What Should You Know Before Trying a New Eye Colour Look?

There are certain beauty changes that require a fairly major commitment. Cutting in a fringe, bleaching your hair, getting the tiny tattoo you’ve had saved on Pinterest since 2018.

Changing your eye colour (temporarily), thankfully, is not one of them.

Coloured contact lenses can completely change your look without requiring you to explain yourself to your hairdresser for the next six months. Fancy green eyes for an evening? Hazel for holiday? Something a little more dramatic for a party? Very doable.

But (and there was always going to be a but, wasn’t there?) coloured contacts aren’t quite the same as trying a new lipstick. They sit directly on your eyes, which means there are a few decidedly unglamorous but rather important things to sort out before getting to the fun part.

Here’s what’s actually worth knowing.

First things first: coloured contacts aren’t just another beauty accessory

It’s very easy to think of coloured lenses as belonging in the same category as false lashes, hair extensions or that suspiciously effective stick-on eyeliner you bought after seeing it on TikTok.

They don’t.

Even if your eyesight is perfect and you’ve never so much as glanced at a glasses prescription, cosmetic contact lenses still need to fit your eyes properly. Your eyes are, understandably, rather particular about having foreign objects placed on top of them.

So before wearing coloured contacts for the first time, book an appointment with an optician. They’ll check your eyes, measure them and make sure the lenses you’re considering are actually suitable.

It might feel like an extra bit of admin standing between you and your new hazel-eyed era, but irritated eyes are unlikely to complement the look you had planned.

Do you need plano or prescription lenses?

This sounds far more technical than it actually is.

If you have good eyesight and only want contacts to change the colour of your eyes, you’ll be looking at plano lenses. They have no corrective power; they’re simply there for the colour.

If you usually need glasses or contact lenses to see properly, prescription coloured contacts can do both jobs at once, correcting your vision while changing your eye colour.

So no, you don’t necessarily have to choose between being able to read the cocktail menu and having the eye colour you wanted.

If you already wear contact lenses, though, don’t assume you can simply transfer the numbers from your usual prescription onto any coloured pair you fancy. Different brands and lens styles can fit differently, so it’s worth checking with your optician first.

Yes, you can order them online… once you’ve been properly fitted

After you’ve had a fitting and know exactly what you need, buying coloured contacts online becomes much simpler.

And if, in an entirely uncharacteristic move, you’ve remembered the day before an event that you wanted a completely different eye colour to go with your outfit, there are coloured contact lenses next-day delivery options available.

Just don’t make “I’ll order them tomorrow” the cornerstone of your entire beauty plan.

Your particular colour and prescription still need to be in stock, and retailers may have order cut-off times. If you need lenses for a wedding, holiday, festival or big night out, giving yourself a few extra days is considerably less stressful than refreshing the tracking page while simultaneously trying to do your hair.

Your natural eye colour makes a big difference

This is the bit that makes buying coloured contacts slightly more complicated than choosing a shade from a picture.

The final colour is a combination of the lens and the eyes underneath it.

If you naturally have lighter eyes, more translucent lenses can create a noticeable but relatively subtle change. If your eyes are very dark, you may need a more opaque lens to achieve the same effect.

Which means the gorgeous icy blue you’ve seen online may not look exactly the same on your eyes, a little like how the nude lipstick that looks effortlessly chic on somebody else somehow makes you look as though you’ve stepped back into the 2000’s dream matte mousse era.

Where trial lenses are available, they can be really useful. Otherwise, ask your optician what type of opacity is likely to give you the effect you want.

What actually happens at a contact lens fitting?

If you’ve never worn contacts before, the prospect of somebody assessing whether you’re capable of putting something directly onto your eyeball may not rank particularly highly on your list of enjoyable afternoon activities. But it’s very routine.

Your optician will look at the health of your eyes and take measurements to work out which lenses should fit comfortably. If you’re new to contacts, they’ll also usually show you how to put them in, remove them and look after them without turning the entire experience into an unnecessarily dramatic bathroom ordeal.

The College of Optometrists has guidance around contact lens wear and care and the important point is that cosmetic lenses deserve the same attention as corrective ones.

