Kate travels to Scotland to visit our Polaroid Lens Manufacturing facility!

I realize it has been a decade and a half since I have written anything (and came back from my trip to Scotland), but hey! I have been busy!

So since I know you have been dying to know, let me tell you how the Scotland trip went: it was amazing. Obviously. How could it not be? I met so many new people, got to see how our lens manufacturing facility worked and ate interesting new foods that made me long for an American home-cooked meal (so sue me).

Luckily for us, we arrived at 8 in the morning (Scotland time) after a lack of 8 hours of sleep on the plane. Yup. I believe at most, we managed to knock off for about 4.5 hours. Then we got to ride through the winding way that is the Scotland roadway system to our hotel in downtown Glasgow. It was absolutely the cutest hotel and in the perfect location (the Carlton George in Glasgow). We all dumped our luggage and set off to sightsee. We experienced not only the culture of Glasgow that first day, but the wide range of weather, varying from about 55 degrees all the way up to 80 and from a humid warmth all the way to dry windy and chilly cold to straight rain. Nothing like full immersion on your first day to really help you settle in and get acclimated.

Although we spent most of our time at our Polaroid facility, we managed to get out and try all sorts of restaurants and visit many a pub. Personal favorites: the Corinthian for its architecture and Waxy’s for its atmosphere and convenience (right next door).

Our last day was spent travelling to Edinburgh… it was the most beautiful city! The architecture was straight out of medieval times (skr8 up medieval). We touristed it up by buying bus tour passes and just bussed around the city so as to ensure that we wouldn’t miss anything. Among the sights we toured were the Holyrood Palace and the Royal Yacht Britannia. Yes, my camera died.

Not to worry, I will post many pictures! (See below)...

Feel free to send me your jealous comments and visit us on Facebook and Twitter!

This was the view we got to drink in every morning at breakfast!

The outside of our facility!

The ride out to our facility, the countryside we got to see was GORGEOUS.

The ceiling at one of the bars we visited after work... most amazing architecture!

The Scott Monument in Edinburgh.

Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh

The Abbey at Holyrood Palace framed by the gorgeous country!

The Abbey at Holyrood Palace... so majestic.

Downtown Glasgow, a block from our hotel.

The Showroom at our Polaroid facility :)

The Glengoyne Distillery that we had dinner at one of the nights (lucky us!)

The Edinburgh Castle.

The Abbey (Can you tell I was enchanted by it?)

The Abbey (No but seriously... it was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen!)

The gardens at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park (this is the backdrop to the Holyroodhouse).

Edinburgh.


I hope you all enjoyed the pictures! You can find more on our Facebook page (Polaroid Sunglasses).

Scotland Trip!

I am so excited! Saturday I will be leaving for Scotland to see our 200,000 sq ft lens manufacturing facility. This is where we manufacture our lenses using the Thermofusion Technology for our Polaroid sunglasses. It will definitely be interesting to get a close up look at our process and procedures. 

The plant is located in The Vale of Leven right outside of Glasgow. Being my first trip to Scotland, I plan on working hard AND playing hard (obviously). We have two full free days. One will be used to see the sights of Glasgow and one will be used to travel to Edinburgh and see the castle and the Edinburgh Arts Festival. It shall be quite the cultural immersion. We also have a distillery tour planned to tour the Glengoyne Distillery! I am a bit of a whiskey girl, so this is right up my alley!

Unfortunately, I found out that we will be missing the rugby match (Scotland vs. Italy), which is highly disappointing as I just started playing a couple of months ago… but I suppose this means that I will have to make a trip back soon!

This is an amazing opportunity and believe me, I will most certainly take full advantage of it! I will take many pictures and post them when I get back. I want everyone to be able to share in this awesome experience with me.

Thanks for tuning in, look forward to hearing from you all!

