Gear Talk: The Eyes Have It - SUCCESS!

After more than a few false starts, I've finally found another source for dark contact lenses for light eyes!

As a reminder, my requirements for success are:

- outstanding coverage for a light iris
- "functional" vs. "pretty"
- small pupil hole

 

And the winner is ... ttdeye.com

The vendor is based in Hong Kong and time from order to delivery was 15 days.

In addition to the lenses themselves, you get a nice "care package" along with them - lens case, tongs (to remove the lenses from the case) and an applicator (which I don't use). I also got a little hand mirror as well. They do have many brown lenses, so you need to closely look at them to make sure the pupil holes appear to be small. Below are my top picks.

On to the lenses!

The first one is called "New York Brown" - this is a yearly lens (nice bonus!) and definitely provides the coverage, functionality and small pupil hole. I would say that these are a lighter and a more "soft" brown color vs. the "intense" brown of my older lenses. They veer a little towards "pretty" but they definitely work.

 

The next one is called "New York Black." Again, this is a yearly lens and meets all my requirements. This also provides a more "intense" experience and is much darker than the "New York Brown" - this looks great on all my darker-skinned masks and is actually much darker than any of my older brown lenses.

The final one is called "Bohme Hazel." This is also a yearly lens and meets (nearly) all the requirements. The pupil hole on this lens is slightly larger than the "New York" ones. Color-wise, this  falls between the the two "New York" lenses as it is more intense then the "Brown" and a less intense than the "Black." This is still a dark lens and looks good with my  black-guy masks and great with my Latino masks. There is also a little more of a caramel tone to these lenses in the center area.  

A caveat: I have gray-green-blue eyes with a gold-brown "sunburst" around my pupil - in ancient times, this was known as being one of the "Children of Helios", today it's known as (inherited) central heterochromia -- I can get away with a slightly larger pupil hole, but I don't take advantage of it because I generally want to have a single, solid iris color. When I make a recommendation, I'm thinking of the population at large.

Someone with "solid" light eyes (without a darker central halo) is definitely going to show some of their iris color around the inner edge of this lens. So, YMMV.

 

So there you have it! A fast shipping company, good selection of options and nice extras to go with your purchase!

Gear Talk: The Eyes Have It - Update #1

One of the most important things in a transformation (at least to me) is having the eyes (and the skin around them) blend seamlessly with the mask. 

You can't wear sunglasses all the time! In an earlier post, I described the makeup I use to blend my skin into the color of the mask.

Now I want to talk about eyes themselves.

For those folks that have darker eyes, you're in great shape - there are many options available that let you change your eye color to lighter colors - like green or blue - and have them look spectacular on you. One of the best resources for picking your lenses is a guy named "Fonzevil." He gives extremely detailed reviews with lots of closeups and focuses on image and comfort.

His videos are available on the following platforms:

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@FonzReviews

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fonzreviews

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@fonzreviews

 

With that said, folks with lighter eyes (like myself) have a much harder problem.

Professional contacts (like 9mm) provide superb coverage, but are not good for extended wear. And they are pricey.

"Regular" contacts in brown generally focus on being "pretty" ... they are really made for the ladies who already have dark eyes and want a bit of "pop" - they are not made to provide just an intense, dark color. 

Most "Regular" contacts also often have HUGE pupil holes; so even if there is good color coverage, there is always a noticeable ring of blue (or green or gray) around the pupil which looks completely fake.

The companies that used to make plain dark lenses with small pupil holes have gone out of business (like Expressions, or Waikon)  

I have found Freshlook, Air-Optix, Bella and recently, Purecolors HD, to have too-large pupil holes and/or not dark enough for a proper transformation. The Purecolors HD were so bad that I could barely tell I had them in! Needless to say, they went right into the trash!

I've ordered three new pairs - one from Korea and two from Hong Kong - I haven't received them yet, but I'll let you know how they work out!

UPDATE #1

I received the "Hyacinth Brown" lenses from the "Eyecandys" site from Korea. Again, HUGE eyeholes and not enough coloration. All these did was give me a dark limbal ring and nothing else. So again - right into the trash. Only positive was the lens case I received with them. I contacted their customer service and asked if they indeed carry very dark brown lenses with small pupil holes - let's see if they answer...

