Now that the sun is coming back into our lives from the shorter days of winter, it’s time to assess available eyewear. I’m pretty light sensitive, so I have a stash of sunglasses in many places: the car, the table in the foyer, my purse, and my shopping bag. There’s also a back-up collection of performance eyewear specific to sports, like cycling or water sports.
Historically, sunglass choices have tended to be either solid performance or fashion, and those searching for a stylish frame often got less-than-optimal lenses or even frames that looked good but didn’t perform in outdoor adventures as well. But in recent years, that’s changed: Style can also be performance-right. Costa Salina sunglasses, labeled as having beach lifestyle frames, work perfectly well for me on land and on the water.
Costa uses bio-resin frames (for all its plastic sunglass frames) as part of its Kick Plastic Initiative to help reduce the brand’s carbon footprint and protect the Earth’s waters. Castor oil is used to produce a natural raw material known as bio-based plastic resin. The bio-resin frames are durable and lightweight, and hold their shape even in harsh conditions.
Costa also sells only polarized lenses, which filter reflective glare—essential for anyone on the water or outdoors. The lenses absorb 100 percent of UV light, providing wearers with the best in light management and protection. The C-Wall coating on lenses provides extra scratch-resistance and a barrier that repels water, oil, and sweat for easy cleaning.
The Salina sunglasses come in three frame colors: coral tortoise, teal, and black. Each frame color has different lens options. For coral tortoise frames, the lens is green mirror polarized glass ($247). For teal frames, lens choices are either gray polarized glass ($227) or gray silver mirror polarized polycarbonate ($187). For black frames, lens choices are blue mirror polarized glass ($247), gray polarized polycarbonate ($167), or green mirror polarized polycarbonate ($187). All are available on the Costa site.