Find the very best contact lenses for cosplay with our in-depth buying guide
Beginner’s guide to cosplay contact lenses
Like any optic, cosplay contact lenses are very delicate and must be handled with extreme care. If you’re new to contacts, ask for advice from friends who already wear them, and consider fitting them for the first time in the company of an experienced wearer.
All good vendors will offer pre- and after-sale advice to help you get the most from your costume contacts.
To get the right lenses for you:
• Start by selecting a reputable supplier that sells respected contact lens brands.
• Select the design you require and…
• check that it’s available in your required specification and duration.
• Many websites and shops offer special features like Lens Comfort & Transparency Scales and Virtual Mirrors. These will help you achieve the exact effect you’re looking for.
• Some cosplayers have found that multi-use lenses have caused discomfort on second use and had to remove them. Order enough contacts for your two or three-day con.
@shiroho_: My cosplay contact lenses
These lenses are from Uniqso, they’re the Sweety – Anime Cloud Rim Green and they’re amazing! Uniqso is my go-to, their lenses are very comfortable and are always bright and colourful. Also, I got them for free, as I was using my points. I think they’re usually about £16!
@shiroho_ on lenses for Genshin Impact’s Fischl
Five of the Best Cosplay Contact Lens Suppliers
Colouredcontacts.com
Coloured Contacts (CC) supplies a diverse range of lenses, including fancy-dress coloured contacts, costing from £5.95.
The size of its range is matched only by its level of experience – it’s been around for over 20 years – meaning you can buy from Coloured Contacts with complete confidence.
Its full range of costume contacts is brilliantly displayed on its website; from Halloween and prescription special-effect contact lenses to toric coloured lenses for astigmatism. Character lenses as wide-ranging as Valak, Ice Walker, Avatar Na’vi and Himiko Toga are supplied.
CC’s website even features a character search function, covering shows/games and genres such as: My Hero Academia, Naruto, Attack On Titan , Nanatsu No Taizai, World Of Warcraft and Tokyo Ghoul.
CC says all its lenses are sourced from trustworthy brands including Air Optix, Freshlook and Chromaview. These industry-leaders deliver the added assurance that you’re buying durable, high quality, FDA-Approved and CE-marked lenses; all at competitive prices. Meanwhile, CC’s premium ranges provide more unusual and obscure lens designs, anything from mesh to screen patterning, and authentic animal-eye effects (eg: dragon or snake) to more natural designs.
Click here for Coloured Contacts’ website.
Uniqso
Uniqso offers a huge range of cosplay contacts and a bunch of other costuming products. Its anime game is particularly strong, and the company has lots of sales and special deals on a regular basis. In fact, have a think about future cosplays before you visit, as Uniqso often does 2-for-1 deals. Uniqso also focuses on some of the big franchises, like Genshin Impact, with a wide-range of specific contact lens effects.
Click here for the Uniqso website.
TTDEye.com
The Third Eye (TTDEye) offers a wide range of special effects contact lenses – including vampire, zombie or anime looks – that cost from just £5.95.
On its detailed website (not the best written English, though) TTDEye has 40+ different colours in stock, while its effects lenses range from Mad Hatter and Darth Maul to Goat Eye and Zombie Blood… and dozens in between!
Click here for TTDEye website.
Colouryoureyes.com
British company, colouryoureyes.com, sells contact lenses for as little as £3 from big brands including Mesmereyez, Soleko, Bella and Solótica. The lenses come with a CE European quality mark and express delivery is free on orders over £30 or US$80. As well as a wide range of Halloween, coloured and special effects lenses, this business also sells body paints, scab gels, fake blood and liquid latex. Your one-stop cosplay shop then!
Click here for the colouryoureyes.com website.
Funkylenses.com
This website comes in US and UK flavours, and offers a wide range of contact lenses, including anime, blackout, werewolf, alien, plus many more styles. Pricewise, you can be a lizard for £7.99 or a witch doctor for £11.99, so Funkylenses.com prices won’t break the bank.
