Lens review: Flora Gerbera Red

Yo my people!

Today it's time to chomp on my newest lens review – peel up your eyes as I'll bring out the Flora Gerbera Reds! Unlike the pink counterpart which I reviewed recently I must admit that these are definitely better in the color department. Let's get to it!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm

Water content: 55%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

The design of these lenses is like a sort of 'burst' design with colored streaks racing towards the pupil hole. It looks really nice and all but when looking at the lenses in their vials the coloration appears a bit sparse, to the point the red looks more pink to me. You can assume that there will be some transparency with these, just like with the pink pair.

One lens in.

Much to my surprise the red actually shows up nicely, huzzah! I was mentally prepared for them to just kinda blend in and turn into this ugly mix shade. I actually even like how it's a soft red and not a super obvious red, thanks to the blending and the transparent areas – it's like if red was a natural color then these could perhaps be like it.

There's a quite big size increase and the black limbal ring adds a dolly eye look. The color is mainly at the edges; the print is done in a way so that the color fades towards the center, further creating a semi-natural look.

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by me during a July afternoon with a clear sky. Close-up photos are all free from color filters etc and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Natural indoors room light.

Yellow indoors room light.

Unlit corridor.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Facing window. (sun side)

Facing backyard window. (shadow side)

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

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

Outdoors, facing sun.

Comfort is a bit of a random crapshoot with these – the first time I wore them they were all kinds of great (no irritation, invisible, no vision blur etc) but the second time I constantly felt them in my eyes (not really scratchy, just felt thick and annoying) and they started to dry already after 30 minutes. :( It's a bit of a hit-and-miss for me. I think on good eye days I could wear these just fine but if I have a worse than average day then these are out of the question. 

Despite the comfort hiccups I actually like these lenses and the interesting soft red shade that they have! It doesn't really 'pop' and sometimes disappears (especially in photos farther away, darker or shadowy, see below) but it's a solid choice for those who seek a calmer, more tame red color that won't scream crazy at you. It might not be a first choice for cosplay but it's all the more suitable for fantasy creatures and alternative fashion, especially those who like to play with unnatural eye colors.

Distance photo!

Interested in more Gerbera reviews?

Check these out: Pink, Blue, Green

Short summary:

Color: 7/10 
A subtle, soft red that has enough color to pack a punch but still manages to look tame and delicate.

Design: 8/10

Cool yet simple 'burst' pattern with streaks running towards the center.

Opacity: 6/10

You can tell it blends somewhat and there are transparent areas where your real eye color show up, but it still looks red most of the time.

Enlargement: 7/10

Big lenses with a noticeable black rim.

Comfort: 5/10

Unpredictable. Sometimes dries quickly and does the whole "plastic in the eye" thing that just won't go away but might also have times when they're really comfy and invisible to wear. On a good day the wearing time is around 2-4 hours on dry eyes.

Naturalness: 4/10

The size is too big but still somehow, despite being red, it actually isn't all that weird.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review! 
~ Shiro Samurai out.

[Sponsored] Lens review: EOS Super Neon Violet

Hello puppies!

Today I feel like it's a lens review day so say hello to the EOS Super Neon Violet! It's a really nice dark violet lens with great color coverage and a deep mystic shade. I'd rate it cosplay-friendly as well as suitable for many fashion styles! LoveShoppingholics sent me these gorgeous lenses for review purposes so thanks to them for making this review possible ~

The lenses that I'm reviewing in this blog post were sponsored by LoveShoppingholics, meaning that I did not pay for the product(s) myself. This does, however, not affect my honesty in any way. The words and opinions in this review are mine and mine alone, I don't ever compromise the truth.

Base curve: 8.8 mm
Diameter: 14.8 mm

Water content: 38%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

For more information about LoveShoppingholics and their online shop, be sure to check out this lens review where I talk about their store, my impressions and such!

If you're new to circle lenses I highly recommend that you take the lenses out of their little glass bottles and put them to soak in ordinary lens solution over the night, before wearing them for the first time. The reason why is because the solution that the lenses are stored in is of a different kind (stronger) and thus it might irritate your eyes and, well, as your sight is really important I urge you to be careful with your eyes and not take any unnecessary risks.

