Warby Parker Home Try-On Program Review

I was excited when Warby Parker reached out to me about reviewing their home try-on program. I'd already heard good things about their glasses, and who wouldn't want the opportunity to try on fives pairs of their choice, delivered to their door, for absolutely no charge?

The way their program works is that you order five pairs you'd like to try on, you get five days to wear them (you can wear a different pair each day if you like), and then you send them back. The program is completely free. They do take your credit-card info just in case you don't return the glasses, and they charge you a dollar to confirm the payment info, but they refund the dollar a few days later.

I like that the program allows you to try on glasses in the comfort of your own home. I, for one, am not very comfortable trying on glasses in stores. I feel rushed, and like everyone is looking at me.

It's also a nice that you get to actually wear them for a few days to get used to the feel of them. It helps you decide which frames best fit with your wardrobe and your lifestyle. That said, the try-on pairs you receive are non-persecription. So, if you're really blind without your glasses, wearing the trial pair all day isn't really a great option.

Also, I found that five days, although it sounds long enough, really wan't as long as I'd have liked. The day they arrive in the mail counts as your first day. And, I didn't even find my package 'til I got home from work late at night. The day you mail them back also counts. So it feels more like three days.

For a busy girl like me, this wasn't enough time to really wear every pair out. But it was definitely a longer, more luxurious time than I would have gotten in a store.

I, for one, love the convenience of online shopping, but I hate it when I buy something that doesn't turn out to be what I expected. The home try-on model Warby Parker has adopted keeps the convenience of online shopping, but eliminates the risks. If only you could buy bathing suits this way!

The other cool thing about Warby Parker is that they follow the Tom's model, so when you buy a pair of glasses, they provide a pair to someone in need. Definitely a plus!

I wanted to pick a variety of frames, but I wanted them to still be something I would wear. So, I went with a classic wayfarer shape in a non-traditional color, a wayfarer that fades from brown to clear, a more narrow rectangular shape like Ryan wears, gold frames, and some navy wayfarers that are slightly rounder than the classics. 

I liked the "Watts" in Blue Saphire. I found the color to be surprisingly wearable, and I liked the way it contrasted with my green eyes.

The "Fillmore" in Tennissee Whiskey were adorable. Currently I own a pair of classic black wayfarers and a pair of clear-framed super-nerdy wayfarers. I love the way these fade from brown into clear for a different take on a look I love. 

The "Sibley" in Revolver Black were cute; they had a more "academic" look and less of a "hipster" look, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with them. I couldn't tell if they weren't a good shape for my face or if I just wasn't used to wearing glasses that shape. Either way, I just wasn't feeling it. 

I tried the "Sawyer" in Brushed Gold because I loved the idea of gold frames. I still love that idea, but I don't think the Sawyer are the best proportion for my face.

The "Begley" in Midnight Blue were Ryan's favorite. I liked their slightly-rounder-than-traditional wayfarer shape.

One thing I learned from this experiment is that glasses don't have to be a boring, neutral color to be wearable. Whether ombré, colorful, or metallic, a variety of bold looks can work for this everyday accessory. 

I had a lot of fun trying out Warby Parker's home try-on program. My only real complaints are that their selection is a bit limited, and some of their more interesting limited-edition frames aren't available for the home try-on. 

I got pretty obsessed with these for example, but they weren't available to try-on, and they sold out in like two days. 

All in all, though, it's definitely a program I'd recommend, especially if you like the convenience of online shopping and the luxury of taking your time to make an important decision like your next pair of frames. 

Note: This post was solicited by Warby Parker, but all opinions are my own.