Lens review: I-Codi Colors of the Wind Lemon Tea

Guuuuys!

I'm excited to bring this review to you! Ever since I first found out about the massive range of colors that I-Codi's Colors of the Wind series had I've been dying to try some out! It's by far the single lens series with the largest color selection that I know of. Today I'll show you the I-Codi Colors of the Wind Lemon Tea, a natural-ish yellow lens that I bought for cosplay!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm

Water content: 38%
Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

As I said I got these for cosplay, mainly because it's really hard to find yellow lenses and even harder to find some yellow lenses that aren't crazy lenses. Big reason for why I was so stoked when I found the Colors of the Wind series is because there was a whole army of colors that you normally don't bump into all too often, combined with a really versatile design that is highly likable.

Unlike most circle lenses these come packaged in a stylish cardboard box that is color coded for each lens (Lemon Tea is number 14). The vials are really stylish too, I love the design – it feels so luxurious!

One lens in.

My real eye color is a light blue-gray and that's often a problem with especially green lenses turning muddy – I was worried that yellow lenses would thus meet the same fate (as the color is similar) but thankfully these stayed yellow, victory! It's so hard to find yellow lenses that aren't either crazy lenses or overly "artistic"; I wanted something that would look fairly natural in terms of design and I'm so happy with these. The yellow color looks yellow, a kinda soft shade but still clearly yellow. I love these so much and yeah, because of the design being similar to a real iris it makes these lenses in turn really versatile in use – cosplay, fashion and even a daily lens. 

The size increase is there but it doesn't feel like the main point of the lenses, just a nice little bonus. You won't thus get massive dolly eyes from these but they'll provide a slight boost to make your eyes even more alluring.

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by yours truly during an 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.

Natural room light indoors.

Yellow room light indoors.

Bathroom light.

Poor natural light indoors. (standing in a corridor)

Flash photo.

Facing window, shadow side. (weirdly blue in camera...)

Outdoors. Facing the sun while it was barely blocked by a roof.

Outdoors, back against sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing sun while being under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing sun.

It's not the purest, brightest yellow there is but it's really natural for being an unnatural color. It's a lens that fascinates me because of the color's rarity – I wish more brands would make yellow lenses! It might be too discreet for some as the yellow will appear differently in different lights but it's a curiosity and, depending on your needs and preferences, a very viable option. Some yellows have a tint of brown in them but I feel like these don't really have that, it feels like a "clean color".

Comfort is pretty okay. It's not mindblowing by any means but I've managed to wear these for around 4 hours at a con, which is already better than average when it comes to my dry and merciless eyes. They are fairly invisible to wear overall but I think there were some occasional minor discomfort, like maybe stinging for a second or some such. I'd think that wearing time is around the 3-5 hour mark on super dry eyes.

Summa summarum is that this is one of the very limited natural yellow lenses currently available. Great for cosplay if you don't want to have to resort to using too fake-looking crazy lenses. It's a lens worth trying if you like to try new things or have a fondness for unnatural colors in particular. I think these would be great for live-action roleplay and for dressing up as fantasy creatures too – imagine like a wizard or a magical warrior with yellow eyes! :D Cosplay is of course a given and I think these would be a great asset to spice up a lot of more alternative fashion looks too. Go for it if these pick your interest!

Distance photo!

Short summary:

Color: 8/10
Natural but still very much yellow. One of the few non-crazy yellows currently in the market.
Design: 8/10
Mimics a real iris and is thus a solid multi-purpose lens. Great look!
Opacity: 7/10 

I was prepared for these to turn an ugly, undistinguished color but yellow they are. So relieved!
Enlargement: 4/10
Not particularly big in any way. A slight enlargement boost.

Comfort: 7/10 

Somewhere between good and great I guess. I can wear them for half a con day, despite having super dry eyes. Sometimes there's some very short-lived discomfort but it's nothing in the long run.
Naturalness: 5/10

Thanks to the design and the softness of the color these look surprisingly natural for being, well, yellow.

