[Sponsored] Lens review: ColourVue Crazy Lens Mad Hatter

Hi everybody! ~

I have a new contact lens review to treat you with! This time it's a crazy lens and not an ordinary circle lens, wohoo! I present to you my review of the ColourVue Crazy Lens Mad Hatter! This pair was sponsored by LensVillage for review purposes, yay! Be sure to check them out – they have a lot of authentic and safe to wear lenses (both crazy and circle lenses) available in their established store! ♡

This review is all 100% my genuine opinion and that's because I value being honest to all my readers. Always.

Discount code "SAMURAI15" gives you 15% OFF on your purchase from LensVillage!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.0 mm

Water content: 45%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

As you can see from the photos above these lenses come in a nifty cardboard package with a cut-out "window" where you can see the lens vials! On the package all important information is written (expiry date, diameter, base curve, lens design, contents etc). Inside the package is the lens bottles themselves and an information sheet about lens care etc, as well as illustrated images on how to insert the lenses.
Important! On the packaging it says that the life span is 1 year but the website (LensVillage, in this case) says 3 months, thus I'm unsure which one is the real one. 

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Looking at the lenses in their bottles you might notice that their color doesn't seem quite as opaque and solid as crazy lenses tend to be – you know, ultra pigmented. Of course these lenses still look vibrant and have an interesting color but when worn they darken a bit (even on light eyes!), which is not bad, but they don't look as cartoony and unnatural as all other animation lenses that I've worn so far. The color turns into a really eye-catching green, think like a bright slime or radioactive green. :D The Mad Hatter lenses also sport a unique dark orange inner rim that separates the lens from your real eye color – the effect it gives is pretty rad!

A good thing with these lenses is that, despite being a crazy lens, these don't hinder my vision in any way – also known as that I don't see any colored corners when I move my gaze around. With that said the pupil hole is just the right size to cover your natural eyes well enough but not obstruct your vision! Yeah!

One lens in.

I had no issues inserting these lenses and, if anything, I thought that they seemed pretty thin! About comfort I'd say that they are quite good but have tendencies to randomly feel uncomfortable – like I can quite easily wear them for approximately 5 hours, possibly longer (even though I have sensitive eyes), but they are a bit on-and-off and unpredictable. What I mean is that while they are generally comfy –and I don't feel them in my eyes– they do have sudden bouts of discomfort, mostly minor stinging and/or a drying feeling; it goes away within some minutes and then the lenses are back to being comfy and as if nothing happened. :S I wore these a couple times, just to be sure, and they did both times give me those random moments of discomfort, most often at the 2-hour mark I got the first dryness attack. Then again, it might also be because I changed into a new lens solution brand that I've never used before...

Lens photos incoming!

All photos taken by me during an August evening 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.

Flash photo.

White light in the corridor.

Yellow staircase light.

Facing a weak orange light in the staircase, with my back against a window.

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

Outdoors, facing the sun while being under the shadow.

Outdoors, facing sun.

Indoors storage room. Natural light coming from the side (window).

I like how the patterning of my real iris really really subtly shows through in the green part of the lens – it makes them look natural yet mystical at the same time! It's honestly a really cool effect because it makes the unnaturally vivid green look deeper and thus, somehow, more realistic. I wish that more lenses with extreme colors would do this kind of effect!
One thing though is that because the lenses aren't super opaque they do appear darker and less obvious and pronounced in poorer lights, despite the unnatural colors. These are crazy lenses that look the best in bright lights and tend to "blend in" more with my real eye color (light blue-gray) in average indoor light conditions – you can still easily tell that I'm wearing lenses but they won't jump at you and I won't look possessed or anything of the sort. Hope you understand what I mean. ^^

Another thing worth noting with these lenses is that the enlargement is minimal, which means that if you don't want your eyes to look much bigger than they are in reality then yes, you can safely invest in this pair because these surely won't give you big doll eyes!

Distance photos ahead!

I went for a Mad Hatter inspired look because of obvious reasons, kjeh kjeh kjeh ~

Okay, so these lenses are seriously a lot of fun – they are magical and invite to creative costuming and funky styles! I'd heartily recommend this pair if you've been wanting to try out a Mad Hatter-like lens. ;) This is indeed a colored contact lens for all your wild fantasies!

 You can use my discount code "SAMURAI15" to get 15% OFF on your purchase from LensVillage!

Short summary:

Color: 9/10 

Really cool green & orange crazy lens. Vivid color and looks awesome in better lights!

Design: 8/10 

Simple design but it's super neat and gives the effect I want!

