Can You Cosplay Without Contacts? Let’s Find Out

Do you need contacts to cosplay? That is a question you may have.

You know, as a cosplayer myself, I have a weird history with cosplay contacts.

The last time I wore contacts was over 10 years ago for my Sebastian cosplay (from Black Butler)! Why?  

Although I have to admit I looked pretty cool with contacts on, I didn’t have the greatest experience with them. My eyes were really irritated, it was really difficult to get them on and get them off, and according to my Optometrist, I was lucky to use the right size (more on this later). So after that, I’ve decided personally not to use contacts for cosplay anymore. That doesn’t mean you need to follow my instructions though.

But not everyone is like me. There are tons of cosplayers who wear contacts and look amazing in them. In fact, it might feel as if contacts are necessary to cosplay? Are they? Let’s get into it and answer the question…

Can you cosplay without contacts?

While contacts for cosplay can make your outfit look even better, they are not a necessity. There are many reasons why it’s perfectly fine to not wear contacts, from maintaining the contacts to simply not wanting to wear them because they’re uncomfortable. If you see cosplay photos, you might think that contacts are a requirement. But in fact, there are many cosplayers who don’t use contact lenses at all.

In this post, I’ll give you 5 reasons to help you decide whether cosplay contacts are for you or not. Either yes or no. Let’s get started!

1. Yes – They make your cosplay look amazing!

Let’s start with the biggest reason why cosplayers wear the lenses; they simply make your entire look and outfit look fabulous. When you see a Kakashi or Sasuke cosplay with the Sharingan eyes, it makes you look SO much cooler! Like I mentioned in my cosplay accuracy article, it’s the small little details that can turn your cosplay from good to amazing. And wearing contacts is one of those small things that can elevate your cosplay game. So if you’re all about making your cosplay look as good as possible, you’ll definitely want to consider adding contacts to your arsenal.

As you can see in this video, contacts can REALLY make your cosplay stand out and make your overall appearance look so much better!

2. No – They’re a pain to maintain

If you wear contacts in real life, then you know there’s quite a process you need to take in order to maintain them. But if you don’t, then let me tell you; it’s a pain in the ass to maintain cosplay contacts! Check out this article here…you do have to take care of the contacts, much like taking care of cosplay wigs. If you’re serious about your cosplay game, then sure you can add cosplay contacts to the list of things to maintain. But for me, I can’t be bothered to take care of contacts, especially if I don’t plan on wearing the cosplay anytime soon.

3. Yes – They’re inexpensive

If you’re totally cool with maintaining and wearing cosplay contact lenses, then you’ll be pleased to know that contacts are pretty inexpensive. A pair of cosplay contacts shouldn’t run you more than $30 US. This is pretty cheap compared to other cosplay items like props or wigs, which can cost much more depending on your character. So when it comes to improving your cosplay, wearing contacts is a quick and cheap method to do so.

4. No – Have to be careful

Unlike buying wigs where generally speaking, one size fits all, buying cosplay contacts is totally different. You have to make sure that the contact fits the right size for your eyes, otherwise you could really mess them up! When I got my Sebastian contact lenses from a costume store, I didn’t check the size. Luckily, they fit my eyes because if they didn’t, it wouldn’t have been too good.

So before you decide to buy contacts, you need to figure out the right size for you. I would recommend seeing an optometrist to find what size that is for you. But my point is, using cosplay contacts is something you definitely have to pay more attention to.

For someone like me, I can’t be bothered. I know it’s probably no big deal to finding the right size for contacts. But my eyes are something I don’t want to take any risk with…even if it means for cosplaying!

5. Yes – They’re fun!

Hey, let’s face it, this is the biggest reason you’d want to wear contact lenses for cosplay. They’re just so fun to wear! You might not be able to have red or demon eyes in real life, but you can sure make it happen with contacts. Even though I didn’t have such a great experience with wearing contacts for Sebastian, I still had a lot of fun. I LOVED looking at myself in the mirror and seeing my eyes look completely different.

And this goes back to cosplaying in general; it’s so much fun dressing up as a fictional character, especially if you love that character. For example, I love Kakashi and if it weren’t for my dislike for contacts, I’d totally feel badass having his Sharingan eye! I’m sure many cosplayers feel the same way about their favorite characters when they dress up as them.

So there you have it; 5 reasons to help you answer the question, “Do you need contacts to cosplay?”

Just remember that there is no obligation to wear contacts; I certainly don’t and you don’t have to either. Wearing and maintaining contacts can be cumbersome, and it’s something you need to be more mindful of. But on the other hand, if you want to have fun having those crazy Anime eyes while looking more fabulous in costume, then by all means go for it!

Do you like wearing contacts? Or are you like me and prefer not to wear them? Let me know in the comments below!

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