If you already wear ordinary contacts, tell your optician you’re considering coloured ones too. Your usual brand, measurements or prescription may not translate perfectly to every coloured range.

Daily or monthly coloured contacts?

Once you know which lenses fit, you’ll usually have another decision to make: daily or reusable.

Daily coloured contacts are exactly what they sound like. Open a fresh pair, wear them for the prescribed period and throw them away afterwards. No solution, no contact lens case lurking mysteriously beside the bathroom sink, and no trying to remember when you opened them.

For occasional wear, they’re wonderfully straightforward.

Monthly lenses can make more sense if you want to wear coloured contacts regularly, but they come with a little more responsibility. They need to be cleaned and stored correctly, and you’ll need to stick to their replacement schedule rather than deciding that “monthly” is more of a loose philosophical concept.

If you’re only experimenting with a different eye colour for the occasional event or night out, dailies may be the easier place to start, assuming they’re suitable for your eyes.

Don’t leave delivery until the last possible second

We’ve all done the optimistic online-ordering maths.

“The party is Saturday. It’s Thursday evening. It says next-day delivery. Perfect.”

Possibly. But there are a few things standing between clicking order and having the lenses actually arrive on your doormat.

Your chosen shade needs to be available in your prescription, you’ll need to order before the retailer’s relevant cut-off and any necessary prescription checks need to be completed. More unusual prescriptions or particularly popular colours may not always be sitting ready for immediate dispatch.

So if your entire Saturday night transformation hinges on suddenly having green eyes, order ahead. Future You, who is already trying to decide between two outfits and wondering where the other earring went, will be grateful.

And please, look after your eyes

Here comes the sensible bit.

Contact lens hygiene isn’t particularly exciting but neither is spending your weekend with sore, irritated eyes because you forgot to wash your hands.

The NHS advises contact lens wearers to follow proper hygiene and lens care guidance. In practice, that means washing and drying your hands before touching your lenses, following the instructions you’ve been given, replacing lenses when you’re supposed to and never sharing them with somebody else.

Yes, even if your friend really wants to see what your blue contacts look like on her.

If your eyes become painful, unusually red or uncomfortable while wearing lenses, take it seriously rather than assuming it’s something you should simply put up with. There are plenty of red eye myths floating around online, and redness can have various causes, so persistent or concerning symptoms are something to discuss with an appropriate eye-care professional rather than diagnosing via a late night internet search.

A few questions you might still have…

Can I just buy coloured contacts if I don’t need glasses?

Having perfect eyesight doesn’t mean every contact lens will automatically be suitable for your eyes. You should still have your eyes assessed and the lenses properly fitted before wearing cosmetic contacts.

Will coloured contacts look obviously fake?

They don’t have to. The result depends on your natural eye colour, the opacity and pattern of the lens and how dramatic a change you’re trying to create. Some are designed to subtly enhance your existing colour; others are very much there to make a statement.

Neither is necessarily better. Sometimes you want “has she always had lovely green eyes?” and sometimes you want main character at a Halloween party.

What if I have astigmatism?

There are coloured lenses available for some people with astigmatism, although you may find fewer colours and styles than you’d get with standard lenses. Your optician can tell you which options are suitable for your particular prescription.

Can coloured contacts correct my eyesight too?

Yes. If you need vision correction, prescription coloured contacts can combine the two, provided there’s a suitable lens available for your eyes and prescription.

How quickly can coloured contacts arrive?

That depends on the retailer, your prescription and whether your chosen shade is in stock. Next-day options exist, but if you need them for a specific date, ordering earlier than strictly necessary is always the less stressful option.

The fun bit comes after the sensible bit

Trying a different eye colour can be such an easy way to play around with your look. It can be subtle enough that people can’t quite work out what’s changed or dramatic enough to make your entire make-up look feel different.

Just give your eyes slightly more consideration than you would your latest beauty impulse buy.

Get them checked, have the lenses properly fitted, choose a type that works for your eyes and be annoyingly diligent about hygiene. Once all of that is sorted, you can concentrate on the far more pressing question:

Do I want hazel… or am I in my green eye era?

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