Opacity: 8/10

These are not completely covering (the green part shines through slightly) but they do a really good job, at least on light eyes.

Enlargement: 2/10 

These have minimal enlargement.

Comfort: 7/10 

Generally comfortable but can be unpredictable with sudden bouts of dryness, good thing is it goes away after like 15 min (for me) and then the lenses feel nice again.

Naturalness: 2/10 

Since when were crazy lenses natural? I give points for the small size, slight see-through effect of the green part of the lens and for that they "dull down" a bit in poorer lights.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review! ^.^

Thank you LensVillage for being my amazing sponsor! ♡
~ Shiro Samurai out. 

Oulun Animeseminaari 2016 – Back to being good

Hi guys!

This summary is a lil' bit late since the event was held last Saturday, on 13th August. I know I have not informed anywhere that I was going to Animeseminaari this year and that's mainly because it was a rather sudden decision. You see, my original plan was to go to Nerdcon in Sweden instead because they both were held on the same weekend, aka 13-14 August, except that Nerdcon was a 2-day con while Animeseminaari was just one day. What made me change my mind was that I was really broke at this time still am and Animeseminaari had free entrance while Nerdcon did not – and, also, traveling to Umeå would be notably more costly than going to Oulu. Another thing was that I was to hang with Sacchan on a Saturday party after the "con", which directly affected how long I could stay at Animeseminaari and also completely ruled out Nerdcon for us. 

But now let's get to the summary!

Animeseminaari poster.

Saturday morning. We had prepared so that I'd be at Sacchan's place the night so that we'd have an easier time leaving and a little bit less to drive, since she lives closer to Oulu than I do. So yeah, the two of us woke up in the caravan (parked next to the house, aka our hangout place) and crawled out of it to get breakfast; the night prior we had decided that it would be better if we didn't cosplay because we had to be able to leave quickly and be instantly ready to move on to the night party.

We had some random breakfast, grabbed Sacchan's little brother Joni with us and then we left for Oulu – just the three of us. The drive took approximately one hour and the weather was shit – it was raining constantly for the whole day and we didn't regret one bit that we decided to opt out of cosplaying. Thank god we did because it would have sucked.

At Oulu we parked our car near where my aunt lives (2 hour free parking!) and then we headed to centrum to... do some shopping. Yeah, we totally went to check out a game store, a toy store and Anttila before heading to the con. :D Mind you, I had some geeky business to do and it was more important than being early at the con, lol. Oh well, after we were done shopping we went to refresh our parking time and then we headed to Valve, aka the con building. We walked through the streets of Oulu that were soaking wet from the constant rain that just wouldn't cease. There were pools of water everywhere and dumb me of course forgot to take my umbrella and a jacket so I walked through centrum with a soaked hoodie, soaked jeans and soaked shoes.

Valve entrance.

The cafeteria area, seen from above.

I must say that since my last visit to Animeseminaari it felt really good to see that they went back to their roots, aka holding the con in trusty old Kulttuuritalo Valve. Truth is that I had sorta boycotted Animeseminaari since that one disaster at the library, aka 2014, which was shit. It was a relief to see that said event had reverted back to being that comfy but small little local con that I was used to and which, although small and sorta crammed for space, did its thing. It's not a con that you go to with any high expectations, more like a con where you go to hang with friends and chill in a corner – and that's what I do.

View of the Dealer's Hall.

Fantasiapelit selling manga and art books.

Collectible figurines, rubber straps etc.

Eeveelution rubber straps! ♥

Ginga Densetsu Weed plushies for pre-ordering!

I even found some Monster Hunter merch! :D

I can't remember when exactly we arrived at the con but it was a bit late-ish, maybe 13:00 or 14:00 something. We first went to check out all the merchandise vendors and I must say that it felt like there were fewer bootleg products than previous years but, then again, it might just be me – but it did seem like it. I know that in the north there are some sellers circulating with the same fake items in all the local cons but yeah, it seems like even in the north people have now started caring and being able to tell apart the real deal from the counterfeit shit. I certainly don't want to support the illegal market and I hope that one day there will be no fake goods for sale at all – it's always a bother having to worry about accidentally purchasing a counterfeit product because you get ripped off on your money and, sadly, many times at cons the fakes are sold for the same prices as the legit products. :( The bootlegs are so widespread and it's the reason why I'm always super careful and sceptical of buying anything at cons so yeah, unless I can safely say or simply know that it's an authentic product then I tend to pass on it, just to be on the safe side.

I was happy to see that Touken Ranbu merch is finally
getting more common, even up here. C:

Pokémon stuff. Those Wailmer mascot plushies were too damn cute!

