The Mystery Behind Green Eyes

Since I was young I have always admired green eye color. Back then I hadn’t noticed their rarity. There are a lot of shades in green eyes.

Green eyes are the least common eye color. In order to have green eyes a person must have a yellow colored stroma.
The yellowish stroma appears green due to Rayliegh scattering, the principle that makes the sky blue, blue plus yellow equals green. Rayliegh scattering is the scattering of molecules and and atoms that occurs when light travels through transparent liquids or gasses.


Bridal make up for green eyes

Green eyes are rare and as such they are considered very mysterious. People with green eyes are considered to be curious, intelligent and a little surprising. Green eyes have also been associated with mischievousness. Green is the color of jealousy and people with green eyes are said to have a strong jealous streak.
People with green eyes may also be considered evil. In primitive times having green eyes and red hair could be grounds for declaring a woman a witch and putting her to death. The reasoning behind this eye color myth is not known, but some say that it is due to the fact that green eyes often appear cat-like and historically witches are tied to cats.

 You may also find interesting to read the Face reading guide.

The rarest eyes aren’t really green though… There are red (in albinos), chameleon (changing colors) and violet (only in very specific regions) eyes as well, which are each more rare than green. 
Changes in the light being scattered by the iris of lighter colored eyes will change the apparent color of the eyes. This results in “chameleon eyes”, or eyes that change color. They fall into the amber, hazel, green, grey, and blue range. Specific factors that can cause the eyes to appear to change colors are:
  • Mood: Mood plays a role in the color of your eyes. Or rather the optical illusion of eye color. If you have bloodshot eyes, you may notice your eyes are bright green, this is because of the contrast red/pink is the opposite of green. Pupil dilation is also a factor and your pupils change size depending on the emotions you feel. Happiness and also anger cause your pupils to dilate, thus increasing the amount of light let in. This increases the rayleigh scattering and your eyes may appear more green. Smaller pupils let less light in, making them appear more grey. This is also a signal you are sad or not feeling well.
  • Weather: The weather can change the ambient light. There is a big difference between the spectrum of colors in the light cast by a cloudy day, a sunny day, a moonlit night, and a sunset.
  • Temperature: Temperature can seem correlated to eye color, but this is because the temperature may vary in various lighting situations—for example, the lighting in your office when it’s cold and cloudy and the windows are drawn vs the lighting in your office when it is sunny and the windows are open.
  • Colors you are wearing: Wearing certain colors such as blue, yellow, or green will provide more of that color for your eyes to scatter, enhancing that color. Green and gold eyeshadows act similarly. On the flip side, other eyeshadows that make green eyes stand out more are colors in the purple family (plum, lavender, lilac), coppers, and apricot because they contrast with the green, making it stand out even more.
  • Colors around you: The colors in close proximity to you will act similarly to the colors you are wearing.
  • Lighting: Artificial lighting can vary to an even greater degree than natural lighting, and the varying spectrums of light will impact your apparent eye color

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Makeup for Green Eyes

When it comes to makeup for green eyes, you’ll find they are incredibly diverse to work with.
  1. Purple’s are a good choice for eye shadow. The green in your eyes contrasts with the red’s in purple’s to make your eyes really seem to “pop”. This includes plum, violet, grape, lavender, eggplant, fuchsia and amethyst.
  2. If you are going for a natural look, try the color taupe eye shadow. Taupe is a brownish-gray, but it may have a purple, green or yellow undertone or sheen. These undertones help to bring out certain flecks of color in your eyes by contrast. When you choose a taupe, one that is less silver and more brown will have maximum effect.
  3. Copper is a great choice for eye shadow because of its red undertones. Again the contrast makes the green in your eyes appear greener. Copper doesn’t have to come in shiny like a penny shades. There are plenty of matte choices for every color of shadow.
  4. Certain green shades look wonderful on green eyes but it depends on the shade your eyes are. This choice takes more experimentation than other colors.
  5. Pinks look nice on green eyes when applied correctly. Since green and red are color wheel opposites they make each other stand out, don’t be afraid to try them or reds for that matter.
  6. A gold eyeliner and gold eye shadow with just a hint of black eye shadow in the crease is both a great day or night look. Remember blending is a skill that takes practice, but you will like your look better.
  7. Blues. Specifically shades of denim can look very pretty. An off white brow highlighter looks stunning with denim colored shadow.
  8. Brown eyeliner is my favorite with green eyes. Gray is a good alternative to black for lighter eyes.
  9. Brown or black mascara looks good on green eyes. Mascara completes your eye look. If your hair is dark, go with the black, double up at night. If your hair is lighter use the brown mascara in the day and the black at night.

Personality associations with green eyes

A relatively small amount of people have green eyes, it is no wonder that some interesting associations have flourished around the eye color. Here is a list of some of the perceptions surrounding green eyes.
  • Green eyes are said to be magical.
  • People with green eyes tend to have long lasting relationships.
  • People with green eyes are the most passionate.
  • Green-eyed people are jealous, as in the saying “green with envy”.
  • Green-eyed people may have liver or other digestive problems.
  • Green eyes are a powerful aphrodisiac.
  • People with green eyes are very inventive.
  • People with green eyes act spontaneously.
  • People with green eyes are perceived as less trustworthy than blue or brown eyes.
  • Green eyed people can be more provacative.
  • Green eyed people are strange!
Are you a fan of green eye color and its rarity too?
What is the color of your eyes?


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  3. I’m green eyed girl but in my region there was barely no person with brown eyes so everyone was either grey, blue or green-eyed. Though my eye color is weird, yellow-amber-ish inside, going through whole green specter, up to grey. So because of that, there were people who said ‘nooo, your eyes aren’t green at all, they are yellow’ or saying that they are grey. Or hazel. Once I even heard that it is kind of blue. The yellow was though the one which I have heard the most xd Because it really looks like yellow inside. More yellow than amber or hazel.

    1. Wow, Lara! The colour of your eyes sounds very unique! There are so many shades of green eyes and sometimes I argue with friends if someone’s eyes are green or blue.

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