The EOS Super Neon series of lenses have a wide and intense black limbal ring, often feature a dark color and have a rather eye-catching design. It's not a single color but actually multiple different shades of violet, which adds depth to the lens and keeps them from looking flat and unrealistic. I dare say that the color is beautiful and it also appears to be densely pigmented, which means that it will cover your real eye color well.

One lens in.

As you can see on the photo above the violet is darker than average, the black ring might enhance the effect but whatever the case it's a beautiful color that you don't stumble upon too often. I also like how the design has this subtle 'burst' style pattern that gets lighter towards the center. It's a lovely, rich dark violet that shows up really well and adds that kind of alluring, mysterious look – I really have nothing bad to say about it.

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by me during a July afternoon with a clear sky. All close-up photos are free from color filters and such and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Natural indoors room light.

Yellow indoors room light.

Unlit corridor.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Facing window. (sun side)

Facing window to the backyard. (shadow side)

Outdoors, back against sun. (facing wall)

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

Outdoors, facing sun.

Comfort is doable. Easy to insert and no stinginess, scratchyness or irritation when I move my eyes around. I don't feel them in my eyes at all, except for that the first signs of dryness come really early – 30 minutes in and my ultra dry eyes react. Then again, be aware that everyone's eyes are different and I just so happen to have super-dry and sensitive eyes which tend to manifest in the sense that lens wearing time is drastically shortened for me;  average is 1-3 hours (when for "normal eyes" it would probably be 3-6 hours) and anything beyond 4 hours is extraordinarily good for me. So yeah, do read my comfort gradings with that in mind as I grade according to my eyes and, in the case of the Super Neon Violets, I would estimate wearing time to be somewhere between that average 1-3 hours for me. :) The dryness does seem to go on and off so yeah, as long as I bring eyedrops then these are definitely wearable!

All in all I like these lenses. They have such a great color that is really versatile, thanks partly to the simple yet striking design which lends them to both cosplay and j-fashion alike. I also want to think that because of the dark violet shade that these would also be a great addition for goths and other mystery seekers! It's definitely a violet lens worth trying, especially if you enjoy darker tones.

Distance photo!

Want to see more of EOS Super Neon lenses?

Check out my other reviews: Blue, Green, Brown, Gray

Short summary:

Color: 8/10
Dreamy, alluring, deep dark violet. What's not to love?

Design: 8/10
Beautiful yet simple with multiple shades that run towards the center.
Opacity: 8/10
Thanks to the dense color pigmentation these are really covering!
Enlargement: 6/10
Big but not massive. If you want dolly eyes then these got it.

Comfort: 5/10
Average. Dries really quickly but otherwise invisible to wear. 1-3 hours on super-dry eyes, approximately.
Naturalness: 1/10
Unless you've been living under a rock you know that huge violet eyes aren't realistic.

Kudos for reading my review, I hope you found it helpful!

Thanks LoveShoppingholics for being my sponsor~

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: Flora Gerbera Pink

Hello folks!

I'm back on the circle lens review roll and today I'm gonna feature the Flora Gerbera Pink lenses! It's a pretty lens but the color vibrancy sadly doesn't quite live up to my expectations. Nevertheless, let's get on with the review!

 Go go gooo ~

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm

Water content: 55%
Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

These lenses have a sort of 'burst' design with colored streaks reaching towards the center. It looks really nice but as you can see the color is not very dense, which means that these are not super opaque nor bright. My guess is that the pink color would perhaps stand out more on dark eyes because, on my eyes at least, it gets diluted and appears a grayish shade or just this kind of undistinguishable color.

One lens in.

These lenses sport a generous size increase and the black limbal ring adds to the illusion. They fade well into my real eye color the closer to the center it gets, which is nice if you like more natural-looking lenses. Pink of course is not a natural color but because of how subdued these look on my light blue-gray eyes it's actually not all that weird. I can't quite decide if I like these or if I'm disappointed in how the color lacks a certain intensity.

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by me during a July afternoon with a clear sky. Close-up photos are all free from color filters etc and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Natural room light indoors.

Yellow room light indoors.

Flash photo.

Bathroom light.

Unlit corridor.

