Hazel Eyes

Hazel eyes are actually the most misunderstood eye color. First of all, they are a medium mixed color - brown with small lighter admixtures but only certain admixture, not just any. They fall on the Scale right down the middle between the lightest blue to cole black. And hazel eyes are light to deep brown in color. If you've ever seen a "brown-eyed person" "claim" to have hazel eyes and reacted with, "they look brown to me" that's because hazel eyes ARE brown eyes . . . with a twist . . . a golden, reddish twist.

There's a modern North American misconception about hazel eyes. Pure hazel eyes are only golden brown and/or reddish brown. Pure hazel eyes have a deep brown iris with small or significant gold amber and/or red/orange specks throughout the iris with some eyes having slight green specks and/or a dark green outline (circle) around the iris. Also there may be a gold amber and/or red/orange ring around the pupil. What hazel eyes could never be is a blue, grey or significant green mix with brown. This has been known for centuries in Europe and its colonies. However, over the last century, people in North America began misusing the term "hazel" by inaccurately calling any mixed eye color hazel.

Hazel eyes are of indo-European origins and appear to shift in color from deep, chocolate brown to a light gold, amber or honey color depending upon lighting conditions. There may be a green tinting as well for those with green specks. However, green is in no way a requirement for hazel eyes as pure hazel is only brown, red and gold.

It's possible for those of Middle East and Central Asia to have hazel eyes. However, it is due to white admixture in their ancestry as hazel eyes are dominate in Europe and those of European ancestry exclusively.

True Hazel Eyes coloring in regular lighting.

True Hazel Eyes in bright lighting.

True Hazel Eye coloring in direct sunlight.

Pure Hazel colored contacts. (Click "pure hazel" and "green" on left side to see the difference.)

Pure Hazel colored contact chart.

Hazel Eyed teenager.

Hazel Eyed little girl.

Hazel Eye in normal lighting.

Hazel Eye in sunlight.

Hazel Eyes in song.

Reddish Hazel Eye.

Make-Up on a Hazel-Eyed Woman

Hazel Contact Lense Live.

Kelly Clarkson's Hazel Eye.

Hazel Eyed woman.

Pretty Hazel Contact Lenses.

Hazel Contacts - bottom left.

European Hazel Contacts.

Definition of Hazel Eyes Explained.

Reddish Brown is Hazel Eyes - Explained.

Hazel Eyes and Brown Eyes - Discussion

Hazel Eyes defined as Golden Brown.

Another Hazel Eyes defined as Golden Brown (under "Eyes")

Pure Hazel Eyes as opposed to "Green Hazel" Eyes (properly called a "green-mix).


European Heritage Celebrities With Hazel Eyes:

Hazel-Eyed Anna Paquin

Hazel-Eyed Kelly Clarkson

Hazel-Eyed Pat Benatar

Hazel-Eyed Alice Joyce

Hazel-Eyed Alissa Jung

Hazel-Eyed Gabe Nevins

Hazel-Eyed Sela Ward

Hazel-Eyed Hilary Duff

Hazel-Eyed Gale Robbins

Hazel-Eyed Harrison Ford

Hazel-Eyed Glenne Headly

Hazel-Eyed Lindsay Wagner

Hazel-Eyed Heidi Klum

Hazel-Eyed Melissa Gilbert



So, in conclusion, hazel eyes are deep brown in dim or regular lighting. They are golden/amber and/or reddish/orange in direct sunlight. And sometimes, there may be a slight green tint. What hazel eyes NEVER are is a grey, green or blue mix! See, hazel eyes are named after the HAZELNUT!

A hazelnut could be brown!

A hazelnut could be gold!

A hazelnut could be red!

And a hazelnut could even be a little bit green!

But what a hazelnut could NEVER be is blue or grey!

If your eyes are a blue-brown, they are a blue mix. If they are grey-brown, they are a grey mix. If they are a green-brown, they are a green mix. If they are blue, grey, green and brown, you could take your pick. If they are gold and brown, they are hazel. If they are red and brown, they are hazel. If they are gold and red and brown, they are hazel. If they are gold and red and green and brown, they are hazel.

Hazel is a color of its own. And you could see your true eye color by looking at your eyes in direct sunlight.