I recently got a pair of the Italian-made Adore Bi-Tone colored contact lenses.  Before purchasing, I looked through a lot of YouTube videos and other blogs and noticed that all the reviews were on lighter eyes.  Even those who said they had “dark eyes” have what I would consider medium brown eyes.  As I’ve mentioned in my other reviews here and here, my eyes are a very, very dark brown and look black unless there’s a light in them.

I decided on the “Yellow” color because 1.) it is the lightest one they have and I think the other colors won’t show up well and 2.) other reviewers mentioned that the yellow actually shows up green on brown eyes.  Though I already have a pair of green contacts, my Soloticas are over a year old now and they’ve always been thick and uncomfortable.

I received my Bi-tones after a couple weeks and they are surprisingly comfortable! They feel like my regular Acuvue 2 contacts that I wear daily for vision correction.  However, I was very disappointed in the color. On my dark eyes, these contacts are barely noticeable.  It makes my nearly black eyes look like a super dark, deep green.  You wouldn’t even notice unless someone pointed it out!  I think these yellow Adore Bi-Tone contact lenses would look great on medium to light brown eyes but on me they were blah.  Though barely noticeable in normal lighting, it does show up nicely in flash photos:

Adore Bi-Tone Yellow on Dark Eyes

That’s me above with my sister who has the same natural eye color I do.  Look how dark her eyes look even with flash!  Mine are the same so it takes a really good color contact for there to be a noticeable difference.  The Adore Bi-Tones aren’t it!

I will try to update this entry later with photos showing what the Adore Bi-Tone contacts look like in different lighting.

A while ago I posted photos of my Solotica Hidrocor Ocre contacts on my black eyes. I had written that I didn’t really like the color, especially when compared to my Hidrocharme Mels. Also, I missed having the limbal ring which covered up any iris overlap.

A couple days ago, I decided to give them another try. I wore them for several hours and the color really grew on me. I like the gray they give off now but I think the iris overlap is noticeable if you look for it. It’s the pale yellow ring around my iris where the edge of the colored part of the contact is bigger than my actual iris. I don’t think it’s a deal breaker but might be of a concern to some.

Here’s an updated picture to help anyone who may be wondering what the Solotica Hidrocor Ocre colored contacts look on dark brown/black eyes.

Solotica Hidrocor Ocre Contacts on Black Asian Eyes

As promised, here’s a picture I just took of my Solotica Hidrocor Ocre colored contact lenses on my nearly black eyes.  They look gray in these photos, but in real life I think they look more brownish-gray.  I asked Tim and he said they look brownish green.  Huh?

I’m still getting used to them… they look kinda cloudy in my opinion.  Not that my vision is cloudy, but the appearance of the contacts itself is.  Hmph.

Solotica Hidrocor Ocre

Solotica Hidrocor Ocre

I made a list of where to buy these Solotica contacts and other contacts on my other entry.

Update February 2010: I put up a better picture of Solotica Hidrocor Ocres here.

A few months ago I decided to try colored contacts again after a disaster a few years ago.

Back then I bought a colored pair, sight unseen, with my regular contact lens order. It was Acuvue 2 Colors in hazel. And it was horrible. The colored area looked like it was painted on harshly and the crazy pupil hole made it appear as if I was looking off in different directions.

My regular eye color is very dark, basically black, and unless there’s bright light right in my eye, you really can’t tell my iris from my pupil. I’ve seen a lot of posts and photos when searching Google for colored contacts on dark eyes and it’s actually medium brown eyes or even light brown eyes! Now when I saw dark, I really mean DARK!

Now this isn’t me, but this is what I looked like with my hazel contacts:

Ugh! Well after a lot of research, joining a messageboard, and looking at before and after pictures of various colored contact lenses, I decided on a Brazilian brand called Solotica. They are well-known for having high-quality lens that focus on replicating the depth seen on natural eyes. They were especially recommended for dark eyes.

