Sunglasses make for excellent gifts. They can be luxurious in a comfortable and elegant way, yet cost much less than designer bags and shoes. Aside from being great fashion accessories, sunglasses are also quite useful, as protective eyewear is always welcome regardless of the time of year. If you ever decide on buying a friend or a relative a pair of sunglasses as a gift, here are some helpful tips on what you should consider:

The Face Shape Matters

Just like when buying regular glasses, the face shape should be considered when buying a pair of sunglasses. Different frame styles go with different face shapes, so you will need to be careful in picking the right frame that can accentuate the person’s proper features. There are three usual face shapes – oval, square-shaped and heart-shaped. Make sure to verify which face shape category your friend falls under so that you buy him/her the ideal match.

If you’re buying sunglasses for a friend with an oval-shaped face, it’s recommended that you go for shades with frame styles made of bold patterns and a strong bridge. Oval-shaped faces usually have a wide forehead and a slim chin, resembling a soft look, so going for more striking designs will help strengthen the facial features and make them appear more prominent. The same concept applies to people with square-shaped faces, but in reverse. Square-shaped faces generally have wide cheekbones and strong jawlines, and these features can quite stick out. Therefore, designs like rimless frames and soft lines better suit these faces as they complement the distinct facial features well. Lastly, for heart-shaped faces, bottom-heavy frames are usually the go-to design since they help bring a sense of balance to the face’s overall appearance.

Preferences are Important

When buying people fashion accessories, it’s always important to know which fashion designers they like. Most of us have a favorite designer, and some of us also have a least favorite label. Knowing about your friend’s preferences in labels and designer names will help make sure that he/she will like and appreciate your gift better. Additionally, buying them a pair of sunglasses from the same brand they tend to buy their clothes from should also increase the likelihood of the sunglasses going well with what they normally wear.

Check their Lifestyle

There are different types of sunglasses available in the market, so you should know which type best suits the lifestyle of the person you’re giving it to. For instance, if you will be giving it a person who will likely use the shades for business, you’ll want to a more conservative design to still give a professional vibe. You can pick traditional colors for the frame to avoid looking too casual, and stainless steel gives off a strong, confident aura. If the person would most probably wear it to beach parties or summer outings only, then you can go for brighter colors and more stylish designs. For sporty people, there are sturdier frames available perfect for outdoor activities like cycling and jogging. If you will be buying a person who loves high fashion a pair of sunglasses, you better pick one that belongs to a recognized brand or famous designer. You need to have a good understanding of the other person’s needs to ensure that your gift will be of use to them.

Consider Celebrities for Reference

Not all of us are good at understanding other people’s sense of fashion. If you think that it’s too hard to determine which sunglasses would go well with your friend’s usual style, you can try checking out sunglasses worn by celebrities and use their previous styles as reference. For example, aviator-style sunglasses might be a good fit if your friend’s style looks similar to strong male figures like James Bond or James Dean. If your friend displays a cheerful, sunny disposition like Paris Hilton, bright-colored and bold printed designs should help keep the fun and color in her wardrobe. If she’s a fan of Kylie Jenner, she might appreciate geometric frames that go well with non-traditional hairstyles. A lot of people take after their favorite celebrity’s fashion style, so you can use that information to pick a pair of shades that would best complement their everyday attires.

Sunglasses are both useful and fashionable, making them suitable for most occasions throughout the year. Considering factors like face shape, the recipient’s preferences and lifestyle will all go a long way towards improving the quality of the sunglasses you will be buying him/her as a gift. We’ve put this guide together with the help of Great Southern Sunnies who stock one of the largest ranges of sunglasses online. If you’re looking to buy the latest in trendy and protective sunglasses then check them out.

Acquiring a beautiful, golden glow is desired by a lot of people for many reasons. For one thing, having that sun-kissed look hints at an idyllic lifestyle where one’s schedule is filled with holidays to beautiful and sublime locations—from the Gold Coast and Bali to Hawaii and the French Riviera. Secondly—and perhaps more simply—the tanned look is associated with looking “healthy,” the implication being that people with tanned skin spend more time in the outdoors. While this is not necessarily true, having tanned skin certainly adds something to that “rugged” and “outdoorsy” look that many people desire.

