Best. Eyes. Ever!

My favorites eyes would be Enchanted and Vings ^^Haven't own a lot of of eyes so don't know a lot about the other brands ^^' sorry about that

 

I've been looking to get some Nekohige eyes, but haven't been able to find anywhere that sells them, you wouldn't happen to have a link?

 

If you're looking for something smaller than 12mm, it may be taking what you can find.

For example, I needed 6mm eyes for my Soom Faery Legend boy. I ended up with NOS glass eyes from Tallina's, and I was happy to find a pair where the pupils were centered correctly. Eyes at that size aren't going to have a wide selection of colours (generally brown, grey, blue, or green only) and will generally have at least one major glassworking flaw regardless of what one spends on them just because they are really tiny eyes.

At 8mm and 10mm, there's Hands Glass Craft in England, which is decent if not outstanding. They have a good selection of colours but the shipping will kill you. I ended up getting a pair from a HGC dealer in Japan because it was cheaper that way.

I think the Volks stores in Japan sell them, or the eyes show up sometimes on Yahoo!Japan. Search for ==> ねこひげ OR 猫ひげ or sometimes in English "nekohige". Nekohige's account on Y!J is "nekohigefactory"; they list things there directly once in a while. They have lovely eyes for the price, nice detailing on the eyes. I have a lilac-coloured pair that I got secondhand.

 

It is interesting how a topic will sometime bubble up in variations. This is the third thread on eyes that I've read this week, & all have discussed different things & taught me lots!
Most of my dolls came second hand with eyes included. Some of those are eyes I love but I have no idea what brand they are. I inherited a small pair of drop rops? Gum drops? something like that...a friend had gotten as a free gift, which were too small for most of my dolls & of an intense pale green which made them even more specific. Then I brought home a Spinel last fall who they are perfect for. The light & glow of those eyes is magical.
Otherwise, when needing eyes, Safrin is the first company I go to. I like how the soft eyes fit in to eyewells & the color selections offered. Plus she sends orders out really fast.
I've also bought glass eyes on ebay several times when I had a particular look in mind & the lower priced glass eyes would work.
So far I haven't been able to justify treating a doll to eyes that are a work of art. I'd have to become a better collector before I could do that. :0

When buying glass eyes, I learned the hard way (by buying them) that I prefer smaller pupils & have had to learn to squint at sellers sample photos a lot to figure out if I will like the look of the eyes or not. That is where this article by MadameMauMau may come in handy.
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...Realistic-eyes-101&highlight=measuring+irises

She also started another thread which in the end seems to say some of the concerns aren't as bad as they sounded in the beginning. But watch out not to brush pastels or wig spray off of soft eyes as you can damage them.
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?388342-Eyeco-eyes-deteriorating-over-time
Interestingly enough, in reading thru that thread I learned that some folks had had trouble with the irises disconnecting & becoming reflective when pressed too hard. This winter I've gotten 2 dolls with eyes included where one eye had this problem. I thought I was just being over critical with the first doll, but then he claimed the Gumdrop eyes. And then I decided it was the eyes & not me when the second doll had a similar cat at night flash to her eye. So learning what the problem was in the thread was really useful.
So along with knowing which companies to consider these other discussions will be handy as well.

Here is a photo of the Gumdrops.

 

I take the approach that if I've just spend upper $$$ or even $$$$ on a doll, I should be accessorizing them to their price point. I have one OT doll that my husband pointedly said needed to be accessorized better due to her price point. She is very spoiled, but she is very rare/valuable so she has a right to be spoiled.

$$$ on eyes is acceptable even when I spent more on eyes for one of my Pipos dolls than I spent on the doll herself. They should have wigs that don't look like the cat played vigourously with them. They should wear expensive outfits. I've never been one for the "cheap eyes + cheap wig + sock dress = done" routine though. YMMV.

Go ahead, it's not a treat for the doll to make sure they look nice. Don't just use any old eyes because you have them or they came with the doll. Take the time to find the right eyes for your doll; shop around. Eyes are the first things a lot of people will notice about your doll, so make sure they look good and are positioned correctly.

 

Angelbird_titi on flickr made his/her own doll eyes and they're amazing. They have a shop set up but it's currently only for people buying from China (i'm guessing) They made mention of opening a shop for US buyers but I haven't seen much from them in a while. here's a link to where you can look at them
http://abeyes.lofter.com/

and lofter is similar to tumblr for those who are unfamiliar with it.

