past couple years. That’s right, nerdy and geeky is in; and its got Warby Parker written all over it. But aside from this fashion claim, I want to share a little story with you that happened to me this past year and early this month. Part of this story entails a wonderful experience with an eyewear company named Warby Parker and their Home Try-On program that I am just dying to share with you.

So, over the holidays things got a little crazy and I lost my glasses during New Year’s day. After searching everywhere for what seemed like an endless horror movie, I never found them again. Sad story. Ha ha! Now, if you are anything like me, prescription glasses are not an accessory, they are a necessity. And although contacts can save the day or even the week,  eyes need to rest and breathe.

Thus, I set out to purchase a good pair of glasses to replace the ones I lost. Buying from my area was a little pricey as I live in a city where oil prices control pretty much the entire economy. A while back, I had seen Warby Parker glasses on some really great Instagram posts, but I had never considered I really needed to buy new glasses until now. In this article, I want to tell you about my experience as a newbie in the Warby Parker world.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

OK, so who is Warby Parker?

Warby Parker is an eyewear company that is known for its affordable prices and stylish classy designs. Their company started with a problem they noticed in the eyewear world which they say was that, “glasses are too expensive”. I know I can relate with that. They wanted to provide affordable glasses that were high quality and fashionable. And since then, Warby has created a great deal of media hype thanks to their ability to deliver style and quality without hurting your wallet.

They have stores located in 16 different states as of now. However, their retail stores seem to only be located in the bigger cities. Yet, this does not mean that if you live in a smaller area that you cannot experience Warby Parker. In fact, they pride on their online experience with their Home Try-On Program. Home Try-On is a service as its name implies. With this service, anyone can test-drive a limit of 5 frames without prescription that are mailed to your home for free. That’s right, for free! You are given five days to try on the frames and then mail them back. No purchase is obligated after the service.

One of the cool things I like about Warby Parker is that they have partnered up with non-profit organizations like VisionSpring to donate a pair to those in need with every purchase of a pair of glasses. They call this the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair Program. Isn’t that neat? It really does feel good to be a part of a greater good.

My experience:

So, I browsed their online catalog of glasses. They all seemed pretty nice, but I was skeptical of choosing a pair without trying them on. It is not like glasses are one-size-fits-all. In fact, Warby Parker carries different sizes in frames, but how to know which ones fit me?

To my surprise, I discovered that they have their Home Try-On Program that I mentioned above. I was immediately convinced by this service since I did not have to pay anything for it. The only thing I was asked for was a credit card that would serve as a back up in case I would happen to not return them (I would get charged for each frame). I knew I was going to return them, so I had no worries. Needless to say, I started browsing for 5 frames that I liked the best. Tip: Some things to consider when picking frames are to know what shape of frames fits your face shape the best and to consider the color of the frames that would go best with your skin tone.

For the Home Try-On experience, I ordered these five frames: Baker,  Watts, Jennings, Durand, and Vaughn. It took about three days to receive my package and this is what happened after that.

The package I received was a gray box that looked like this:

As I opened the box, the first thing I saw was a piece of paper that gives a little introduction to Warby Parker and The Rundown.

As I removed the paper, I saw a divided organizer for each frame; each frame in a resealable plastic baggie that had frame name labels.

Now let me introduce each frame:

Baker in Striped Sassafras (Size 49-20-145): I really loved the way these fit. The keyhole bridge seemed to grasp my nose bridge that avoided them to slip off while looking down. The color was also very nice; almost vivid and transparent with the touch of that tortoise effect color scheme I was looking for. What also helped was the size of the frames. They went well with my face width and shape.

Watts in Sugar Maple (Size 49-18-145): These also fit really well like the baker, but I had never worn round frames before. Although round frames are coming back, I’m not so sure I’m ready for this style yet. Really nice color however, bit too orange-y for my taste though.

Durand in Whiskey Tortoise (Size 50-20-145): Really nice frames. I loved the style and the bolder color of this tortoise. They are closer to a black with tortoise rather than classic browns that we often see in tortoise, but transitioning from black frames into tortoise made this option one of the top finalists. The bridge was also classic like my previous glasses, but since my nose is a bit narrow, I still liked the Baker better. The horn-rimmed frames were a nice touch.