Now, the easiest way to get a tan, of course, is to allow yourself to bask under the glory of sun. However, prolonged sun exposure is not at all very good for the skin, especially if you’re not wearing any sort of protection. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes damage to the very DNA of the skin, increasing one’s risk of premature skin aging and even acquiring skin cancer.

This is the reason why it’s important to protect yourself properly when you’re trying to get a tan. If possible, you should also try sunless tanning methods that don’t require exposure to the sun at all. Whichever method you choose, this following list of tips will help set you on the right track!

Use a sunless self-tanner

If you’re concerned about sun exposure damaging your skin, then you should consider using instead a sunless self tanner that will allow you to achieve the healthy, bronzed look without the dangers of UV radiation. Self-tanning products with ingredients like dihydroxyacetone or DHA (often plant-derived) and erythrulose interact with the amino acids on the skin to produce a browning effect, similar to what happens to the flesh of a sliced apple.

It is important to continue wearing sunscreen when self-tanning because the UV protection afforded by the browning of the skin is minimal at best or none at all. Furthermore, using sunless tanning products that are wiped onto the skin instead of sprayed will help minimize your risk of inhaling chemicals.

Avoid sunbeds altogether

Also take note that sunless self-tanners are not the same as suntan lotions, which require the use of tanning beds or sunbeds—another major risk factor for skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that just single sunbed session increases a person’s risk of melanoma by 20%, basal cell carcinoma by 29%, and squamous cell carcinoma by 67%. It’s a really nasty equipment that should—quite frankly—already be relegated to the same category as medieval torture devices!

Eat carotenoid-rich foods, and take the right carotenoid supplements

Carotenoid substances such as lycopene and beta-carotene are naturally found in food products like tomatoes, carrots, watermelon, papaya, grapefruit, pumpkin, and cantaloupe. They can imbue the skin with a healthy, golden glow when they are eaten consistently over time.

This is probably not something you can realistically achieve over a period of a few days, which is why you might want to consider taking carotenoid supplements to bump up your intake of such carotenoids. Two to three weeks before your trip to the beach, your wedding day, or whatever event you’re preparing for, consider taking low-dose carotenoid supplements to acquire a good level of colour change on your skin.

Remember to consult your physician before starting your regimen, however, and avoid prolonged used of any product that’s not part of a regular, balanced diet. Also avoid supplements with high-levels of beta-carotene and canthaxanthin, a chemical keto-carotenoid pigment that is not approved by the US FDA for use in supplements. Choose instead supplements with lower and safer doses of beta-carotene and lycopene.

Use appropriate protection when sun-tanning

Whether you’re looking to spend the day at the beach, biking through the countryside, or hiking through a popular trail, you’re likely to get a natural tan as a result of spending time outdoors. However, you should make sure that the exposed areas of your skin have appropriate protection from the harmful rays of the sun. The best way to do this, of course, is by using a sunscreen. After all, you can still get a tan even if you’re already wearing such a product.

Choose a waterproof sunscreen with ratings of between SPF 30 and SPF 50 (SPF denotes UVB protection) and PA+++ and PA++++ (PA denotes UVA protection). Other products will just be labeled “broad spectrum,” which means that they protect from both UVA and UVB rays.

Avoid the sun during peak hours

According to the Mayo Clinic, the most dangerous hours to spend time under the sun is between 10 o’clock in the morning and 4 o’clock in the afternoon. It goes without saying that it’s best to avoid the sun during these hours for tanning purposes.

Also remember that the presence of concrete, sand, water, and snow means that the reflection of sunlight is inevitable, increasing your risk of sunburn as a result. This is why it’s important to still wear sunscreen even if you’re resting under an umbrella, an awning, or any other type of shade.

Although having a tanned skin is certainly not a requirement to look more attractive or more desirable, people who want to transform their skin colour definitely have safer options when it comes to tanning their skin. Make sure to keep this list handy the next time you feel the desire to change your look just for the fun of it.