Click here to see the funkylenses.com website.
Pinkyparadise.com
Cool contacts are just a small part of what Pinkyparadise.com (PP) offers, with a whole range of other costuming accessories for sale on the site. The website has hundreds of specific character contact lenses listed, from B to Z – Belinda (in the Genshin Impact video game) to Zombie! PP lenses come in prescriptions from 0-10 and sizes from 14mm to 22mm. Prices start at £6.52.
Click here to see the pinkyparadise.com website.
@chanicehird: My cosplay contact lenses
I got these amazing contacts from Coloured Contacts during their Halloween promotion for around £12 in a 3-for-2 deal. They are UV, glow-in-the-dark green. Having dark eyes makes it difficult to get colours to show, but these worked great.
@chanicehird as Oogie Boogie
How to put in your cosplay contact lenses
• Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them using a lint-free cloth, so that you don’t have any tiny fibres on your fingers.
• Take extra care if you have long nails, or consider clipping them.
• Open the lens vial or blister pack.
• Carefully remove the lens from the packet. You can lift it out between thumb and forefinger, or dab it with your index finger.
• Reposition the lens on the tip of the index finger of your dominant hand, so that it looks like a small bowl.
• Check the lens for any irregularities or tears, etc, and also ensure that it is not inside out. If it’s the correct way around it should be a perfect bowl shape.
• Now, lift up your upper eyelid and pull down your lower lid with your other hand, then use your index finger to gently place the lens on the eye. It doesn’t have to be right on the pupil initially.
• After placing the lens, release your eyelids and close your eye.
• Next, open your eye and look up and down, left and right so that the lens settles into position.
• For new lens wearers, it may take several minutes for the lens to feel comfortable and for your eye to adjust to it.
• Repeat for the other eye.
Watch an excellent video on contact lens use here.
Removing your cosplay contact lenses
• Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before you touch your eyes.
• With your non-dominant hand, gently pull back your eyelids.
• Using the index finger and thumb of you dominant hand, pinch the lens gently by its edges and lift it off the eyeball, checking that it is the correct way around.
• If you plan to reuse the lens, drop it into a sealable contact lens case (they cost from 85p online) filled with clean lens fluid. If the lenses are only used occasionally, the fluid should be changed weekly.
@kasumikat: My cosplay contact lenses
I got my red contacts from HoneyColor in Super Pinky Bright Red. They are super bright and bold, which is perfect for Bowsette! I got them on a buy-one-get-one-free deal, so they were half price at just $12.95. I recommend getting contacts from Honeycolor, Uniqso or Pinkyparadise. It’s best to get them on a deal or sale, and they usually come with a freebie, like extra contact lenses or a free case.
@kasumikat as Bowsette from Mario
Eye Health for cosplayers
Your eye health is absolutely crucial, so take care in choosing your contact lens supplier and consider speaking to your optician/optometrist. Always maintain a meticulous cleansing regime and remove the lenses straight away if you have any issues or discomfort. Your optician can determine your precise prescription and confirm your suitability for wearing coloured contact lenses.
What if my lenses irritate my eyes?
• It may take an hour or two for your eyes to adjust to wearing lenses, especially if you’re a new wearer.
• If you experience prolonged irritation from your contacts, you may have inserted them incorrectly. Remove them and try again, checking that they are clean and the correct way round.
Using your lenses safely
• Do not share used contact lenses with other cosplayers, as this can lead to eye infections.
• Take out your lenses before sleeping.
• Insert your contacts before putting make-up on or around your eyes. Take out your lenses before removing that make-up.
• New contact lens wearers should ideally only wear their lenses for four hours a day.
• Once your eyes have adapted to lens wearing, you may keep them in longer, but for no more than eight hours a day.
Author:
John Sootheran
John’s a cosplay photographer and videographer who visited his first con in 2017, and has been to numerous London, Birmingham and Manchester events since.
He finds the cosplay vibe addictive and is one of the team to launch worldofcosplay.com
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