Euran mangapäivä 2017 – Plans!

Hello peeps!

So I got asked by my friend Firith –on short notice– if I could come and help him out with arranging the second Eura's manga day (Euran mangapäivä, in Finnish) or, more accurately, come as part of the work force. The first one was held way back in 2013 and, sadly, kind of fell into oblivion until Firith managed to bring it back into the light again. I figured why not help out a friend, and a budding Japanese culture event, in need? ♥

Event schedule & information.
Made by Firith.

So yeah, just like Kemi's manga day (Kemin mangapäivä) this is a small one-day event with free entrance. It's held on Saturday, 22nd April 2017, in Eura's main library. I got asked to come work as the con/event photographer, although I might have some other jobs to do as well, I don't know yet. :'D I'll know better once I get there! There was some talk that, if we get enough participants, I'll maybe join Firith as a second cosplay judge...

Oh and yeah, regarding what I'll cosplay it seems like I'll bring out my latest costume again – Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, kimono version. ^_^ Yes, the same one I wore at Matsucon where I, coincidentally, also worked as a con photographer.
I'm really hoping that lots of people will show up to this little 4-hour event! Come come ~

This is gonna be fun and yet another work experience under my belt. Early tomorrow morning I'll leave for the south so now it's high time that I start to pack my stuff! Good thing that the municipality will compensate my traveling expenses because otherwise it wouldn't be possible for me to go and help them with the event, seeing how far away I live. ^^" I'm really thankful for this opportunity ~

For more information about the event, check out Firith's blog post (in Finnish): http://shinigamiuchiha.blogspot.com/2017/03/euran-mangapaiva-ensimmaista-kertaa.html

Let's roll! inb4 sitting countless hours in a bus, lol.

~ Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: Neo Celeb Green

Hello peeps!

Today I will review the Neo Celeb Green circle lenses, a pair with a smaller diameter than average. These lenses have a dark limbal ring but are otherwise quite natural!

Let's go!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.2 mm

Water content: 45%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

These lenses are made by Neo, also known as Neo Vision and/or Neo Cosmo; I personally prefer to just call them Neo though. These are 2-tone lenses and it's good to know that genuine Neo lenses only come in 14.2 mm diameter – or at least that's what I've read somewhere.

When seen from the vials the color looks like some sort of light moss green shade – some would perhaps call it dull or bland. It doesn't seem all that vibrant, nor impressive, but the color is actually quite pleasant once worn. It's a fairly natural green color; it doesn't really 'pop' or anything but it's there. I'd say that it's sophisticated, haha.

One lens in. Notice size difference.

As you can see the size boost is minimal – I barely noticed the difference when I looked into the mirror with only one lens in and moved my gaze around. It's a realistic size but the thick black limbal ring will tell everyone that you're wearing colored contact lenses.

It's a bit hard to describe the design but it's quite simple and kind of a 'burst' print. It's nothing really unique or amazing but it has its own simplistic beauty. The Neo Celeb Greens would do just fine as a casual or everyday lens, if you wanted to wear them for that; they'd also work for some fancier occasions as well, although they might lack the vibrancy to be good cosplay lenses...

Lens photos incoming!

All photos taken by me during an April 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.

Bathroom light.

Facing a window in the corridor.

Flash photo.

Yellow light in the staircase.

Outdoors, with my back against the sun. Facing wall.

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

Outdoors, facing the sun.

I can't grade these properly in comfort because sadly the right lens was, in my case, defective. I tried to clean and reinsert it three times and every time it scratched my eye horribly and in the exact same way. It was always the upper part of my iris that stung and I barely managed to stand the pain long enough to take the photos. As soon as I was done taking the photos the defective lens flew straight into the trash. Defective lenses can happen to anyone and to any pair of lenses, sadly. :'(

The left lens was perfectly fine to wear and, honestly, pretty dang comfortable. I could easily wear it 3+ hours and barely felt it anywhere – no stinginess, teary eyes, redness or anything. It doesn't feel thick in my eye and it's overall really comfy. I'm sure that I could wear it for more than 5 hours if I wanted to.

So yeah, if you want small, comfortable and semi-realistic lenses with a notable limbal ring then pick these up! Of course I can't guarantee comfort because everone's eyes are different – but my sensitive and/or dry eyes didn't hate me for wearing these lenses. I've actually had a lot of problems with dry eyes lately so yeah, finding a comfy circle lens pair is getting harder and harder.

