A good set of eyes are equally as important as a good skin, but because eyes are so small (and because we stare at the back of our avatar's head more than the front) it's easy to forget about them. I'll admit that I almost never even credit the eyes I'm wearing with my outfits because they're usually the smallest detail. Nevertheless I pay a lot of attention to how my eyes look in world and in pictures, so today I'm sharing some tips to getting the most out of your SL eyes, starting with...

Eyes may be one of the most overlooked elements of a flawless avatar, and I can't say that I understand why. In RL, most people are at least a little attracted to beautiful eyes-- they are the window to the soul, after all. So why do so many of us pay them so little attention in SL?

Size

Picking a brand isn't always as easy as finding the "best" one. As you can see in the image above of my personal 3 favorite brands, every brand has slightly different sized irises and pupils, depending on the designer's preferences. The size that will suit your avatar best depends on the size of your eye opening (and the style of your avatar). If you're going for normal human eyes, scale is very important. Normally the top and bottom edges of your iris should be slightly covered by your eyelids, with about half the width of the iris in whites on either side. If you're going for a supernatural look a bigger iris might suit you better, and a smaller iris showing white underneath (a trait known as sanpaku sometimes associated with substance abuse, stress, and misfortune) might even appeal to you. Thankfully, most brands do offer a couple different iris sizes, just in case!

Pupil size is also key. I personally find massively dilated pupils unnerving to look at, but extremely constricted pupils can look just as odd. A few brands include different pupil sizes, but most keep to an average sized pupil that should be fine unless you're aiming for something a little more fantasy-oriented.

Details

My must-have detail in any pair of eyes is a nice, crisp, bright light reflection. This simple element really brings the eyes to life, and makes them pop in pictures. Many eyes now also come with bold shadows painted on them which gives a darker and more dramatic effect, but it's definitely not for everyone. When shopping for the perfect eyes, pay attention to these details. You can see in my comparison picture that even the placement of the reflection or shadow can make a huge difference.

Prim vs. Texture

Prim eyes can be handy, but they're definitely not must-haves. Prim eyes can allow you wear 2 differently coloured eyes and can make use of scripts and texture-changing effects, but if you're just after a plain monochromatic pair of eyes standard texture-only eyes should satisfy your needs completely. You could make the argument that the texture on prim eyes is sharper for SL photography, but so long as you remember to rebake right before you snap your picture the difference is negligible.

Lashes

Once upon a time I was a devout prim lash evangelist but these days I tend to favor shorter, more modest lashes. If you want uber-glamorous starlet lashes, there's no doubt that you should get a pair of prim lashes (and be prepared to spend 10-20 minutes fitting them perfectly to your eyes). If you prefer a slightly more understated look, try a pair of subtle tattoo lashes or nothing at all (since most skins come with short little lashes around the eyelids already). Once again, it's all a matter of taste. Just make sure that the chunky system eyelashes are turned all the way down or hidden by an alpha layer.

Eyes are one of the cheapest elements of avatar customization, so don't be too shy about experimenting until you find the best look for you.

Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.