Of course there was a Pocky and Ramune candy booth.

The merchandise sellers were where they've always been; it's kinda crammed and narrow but it still works since there aren't that many vendors in the end. What I did notice though was that the Artist's Alley had moved to the second floor – it used to be in the cafeteria area but not anymore!

In the second floor there was a water drinking spot. That's new!

Artist's Alley was in a small and really dark room in a corridor on the second floor. By really dark I mean that the room was basically black. Items for sale ranged from your usual prints and stickers to magic wands. I ended up buying an adorable derpy Magikarp scarf, it spoke to me and I instantly knew that if I had not bought it I would have regretted it... deeply. We were meant to be.

Yes, that's the Magikarp scarf that I purchased soon after.

Magic wands and woodwork items!

Random stuff, including Pokémon Go team pins.

Super adorable legendary bird trio stickers. ;A;
I wish these had been magnets instead, would totally have bought a set!

Our trio spent about 2 hours at the con and then we had to leave – we had a time to pass because of the party, which was actually held to celebrate Sacchan's mom's birthday. The party was awesome by the way, rock 'n roll all the way! But yeah, even though we didn't stay long I didn't really feel like I missed out on anything. In 2 hours you had plenty of time to see what there was to offer and yeah, because I wasn't interested in any panels or programs it was easy to just go when we were done. Sadly I didn't meet any familiar faces but it didn't hinder me from having a good time.

In the third floor was a board game room.

They had some stuff for sale. That tower was a game on which
you picked your favorite dice from the cup, put it in the tower
and if it came out with the highest number you got to keep the dice!

Okay, so to conclude this short summary I'd say that it was a comfy small con and worth a visit – definitely better than that shitty library edition ever was. There isn't really much to do (unless you like dance games or board games) but it's not really a problem since I don't expect much from a 1-day con with free entrance anyway. :) The amount of merchandise is satisfying, considering the size of the con, and there's also a cafeteria in the same building where you could buy something to snack on if you got hungry. Valve, the con building, is good in the sense that it's in the middle of centrum so you can easily just walk out and explore Oulu city if you get bored. So yeah, Animeminaari is a nice little event to brighten up an otherwise dull and ordinary week and I'd definitely keep attending it, as long as they don't move to a bad location again.

Thanks for reading!

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: RevoColour Yellow Twilight

Hello my friends!

Today I have a little bit different lens review for you all! :) I will be reviewing one of those crazy Halloween lenses, namely the RevoColour Yellow Twilight contacts, aka C-242! Don't let the name fool you though, these are definitely orange and not yellow in any way.

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 45%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

As with most crazy and animation lenses out there these are really opaque and will cover your natural eye color completely, whatever shade it might be. I have light blue-gray eyes and these turn my peepers into orange wolf-like eyes in a second! The effect they give is really cool!

One lens in.

The design is wild-looking, bold, with a black limbal ring combined with some irregular stripes pointing towards the pupil. The color is a medium to light orange with a more yellowish center. The change between yellow to orange is not too blunt and it gives a really nice two-color effect when worn, which makes the lenses look more lively and realistic. The pupil hole, aka where the color ends, is really abrupt though so these look fake in that regard (they clash where your real eye color meets the lens) but, then again, since when was orange a natural eye color anyway? ;)
These lenses are so vibrant that they show up easily even from a distance – no one will miss that you're wearing colored contact lenses!

These lenses are really easy to insert and I never had problems with them stinging or annoying my eyes, but they do make my sight very slightly fuzzy – imagine being in a field with some beginning mist and gazing away at a distance, that kind of minimal blur is what I see.
The thing with these is that they have a slightly smaller pupil hole than your average circle lenses and thus you will, most likely, constantly have orange corners in your vision – I experience this in most light conditions, except outdoors when the sun is out. It doesn't really bother me all that much but it's something that you do notice because it gives a minor "tunnel vision" effect; if you've worn any of the highly popular EOS Dolly Eye series you'll know what I mean.
I wore these lenses at a con for around 4 or 5 hours before they started to feel dry enough for me to want to take them off.

Lens photos ahead!

All photos taken by me during an August afternoon with a clear sky.
The close-up photos are free from any color filters etc so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Facing window in my apartment.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Yellow light in the staircase.

Orange light in the staircase, with natural light (window) coming from the side.

Outdoors, facing the sun but sitting under the shadow.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing sun.

Indoors storage room. Natural light (window) from the side.

