About five years ago, a good friend of mine approached her car to find a letter from the guy she'd been seeing. Unlike the "miss you" or "love you" little somethings typically left by someone you're dating, hers had a rather distinct message: "You're great, but I've always pictured myself with someone who has darker eyes."

"Darker eyes?!" I exclaimed (once I got the "What a jerk!" and "You deserve so much better!" out of the way). I was in disbelief because I, like so many others, longed for beautiful bright blue eyes like hers, and secondly, I didn't believe eye color held that much stock when it came to attracting a significant other. I even wondered if my own eyes could ever make or break a future relationship. Depending on the day, my peepers are a muddy pool of greenish, grayish, and brownish colors. I eventually defined them as green, rather than hazel, for the sake of my driver's license.

Fast-forward several years of beauty writing and neither my curiosity nor my eye color have changed. So I decided to confront both in a quest to finally answer the question: What's in an eye color? And are people really (really?) passing up potential partners based solely on pigment preferences?

According to Dr. Michael Chernich, the optometrist at LensCrafters who was tasked with answering my every question, I couldn't have chosen a better time, thanks to the recent introduction of Air Optix Colors, a new line of breathable colored contact lenses from Alcon. Chernich regarded them as "safe enough for wearing every day for 30 days without having to sacrifice health for beauty." The lenses cost $90 for a 30-day pack, but you can register for a free trial and see an eye-care professional about possible insurance coverage.

I was itching to get my hands dirty with the innovation, but first, Dr. Chernich insisted I undergo a few tests. An eye-care associate named Richard patiently walked me through the equipment. There was the autorefractor to measure refractive error. Then came the non-contact tonometer to measure pressure, followed by Ishihara's Test (devised to detect colored blindness), a depth-perception test, an Optomap retinal exam (offering a widefield view of the retina), and, finally, a visual field test to gauge side vision. After one more check-in with Dr. Chernich, he assured me I had 20/20 vision (even though there were times I "had to work for it") and provided my eye measurements.

Perhaps even more interesting were his notes on my limbal ring (the name given to the effect of having a darker outline around the iris) and small pupils (while I never gave notice to them before, a little comparing among friends would prove this to be true).

I was then off to the eye-color dressing room, where I felt squeamish. "I gag at the thought of having to go fishing for mascara goop. What was I thinking?" I thought to myself. Forget that. I couldn't back out now. I had come so far. After about 30 minutes of practice (all mental), I managed to get my first set of contacts in. And then — the hardest part — to take them out. A few rounds and a little help from a sweet sales supervisor named Luisa later, I decided on three shades that made the biggest difference — honey, brilliant blue, and brown — and went on my way.

Look into my eyes (I've always wanted to say that), and, more importantly, keep reading to get some insight into my experience wearing each colored contact.

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