 

I can't +1 this enough. In my not at all humble opinion, eyes make or break a doll. If a doll's eyes are positioned badly or fit poorly, it is the first thing I notice, every single time. I can't say I go super-premium Hitomiya/Silver/Dollflower territory, but I can and will drop the $$ for Mystics because HOLY GOD I love those things like burning. Three of my dolls wear Mystics, and one of the others will guaranteed get a pair; their colors are rich and vibrant and catch the light just beautifully. They look unbelievably alive to me. I adore the depth of color that urethanes can offer; they're like little jewels of amazingness. When I got my first pair -- the Sea Water eyes my Elfdoll Red wears -- I am pretty sure I just sat there and stared at them in disbelief because they were so shiny pretty gorgeous. Of the two who aren't guaranteed Mystics, one will probably get them eventually but he has a pair of Ginarolo glass right now that are exactly the right color and have a surprising amount of depth to them so it's no rush to me to get new ones. The last one wears Soom silicone eyes, and I will probably never change that because the color is perfect for him. That doll's hair/eye/faceup coordination is so good (and partially accidental; the wig was not the color I thought it would be when I got it, but the color it ended up being was so much better for that doll that I can't argue).

I won't say you should necessarily go spend a fortune on eyes if you can't justify the purchase (I honestly can't justify $100US+ for eyes, but that is purely me talking and very much YMMV) but take the time to shop around, get the best quality for the amount of money you're willing to spend, and make sure they're positioned properly. Pleeeeeease make sure they're positioned properly.

 

I ordered a custom urethanes eye Steampunk Ersa Flora DollEyes

 

Eyes are my perpetual frustration. When I started in the hobby I bought whatever eyes and didn't care if they were glass or acrylic. But no urethanes. I didn't understand the price for urethanes. Then I decided acrylic was too flat for my likes, so I stuck to silicone and glass - primarily glass. But I've grown tires of my dolls eyes and no glass eyes were doing it for me. And then I took a chance on some mako eyes (I've long wanted some mystics and vings - I just can't be bothered to wait for them for the months, and it's hard for me to find the right color/size on the secondhand market). And I'm hooked. They're cheap enough that I can buy a few pairs at once and try some out, but they give such depth and character. I'm working on coverting all my dolls over to mako - with 2 exceptions. My one woosoo boy has a pair of acrylics in and I know the perfect pair of eyes for him are produced by mystics so I'll just have to order them for him. And my modded l-bi boy has one blue and one green silcone eye in and i'm loathe to change his eyes so they'll stay for a while.

I do have a pair of Silvers and they are amazing. I've been looking for a few more pairs, but the price tag still gives me shell shock.

 

I am a total Eyeco fan. I spent a good three months (honest!) looking for the perfect eyes for my EID last year. I looked at Gumdrops, Vings, Ersa Flora and so many others until I found Eyeco through Saffrin Doll. I got her the A255 and absolutely adore them. She just came to life the moment I put them in.



When I got my Souldoll Yeon-bee I again shopped around but ended up with Eyeco's Smoky Topaz.



With purchasing my Yeon-bee I ended up winning a Souldoll Flett so this third time I just went straight to Eyeco and bought her a pair of their Dresden eyes. These eyes have a range of shades in different lights which I really like.



I know some people have had some trouble with Eyeco eyes but I couldn't be happier with my three pairs. Both the Smoky Topaz and Dresden's came from Saffrin Doll while the A255's came directly from Eyeco since Saffrin Doll didn't have the size I wanted.

 

Thank you, will check out Mystic brand!

 

Minerva - I am INTENSELY jealous of your Antique Rose eyes. I've always wanted a pair but they are so hard to find!

Eyes are incredibly important to me and therefore all of my dolls have really high end handmade glass eyes. Urethanes are often easier to find and in a wider ranger of colours, but in the end, I really do prefer the way glass looks and photographs. They are also much sturdier than urethane. I have had a few pairs of urethane eyes yellow and scratch, and it's not something you run into with glass eyes. I also really do believe with eyes that you get what you pay for. If I have to turn to urethanes, due to either a difficult to fit eye or a colour I can't find, I'll go with Enchanted Doll's milky line. I also have liked the quality of Ving's urethane eyes.

My fave brand is the Japanese eye maker Silver. Her work is simply stunning. I also have eyes from Hitomiya and Zoukeimura, though Zouk quality has really dropped in recent years. I would suggest asking for what year a particular pair are from if you're looking at them.



16mm eyes by Silver in an olive green

I actually have a couple of pairs of Silver eyes I've kept and instead sold the doll on instead.

 

Quite a number of my dolls required custom eyes because of their character and the size of eye required as well as the style necessary. For custom eyes, I generally go with Dreaming Tree Studio, especially for the small and crazy small eyes.


