MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Beaut Optician is a lifestyle and fashion blog created in August 2017 by Erika McChesney, an optician at Eye Society located here. While her husband was in optometry school at Southern College of Optometry, McChesney, decided it was time to create a platform where she could share her obsession of fabulous eyewear with others. In August of 2017, McChesney launched Beaut Optician with, “Eye Squinting and Wrinkles,” a post about how to minimize the appearance of wrinkles as we age.

“With my husband in optometry school at SCO and studying constantly, there were many times I would come home from work and just have this burning desire to create something,” McChesney explained. “I actually wanted to have some sort of fashion blog for years, but never knew where to start.”

Since launching the blog, McChesney has covered a wide range of topics, including, “Makeup for a Glasses Girl,” and “Tinted Eyewear at New York Fashion Week,” which cater to eyeglass wearers as well as “Slay with Samples,” and “Masking Benefits,” which cater to the everyday girl obsessed with beauty products. The blog also includes posts such as, “Sundresses. The Long and Short of It,” and “The Only Shoes You Need This Spring,” which are more fashion centric.

When it comes to selecting topics to cover, McChesney not only keeps a running list for post ideas, but staying in touch within the eyewear community also provides a lot of ideas. “I try and stay engaged in the community and attend events and if I purchase something I love or new eyewear that comes into Eye Society I absolutely have to share,” she explained. Her audience mostly consists of women who love style and fashion, other optical boutiques and practices, future and current ODs, as well as other bloggers.

  

Though Beaut Optician has only been around for less than a year, the blog has gotten a lot of traction. In addition to growing her readers, the Beaut Optician Instagram page currently boasts a following close to 1,500. The Instagram page serves as an extension of the blog, which allows McChesney to promote her content and engage with her readers.

  

“I didn’t want to just post pictures on Instagram or Facebook. I wanted to tell a story,” McChesney told VMail Weekend. “Instagram is incredible for bloggers and really for any eyewear boutique or practice. It truly has brought me friends and subscribers from all over the world. It is free advertising for the brand/business you are trying to promote.”

Even though she’s gained a solid following online, the blog doesn’t really factor into McChesney’s day-to-day dealings with patients, however, every now and then, a patient will recognize her as Beaut Optician. “Some local patients will recognize me from Instagram and have booked appointments because they knew me from it,” McChesney explained. “But when I am at work I don’t discuss my blog with the patients I work with unless they mention it. It is still fairly new and growing so I’m hoping to only grow more engagement.”

Though Beaut Optician serves as a creative outlet for McChesney, she also hopes that it inspires all eyeglass-wearers out there to be proud of their eyewear. She believes that eyewear is just another way to express yourself—an extension of your personality—just like fashion. “One of my favorite things about being an optician is being able to help people see their best and quite literally look their best,” she said. “I hope that when people read the blog, they have either learned something or have been inspired. I really hope to break the stigma that glasses aren’t cool. Glasses and the whole independent eyewear industry are important to me and I hope to be able to educate people about what fun it can be to wear fabulous glasses.”