Solotica contact lenses come in 3 different types: Natural Colors, Hidrocor, and Hidrocharme. That’s also the order of their opacity, with NC being the most see-through. Additionally, Natural Colors and Hidrocharme both have limbal rings while Hidrocor does not. (The limbal ring is the ring of darker color around the iris.)

I decided on the Hidrocharme in the “mel” shade. Now although mel means “honey” and is shown as a golden yellow lens, I read that on brown and dark eyes, the resulting blend looks more green. With my eyes being so dark, I was worried that I would be wasting my money, but I was feeling impulsive and bought a pair anyway.

Well they are green! I really like the results:

Solotica Hidrocharme Mel on Black Eyes

I do have a few issues with it though.

1. They’re not as comfortable as my regular Acuvue 2 lenses that I wear daily for vision correction. These Solotica lenses are much thicker, which I guess is necessary in order for that color to show up. I can’t wear them for more than 4 or 5 hours without getting really tired eyes.
2. There seems to be manufacturing inconsistencies. One of the lenses is about 30% thicker than the other. If you’re a regular contact lens wearer, you’ll notice the difference right away not only on your finger but also in your eyes.
3. It makes me look like I have a huge pupil. Most well-designed colored contact lenses create an “unpainted” circle in the middle for your pupil to show through. Around this circle they may fade the dominant lens color and add in touches of other colors to create a nice blend with the lens and your natural eye color for a natural looking starburst around your pupil. Well, since my natural eye color is basically the same color as my pupil, that “starburst” is just a big black pupil. It looks kinda weird to me, but I don’t think most people even notice. Example:
   

   Big Pupil Hole on Solotica Hidrocharme Mel

Despite all these, Solotica gives me the most natural look I think I can get with colored contacts. It’s been a lot of fun being able to change my eye color so dramatically. It’s like changing your hair color or painting you fingernail—quite quick and easy, but makes a huge difference.

Anyway, I was so impressed with my Hidrocharme Mels that I decided to buy another pair of Soloticas. This time I wanted to try something without the limbal ring so I ordered the Hidrocor in ocre. Ocre is supposed to be a grayish brown color.

Well, I received the order last week and I’m on the fence about it. It’s a much lighter color than my Hidrocharme Mels, and I don’t know if I like it. It almost makes my eyes look milky or cloudy, and I think I kinda miss having a limbal ring that define my eyes.

I had a few pics of me wearing the Hidrocor Ocres, but I accidentally deleted them. I’ll take new ones soon; I need an excuse to try them out again. I haven’t worn my new Hidrocor Ocres often enough to say definitively if I like them or not. For now though, with it being fall allergy season and the wildfires filling the air with smoke, I’m sticking to my glasses and my comfortable clear lenses.

Where to buy Solotica Colored Contact Lenses and other Contacts:

While shopping for contacts, I found some great deals online, though you can’t really find the Solotica brand here you can browse for other types of colored or regular contact lenses:

• Get $20 off a $200 order. Use coupon code DCL20 at checkout. Expires 2/11/09.
• Same site, but coupon code DCL5 is for $5 off an order of $50. This is good until 12/31/09.
• Get free shipping on contact lens orders over $89 at ACLens.
• Contacts America and Lens Mart have a lot lower prices than most eye doctors and a good selection too.
• Free shipping plus $5 off on all orders of $199 or more at at 1-800-GET-LENS. Use code 1800-OL09. Expires 1/31/09.
• Just Lenses has a similar deal. Their code is JUST-FK09.
• Lens.com has free shipping on all orders of $99 or more if you use the code AF09-MZIX. Offer expires 1/31/09.

If you really want the Solotica, you can try to buy them from this Brazilian site: Viallure. Shipping takes a while and it’s pretty pricey compared to most other sites. Not really worth it for me since I don’t wear my contacts that often, but might be for you.

Update: A photo of my hidrocor ocres can be seen here.

Update #2: New pic of my Solotica Hidrocharme Mel contacts on my nearly black eyes, taken 12/08:

Love them but wish they were more comfy!

Update 09/08/09: A comment about soloticastore.com can be found at the bottom of the page.