Lens review: Flora Gerbera Red

Yo my people!

Today it's time to chomp on my newest lens review – peel up your eyes as I'll bring out the Flora Gerbera Reds! Unlike the pink counterpart which I reviewed recently I must admit that these are definitely better in the color department. Let's get to it!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm

Water content: 55%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

The design of these lenses is like a sort of 'burst' design with colored streaks racing towards the pupil hole. It looks really nice and all but when looking at the lenses in their vials the coloration appears a bit sparse, to the point the red looks more pink to me. You can assume that there will be some transparency with these, just like with the pink pair.

One lens in.

Much to my surprise the red actually shows up nicely, huzzah! I was mentally prepared for them to just kinda blend in and turn into this ugly mix shade. I actually even like how it's a soft red and not a super obvious red, thanks to the blending and the transparent areas – it's like if red was a natural color then these could perhaps be like it.

There's a quite big size increase and the black limbal ring adds a dolly eye look. The color is mainly at the edges; the print is done in a way so that the color fades towards the center, further creating a semi-natural look.

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by me during a July afternoon with a clear sky. Close-up photos are all free from color filters etc and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Natural indoors room light.

Yellow indoors room light.

Unlit corridor.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Facing window. (sun side)

Facing backyard window. (shadow side)

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun while being under the roof's shadow.

Outdoors, facing sun.

Comfort is a bit of a random crapshoot with these – the first time I wore them they were all kinds of great (no irritation, invisible, no vision blur etc) but the second time I constantly felt them in my eyes (not really scratchy, just felt thick and annoying) and they started to dry already after 30 minutes. :( It's a bit of a hit-and-miss for me. I think on good eye days I could wear these just fine but if I have a worse than average day then these are out of the question. 

Despite the comfort hiccups I actually like these lenses and the interesting soft red shade that they have! It doesn't really 'pop' and sometimes disappears (especially in photos farther away, darker or shadowy, see below) but it's a solid choice for those who seek a calmer, more tame red color that won't scream crazy at you. It might not be a first choice for cosplay but it's all the more suitable for fantasy creatures and alternative fashion, especially those who like to play with unnatural eye colors.

Distance photo!

Interested in more Gerbera reviews?

Check these out: Pink, Blue, Green

Short summary:

Color: 7/10 
A subtle, soft red that has enough color to pack a punch but still manages to look tame and delicate.

Design: 8/10

Cool yet simple 'burst' pattern with streaks running towards the center.

Opacity: 6/10

You can tell it blends somewhat and there are transparent areas where your real eye color show up, but it still looks red most of the time.

Enlargement: 7/10

Big lenses with a noticeable black rim.

Comfort: 5/10

Unpredictable. Sometimes dries quickly and does the whole "plastic in the eye" thing that just won't go away but might also have times when they're really comfy and invisible to wear. On a good day the wearing time is around 2-4 hours on dry eyes.

Naturalness: 4/10

The size is too big but still somehow, despite being red, it actually isn't all that weird.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review! 
~ Shiro Samurai out.