Prescription glasses boring and expensive? Not with Glasses Direct!

On September the 4th last month I had some pretty rubbish news. Not the kind that rips families apart, but the kind that is a complete annoyance. I was diagnosed with bi-lateral cataracts (my blog entry about it is here).

It is quite hard to describe what I see but everything has a bit of a grey fog, especially around the outsides of lights. Apparently there are two types of cataract, ones when you see better in daylight and the other when you see better in the dark. Fortunately I fall into the latter  - well it is coming into Autumn and every cloud has to have a silver lining and all that! 

I mentioned that I was going to get a pair of glasses made up from Glasses Direct (their website is here), a cheaper pair and my NHS ones too for backups. There are an awful lot of things coming up very soon that require money - I have a birthday with a 0 on the end of it on Tuesday, the following Sunday it is one of my sons' 18th birthday, we have a bit of a break then on the 26 of this month is it my husband's birthday and on the 27th it is our first wedding anniversary. Please blame him for the timing of the last two as I let him choose what day we got married!

So, my new glasses came from Glasses Direct. They were, in a word, amazing. They called to check I had my prescription correct as it is quite a strong one, and were more than happy to answer any emails or phone calls I had.

I ordered my first pair from them on the 5th of September and even with quite a complex prescription they were with me on Friday the 13th of September. It took my local Optician (who, I hasten to add, is absolutely fantastic) until the 27th of September to get my NHS ones to me. 

By far, the glasses I got from Glasses Direct are the more comfortable, functional and better in every way. I won't harp on (again) but they have trained Opticians to answer your calls and emails and nothing is too much for them. They knew I was recently diagnosed with cataracts and talked me through everything that my own Optician didn't have time do (not due to the fact he didn't want to, it was more of a time constraint)

Browsing my emails on the 29th of September I saw that they had a HUGE Autumn sale on. 40% (yep, that is absolutely correct) off all glasses over £55. I couldn't pass up on the offer! 

This is what arrived on the 3rd of October. Now I make no secret of it that I live in the Isle of Man which is usually covered by "Highlands and Islands" for postage so I was a little pleased to say the least! First up - the quality of the cases is superb. Not quite sure you could run your car over them but I have sat my sizeable bum on them a couple of times and they more than take the pressure..

First up on the left we have "Vanessa" (here on the website) and on the right, "Audrey" (found here on their website). I know to most these probably aren't looking the most attractive glasses out there but I need something with a very large lens, and I actually adore the styles of these. "Vanessa" had wanted to be my initial purchase but was out of my price range at the time so I went with "Audrey" but in pink.   

"Vanessa" is a gorgeous brown and pink ombre effect, but is also available in both purple and blue colourways. They have a great lens size and are now for "best" when I go out. I love the almost 50's retro styling to them and they are incredibly comfortable to wear.

"Audrey" (named after Ms Hepburn herself) is a really oversized lens - which helps when you have cataracts. I am guessing they are a Marmite pair of glasses - people will either love them or hate them. I adore them and even though I have quite a small face, I have been assured by those that would tell me bluntly if they didn't look great on that they do. Again, the retro styling is what brought them to my attention (as well as already having a pair and loving them!).

All in all my buying experience with them has on both recent occasions been fantastic and their customer service phenomenal. From double checking the prescription of one rather upset person earlier on in the month to that said person now being the proud owner of 3 pairs of glasses for under £70 I couldn't be happier. 

At the prices that they have, I can now literally change my glasses through the seasons and to go with what I fancy wearing each day. That is before I decide which goes best with the makeup I want to wear on the day too! 

The website is incredibly comprehensive, showing you how to measure your glasses, how to make sure you get the right ones for the shape of your face - you name it. During office hours there is always someone to speak to you if you want some information or support.

You can even trial out frames at home to see what you think of them and buy your own prescription in sunglasses too.

I most certainly will be buying them online again, as the savings speak for themselves. 

Find Glasses Direct on their Website

their Twitter

and on Facebook

Fi x

*I have not been asked or paid to make this blog entry by Glasses Direct, nor am I affiliated to them. I think this is obvious considering I have 9 followers. I am just a grateful customer and would love for somebody else to get the pleasure I have had from their product. 

Slowly gathering my Autumn wardrobe.. Fashion post (from a different perspective)

I know, I know. It is the beginning of August and I am blogging about my Autumn/Fall wardrobe. Quite ridiculous! The heart of the matter is that I like to be organised. I have mentioned before that I am also in a wheelchair, which although inconvenient at best, opens up a whole world of sartorial problems for me. I like to look nice - what girl doesn't?! The problem is that good fashion (whatever your price range) and wheelchairs are not good bedfellows. I can make the most gorgeous dress from Monsoon (my favourite High Street store) look like a bed throw the minute I put it on and plonk my butt back down! It will billow, crease, lose shape and form in one swift move. 

