The idea of wearing color contact lens may seem daunting or even unnatural for some. Nevertheless, changing your eye color through color contacts is one of the best ways to go if you want to enhance your features subtly or dramatically in a snap. Read on to find out how to wear color contacts without anyone thinking cosplay or Halloween.

WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?

First, color contact lenses are available in two forms:

• Prescription – These contacts, just like eyeglasses, can be graded and corrective for astigmatism, myopia (nearsightedness), or hyperopia (farsightedness). If you need to  wear prescription glasses but are not comfortable due to obscured peripheral vision or because you feel ugly wearing one (which is not really true since there’s now a wide variety of glasses to choose from that can definitely look good on you), now there’s need to go on Ugly Betty mode.
• Plano – Now, if you still have a perfect 20-20 vision, and you want to look the world through Elizabeth Taylor’s distinctive violet eyes, plano contact lens is just what you need. These color contact lenses are purely for cosmetic purposes and have no vision correction ability.

But that’s not all. Color contacts also come in three different kinds of tints:

• Visibility/Handling Tint – Although they may show a bluish or greenish tinge on the lens, these types of contacts do not affect your eye color. The tint is only there to help you see the contacts better during insertion or just in case you drop them.
• Enhancement Tint – Contacts with enhancement tint is only recommended for people with very light natural eye color who just wants it to look richer or more intense.
• Opaque Tint – This non-transparent lens can effectively change the color of your eyes and will work for whether you have naturally dark or light eyes. These contacts come in many colors such as hazel, brown, blue, green, violet, gray, etc.Obviously, costume or theatrical contacts (think Twilight or Naruto Sharingan) fall under this category.

WHAT COLOR SHOULD YOU GET?

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding what color of contacts to go for. But your hair color and skin color definitely plays a very crucial role.

Hair and Skin with Yellow or Gold Undertones:

Basically, ladies with warm skin and hair color, let’s say, brunette or golden blonde hair and then a tanned complexion, should go for color contacts with yellow or gold undertones such as light brown, honey, hazel, and green.

Supermodel Tyra Banks smizing (smiling with your eyes) with her captivating hazel eyes.

Hair and Skin with Blue Undertones:

If you have a really light skin color and have strawberry blonde, blue-black, or jet black tresses, icy hues such as those from the blue, violet, or plum family can work wonders for you.

Iron Man female lead, Gwyneth Paltrow, in breathtaking blue

Important Tips:

• Ask your eye doctor for a skin tone chart. This will help you determine your skin color and decide on your possible options.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment, as this is one way to find out which suits you best.
• Try on different color contact lenses. Check out how each one looks in different lighting conditions.

EASY MAKEUP MOVES FOR YOUR EYES

Here’s a quick guide that you can follow for practical makeup tips to take to make your color contact lenses look good on you:

 

• BROWN EYES

Anne Hathaway in her smoldering brown eyes. Brown goes with everything – in fact, anything!  Grab a Zoeva 225 Eye Blender and rock all 88 shades of Zoeva 88 Eyeshadow Palette!

Brown is a neutral shade so it blends well with almost every color imaginable. However, beauty expert Nick Barose, who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong’o, has a little caveat:  instead of using brown eye shadows, which looks boring, go for a darker toffee shade with a hint of shimmer. “This way it won’t look flat against brown eyes,” he explained.Don’t hesitate to experiment bold colors with brown, as you can never really go wrong with brown.

Go with matte blue or green—or both!” Barose suggested. He says, “Brown eyes can get away with the craziest colors because they don’t clash.” Bronze, peach, purple, navy, teal, green are your top choices for this brown eye colors.

• BLUE EYES

J.Law has naturally blue eyes. Luxola recommends Sleek Makeup i-Divine Oh So Special.

Expert makeup artist, Marina Gravani, says, “I like using gray-brown, slate, or even silvery blues. And if a woman’s eyes are deep navy, I’ll even use eggplant.”Go and explore with gold, bronze, copper, champagne, yellow-beige, and peach shadows. A subtle wash of these shades with a hint of sparkle is enough to make this standout eye color look more stunning. So, avoid putting too much and going too dark.

• GREEN EYES

Try Maybelline Eye Studio Tattoo 24 hr in Painted Purple or Model CO Eyeshadow Trio Palette in 07 Purple Haze to get Kirsten Stewart’s head-turning gaze.

According to Elle, sepia, rust, purple, and pink shades will look fab for green -eyed babes. Go for wine or mauve, which looks earthy from a distance but definitely purple in closer look. Or turn green into emerald with a soft touch of rose gold on your lids.For celebrity makeup maven, Rachel Wood, “I love a super-deep plum with a touch of glitter sparkle applied all over the lid for green eyes. It can look vampy and ultra-dramatic.”

MAKEUP SAFETY FOR CONTACT LENS WEARERS

• Do not wear false eyelashes when wearing your contacts, as the glue may come in contact with your lens, which can make all hell break loose in your eyes. Although you can attach your falsies and allow the glue to dry and then wear your contacts afterwards, erring on the side of caution is always ideal.
  
• Buy only high-quality eye makeup to save yourself from irritation and whatnots. Getting hypoallergenic products is also highly recommended.
• Steer clear from oil-based makeup as they can affect your contacts negatively.
• Limit your mascara to two coatings to avoid flaking particles from getting into your contacts.
• Avoid applying eyeliner on the inside of your eyelids.
• Choose cream over powder. Although both types can get into your lens and cause bad reactions, the dust from cream-based formulations is more easily controlled, especially with the use of a primer. Try Edward Bess Iluminating Eyeshadow Base.