Lens review: ICK Premiere Wine

Hello pretties!

Continuing the circle lens reviews and today it's time for the ICK Premiere Wine! This is a dark red and I originally bought it because it was a red lens that appeared to be quite different from the rest.

Let's go!

Base curve: 8.6 mm

Diameter: 15.0 mm

Water content: 42%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

These have a sorta natural pattern for being a red lens but the pupil hole is really big. This means that the color is mainly gonna be at the edges once worn and that a lot of your natural eye color will be fully visible at the center. This effect generally looks more natural on dark eyes as opposed to light eyes like me, mainly because brown is closer to black and well, if you have really dark eyes then it will simply look more believable as the colors won't clash and instead you get a more realistic transition between eye and lens. It's hard to explain but it's very obvious when you see the difference and, as a light eyed reviewer, these lenses (along with all lenses with a huge center opening) will look a certain way on me and some like it and others are bothered by it. I'm rather neutral.

One lens in.

This is a fairly big lens and I think it looks pretty okay. The color turns out to be this kind of dark brownish red, almost a bit rusty in tone depending on the light conditions. On my eyes it doesn't look very natural for aforementioned reasons but I can't say that I would dislike it simply because of that. I don't know why but for some reason I think of monsters and zombies when I look at these, not because they look inherently creepy but because there is something with having such a concentrated color only at the edges and yeah, it is red after all.

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by yours truly during a September noon with a semi-cloudy 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.

Unlit corridor, poor natural light in the distance.

Flash photo.

Facing a window, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors, backyard. (shadow side)

In some lights these lenses look almost more brown than red! I don't personally feel like they are all that wine colored but I can see why they're named that.

Based on my first impressions wearing these lenses (they had expired so I took the photos and then immediately discarded them) they didn't seem very comfortable. Always remember that I have very very dry eyes naturally and so my comfort might differ a lot from your comfort because surprise, everyone's eyes are different! But yeah, for me these lenses were thin but still I could always feel that I had lenses on and on top of that they were scratchy. It could be because they had expired but as I only wore them once I can't tell. Regardless I estimate wearing time to be 2-3 hours for me, which is poor to average.

I can't really recommend these lenses for cosplay because the color doesn't cover much of your actual iris, unless of course you're dark eyed then maybe. They are not natural enough for daily looks either so I would say that these are mainly a fashion lens and first to mind comes darker styles like goths and such. It's not a bad lens but it's not one of my favorites and I would most likely not repurchase these, but at least I have now done the review so I can stop being curious about these and write them off my to-try list. xD

Distance photo!

Short summary:

Color: 6/10
Very dark, brownish red. Kinda rusty in color more than wine, in my opinion.

Design: 6/10

A rather simple design on which all color is packed on the outer edges of the lens.

Opacity: 7/10

The actually colored parts are super dense and covering but the huge pupil hole lowers the grade.

Enlargement: 7/10

Bigger than average for sure. Maybe it's the design but these don't feel that huge.

Comfort: 3/10

Thin but I constantly feel them ("plastic in the eye" feeling) and they were scratchy. Estimated 2-3 hours of wear on dry, sensitive eyes.

Naturalness: 2/10

Too big and too dark (too much contrast) to look passable on my eyes. Likely better outcome on brown eyes.

Thank for reading my blog, more reviews are coming soon!

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: Vassen Bambi Pink

What's up peeps?

I'm trying to continue my reviewing roll while we still have plenty of daylight hours aaaand so here I present to you, a review of Vassen Bambi Pink! Sometimes these lenses might also be known under the name Vassen Bambi Queen Pink. They are also most likely identical to the Kimchi Bambi Pink as well, since Vassen is to my knowledge the company that manufactures the lenses that both Kimchi and I.Fairy sell. 

Let's roll~

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 42%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

These lenses have an immensely similar design to the highly popular GEO Princess Mimi series, so if you recognize the print from somewhere then that's likely why. But I should mention that GEO's series doesn't come in pink so these are unique in that sense, haha.

Remember to always put your lenses to soak over the night before wearing them for the first time! The reason is that the solution in the little glass bottles is much stronger than ordinary lens solution that you buy from the pharmacy etc.

One lens in.