Thanks for reading, I hope you found this review interesting! 

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: Fynale Classic Circle Red

Hello folks!

I'll have to continue with the lens reviews as I still have a massive backlog to catch up on, rip me. x) Today it's the Fynale Classic Circle Red which I actually bought ages ago with the main intent to use them for cosplaying the rasetsu from Hakuouki. Sadly I didn't get around to it before the lenses got too close to their expiry date so now I'll just have to be content with simply reviewing them.

Let's go! 

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 55% 

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

One interesting thing to note is that on the vials it says that Vassen is the manufacturer and Fynale the distributor. I've never seen these lenses go under the Vassen label but as I.Fairy is also commonly made by Vassen –and I.Fairy sports similar lens designs as these– then it's highly possible that Fynale is another one of the many brands that fall under Vassen.

I remember getting these because of their screaming red color and the design, which because of a lack of a limbal ring looked a bit creepy – perfect for rasetsu and other demons and monsters. Most lenses with a similar design don't have as much color as these do, especially when you take the size into account. The red color is also very intense and that's what I was looking for.

One lens in.

Yikes! These are totally huge and the red is insanely bright and over-the-top. It's so vibrant that I feel like it would glow in the dark or something, it's batshit crazy! The color is mostly flat and unnatural looking, which is kinda the point if you ask me. There are some small efforts at blending (streaks and transparency closer to the center) but because of the extreme shade it doesn't do much at all – the color will clash no matter what, mainly because it's fucking red and like the most wild red you can think of. xD  
These are definitely what I hoped they would be, such a shame I didn't get around to using them for cosplay in time. :'(

The size increase is big, it actually says on the vials that the effect is 16-18 mm (it says diameter and effect separately) and whether that's true or not I can't say but I do know that these are positively huge. Even without a limbal ring, which normally adds the illusion of bigger eyes, these look massive.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me during an 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.

Natural room light indoors.

Yellow room light indoors.

Bathroom light.

Unlit corridor.

Flash photo.

Facing window. (shadow side, weirdly blue for some reason)

Outdoors, back against sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun while being under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing sun.

This is one of the boldest red lenses currently in the market I think, if we don't count specific crazy lenses and just normal circle lenses. My real eye color is still very visible in the center but because the red is so intense that's what you'll notice first, especially from a distance. Circle lenses, big ones in particular, commonly suffer from the "no color near the pupil" look anyway so it's nothing unheard of – it's just that it's much more noticeable on light eyes than on dark eyes.

I can't grade comfort so I'll just base my grade on first impressions while I took the photos. These had expired by the time I got around to do this review so it would be unfair to the lenses to grade them and potentially dangerous for me to wear them longer than necessary to take the photos. ^^" But from what I can tell they seemed fine and there was no random stinging or such crap. I think there were moments when I saw red corners in my vision in poorer lights, which is normal. I believe they would be comfortable enough to wear for at least the average time (2-4 hours for me, really dry eyes).

All in all this is a circle lens with the intensity and boldness of a crazy lens. I'd mainly get these for the demonic characters and those that are supposed to look really unnatural or possessed! Also, why not use them for creepy cute fashion, goth and such? It's a really funky lens either way and sure to grab attention... and most likely scare that neighbor grandma.

Distance photos!

Short summary:

Color: 10/10
Insane bright red lenses that show up no matter what? Check.
Design: 9/10
It gives the look I was hoping for so I'm happy. It's simple but has a great impact.
Opacity: 9/10 
The colored areas are really opaque, shame the color is not printed even closer to the center.
Enlargement: 9/10
These don't shy with the size.
Comfort: 6/10 
Estimated to be average to good. Red corners in my vision in poorer lights if I move my eyes fast (common for opaque lenses). Otherwise no notable discomforts on my short time taking the photos.
Naturalness: 0/10
Hell to the no.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Shiro Samurai out.