Best colored contacts for cosplay

Summary in 30 seconds

If cosplay is your thing, you probably spend much of the year planning your costume for E3 or Comic-Con. And creating the perfect look means paying attention to all the tiniest details, from capes to accessories to wigs to makeup to contact lenses. And while filters can help you master any look when posted to Instagram, there’s nothing that compares to nailing the perfect cosplay look. 

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But before we get to the fun parts, there are a few things to keep in mind before buying colored contacts.

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• Safety first
• Be smart when buying contacts for cosplay
• Forget perfection
  

Safety first

Did you know that over 45 million Americans wear contact lenses? Here’s another interesting fact: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually regulates all contact lenses as medical devices. That means that as tempting as it is to randomly buy a pair of crazy cool contacts off a random site, you need to be really careful with anything you put in your eyes.

Most popular colored contacts.

Air Optix Colors 2pk FreshLook Colorblends Impressions Colors Air Optix Colors 6pk Dailies Colors 30pk Dailies Colors 90pk

Cosplay Contacts Pro Tip

Don’t wear them for too long. When Henry Cavill starred as magical demon hunter Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher, he got into character with a long platinum wig and yellow contacts. In an interview with Metro UK, Cavill said that wearing his colored contact lenses for too many hours (and against doctor’s orders!) in a row while filming could have seriously damaged his eyesight.

Be smart when buying contacts for cosplay

While costume contacts lenses (also known as decorative, fashion, colored, or plano contacts) don’t change your vision, there are serious risks to wearing them without a prescription. More than that, according to the FDA website you need a prescription even if you have perfect vision. 

Find more colored contact lens safety tips on FDA’s website.

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about the fun parts of contacts and cosplay. 

It’s always a little bit magical to add an unexpected element to your costume. And changing eye color can take you from the brown-eyed girl next door to the violet-eyed Mother of Dragons. So how do you pick the best colored contact lenses possible?

Forget perfection

Since it’s crucial to buy your colored contacts from a reputable dealer, you should probably give up on the idea of wearing contact lenses with stripes, dots or sparkly bits. Instead, work on the other parts of your costume and use colored contacts to enhance your overall look. We love the versatility of Air Optix Colors since there are 12 colors to choose from including Amethyst (hello Daenerys Targaryen), Gemstone Green, Sterling Gray, and even Honey. 

Pay attention to your character’s most famous traits

While you can’t match the eye shape of an anime character, you can copy their eye color. To enhance the effect, make sure to pair with instantly recognizable accessories. For instance, Sailor Moon’s long blonde pigtails and sailor costume will look perfect with bright blue contacts.

Try for a mismatched look

The most creative cosplayers don’t imitate every detail of beloved characters. The most successful cosplayers also manage to add small personal details to even the most carefully copied look. 

Sometimes something as seemingly simple as wearing two different colored contact lenses adds another layer of creativity to your overall look. 

One of Harley Quinn’s most iconic trademarks is her two-toned hair and clothing. Most cosplayers stop at the hair or clothing and figure they’ve nailed the cosplay version of Harley Quinn. But going one step further and pairing a honey contact lens with a blue one instead to maximize the effect of your costume and highlight the character’s quirks. Or imagine The Joker’s bright blue makeup enhanced with sky blue contacts. It isn’t necessary and it wasn’t in the movie, but eyes that pop look amazing and a little bit eerie as well.

Have a backup plan

If you decide to skip the contacts altogether and go with your glasses for your next cosplay, there’s always Clark Kent, Harry Potter or Velma Dinkley to consider!