Lens review: Vassen Dolly Plus Gray

 Hello people!

 

Summer arrived very suddenly this year over here, man it's hot outside. xD I need to chug out more circle lens reviews while midnight sun is a thing and I have plenty of daylight hehe. This time I will review the Vassen Dolly Plus Gray lenses, also sometimes spelled as Vassen Dolly+ Gray.
Back in 2013 when I started using colored contact lenses for cosplay these lenses were a popular choice for cosplayers but nowadays there's a lot more options flooding the market than there used to be so yeah, I'm not too sure how things currently stand. Regardless, this is a beautiful lens and worth checking out!

Let's get on with the review~

 

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 42% 

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

 

This is a really big and dolly lens, just like the name implies. It's a great pick for lolita, cosplay, j-fashion and the like where having an 'anime eye' look is part of the desired aesthetic. There's a thick black rim to add to the illusion of big, youthful eyes and the color coverage is solid – despite the gray being very light in shade. It's a lovely, attractive lens that will look good on almost anyone. Actually I'm kind of surprised how nice it goes with my natural gray-blue eyes despite the design of the lenses not really having a smooth color transition at the center.

 

One lens in.

 

As you can see these are big and do indeed look a lot like 'manga eyes'. Because gray is close to my real eye color I feel like those black streaks near the pupil hole bring attention to the lack of blending between the lens and my iris – it's not necessarily a bad thing but it just strikes me more with these gray lenses than with the other Dolly Plus colors I've reviewed before.
I'm usually not drawn to gray lenses all that much, find it a bit of a dull color so to say, but these lenses are honestly very pretty. It's a light, almost pristine gray color that looks very clean and somehow alluring? It has this certain pull to it that I rarely feel with gray lenses, it's just captivating in a way.

 

Lens photos ahead! All photos taken by me during a June 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.

Facing a window (backyard view, not sun side)

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing the wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing the sun.

I've mentioned it many times before but I've kind of made it a rite, by now, to clarify just in case there's new readers stumbling into my blog who haven't read previous lens reviews I've done the last year or so – these lenses were in a cardboard box I had put a lot of unopened lenses in and then just stashed away and literally forgotten.. for years. When I found it again everything had expired, much to my chagrin. This means I am unable to grade comfort on these lenses along with most other lenses I will review for a while. I stress, do not wear expired lenses to events or for prolonged periods!! I'm literally only wearing the lenses long enough to get the photos for the review (approximately 10 minutes) and then I immediately discard them. 

The only thing I can really say about the perceived comfort is that the lenses felt thin and were easy to insert, despite a little bit of floppiness on my fingers. They appeared to be comfortable and I didn't feel them in my eyes almost at all. My estimate is that if these had not been expired I likely could have worn them the usual 3-5 hours that is standard for me, considering how stupid dry my eyes naturally are (yes, I'm one of those people who use eyedrops a lot).

Overall I'd say that this is a lens worth trying, even more so if you happen to like gray lenses. In my opinion it perhaps has a bit too much of an impact to be worn as a daily lens but for events, costumes, alternative fashion and the like I'd say this is a good option. The design is simple enough to work for many different looks and the color coverage is great, you even have the chance of getting a slight 'halo effect' in some lights and that's always a bonus! It's seriously a lovable lens, even for those like me who almost never choose a gray lens as their first choice haha.

And lastly, the distance photo~

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

Short summary:

Color: 8/10
A gorgeous, cool light gray. It shows up well and goes nicely with naturally light eyes.
Design: 8/10 
Simple and cute style that is rather versatile in what looks you can rock with it.

Opacity: 8/10 

Color coverage is solid and sufficiently intense, without being overbearing.
Enlargement: 8/10
Definitely large and dolly. The black limbal ring adds to the illusion of big, moe-like eyes.

Comfort: 7/10 

I barely felt them in my eyes, they were thin and comfy. A bit floppy but still easy to insert.
Naturalness: 3/10

The color could work from a distance but these are way too big and cutesy otherwise to really fly.

Thanks for reading, another lens review coming soon~

Shiro Samurai out.