As 2023 Nears Its End...

I want to wish all my readers a very joyous holiday season and a wonderful New Year! I hope you have tons of fun with handsome cops, sexy muscle-bruthas (real and Converted) and drop-dead virile guys that bring a smile to your face and an ache to your heart!

And of course, wearing as little clothes (or as much rubber) as possible...

 

 

Gear Talk: Makeup Touchup

When wearing a mask, there is bound to be some areas around the eyes that show the skin beneath ... plus your eyelids. Unless you are going to be wearing sunglasses for the entire time, you are going to need some makeup to blend your skin color to that of the mask and provide as seamless a transition as possible.

But... you need to prepare. You need to experiment and test.

 

Where Do I Test?

It would not make sense to continually apply makeup to your face, try on the mask, clean up and repeat. Also, you need to make sure that you are not allergic to the makeup. The best proxy for the skin around your eyes is your inner forearm. You can apply multiple color swatches and the match up the best one, or if you need to blend two colors, you can figure out the best process on your arm that you will (eventually) apply to your face.

Cleanup

On your arm - you can use any mild dish detergent (like Palmolive or Ivory) and a sponge to clean off the test swatches.

On your face - use cold cream first. Clean with facial tissues. Follow up with some Maybelline Eye Makeup Remover (blue cap) on cotton pads or eye makeup remover pads and finish up washing with facial soap (like Dove) and water. 

On your mask - pull the mask inside-out and use any mild dish detergent on a damp sponge to clean off any makeup. Rinse the sponge and clean any soap from the mask. Pat away any excess moisture and let air dry.

What Do I Use?

I like Mehron products. I've had great success with them. The three I use are Celebre, Celebre HD Foundation and CremeBlend Stick. A little goes a long way; they provide excellent coverage, last a long time, and are very easy to remove (from the face and from the mask). Kyrolan products tend to be a little more gummy and harder to apply.

The products are very creamy and you may be tempted to use a barrier spray to keep everything in place. I would say that if you have had a history of prior eye infections or clogged eye pores (called chalazions), avoid the barrier spray; let your skin breathe - removing a chalazion will often involve a visit to an ophthalmologist and if your tear duct becomes clogged or infected, you will need to visit an ophthalmologic plastic surgeon. Having a history of eye infections, this warning comes from experience.

With that said, I've been using just plain Mehron makeup and scrupulously cleaning my eyes after every application. I'm very happy to say that I have not had any difficulties for over 15 years!

I've built up my Mehron products over several years and I think I have everything I need to match the tone of almost any realistic mask. (I'm still working on the perfect match for a CFX "Jae" mask). Here's my inventory:

Mehron Celebre HD

Medium Dark 0	Dark 1	Eurasia Chinois
Medium Dark 1	Dark 3	Eurasia Fair
Medium Dark 3	Dark 4	Alabaster
Medium Dark 4	Medium 4

 

Mehron Celebre

Black

Medium Ebony

Medium Tan

 

Mehron CremeStick

Burgundy	American Indian	Sable
Dark Egyptian	Red

How Do I Apply?

If you're planning to wear contact lenses, put those in first (but that's another blog post!)

Using a circular motion, gently rub your index finger into the makeup, then apply from the inner corner of your eye of the lower lid, moving across to the outer corner. Make sure that you apply a thin, even layer (going back to add makeup as needed) and completely cover you lower lid area. You may also need to apply some makeup directly to the edge of your lower lid as well.

Next, add some more makeup to your index finger and fill in the inner corner of your eyelid - top and bottom, and a bit on the side of your nose in that area as well.

Again, add more makeup to your finger and close your eye. SLOWLY and GENTLY wipe the makeup across the lowest portion of your eyelid (nearest the eyelashes) from inner to outer corners. Keep repeating until your entire eyelid is covered. I repeat - take it slowly and gently - you're not in a contest to see who gets it done fastest!

Last step - apply the makeup on the skin below your eyebrow.

Repeat with the other eye; if all is done properly,  your eye area should now resemble that of a racoon!

And now you can put on your mask!