Makeup Tips for Color Contacts

Have you been rocking the same look for years? Are you ready for a change? Or, perhaps, you’re someone who lives on the fashion and beauty edge and you’re always in the market for something new (hello, Selena Gomez). Chopping a few inches off your hair can refresh your look but if you’re not in love with your cut, it does take a while for your locks to grow back. Changing your hair color is another option. Yet, if the outcome isn’t really what you were going for, visiting a hair stylist to fix it can be expensive. We think we might have the solution: colored contacts! They’re a low-commitment way to switch things up. You can go subtle, completely show-stopping or somewhere in the middle. One of the best ways to play up your new eye color is through complementary makeup. Not sure where to start? Here’s the Fresh Lens guide on how to enhance your eyes using makeup and colored contacts.

Can Anyone Wear Colored Contact Lenses?

The majority of people are prime candidates for color contact lenses. The great part about them, is they’re not permanent. You can wear them daily if you want or switch between your regular contacts and colored ones for special occasions, a date, going out on the town or just because it’s a Tuesday. They’re the same as your run-of-the-mill contacts except the portion that covers the iris is tinted in the color of your choice while the center that goes over your pupil is still clear so they don’t interfere with your vision. The colored area typically has a pattern to create dimension and a more realistic look.

An enhancement tint is translucent, yet solid, and meant to enhance the natural color of your eye, hence the name. These are great for people with light eyes who just want to take their eye color up a notch and make it more vibrant. Similar to these, are lenses like Acuvue Define, which add definition to the limbal ring to give your eyes a little sparkle or shine.

An opaque tint completely alters your eye color. If you have dark eyes or want a color that’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from yours, these are the contacts for you. Halloween contacts, or theatrical lenses, are also available and can create effects like vampire or werewolf eyes. Yet, for the purpose of this article, we’ll be covering your everyday ones, which come in a variety of hues including hazel, shades of blue and green, gray, brown and violet.

Even if you don’t need vision correction, you can still pop in colored lenses. Plano lenses have no prescriptive power and are simply worn for cosmetic purposes. Prescription color contacts can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. It’s always a good idea to visit your eye care professional before ordering contacts online, whether you have 20/20 vision or not, so they can give you an exam and make sure contact lenses are appropriate for you, fit you for lenses and determine your prescription if you need one.

Keep it Comfy

There are a few things to remember when it comes to contact lenses and makeup so that your eyes feel fresh and comfortable and your vision is crisp and clear. We did a comprehensive post about beauty and makeup tips for people who wear contact lenses. However, we’ll just reiterate the basics. People often wonder how to put in contact lenses with makeup on or they ask, “Should I wear contacts before or after applying makeup?” The answer is, always put them in before you put on your makeup and take them out prior to removing it. This tactic ensures you don’t get mascara or shadow on your lenses. Wash your hands before handling your contacts and consider using a primer on your eyelids, sticking with cream shadows and waterproof mascara and eyeliner and opting for oil-free makeup remover. Lastly, keep those makeup brushes clean! Bacteria and germs can lead to an eye infection and no one wants that.

Makeup for Colored Contacts

Okay, now it’s on to the good stuff. Remember that color wheel from elementary school? Well, it comes into play when deciding on makeup styles with colored contact lenses. While there’s nothing wrong with matching color contacts to makeup, opposites definitely attract and will create the most contrast so your eye color stands out. Also, keep in mind the concept of warm and cool shades. Warm colored eyes pair well with makeup in cool tones and vice versa.

If you’re wearing blue contacts, the complementary color will be orange. While we’re pretty sure, you don’t want to be swiping on orange eye shadow (if you’re into that though, do your thing!), think close cousins like copper or gold or colors with a hint of orange like terra cotta or brown. Black eyeliner can be a little jarring if your contacts are a light blue. Instead, bronze or brown liner will still define your eyes and create a seamless transition. 

Brown colored contacts combined with cool shades including blue and purple will look fantastic. Since brown eyes tend to contain a bit of orange and red, your complementary colors will be green, blue, blue-green and purple, which lines up with the cool-warm combo. For a bold, bright style, cobalt and saturated greens will really pop. For daytime or something more subtle, go with navy liner and try a nice gold with green undertones.

Green eyes look stunning with purples and pinks. For a day look, sweep a neutral eye shadow across your lids and add a bit of purple along the lash line. Amp things up at night with a darker purple. When it comes to eyeliner, your best bets are eggplant or charcoal. Hazel eyes can get a similar treatment if you want to bring out the green. Think deep purples again or bronze. To accentuate the brown in your hazel eyes, gold, green and warm browns will do the trick.

If you went with some eye-popping violet contacts, anything with undertones of green, yellow and orange will be your BFF. You may have noticed that black eyeliner is sometimes too harsh with many of the other colors but for you violet-eyed people, black liner works. You can’t go wrong with a smoky eye that combines copper, the aforementioned black eyeliner and black mascara. Gold, brown and green will boost your color and can go with any daytime look.

Is it time to revamp your beauty routine? Swing on by Fresh Lens and take a gander at our full selection of the best color contact lenses. We offer a simple way to order contacts online at affordable prices with no minimum order requirements. You’ll be able to stock up on your favorites and still have some dough leftover to update your makeup collection. Now, get out there and make a splash with your new look.

Related Articles: 

• Are Halloween Eye Contacts Safe?
• 5 Ways to Protect Your Eyes from Eye Strain
• 7 Things College Kids Shouldn't Do With Contact Lenses

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