The Good:  If you are looking to get noticed and want a splash of color, these are a real head turner.

The Bad:  The lenses didn’t perform well in mixed light conditions.

The Ugly:  The reflective surface was hard to keep clean for some of us, but the microfiber pouch was handy for scrubbing out the smudges.

MSRP $48  www.sunskis.com 

California sunshine…it’s a thing.  In fact, our area in particular is second in the nation for amount of sunshine each year. We will take the ribbing about our ever present shades from the cloudy sections of the world with grace and the smug conviction that we need them!  We grabbed different colors from the Original Sunski Sunglass line-up for our stand-up paddleboard trip to Ahjumawi this past weekend.  The pop of shiny color was hot, hot, HOT!  These babies are hard to miss and really make a fun and summery statement.

When the sun was out in full force these did the trick.  Nice coverage and polarization for protection with a slight hue that depended upon your chosen color.  Picking up a stylish pair of polarized sunglasses for under $50 is hard to do.  However, visibility wasn’t ideal when clouds rolled in and the light level lowered considerably.  Though you may not really need sunnies at that point, it’s nice not to have to take them on and off.   If you travel between full sun, shade, and dappled light (think driving through trees), the light dancing around on the reflected lens is distracting and a little prohibitive if you are attempting anything more technical in nature.

At 2 ounces, the Sunskis sit soft on your face.  For the three of us, the design was solid and they sat firmly in their respective perches, but without any pressure points or uncomfortable flaws.

Bottom line:  The colors are on point and the comfort is there.  These aren’t a pair I would pick up for a Sunday drive or a tree-lined trail run, but they are a pretty killer contribution to my full-sun shades collection.  I would grab them to head to a pool party or a day at the beach and flaunt some saucy style.

Written by Jessica

Photos by Dan and Denita