Lens review: Vassen Dolly Plus Blue

Hello everyone!

It's time for another circle lens review today! I will be reviewing the Vassen Dolly Plus Blue, sometimes also spelled as Vassen Dolly+ Blue. I was cautiously hopeful with these as the green pair was such a disappointment earlier.

Now let's roll!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 42% 

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

Just as the green pair these look super nice in the vials, I absolutely love that blue shade. It's so pleasant and beautiful. I didn't want to hope too much but thankfully these actually look pretty good on my eyes so I'm somewhat satisfied. Of course the cosplay dude inside me is yelling "NOT GOOD ENOUGH" but hey, this is an improvement from the swamp troll poo...

I've worn a lot of blue lenses over the years and the competition is fierce. The Vassen Dolly Plus series used to be popular back in the days but I honestly don't know how relevant they are nowadays? I remember cosplayers recommending them on forums (holy shit, forums? Remember that? :D) and now I just feel like that grumpy oldie who whispers "there's so much better out there", lmao.

One lens in.

Okay so, err, these babies are big. Big as in kawaii size, pretty much. xD There's a notable 'halo effect' where the lens exceeds my iris and it's gorgeous when it shows. The color on these blue ones is an improvement from the green pair and looks more flattering on my blue-gray eyes – it actually blends in a somewhat cool way too when you look closer. Sure, it could still be a lot more vibrant (it's a bit on the dark side due to lack of coverage) but at least these lenses deliver and the color is likable enough for me to give a halfhearted thumbs up. I'm not sure why but the color reminds me of that one bird with the long thick beak... the... *googles* ... common kingfisher?

Overall this is an 'anime' style of lens, if you may. There's a distinct black rim to create the illusion of bigger and more impactful eyes and the design is somewhat cutesy and cartoony in style. The design itself isn't the most unique in the world but it has enough going on to be easy to enjoy. Yes, it is dolly in style and thus also suitable for j-fashion.

Lens photos ahead!

All photos taken by me during an August afternoon with a clear sky. There's no color filters or such on the close-up photos and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Indoors, natural room light.

Indoors, yellow room light.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Unlit corridor, poor distant natural light only.

Facing a window. (backyard view, aka not sun side)

Outdoors, back against the sun. Facing the wall.

Outdoors, facing the sun while under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing the sun.

I like these enough to not feel like I just got smacked with a wet fish in the face but I still feel like they could have been so much more. Although I will admit that these lenses are one of those kinds that actually look nicer in real life than on camera. I actually stopped in front of a mirror to look closer at the blending effect and it was almost like a little galaxy in there; the center of the lens transitions, in a quite delicate way, into my natural eye color. Those black dots and streaks might help it somewhat.

Regarding comfort it's the same story as with the other pairs I've reviewed lately – in other words these had expired before I found where the heck I had put the box I stored them in. That means I can't grade comfort more than what my first (and only) impressions were and well, that's not very fair to the lens so please do not take my comfort grading as the ultimate truth or something. But yeah, I only wore these for the review photos but they seemed decent? They were thin but I felt them slightly in my eyes. Also, they were a bit itchy upon insertion but that went away rather quickly. Possibly dryish although I can't really tell because my eyes are naturally super dry and yeah, might just as well have been my eyes having a bad day. My guess for wearing time is anything between 2-4 hours on dry/sensitive eyes, which is decent.

I'm not sure how much I'd recommend these lenses but they are definitely not bad. It's just that there's a lot of blue lenses to choose from and I prefer better color coverage in general. I guess that's one of the things that comes with being a cosplayer, I'm always judging lenses based on how cosplay-friendly they are and for that you need lenses that really show up and dramatically change your eye color. These are fine for fashion but maybe not a first pick for costuming. Of course your mileage may vary but yeah, I will say in their defense that these lenses look their best in outdoor lights.

Distance photo!

  Looking for reviews of Dolly Plus lenses in other colors?
I got you covered: Green, Violet, Brown, Gray, Red

Short summary:

Color: 5/10
It's a decent shade of blue, quite pretty but turns a bit too dark on my eyes to really leave an impact.
Design: 7/10 
Simple kawaii style lens. Big black limbal ring creates 'manga' look.
Opacity: 5/10 

It makes my eyes blue but I lowkey wish the coverage was better. At least they blend nicely..
Enlargement: 8/10
Very much dolly.

Comfort: 5/10 

They are thin but potentially dryish and both lenses were itchy upon insertion. I slightly feel them.
Naturalness: 4/10

Way too big to be passable but I mean, if you're young and cute why not?

Thanks for reading, stay safe out there!

Shiro Samurai out.