Tyhlian wears 8mm custom cat-pupil eyes in spring that are semi-metallic.


Sleet wears 8mm custom eyes in "zombie frost" that are full metallics

I have a gorgeous pair of 6mm midnight blue for Dolf by DTS, but no decent shots of them. I have DTS eyes in probably... 8? 10? of my dolls. I also have Ersa Flora eyes for 3 dolls, a pair of Soom eyes for another, Dollmore for 2? unknown glass defaults from Camilla Dynasty & AoD and even some default acrylics from RS that look amazing in the doll they ended up in (not the one they came with). I go with whatever works for the doll really.

 

My big boy wears a pair of luts glass eyes. They're light purple in color and look so great in photos. My friend bought a luts doll and they came with it, so she sold them to me instead of the marketplace. I have another doll with glass eyes of an unknown brand and really like them too.

My big girl wears Glib acrylics and they are a beautiful color. But, they look dead in photos. However, the eyes were an affordable cost and, again, the color is wonderful and very vibrant.

 

I'm a big fan of Mako Eyes at the moment. Not sure if they are the Best Ever--but they are fantastic for the right price!!! Urethanes, in such a wide variety of colors and sizes and available fairly quickly and easily, are HARD to find. I really like Mako Eyes for all these reasons.

Here's my Granado Charles in some Mako Eyes--
13-06-pirate_king-april_313a by aprilllee, on Flickr

I also really like Mystic Eyes urethanes, but I'm not sure they still do orders, and they are expensive.
Enchanted Eyes urethanes are fantastic--bright, clear, even, pretty much flawless--but they take a LONG time to order, and they are expensive.
Dollshe eyes are nice, but not available in so many colors and are expensive and not a quick, easy order.
Droprop and Dollflowers--urethanes--nice, but expensive and so hard to get!

There are lots of very nice glass eyes--cheap, but pretty. Don't really qualify as BEST, though. But I think they look pretty darn good.

Totally expensive Zouks, etc., I've got some and they're nice, but I really prefer a wide choice of colors and styles and would rather not pay over $100 for a pair of eyes!!!

Best for me is anything that looks good and are in the color, style, sizes I want, and that I don't have pay an arm and a leg for, and not have to hunt down for years on end...

 

Preach on sisters(and any brothers) these eyes are lovely, I get eyes from ebay, and mint on card. I like Oscar Eyes also, I'm going to look at some of the names mentioned here. I like eyes with things inside, like steampunk, or 3D tinsel, foil etc...

 

I've had and tried all kinds of acrylic, silicone, glass, and urethane but I have to say, I favor urethane a lot. All of my dolls with the exception of two who have on Silver eyes and Zoukeimura eyes, have urethane eyes. I've also noticed that glass eyes have very tall domes and in my opinion it makes the dolls look odd sometimes. I've only tried generic doll brand and Silver eyes. Silver eyes are the worst by far when it comes to the high dome. I would love to try Antique Rose eyes though. Out of the Urethane, I only have Mystic, Enchanted, Droprops, Oscar, and Dollfower and out of those the Dollflower eyes stand out the most. They are SO lovely. I highly recommend them!

Bunny wearing Dollflowers:


Tanpopo and Mikan (Chika) wearing Silver eyes and Dollflowers:

Tanpopo and Chika by HelloEssie, on Flickr

Kanon wearing custom Enchanted Eyes

Kanon came home by HelloEssie, on Flickr

 

Glass and Urethane eyes are my favorites. I don't have specific favorite companies because each one of my dolls wear a different type of eye (one wears only urethane, the other one only glass etc).

But these are my favorite urethane eyes of all time, Gumdrops: they catch the light wonderfully! they're like 6 years old and still look like new.


And these are my favorite glass eyes ever (from Luts): I love the subtle gold threads around the pupil because it makes the eyes brighter and more enchanting, I was lucky to buy them from someone here because they've been sold out since a long time ago. I have tried Dollshe,ED, Mystics and Gumdrops eyes on this little guy but he always prefers the glass eyes.^^


For smaller eyes I prefer ED eyes:

 

@Kim

It just takes a lot of stalking, deep pockets, and patience to get Antique Rose eyes at this point, and hopefully they show up in a useable size/colour combination. Those with coloured pupils will go sky-high, just to warn. There was a pair of Pure Pink (pink w/ dark pink pupils) up on Y!J a few days ago but in 20mm that I have no use for. They went for the expected $$$.

Search ==> アンティークローズ or written in English as Antique Rose