 Distance photo!

I've reviewed the Neo Celeb lenses in another color! Check it out: Violet

Short summary:

Color: 5/10
A light, somewhat muddy green. It's toned down and realistic. Calm and quite pretty in its own way.
Design: 7/10
Simple 2-toned design with a thick black limbal ring.
Opacity: 5/10
Decent. It makes my light blue-gray eyes appear green, although there's a slight blending effect.
Enlargement: 3/10 
Quite small. Good for those who don't want big dolly eyes.
Comfort: 7/10 
I can only grade for the non-defective lens, which was more comfy than your average lens. I could wear it over 3 hours with no issues, possibly much longer too. Doesn't feel thick in my eye.
Naturalness: 7/10
Ignore the black limbal ring and these aren't even too shabby in the natural department.

Thanks for reading!

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: GEO Xtra Lotus Gray

 Good day everyone!

Today I'll review the GEO Xtra Lotus Gray circle lenses, which can also be identified by their code number thingy WFL-A15. It's a really big lens with a thick limbal ring and an artistic print!
I know that I'm doing a lot of circle lens reviews lately but I want you guys to know that I have a lot of lenses that expire 2017 and 2018 so yeah, I really need to keep on reviewing actively so that I'll have time before anything expires. ^^" I'm sorry for those who don't care so much for circle lenses but I hope that you can understand.

Now let's go!

Base curve: 8.7 mm
Diameter: 15 mm

Water content: 42%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

My natural eye color is a light blue-gray which makes it so that these lenses actually go very well with my real eyes. They blend in nicely and enhance my eyes with a beautiful pattern and a jagged limbal ring. The Lotus Grays makes my eyes appear notably bigger and sparkly. It's a really pretty effect and actually not as unnatural as I initially expected.

One lens in. Notice enlargement effect.

As you can see on the photo above the enlargement boost is significant. It's not over the top but it's definitely on the big side. I would say that these lenses probably work well with alternative fashion styles, especially those that are a bit more toned-down and casual – I'm thinking stuff like classic lolita, gyaru, mori girl etc. Of course you can wear lenses for any look (heck, I wore these for a metal look, see below!) but those are just the first ones to pop into my head when I think of possible suggestions. ^^ I'd say that the lenses are rather versatile – you could wear them for cosplay as well.  

I have a hard time making out what the print is supposed to be but I guess it does pass off as lotus inspired, like the name states. The edges of the lens are jagged like small petals and these help in softening the impact of the black rim. There's several different shades of gray in the lenses, which make these lenses appear kinda natural in color, actually. The Lotus Grays are a pretty lens that makes my eyes look lively and alive!

Lens photos incoming!

All photos taken by me during a March 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.

Apartment room light. Only natural (window) light.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Facing a window in the corridor. (not sun side)

White light in the corridor.

Yellow light in the corridor.

Yellow light in the staircase.

Indoors storage room. Only natural light.

Basement floor. Poor natural light from a far-away window.

Outdoors, back against sun. Facing the wall.

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

Outdoors, facing the sun.

You'd expect that such a big lens with a flashy pattern would be super noticeable but, in actuality, it's more discreet than I thought! I don't mean this in a bad way – the effect is soft and flattering on my light eyes. I do think though that these might 'pop' more on darker eyes or on any other color than what I have.

The comfort is average to good. I don't have any issues inserting these into my eyes and I don't feel them once they're in; they don't blur my vision, scratch, make my eyes tear up or anything of the sort. Sadly though I start to feel them drying after 2-3 hours, which is quite average for me and my dry/sensitive eyes. So yeah, okay comfort.

Distance photos!

Want to see these lenses in other colors?

I have done a couple reviews: Green, Violet, Brown

 

Short summary:

Color: 7/10
Beautiful natural gray that goes well with my real eye color.

Design: 8/10

Detailed and artistic lotus inspired print. Impressive and good-looking.

Opacity: 5/10

The color is undoubtedly gray but it blends into my eyes, almost enhancing them more than actually changing the color.

Enlargement: 7/10

Quite big but not overkill. Nice enlargement!

Comfort: 5/10

Really comfortable (no itchiness, teary eyes etc) but start to dry after 2-3 hours.

