Twenty years ago, if someone with dark colored eyes wanted to wear colored contacts, their choices were sorely limited to just a couple of options, like dark green or even darker brown. While a light, blue-eyed person could successfully turn his eyes tawny amber or deep emerald, someone with dark blue or dark brown eyes was just out of luck.
Thank goodness times have changed! Today’s technology allows colored contacts for dark eyes to achieve the same dramatic effects, even when going for a different eye color altogether. So, all you brown-eyed girls out there can, with the proper natural color and skin tone, achieve the same smoky gray eyes Angelina Jolie uses to stare down her long-time partner Brad Pitt.
Top Brands Offering Colored Contacts for Dark Eyes
Freshlook Colorblends in Brilliant Blue, Gemstone Green, Sterling Gray
The best option to change dark eye color is opaque lenses, like Freshlook Colorblends which blend three colors to mimic the eye’s natural depth. These contacts have a better chance at changing your eye color. For example, the color variation in Freshlook Colorblends latest shades, Gemstone Green, Brilliant Blue, and Sterling Gray offer everything from a hint of enhancement to an intense color change regardless of your natural eye color, even for dark eyes.
Blue Contact Lenses
When it comes to blue colored contacts for dark eyes, we recommend the following three popular shades: Acuvue 2 Colors Deep Blue, Triple Color Blue from Aloha Contacts.
Note: both Triple Color Blue and Aquatic Allure have a dark outer ring which tends to make the eye color stand out (ideal for Paris Hilton look-alike aqua blue eyes).
Splash of Color Aquatic Allure, Acuvue Colours Deep Blue, Aloha Triple Color Blue
Brands for Dark Eyes
Gray Contact Lenses
Grey contacts are not always visible over dark brown eyes. Experimenting with different brands might find one that does but most of the time, unless you’re using opaque lenses, it only results in a muddy effect. Depending on the brand, some grey contacts appear more of an arctic blue hue while others have almost a pale heather shade of grey with a dramatic outer ring.
Aloha Contacts Triple Grey, Splash of Color, Grey Storm, Freshlook Colorblends Sterling Grey
Green Contact Lenses
Green colored contacts for dark eyes are also very popular and unlike other contact lens colors, blend better with brown eyes. If you have green undertones or green flecks in your eyes neaturally, then you’ll find green contacts look great on you.
Note: of the three choices below, Freshlook Colorblends green offers the most natural look. Triple Color Green has a dramatic, dark outer rings that make your eyes pop.
Aloha Triple Green, Splash of Color Green Envy, Freshlook Colorblends Green
Honey Contact Lenses
Hazel and honey colored contact lenses often help to lighten the brown to warm shade of dark gold. Twilight fans looking to recreate the dramatic honey-golden hues of their favorite characters should consider the tri-hued hazel contacts for dark eyes available from Aloha Contacts. Freshlook Colorblends Pure Honey and Acuvue Colours Warm Honey are also good bets. For something kinda different, Coastal has a color called Sparkles Gold that brings out the best qualities of naturally brown eyes with a subtle gold fleck. Get ready for your motion picture close-ups!
Aloha Triple Hazel, Freshlook Colorblends Pure Honey, Acuvue Colours Warm Honey
Cosmetic Tips to Achieve a Natural Look
Even with the best colored contacts for dark eyes, it can be tricky to achieve a realistic effect when attempting to alter the natural color of your eye. Tricky, but not impossible. The key is to match the right product with your skin tone and natural eye color. Cosmetics like eye shadow or mascara can enhance the look which also causes it to appear more natural.
The biggest mistake people with colored contacts make when applying cosmetics is using the same shades they’d use normally, for bringing out their natural eye color. It’s important to consider what color eye shadow goes best with your new colored contacts for dark eyes, and whether you’re going out during the day or at night. If your new eye color is forest green then eye shadow in that same hue will create a monochromatic effect. Meanwhile, contrasting shades like rust and rose result in a dramatic look that enhances your new eye color.
Individualize Your Contact Lenses
Just because a certain contact lens looks good on your best friend or favorite celebrity doesn’t guarantee you the same results. It’s amazing how two individual people can wear the exact same product and achieve two dramatically different looks. It might take some experimenting with various brands and colors before you find just the right color contacts for dark eyes but once you do, it’s totally worth it.
While the manufacturer’s color charts are realistic, they should be considered as a guide only. In addition to the natural eye color and skin tone of the model, the color settings on your computer, tablet, or other device for browsing the web might have an effect on how the lens appears here versus in real life. You can also check out AC Lens for reviews and customer feedback on various lenses before you purchase.
For example here’s a color chart sample versus a real eye:
For Americans, Prescription is the Law
Because colored and cosmetic contact lenses are described by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a medical device, a prescription is required for purchase. Even if you live outside the United States, we strongly suggest you obtain a prescription before buying contact lenses. An optometrist or ophthalmologist is necessary to ensure a proper fit. Wearing contacts that are the wrong size can cause infections, scratched corneas, and other forms of vision impairment. In addition to ensuring a proper fit, an eye doctor can help decide other things as well, such as whether disposable or vial lenses are best.
The Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act requires eye care professionals in the United States to provide patients with a copy of their prescription for contact lenses immediately after they’ve been fitted for them. This allows consumers the freedom to select their own manufacturer when buying contact lenses, whether they’re for the purpose of correcting impaired vision or will be used as a cosmetic enhancement.
Getting a prescription is far less hassle than trying to figure out which shade of contacts to pick out to go with that new shirt or the highlights in your hair. But the prescription does little good if you don’t know how to read it. Here are things typically included on a contact lens prescription and what each thing means. In addition to the measurements of your eye, it has readings for conditions like astigmatism correction as well as bi-or multi-focal lenses. If you aren’t sure about something on your contact lens prescription, it’s best to ask your eye care professional.
Colored Contacts – Affordable or Expensive?
While the cost of color contact lenses can be significantly higher than clear ones, sites like AC Lens has great deals and exclusive offers to offset those prices. It’s worth the wait to find just the right lenses, even if it means going through life with your original eye color for a few extra days or weeks. It’s more important that your contact lenses are safe to wear, and you can’t put a price on that.
Take a look at this price comparison. As you can see, regular contacts, depending on the brand, can be pricy and some brands of colored lenses, like Splash of Color, are a sweet deal.
Price Comparison
| Freshlook Colorblends | $34/box | color |
| Acuvue 2 Colour Opaques | $30/box | color |
| Acuvue Oasys | $26/box | regular |
| Air Optix Aqua | $34/box | regular |
| ProClear 1 Day | $25/box | regular |
Where Can You Get the Best Price?
To be honest, contact lens deals on the internet are a dime a dozen. Most reputable online retailers offer monthly deals, coupons and free shipping offers. Just search for color contacts coupons or deals and you’ll get a huge list.
Our best tip for buying colored contacts online is to never pay the regular price. Wait for a sale, use a coupon or buy in quantity to get a discount.
We recommend AC Lens (www.aclens.com) for brand name lenses like Freshlook Colorblends and Acuvue 2 Colors. They usually have a coupon and often include free shipping. Until December 31, 2012, you can use ACLS5 for $5 off $50 order.
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