What can I say? These have an amazing color and look amazing even from afar. They're perfect for cosplay, wolf-inspired looks, funky styles, monsters, alternative fashion, fantasy creature costuming and whatever else you can imagine would look cooler with orange eyes! ... Oh, and those vampires from the Twilight series too, if you're into that.

Distance photo!

Honestly, if you need orange contacts then get these. Like, really. I swear you won't be disappointed, they really stand out. These are seriously one of the best lens purchases I've done and they're comfy enough for me so that I can wear them to a convention for at least half a day! I can't recommend these enough because they really are some of the best vibrant orange lenses that are currently available, especially when it comes to design and color. 

Oh and yeah, I bought these from HoneyColor and, as far as I know, that's the only site that carries Revo Colour lenses so yeah, head there if you want to purchase a pair of your own!

Short summary:

Color: 10/10  
The color does what it should, looks badass and delivers pure orange vibrancy. Excellent.
Design: 10/10
Really nicely detailed crazy lens, one of the best orange lens designs in the market!
Opacity: 10/10
Completely covers whatever natural eye color you have and turns it undeniably orange.
Enlargement: 5/10
Decent. Not big but not super small either. A nice mid-ground.
Comfort: 7/10
Pretty decent. They are really comfy at first but the first signs of dryness come around the 2,5 hour mark for me. Around 4,5 hours they start to feel dryish but I could wear them longer if I wanted or needed to.
Naturalness: 0/10
Unless you're a fekkin' Twilight vampire then these won't cut it. Sorry, lol.

Thank you for reading my contact lens reviews!

Shiro Samurai says bye bye ~

Lens review: Kimchi Prince Black

Hi there!

Here comes my first review for black circle lenses, the Kimchi Prince Black! I'm happy to finally get to review my first properly black lenses! C: These are huge and give a dark dolly eye effect to your peepers – really cute lenses!

But now, review!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 16 mm

Water content: 55%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

So as you can see these lenses are indeed black, really dark but with the color fading towards the center, kinda turning grayish. When these lenses are worn they make your eyes look huge and black – perfect for dolly styles, anime eyes, those deer-inspired makeup looks or maybe even for some creepy but cute monster eyes! The contrast these lenses give on light eyes is really something! I suspect these would look the most natural on really dark brown eyes because the color change to black wouldn't be as drastic but if you want these for more extreme looks then, by all means, get them if you have light eyes!

One lens in. Notice the enlargement!

Okay, so these lenses are indeed really damn big and the blackness makes them appear even bigger. I would assume that these lenses would look sort of freaky if worn without any eye makeup but, then again, it might depend on your eye shape as well.

When it comes to comfort I wore these at a con for at least 5-7 hours and had no problems at all. I'd say that despite their big size they are surprisingly comfortable. My eyes tend to be dry and sensitive but I don't experience any issues with these lenses and can wear them several hours before I start to feel any signs of dryness.
The second time I wore these I felt the first signs of dryness at 3,5 hours but I could easily have worn them longer if needed; I took them off because I was playing video games.

Lens photos ahead!

All photos taken by me during a August 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.

Facing window in my apartment. (sun side, cloudy)

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

White corridor light.

Yellow light in the staircase.

Orange light in the staircase, natural light (window) coming from the side.

Indoors storage room with natural light coming from the side.

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

Outdoors, back against sun. (aka facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

All in all these lenses are really likable! The design is simple but I think that this kind of simple yet bold design works the best with black lenses – it really brings out the color and makes it stand out. The black color is super opaque and is sure to hide your real eye color effectively, except that because of the slightly big pupil hole your real eye color will show through in the center. I know that said look bothers some people but I've honestly started to like it because at least it's certain that I won't have colored corners in my vision. Oh and yeah, I don't have any issues with these lenses blurring my sight or anything like that. 

Needless to say I like these lenses and would recommend them if you need black circle lenses for any reason you might have!

Distance photo!

Short summary:

Color: 9/10  

Really deep and solid black color. Shows up incredibly well.

Design: 7/10

Simple design with the color fading towards the center. Works great for a black lens!

Opacity: 9/10

Great color coverage. The center fades slightly but it's not a lot, really.

Enlargement: 9/10

These appear seriously big but, then again, it can be because of the black color.

Comfort: 8/10

Good. I can wear them approximately 7 hours without issues. The first signs of them drying come around 3,5 hours for me but it's really minor and the lenses don't feel dry when I take them out.

Naturalness: 1/10

If you are light-eyed like me then these are really far from natural. Like, really.

Thanks for viewing my lens reviews!

Shiro Samurai says ciao ~