Circle Lens part 1: How and Where to Buy them
In the past couple of years, circle lenses have grown from being strange and foreign accessories sold on blogs to becoming a booming business with hundreds of styles,
sizes, and colors. Circle lenses seem to be just about as common in a cosplayer’s makeup bag as foundation and eyeliner! But even though circle lens use has increased, there still seems to be quite a bit of mystery about them. Cosplay groups constantly see posts from new cosplayers wondering about where to buy them, how to wear them, and if they are even safe to use. Through my time on cosplay forums, I’ve seen many more questions about circle lenses than answers- and I would like to finally remove the mystery of circle lenses.
The first segment (read: this post) will focus on where to shop and how to buy lenses that will work for you!
One of the first things you may notice about shopping for lenses is there is almost no way to buy them from a regular store. The reason why you have to buy online is, with the only exception being GEO medical lenses, circle lenses are not approved by the United States FDA. Purchasing circle lenses does not mean you’re going to be arrested for buying the lenses or anything crazy like that. It simply means the FDA does not feel they are the healthiest option for your eyes and recommend you find other certified options, like asking your optometrist for prescription colored lenses.
As a cosplayer who has been wearing circle lenses frequently for 5 years, I can say with confidence that using regular eye care you would do with normal contact lenses will be crucial for keep your eyes safe from any potential damage. Additionally, buying from a respected site will help aid in protecting your eyes. For more information on the U.S. FDA and circle lenses, read here:
A simple google search can show you where to find lenses, but with so many sites it can seem overwhelming as to what sites are safe to buy from. Let me put that fear aside for you and point you in the direction of websites known to be trustworthy and have great customer service. Websites such as pinkyparadise.com, candylens.com, honeycolor.com, and uniqso.com consistently receive wonderful reception from the cosplay community. Personally, I love candylens the most, but I have a bias for them because they sent me a hand-written thank you note with my first lens purchase, and quality service like that will stick with you. Other cosplayers I’ve talked to in person highly recommend honeycolor, and I’ve read positive reviews about pinkyparadise and uniqso online.
Again, while these may not be U.S. FDA approved, They ARE, However, KFDA approved- or rather, the Korean FDA. These aren’t black market items, but different standards of safety apply in Korea vs. the United States. As long as you use them safely, you will be perfectly fine using the websites listed above!
It can be overwhelming at first when you’re shopping for your first pair of lenses. Finding customer images in addition to the sample and model pictures will help you decide on a style that works best for you. For example, I have light blue eyes and circle lenses are made for those who tend to have dark brown eyes. Circle lenses gradient in a way that helps the lens’ unnatural color blend well for dark eyes, but there usually ends up being a sharp contrast when people with light eyes wear them. If I only look at the sample image, I may end up with more of my natural color showing through instead of the color I purchased…and that was how I wasted $25 on a pair of lenses that looked like a vibrant red on the model, but turned my eyes a bizarre shade of blue-brown.
Scrolling through the page of the lens your looking at should have a couple sample images from customers, but if there aren’t any images that help you feel comfortable with purchasing them, put the name of the lens your looking at in a google image search. Odds have it that some blogger has tried that lens style or color and will have images for you to look at.
Now that you have a list of where to go for quality lenses and an idea of what to look for, its time to buy! If you are unsure as to which store is best for you, look for the following categories to find your perfect fit:
Sales: some sites will have sales on lenses, shipping, or both! They’re usually advertised on their social media pages or on the homepage of their website.
Clearance: clearance prices on one site may be better than the other. And some sites may not have any clearance at all.
Shipping: pay attention to the time frame each site has for shipping as well as if they provide tracking numbers. Tracking numbers are your friend and can get you a refund if things get lost in delivery!
Regular prices: compare and contrast lens prices on each site! Some times there will be no difference, but other times one site will charge 2-5 dollars less on average!
A key thing to remember when you are buying is to give the website plenty of time to ship the lenses to you. If you need lenses in two weeks and are paying for standard shipping, do not expect seeing them at your door in time. Typically, the standard (and cheapest) shipping takes about 3 weeks to get from their stock room to the United States. Keep that in mind when you are shopping! There usually are express shipping options, but they do cost quite a bit more than regular shipping.
If you’ve searched all the websites, browsed through various lenses and still don’t know which pair to pick, ask a cosplayer! Find someone who has cosplayed the character you’re buying lenses for and see if they wrote about what lenses they used. If they haven’t and you’re undecided on which lens to pick, share the images of the styles you’re stuck between (as well as a reference of your character) and ask your friends or a cosplay group! Someone might be able to help you finalize your decision so you can make your first lens purchase.
Now go shopping and find that perfect pair of lenses!