Sitting in a wheelchair is very different from sitting on a chair or on the bus/tube etc. You are clamped into your chair, and believe you and me - you are going nowhere once that lap belt is done up and in my case, my legs are strapped together. I suffer from muscle spasms in my legs and have complete nerve damage so I don't feel any pain if I knock or bang my errant limbs, so I have to strap them onto my chair too. Oh the joys!! 

BUT - it isn't all doom and gloom, I promise. First up - skirts and lots of them (not included in this post as I have enough to see me through this winter). I wear ankle length skirts with leggings on underneath as boy do my legs and feet get cold in winter. I love soft jersey skirts, generally plain rather than patterned. The bonus with skirts is that nobody stares at my leg straps (well, they stare less!). I do occasionally wear jeans, but that is usually on exceptionally cold days. I am only in my 30's and I refuse to grab that tartan rug for my lap just yet!! 

Ok, first up - this year's proper winter coat.

It comes from Karrimoor (found here). Yep - a short coat. No long coats for this girl - not a chance. They get caught up in the wheels and if it is raining the splashback causes more dry cleaning or washing than it necessary. Unfortunately functionality has to take precedence on this one, so I have got a cream and brown coat that I can sit comfortably in the chair in and has a built in hood (have you tried holding a brolly and propelling yourself round? - NOT the easiest job, I promise!). So, snug, waterproof and everything I need (just not everything I want!). 

  

Next up, a gorgeous lighter hoodie coat in a light marl grey, with a darker grey fleece gilet from VooDoo Dolls (found here). Thick sleeves are the bane of my life, always getting in the way and generally adding at least 6" to the overall width of "me + chair".  This fits the bill perfectly and is just what I need.

I also have uncontrolled epilepsy too, which is affected by sudden changes in temperature (amongst other things). I tend to layer up an awful lot as the minute I get too hot my husband can literally time it to about 30 seconds before the fits hit! Lots of easily removable layers are the way to go for me, and I love this little grey jacket. This year, I have decided to expand in my brown/cream and grey sections in my wardrobe. If I could only wear one colour for the rest of my life it would probably be grey due to the sheer amount of shades you can get knowing they will never clash! 

And, finishing on 'top' layers, something I have had my eye on for some time - a VooDoo Dolls gilet with furry trim on the hood. I think this is what I will probably get the most use out of. Navy wasn't a colour I had been thinking of but seeing the colour of the fir trim set my mind on a rampage of what I could do with it. 

Now onto something I buy year in year out - long sleeve t shirts. I literally have tons of them in every colour you can imagine. Last year I even bought M&S long sleeve thermals! I got these from my local charity shop still in their bags to unfortunately, I have no idea where they came from. I think the beige and brown will look great under the navy gilet and the black with the grey fleece gilet - all leaving my arms relatively manoeuvrable! 

I have a confession - I am a Kipling bag and purse addict! I have a large bag that clips on the back of my wheelchair but it is rather painful twisting round to get things all the time, so I treated myself to this gorgeous purse and little shoulder bag in cafe latte (found here). It is just perfect for the purse and mobile phone. 

Aaand I liked it so much, I bought it in soft grey too. Whoops! Well - I might be in a wheelchair but I do like to match! Joking aside, I adore Kipling bags. They last forever. I have one that was bought for me 15 years ago still going strong and looking as good as the day I got it. The only problem I have is that I always have to have the matching purse. Please don't tell my husband - I may have omitted to tell him that they don't come together! 

And lastly onto my new footwear for this year. I have New Rock boots, Iron Fist shoes but I didn't have a pair of creepers. I know I am far too old to wear them, but when people bang your feet day in day out, they look pretty sturdy for the purpose and I really like the style of them. I got these from here. I am studying for my Masters at the moment online, so money isn't that plentiful (especially as we have 4 children), but if there is any left over - I get to treat myself and treat myself I have! I was going to get some leopard print ones, but my darling 17 year old daughter and I have the same size feet and I wasn't going to loose yet another pair of shoes to her before I had got them on my feet. I guess I should take it as a compliment that she wants to wear what I buy! 

And lastly, a present from my gorgeous husband. I lovely pair of boots. He is quite a private man so I haven't asked where he got them from as it would just spoil the whole "present" aspect of it. They are absolutely divine and have a pretty knitted top bit to them. 

As I mentioned, I wear skirts. Lots of them with leggings underneath in the winter. He even though on to get me a size bigger to accommodate the leggings too. 

So, with last year's clothes that didn't end up in the charity shop when I had my huge clear out I think I am absolutely covered. 

I would genuinely be thrilled if any other wheelchair users pass this blog by and could give me some tips to look a little more stylish. I have only been in the chair for a few years and am still finding my feet (pun not intended) fashion wise as I am not ready to throw the towel in and cover up in one of those all in one raincoat things! (Although some days it would definitely help me not having to decide!).

Fi xoxox