~Kate

TV Hunting

So last weekend, I had to help my mother find a new TV. I am not talking about upgrading from an older HD TV to something newer and bigger… I am talking going from an old glass-fronted monster that is big enough for the actors and actresses to be acting out the movies inside of it to a normal TV that was built in this decade. This may be shocking to some of you. I am sure that if I had not grown up with it, that I would also be sitting there with my mouth hanging open in wonderment that such TVs are still in existence.

Anyway, we make a first pass at all of the TVs just getting a feel for things. Second pass and we have narrowed it down to 4 or 5. Third pass (20 minutes later) we are finally helped by a salesperson. After showing slight indecision, we are left to our own devices… again. I finally force my decision upon my mother (that’s the way it is supposed to work, duh) I start wandering aimlessly to kill time waiting for the salesperson to disentangle himself from more promising customers. In doing so I stumble across the 3D TVs. Amazingly enough, they do not have moving pictures. They are showing static pictures in the effort to “show off” their capabilities. Hold up… wait. What?! I step back and look around in confusion… look back at the TV… and am baffled.

Given this glaring lack of inspiring visuals, I allow myself to daydream… of ESPN 3D. I think about football coming to life… getting run over by Clay Matthews or knocked out by Ryan Clark and James Harrison… catching the baseballs that look like they are coming at my face, racecars coming at me like I am going to get run over, holding the winning hand of poker cards because they are obviously right within reach… and am sold. Not on the active technology… but the passive technology that is taking off (think RealD).

Segue: the passive technology is better for long-term 3D watching if you tend to get headache-y. This is also the type of technology that Polaroid’s 3D glasses are compatible with… and given that I already have my pairs for movie-going… it is a win-win for me.

I snap out of my reverie and hunt down my mom who has made her way into the titillating kitchen appliances section. I tell her that we should take the massive leap from our dinosaur to 3D and am immediately slapped down. Undeterred, I continue to work on it… until she tells me to buy my own. Being the perfect daughter and family-oriented girl, I obviously back off and declare her a fun-hater and move on to find the salesman.

No worries though, the seed has been planted and I will have one of my own 3D TVs to go with my Polaroid 3D glasses. Feel free to grab your own pairs here… http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/categories/3D/

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Website: www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com

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Football is back!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather (and most importantly, the return of football!). In honor of my complete and total over-the-moon giddiness for its return, the flood of information and flurry of football activity, let’s talk sunglasses.

I don’t know about you all, but when I hit the games in the stadiums (and the pre-game... and post-game tailgates) it is sweltering hot and so bright that I feel like shards of glass are shooting into my eyes. News flash: there is an easy way to fix this… get yourself some sunglasses!

Unpolarized sunglasses are not likely to help you… (unless you don’t really care about seeing the action on the field… in that case, wear away!). It is times like this that you will need some polarized sunglasses so you can cut the glare (light reflecting off of EVERYTHING).

With less than a month to go until game time, it is time to prepare for the season. If you are like me, you already have outfits ready to go. If you are a guy... then you could care less. But, whether a guy or a girl, sunglasses are something to plan ahead. We can't be missing the plays (unless you don't mind looking like that person that has no idea what a first down is... or a fumble...).

I will include a few suggestions that I personally love to wear and to see the male species in. I tend to bounce around with styles, depending on my mood (who doesn’t).

I absolutely cannot wait to wear the Donna (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/DONNA.html) because it will match my team colors! If I am in the mood for aviator-type feel, I would probably spring for the Hans (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/HANS.html) which is slightly tomboy-ish, but I love them!

For the gentlemen out there, I am going to suggest Image (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/IMAGE.html) or Rebel (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/REBEL.html) just because they both remind me of fun-loving times which obviously goes hand-in-hand with the season.

I would love to hear from you! Twitter (@PolaroidSun_US), Facebook (Polaroid Sunglasses), drop me a line! We can have a fireside chat and discuss the finer things in life like football, the mysteries of life, and sunglasses. Or whatever else you wish.