Naturalness: 4/10

Surpringly okay. Ignore the size and dark limbal ring and it's actually not even bad.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found this review helpful. ^^
Shiro Samurai out ~ 

Lens review: Beaucon Jewels Green

Good day peeps!

I figured I could do a lens review now that the weather is decent for a change – it's been cloudy and slippery for several days now. So yeah, I'll be showing you guys the Beaucon Jewels Green circle lenses! I've already reviewed several other colors from the same series but I think that this might be my last Beaucon Jewels review because yeah, the comfort just keeps disappointing me. :'( I want to like these lenses but my eyes don't like them, lol.

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.0 mm

Water content: 45%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

I've personally only seen the Beaucon lenses for sale at HoneyColor so yeah, that's where to get these if you're interested. ^^ The Beaucon Jewels series is an option for all those people who like the design of the popular 'Candy' lenses (EOS Sugar Candy and Vassen Sakura Candy etc) yet want a smaller version of them.

The design is actually quite simple but it does give an 'anime eye' effect. The thick black limbal ring makes these lenses stand out but the color does blend into my light eyes, creating a sorta semi-natural look. I think that these green lenses would give more of an impact on darker eyes.

One lens in.

As you can see these are not very big, despite the illusion one might expect from the black rim. These lenses don't look out of place even if you decide to wear them out without any eye makeup.

The color is a quite interesting, appealing green shade. For some reason it blends surprisingly naturally into my blue-gray eyes and doesn't 'clash' badly at the center, where my natural eye color shows through – aka the color transition between my iris and the lens is rather soft. Sadly though it does appear muddy in some lights and it's not as vibrant on my light eyes as the other Beaucon Jewels colors that I've tried. I was hoping for these to pop more, if you know what I mean.
I can't claim that the green in itself is a natural shade but these lenses do appear quite natural, at least on my eyes and if we exclude the obvious limbal ring. It's a cute lens and a versatile one at that.

Lens photos ahead!

All photos are taken by me during a March afternoon with a semi-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 in my apartment.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Facing a window in the corridor.

White light in the corridor.

Yellow light in the staircase.

Indoors storage room. Only natural light.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

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

Outdoors, facing the sun.

I don't know what's up with my eyes today but I'm ridiculously light sensitive – I can barely look into a cloudy sky without my eyes tearing up and I can hardly even keep them open! It was a challenge to get the photos (especially the outdoor ones) and I kept noticing that my hands were shaking when I was trying to hold the camera still so yeah, pardon for the crummier photo quality this time around.

Regarding comfort I still don't have any praise to give, sadly. These lenses felt scratchy upon insertion (even after cleaning them and reinserting) and I feel clearly that there's something in my eyes. It's quite unpleasant and not something that I can easily ignore. I feel them when I widen my eyes, move my gaze around etc and they don't seem to turn "invisible" at any time either – I just constantly feel that I have pieces of plastic on my eyes and it's no gusta. They also randomly feel dry and suddenly feel sort-of-okay again so yeah, they throw me off. 

I know people who have found the Beaucon Jewels lenses really comfortable *coughbrocough* but they're not good for me. :'( Everyone's eyes are different so if you want to give these a try then go ahead, who knows, they might be comfy for you.

The thing is that I really want to like the Jewels lenses – they're small, costume-y while still not overdoing it and just generally look sweet and nice to work as both a cosplay and a daily lens. But I can't. The comfort fucks them up big time and I'm really not the type to stand uncomfortable lenses since my eyes are dry and sensitive as is already. Bleh. Me sad.

Distance photo!

Want to check out more reviews of the Beaucon Jewels series?

Lookie here: Violet, Brown, Pink Brown

Short summary:

Color: 6/10
Cute soft green color. Doesn't seem quite as vibrant on my eyes as the other colors though.
Design: 8/10
Simple and likable design that is versatile to boot.
Opacity: 5/10
My eyes look green but in poorer lights it loses some of its impact and turns muddy. Decent opacity.
Enlargement: 3/10
Slight enlargement boost.
Comfort: 3/10 
I feel them constantly when I move my gaze, widen my eyes etc. A bit scratchy and just not really comfortable. I can wear them about 3 hours at most. 
Naturalness: 4/10
The color blends nicely into my eyes but the thick black limbal kills the naturalness.

Shiro Samurai says bye bye! Thanks for reading!