Affordable Sunglasses to Check out this Summer

It sure as heck took long enough but it’s finally starting to feel like summer on a consistent basis in my little corner of the world. I know people complain about the hot weather, but this is my favorite time of year. I love being able to pop outside without worrying about bundling up or being trapped inside because of a snowstorm. It also doesn’t hurt that my birthday falls at the end of May, right when the weather starts to heat up. So I was already enjoying life these past couple of weeks, when I realized I may have developed a new addiction. What addiction would that be, you may ask? Sunglasses! And not just designer shades, did you know you could get some pretty cool sunglasses on Amazon too? I’m sure you did, I’m just late to the party. I’ll get into designer sunglasses in a separate post, but today I wanted to share some of my more affordable frames. Some are from Amazon, but others are from more expected places. I’m keeping this article under $100 so buckle up and let’s get this season started.

This adventure started like most do these days: desperation. A few months back I had popped into Louis Vuitton and was trying on all sorts of things. Shout out to the LV in Hudson Yards by the way, they are so nice in there. Anyway, I ended up trying on the infamous Louis Vuitton Millionaire sunglasses brought back by the late Virgil Abloh. I’m sure you’ve seen those big boxy things all over social media and either went “yuck” or “yasss”. I tried them on and fell somewhere in between. They’re definitely a lot of fun but they didn’t feel comfortable enough or look practical enough to be an everyday pair of sunglasses for me. And for $895 I had better darn near sleep in those things! So, restraint led me out of Louis Vuitton and back onto the subway home. However, I kept thinking about them. I did a feeble little google of possible dupes not expecting anything good in the results since they’re such a special design. To my surprise Amazon offered a great dupe of these for 16 bucks! I could hardly add to cart soon enough. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when these came in the mail, but they actually have a great weight to them and are fairly comfortable. Are they the most comfortable pair of sunnies I own? Of course not. But they give you that LV look, and they actually feel like they are of decent quality. The only thing I think they are missing, aside from the LV branding (which I don’t mind because I’m not trying to fool anyone), are the slightly reflective lenses that the originals have. These dupes have erased any inklings of wiping out my savings to buy the real thing. I’d suggest you give them a try. Plus, they come in a few different colors. These are called the Amazon Pamix Millionaire Sunglasses, and you can find them here.

Now you may have seen the second pair I got from Amazon being worn by some of your favorite influencers. I know because that’s how I discovered them. (I’m so easily influenced.) These are cat eyes, which are my favorite shape of sunglasses and I bought them in black, a practical color for everyday wear. They are super comfortable and go with everything. I love the pointy cat eye shape, but they don’t feel over the top (though I generally enjoy an over-the-top moment). Because they were only 15 bucks, I don’t have to worry about them when I wear them out and about or to the beach. The lenses are even polarized so they give you a good amount of protection from the sun. They’re kind of dark so people won’t really be able to see your eyes through them. It’s crazy that these are only 15 bucks! They kind of give you that Celine cat-eye sunglasses look at a fraction of the cost. I wouldn’t even call these a dupe because I think the shape is a little different than anything I’ve ever seen. They’re just a good pair to have in your collection and will more than pay for themselves by the end of the summer. I really can’t recommend these enough and I’m considering getting them in another color. If you’re interested, you can purchase the Amazon Sojos Oversized Square Cateye Sunglasses here.

Next are a pair I kind of just stumbled upon after buying the first two. These are kind of reminiscent of those rectangular Loewe sunglasses you may have seen on social media, but similar to the last pair discussed, they do their own thing. These are also an Amazon original and come in a bunch of great colors. These sunnies come in a rectangle shape and the frames are sheer. The lenses are dark enough to give you a little protection from the sun, but people will be able to see your eyes through them. These are also pretty comfy and I don’t mind wearing them all day. One thing to note about these is that due to the shape, they might slightly impair your peripheral vision. The rectangle shape is kind of wide so when I look out the corner of my eye, I see the sunglasses rather than what I’m trying to look at. This is really only an issue when driving and I expect it’s an issue for any sunglasses in this exaggerated shape. They’re also pretty hardy because I wore these to go shopping a few weeks ago and kept dropping them as I tried things on. When I picked them up, they were still as good as new. These are actually the cheapest on the list and retail for 12.99. Though they’re not as practical as some of the others, I would recommend them because sometimes you just need a fun pair of sunglasses to take your look to the next level. And given the price, I just threw these in my cart and did not regret it at all. The Amazon Sojos Retro 90s Nude Sunglasses can be purchased here.

My last pair for today are a little pricier but I wear them so much that I think they’re worth it. These are not from Amazon, but you can still get them for a good deal. As a matter of fact, though they usually retail for $65, they are currently on sale for $39. These are the Quay Come Thru sunglasses and I purchased them from Nordstrom a few months back in the pink/purple color. Now, I went into Nordstrom to LOOK not BUY. I had no intention of purchasing sunglasses, but when I tried these bad boys on, I had to have them. They are special because they don’t have a separate frame around the lenses. The frame is basically melded to the lenses and is the same color. The arms are a tortoiseshell which makes them even more interesting. The lenses are ombre and fade from dark pink to dark purple. These provide ample protection from the sun, but you can see through the lenses. As for quality, if you want to know how a purchase will hold up, take it on vacation to a theme park. I took these with me to Universal Studios about a month ago and they were great. I was taking them on and off to get on roller coasters, stuffing them in the lockers and sweating all day in the hot sun for 4 days straight and these held up with no problem. The arms are still as strong as ever and the lenses have zero scratches. The colorway may be a little less practical, but these are an everyday pair for sure. They are comfortable, well-made and even come with a little clear case for safekeeping. I would probably recommend the cat eye sunglasses as my top pick from this list, but these are a VERY close second. If you are interested, the Quay Come Thru sunglasses are available here.

I also released a video on my YouTube reviewing my sunglasses. You’ll see I included designer sunglasses in the video as well as a review of the shelves I keep my sunglasses on. I will give both of those a more in-depth written review in a future post so stay tuned! Thanks for reading and let me know some of your go-to sunglasses for the season. My addiction to sunglasses isn’t going away anytime soon 😊.

*Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission if you use them. You will not be charged anything extra for using these links. However, all of these items were purchased with my own money and I was not compensated for my review.