Sunglasses For Every Shining Face

This one’s for the ladies…

Wondering which sunglasses to go with? With so many styles out there, it is a tough decision. Here are a few pointers to get you headed in the right direction and help you whittle down your choices.

First, take a little (or long) look in the mirror. What type of face shape do you have? An oval face, heart-shaped face, square face or round face? Each of these shapes are easy to identify (they are just like they sound) except the heart-shaped face. So small explanation of the heart-shaped face: the forehead and cheekbones are wide and the chin is narrow.

Now that you have admired your beauty and classified your face… moving on to what sunglasses are best suited for your face shape.

If you have decided that you have an oval face (like Jessica Alba), you can get away with almost anything. Usually, the best sunglasses shapes tend to be square, but feel free to experiment with everything! Try Vanessa (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/VANESSA.html) or Asbury (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/ASBURY.html). For something a little different, try Lillian (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/LILLIAN.html).

For square faces (Demi Moore), you want to stay with round or oval frames.  We suggest Swing (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/SWING.html), Shonda (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/SHONDA.html) or Sherri (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/SHERRI.html).

For those of you sporting a round face like Kirsten Dunst, look for styles that are equal to or slightly wider than the broadest part of your face and in rectangular or square shapes. Personal favorites are Rachel (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/RACHEL.html), Memphis (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/MEMPHIS.html) or Miriam (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/MIRIAM.html).

Last, but certainly not least, for all of you heart-shaped faces out there (like Reese Witherspoon), you can focus on the rounded angular shapes. Try something like the Keisha (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/KEISHA.html) or, if you love vintage/throwback styles the Broadway and Marilyn’s (http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/BROADWAY.html and http://www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com/products/MARILYN.html).

Of course, feel free to take a looksy around the site (www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com) and find some of your own favorites! As always, please be sure to alert us to your concerns, happy thoughts, sad thoughts, anger and all other emotions you feel the need to share! Have a great Friday and remember: sunglasses are the perfect accessory to any outfit. (We don’t necessarily condone wearing them at night, but many people sure do look good in them…)

Why Polaroid?

So you want to know why Polaroid Eyewear over the other brands? Allow me to enlighten you. First and foremost, because I said so. Secondly, because Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid was the inventor of the first modern filters to polarize light (used in sunglasses and various other commodities), thus Polaroid being known as the pioneer and expert of polarized lens technology. Thirdly, because they are the most fashion forward of the polarized sunglasses sector and are very lightweight, allowing for comfortable wear over longer periods of time.

Polaroid has a few different product lines to offer. The Core Collection, which has a selection of men’s and women’s metal and plastic frames, the Premium Women’s Collection (slightly more “high fashion”), Premium Men’s Collection with hydrophobic no-fog finish and anti-reflective coating, the Sports line, the 3D Collection (compatible with passive technology and RealD certified) and finally, the Best Under the Sun Collection which showcases Polaroid’s best selling styles ranging from the 1930’s to the 1980’s.

Interested? (You should be)… check them out at our website (www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com). Feel free to let us know what you like, don’t like, are neutral on or just drop us a line because you are bored. We would love to hear from you!

Orientation or Something

So this is a very exciting moment for me. My first ever blog. I already have dreams of having 3 and 4 viewers/followers. It is weighty stuff.

So for those of you who may be unfamiliar with Polaroid Eyewear, let me give you a bit of background. We are a division of Stylemark, a global sunglasses company who sells 1 out of 5 pairs of sunglasses in the world. We distribute across 70 countries (and counting) and are the largest sunglasses unit supplier in the world and 2^nd largest readers supplier. We are based in Ormond Beach, Florida… this is very close to Daytona Beach. Perfect place for a sunglasses company to be based, right?

We really hope that you will enjoy reading our blog. Feel free to leave comments, questions, irrational (or rational) concerns. Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/PolaroidSunglasses) … follow us on Twitter (@PolaroidSun_US) … visit our website (www.polaroid-eyewearstore.com) we look forward to hearing from you!