Facing window. (sun side)

Facing backyard window. (forever in the shadows :D)

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

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

Outdoors, facing sun.

In some poorer lights the color is hard to make out what exactly it is, even more so in real life. In bright/optimal lights it looks pink and during those moments it's a cheerful and cute color that's surprisingly natural. The color is quite transparent and thus my real eye color does shine through a bit and mess with the color, hence why it looks grayish sometimes – like I already mentioned.

Comfort is pretty okay. They're a bit hard to insert as the lenses are really thin and a bit flimsy, if you know what I mean – they like to fold in half and just be a nuisance to insert quickly, lol. Feels a bit scratchy sometimes when I move my eyes at first but it settles really quickly. I can easily wear these past 2 hours, despite having super dry eyes, which is quite fine in my standards. My wearing time estimate would be 2-4 hours in my case, possibly longer. They tend to blur my vision occasionally too.

I would not recommend the Gerbera Pink for cosplay as the color doesn't show up much, especially when viewed from even the slightest distance (at least in the case of light-eyed individuals). This is definitely more geared for being a fashion lens and in particular I'd like to say for classic lolita, mori, gyaru and other cute looks on which you want enlargement but still want to keep a realistic approach.

Distance photo!

Need more Gerbera reviews?

Check out these: Red, Blue, Green

Short summary:

Color: 6/10
It's okay overall but a bit disappointing on my blue-gray eyes as it tends to just turn this undistinguishable, almost grayish color.

Design: 8/10

Nice-looking 'burst' pattern with streaks racing towards the center.

Opacity: 5/10

Quite transparent and blends a lot. Not a cosplay lens by any means.

Enlargement: 7/10

Cute and dolly, good for j-fashion looks.

Comfort: 6/10

Sometimes feels a bit scratchy after insertion and occasionally blurs my vision, otherwise I can easily wear these for at least a couple hours with no dryness, despite having mega dry eyes!

Naturalness: 5/10

Too big to pass for real eyes but the soft color, despite being pink, actually kind of works.

Thanks for reading and do leave a comment if you have any questions! 
~ Shiro Samurai out.

[Sponsored] Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi photoshoot!

Good day everyone!

To better showcase my new Star Wars costume from CosplaySky I wanted to have a photoshoot with it! This is my first time cosplaying a non-anime character, aka a movie/real-life actor/face character, which is a huge step out of my comfort zone. Obi-Wan was my first favorite character when I watched all Star Wars movies for the first time last year (yes, I'm late to the party) and I felt like I wanted to do him, despite the challenge it would provide as I feel like I'm too young to pull him off realistically. I wish I had darker crepe wool for the facial hair (as I can't grow my own in the same shape as his) but all of the darker colors were out of stock when I ordered, rip. ;_;

I will include some links after the photos on where you can get Jedi tunics like this – or any other costume you desire! Be sure to check them out~

But now it's time to indulge in a galaxy far, far away.. enjoy!

Cosplayer: Shiro Samurai (Obi-Wan Kenobi)
Photographer and stylist: Sacchan
Photo editor: Shiro Samurai

Want to be one with the Force too? Check out the links below!

Link to CosplaySky main page: CosplaySky Online Cosplay Store

Jedi tunic link: CosplaySky Star Wars Kenobi Jedi TUNIC Costume

All Star Wars costumes: CosplaySky Star Wars costume selection

I just want to say a few words about this costume as well. ^^

It's nice, easy and comfortable to wear, except that the tabards like to fall off my shoulders if I move around a lot but that makes sense as they're only secured in place by the belt. x) This is great even as a generic Jedi outfit (you don't have to be Obi-Wan) if you want to dress up for the next Star Wars movie marathon or something! Fans who don't have super high accuracy standards will surely enjoy it, just like I do. Overall I'm really pleased with this costume and I'd warmly recommend CosplaySky to my fellow geeks and costuming fans alike.

Pssst, be sure to check out my detailed and 100% honest review about them here ~

~ Bonus photos ~

One does not simply oppose the high ground.

Jedi frog dance. Remember to serious-face.

That's all I have to say for this time!
Thanks for reading my blog and may the Force be with you.

A big thank you also goes to CosplaySky for sponsoring me! ♥

~  Shiro Samurai says farewell.