Steven Vue, a junior communications major, lost his $160 Arnette sunglasses while tubing down a river in Minnesota.

“I was pretty pissed. I was cursing. Then I said, ‘Oh well give me a beer,'” Vue said.

Sunglasses are climbing the ranks of important personal items after your keys and cell phone, Vue said.

Finding that perfect pair of sunglasses for the bright days ahead, is easier when you educate yourself about the shape of faces, comfort, care, health benefits and affordability, Kevin Saelee, assistant manager at Sunglasses Hut in Arden Fair Mall said.

Saelee said college students who are seeking a good and longer lasting sunglass usually buy sunglasses that range from $70 to $200 and the most popular brands among college students, according to Saelee, are Ray Bans, Oakleys or Arnettes.

Vue now owns Ray Bans from Sunglasses Hut that he bought for $180 last summer.

“I don’t think anyone should spend more than $200,” Vue said. He said $400 is too expensive for a pair of sunglasses.

But Mercedes Ben, a senior family and consumer sciences major at Sacramento State and designer of Benzo Couture clothing, owns several designer sunglasses, ranging from Burberry to Valentino, with her favorite being the Fendi shades she bought for $275 at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco.

“A lot of this investing has to do with the name. I won’t deny that,” Ben said.

Saelee, who owns a pair of $425 Chanel sunglasses, said if you really like it, you should buy it no matter what the price. Trends that Saelee have been seeing this season are back to classics, like Ray Bans or wayfarers. He also said oversized shades are still in this season and that since the weather is getting hotter and better, there are a lot of white frames appearing again in a lot of lines like D & G.

“My face shape and frames need to match when I am looking for a sunglass,” Vue said.

People who are oval-faced are lucky because they match any shape of sunglasses. Round faces match rectangle, shields, tea cup or cat eye shaped sunglasses, he said.

Comfort is a huge issue for Vue who said he loves his Ray Bans because sometimes he doesn’t even know he has it on.

There are certain ways a sunglass sits on your nose which is very important for comfort reasons, Saelee said.

Saddle bridge is ideal for customers who want the sunglasses to sit close to they eyes, reducing the amount of light that enter around the sunglasses, he said. It has equal contact on top of the nose to distribute the weight of the sunglasses evenly.

Keyhole bridge is best for customers with wide nostrils and who does not like the sunglasses to rest on top of the nose. The fitting is on both sides of the nose with touching the top of the nose, he said.

Nose pads can be of comfort to customers who do not want any contact between their face and the sunglasses. It fits flat against both sides of the nose and the rest of the front should not touch the face, he said.

Saelee warns for students who do choose to invest in a good sunglass to never use Windex or any products similar to Windex on your shades because the ammonia in the product strips away the coating that protects your eyes.

Ultra violent protection is definitely important for both Vue and Ben.

“With these Fendi glasses I feel like I get the UV protection which I probably why I wear it more than others,” Ben said.

Vue said your eyes are very valuable, especially for him. That’s why he chooses to invest in a quality pair of sunglasses.

For sunglasses care, Sunglasses Hut offers a care kit for $9.99, Saelee said.

Saelee’s advice for people seeking that perfect pair of sunglass is to go for something comfortable and that fits.

“A lot of people try to follow the trends and over do it,” Saelee said. “You could find the right look for your face and not over do it.

His advice is true for Ben who said sometimes she buys sunglasses for it’s uniqueness but because it’s so unique, she can’t pair it with anything.

Realistically, Ben said she knows that buying expensive sunglasses are wasteful especially as you get older where unnecessary spending matters.

“When I think about it, who really cares about it tomorrow?” Ben said.