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"I recently did a double-take when I saw my friend Gabrielle&amp;#x27;s Facebook photo. Something was different, but I couldn&amp;#x27;t tell what. Her face seemed brighter, somehow ... Suddenly I realized it was her new glasses. The frames&amp;#x27; color (green) and shape work so perfectly with her face. Even though I don&amp;#x27;t wear glasses, I was curious to know how she went about choosing them. Glasses are such a major purchase--I mean, they sit smack in the center of your face! Plus, Gaby&amp;#x27;s a magazine art director, so she understands visual stuff in a way the average person might not, so I knew she&amp;#x27;d have great tips. Check &amp;#x27;em out after the jump!My friend Gabrielle in her new green glasses. Here are some glasses-buying tips Gabrielle has picked up over the years. 1. Don&amp;#x27;t shop alone. Bring along people whose opinions you trust and who get your taste/what suits you. 2. Don&amp;#x27;t be scared to go bold. &amp;quot;The feeling of &amp;#x27;too funky&amp;#x27; or &amp;#x27;too different&amp;#x27; goes away very, very fast,&amp;quot; says Gabrielle. She never thought she&amp;#x27;d end up with green frames but loves how they contrast with both her dark hair and her blue eyes. 3. Don&amp;#x27;t be shy in the store. Point, grab, ask questions and try on as many pairs as humanely possible. &amp;quot;Try on some extremes. Sometimes it&amp;#x27;s surprising what looks good, and other times you get a great laugh,&amp;quot; Gabrielle says. Either way, you learn something about what looks good on you. 4. Shop where there&amp;#x27;s a vast selection. Most of the familiar eyewear chains and higher-end stores have a limited number of pairs. For her last pair, Gabrielle shopped in Chinatown and was overwhelmed by all the unique and affordable options (about $250 for frames and non-reflective lenses). 5. Try a mom &amp;amp; pop shop. This time around, she visited an independent shop near her apartment and found that they not only had a fantastic selection but were willing to give her a two-fer deal; she got the green glasses plus a great pair of prescription Kate Spade tortoise sunglasses. &amp;quot;You can always negotiate at these mom-and-pop places,&amp;quot; she says. She paid $700 for the two pairs with cases and cleaners included. 6. Wear your contacts. You have to be able to clearly see the frames you&amp;#x27;re trying on! 7. Know when to ignore trends. &amp;quot;Women like me, who have highly-arched eyebrows, cannot wear the small-lens, straight-across eyeglass trend,&amp;quot; Gabrielle explains. &amp;quot;I like to refer to these glasses as &amp;#x27;the headband&amp;#x27; because some look like a headband that has fallen onto your face.&amp;quot; She needed glasses where the lenses covered more height than width, and where the nosepiece raised the lenses so her eye was in the center (versus frames like aviators, where the nosepiece is at the top and the lenses drop low). &amp;quot;There is definitely a geometrical law to the whole thing. It&amp;#x27;s not easy!&amp;quot; she says. How many of you wear glasses? What do yours look like, and how did you go about choosing them? What tips would you add to this list? If you like trendy glasses, check out this fall&amp;#x27;s hot look. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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