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Sunglasses: Tens, The Classic.
Photography by Heng Xiao Qi and Keziah Wei

“Tens enhance your field of view to the extent that a clunky device never could. In a sense, they’re Instagram to the second power”
– VICE

There are very few frames that actually suit all face shapes, and the classic wayfarers have always been a hot favorite of mine, no matter how many other styles I dabble in. (You can watch my Guide to Choosing Shades episode here to see what I mean.) On my recent trip to Krabi this trusty pair of wayfarers I’ve been carrying for the last three to four months were permanently perched on my face, and I love them so much it’s really a pity I only found them after filming that guide or I could have featured them too! Nevertheless, it’s never too late to drop a new recommendation, especially with Christmas gift giving season coming up..

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For someone like me who lives for instagram, nothing is clearer than the fact that things just look better with a filter. They just do. I don’t upload anything without putting it through at least two rounds of editing and filtering, and so many times I’ve wished that I could actually filter real life as well. When I got the Classic Tens wayfarers tagged with their catchphrase card: The Real Life Photo Filter, I thought to myself – sure, that’s likely, and went on using it just as just a normal pair of sunnies.

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I was wrong. I’d initially thought to use the shades purely because I liked the way they looked – matte surface, flattering frame shape, what’s not to like? – but the more I used it the more I realized there was something to that catchphrase of theirs. While typical sunglasses work by blocking out light, desaturating your line of vision, Tens works with the sunlight to add warmth and an uplifting tint to everything you see without compromising on full UV400 protection. If you think it’s just an advertising gimmick, think again – it started as an indiegogo project in mid 2014 and over 10,000 people worldwide have backed it, turning it into one of indiegogo’s most successful projects.. ever.

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They don’t just work as any instagram filter – they work as a very specific one, one reminiscent of polaroid pictures and the 1950s. If I had to approximate a guess, I’d say it comes the closest to the original Instagram Valencia filter; they drench the visible world in the same old school warm vibe. I adore that they look good both on and off your face – the world needs more pretty and functional things around.

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Traipsing around Haji Lane and stumbling upon the delightful Wonderland Cafe

I’ve been carrying them around in my bag wherever I go, which makes perfect sense in sunny Singapore. I don’t think I’ve actually stuck to one pair of sunnies so faithfully for such a long period of time before – but these may be the proverbial One. After all, wearable instagram filters and an insta-die hard like me? It’s a match made in heaven.

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Perfection? I think so.

We’ve upped the attractiveness of the world around us.. all we need now is for someone to invent something that makes us look as good to everyone else as they look to us with our Tens on. You can’t do anything about that yet, but what you can do is give your world a little bit of a pick me up with these babies – they’re available exclusively online at the Tens.Asia site. You can also watch the Tens video here, which honestly resembles an arthouse film or something out of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty more than it does a product promo video. Good one, that.

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Tens “The Compact” in Tortoiseshell.

Thank you for sending these over, Tens Asia! I’ve just gotten my paws on a pair of their new Tortoiseshell frames from the Tens “The Compact” ladies line, and I’ll be hardcore filtering my New Zealand road trip with both these babies, so head over to instagram for more updates and to follow our journey through one of the most scenic countries on earth. x

x
♥jem