Jennings in Whiskey Tortoise (53-19-145): Like the Durand, these also have the horn-rimmed style, but the difference between the two is that the Jennings have that keyhole bridge like the Baker. Really nice. Yet, these were the first to go as the width of the frames was too big for my face shape.

Vaughn in Eastern Bluebird Fade (Size 53-18-140): These frames were just to die for. I just loved the way the fade is done and the way it looks. They are certainly stylish that is for sure. From the classic tortoise to a powder blue fade at the bottom. Really complimenting on my face color. The keyhole bridge was another favorite feature that I liked about this design, but the downside was they were too big for me. A subtle horn-rimmed design was also a nice touch. If I am ever near a Warby Parker retail store, I’d love to buy these and have them adjusted to my size.

So I immediately starting trying on each frame. I ordered tortoise frames for all of them because that is the color scheme I was looking for. I have always worn black frames, and I figured it was time for a change. Without a doubt, I was loving that color for me. It was neutral and would go well with my lifestyle. The hard part was picking something that fit right and deciding if it looked good on my face or if I just thought it looked right.

Asking others is always a good way to go when deciding if glasses look right on you. Sometimes, we either don’t know our face shape or we just think glasses look right on us because we saw them on someone else that looked good in them. So, I took a couple of photos with each frame (forgive my quirkiness) and compilated them using an app. I sent the collage to a cousin of mine who told me that Baker looked best. Although, I trust her opinions, I wanted to see if others thought the same.

What I shared on Instagram and Facebook:

After tagging my photo with #warbyparkerhometryon, I immediately received some great feedback from family and friends on both Instagram and Facebook. Apparently, Baker received the most votes.

About Warby Parker Sizing

Now, one thing to consider when purchasing glasses is fit. Not all frames are made to fit any face shape. Frames come in different widths and lengths. For Warby Parker glasses, each frame is sold in specific sizes which means that they come in one size, but not one-size-fits-all. As you saw above in the photos of each of the frames I ordered for the free-trial, they all come in different sizes. Each frame comes with a size printed on the inside of the left legs. Let’s take a closer look:

When I tried on the five frames, I noticed that some fit my head a little to big (like the Jennings). I wasn’t sure if each frame came in one size until I went online and figured out that each frame has its own standard size. For example, the Baker come in size 49-20-145 while the Watts are 49-18-145. The cool thing about the Home Try-On frames was that they all came in different sizes. So, not only was I experiencing fit for my face shape, but I was also experiencing some of the different sizes that Warby Parker sells. To keep reading on their size details, you can check them out under the Help section of their website.

To know what size you need, you need to pick the ones that will not fall or slide down when you look at your toes. If they stay in place, then that is good. Also consider that your frames should also not fit too tight. You wouldn’t want to have headaches from glasses that fit too snug. Now, these tips are solely my opinion and not expert advice. This is just how I pick my glasses. Apparently for me, the size that fit me the best was 49-20-145. I found this size printed on the inside of the left leg of the Baker frames (as you would on any frame style).

A drawback for Warby Parker comes with sizing. What happens when a person wants to adjust their glasses? Warby Parker offers free size adjustments in their retail stores, but for those of us who live nowhere near one of them, we have to pay to get it done somewhere else in our area. Needless to say, however, that the Home Try-On experience was a rather successful one for me since I found the Baker to fit perfectly without needing any adjustments. Just keep this note in mind when you are trying on your glasses: Warby Parker sells different sizes that you can experience using the Home Try-On service, but specific fit adjustments can only be done at a retail store for free.

Now that I gave you a run through of what my Warby Parker Home Try-On experience was like, I’d love to hear about yours. Have you experienced Warby Parker yet?

To view their Warby Parker’s New Spring 2016 Collection click on the latter link or the photo below.

As for me, I found my own pair to order and wear from now on. 🙂 I really recommend Warby Parker to anyone who is looking into buying a new pair of glasses.