My first impression was that these don't pop quite as much as the other colors that I've already reviewed, especially when compared to the blue pair. I can still tell it's pink but it gets a bit overshadowed by the huge amount of orangeish brown that makes up the center of the lens. Sadly this orange tone clashes with my natural eye color quite much (especially because there's so much of it, it's almost half the lens!) and so it looks a bit weird to me. :/ I mean if you compare to the inner ring on the blue pair there's a huge difference in both color and intensity! I honestly want to like these lenses but I can't help but feel like they are not meant for light-eyed people because seriously, that orange really throws me off. Ugh.

It's a big and a somewhat anime looking lens. The limbal ring is really bold and creates the look of super dolly eyes. My natural eye color shines through a bit on the pink parts of the lens but not enough to make the color indistinguishable.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me during a September noon 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.

Facing a window, not sun side.

Poor distant natural light. Unlit corridor.

Flash photo indoors.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors in the backyard. Shadow side.

Comfort seems good based on my quick run with these (lenses had expired so I only wore them for these photos and then they went into the trash) as I didn't feel them in my eyes and they felt pretty thin too. I would estimate wearing time anywhere between 3-5 hours, which is better than average on my super dry eyes. These lenses felt like they might potentially start drying a bit fast though, not sure.

Okay so, my summary of these lenses is that they are really big and provide a dolly effect but like, they are not the best choice for pink lenses and especially not if you have light eyes like me. Seriously only like half the lens is pink and the orange inner half shows up a lot more and it makes me think jokingly that maybe these should have been called Vassen Bambi Orange instead, lmao! But I guess that if you want this kind of unnatural looking obviously two-color lens for whatever wacky and bold fashion style you might have then why not? :D It's not a bad lens by any means but I personally ain't that thrilled by it. I do have to admit though that when seen from a distance it looks a lot better!

Distance photo below.

Wanna see more Vassen Bambi lenses?

I got you covered: Green, Blue

Short summary:

Color: 4/10
For being a pink lens these are very.. orange. The pink honestly feels more like a secondary color.
Design: 8/10
The design itself is beautiful and makes my eyes look young and lively.
Opacity: 7/10 
Nothing really wrong with the color coverage, my eyes don't look blue.
Enlargement: 8/10
Dolly and cutesy.
Comfort: 7/10 
Appears to be above average. Thin and comfy but maybe drying? 3-5 hours estimated wear on super dry eyes.
Naturalness: 1/10

Maybe more believable on brown eyes but the size and design alone already gives them away.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Shiro Samurai says bye.

Lens review: GEO Xtra Lotus Green

Good morning everyone!

Today I'll review the GEO Xtra Lotus Green circle lenses, which can also be identified by their code number thingy WFL-A13. It's a big, really sparkly and wonderful lens that I absolutely adore!

Now let's go~

Base curve: 8.8 mm
Diameter: 14.8 mm

Water content: 40±2%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

This is a really big GEO lens, so if that's not your cup of tea you might want to steer clear from these. GEO is one of the few brands that carries both big and small circle lenses so one should always pay attention to the diameter with them, even though based on my experiences the stated diameter doesn't always accurately reflect the actual size of the lens when worn.

The Xtra Lotus lenses are a part of GEO's Xtra Flower series – and the extra in the name of course refers to the extra big size! And as with any genuine GEO lenses they should come with authenticity stickers that you can check up online to prove that your received pair is real. Yes, counterfeit lenses exist and should be avoided at all costs – if a lens store looks shady and too good to be true, it probably is.

One lens in.

It's a lovely lens with a crystal-like appearance. The blending effect is beautiful and the jagged limbal ring actually doesn't look jarring at all! One might think that such a fancy pattern would be all over your face but it hits that mark of perfection on which it's discreet and absolutely gorgeous at the same time. There's something with the artsy design that makes the lenses look delicate and lively, it could be how the design makes the lenses appear several different shades of green and these shades create a depth and a "soul" to the eye. I feel like I'm just rambling on by now but there's something special with these lenses that really appeals to me!

Lens photos incoming!

All photos taken by me during a September noon 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.

Facing a window, not sun side.

Poor distant natural light. Unlit corridor.

Flash photo indoors.

Outdoors, back against the sun. Facing wall.

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors on the backyard. (shadow side)

I feel like these lenses really brings out the little hints of green that I have in my natural eye color, which is a grayish blue in most lights. The transition between the lens and my eye is almost seamless and I love the effect. These lenses makes my eyes look youthful and sparkling and, while I personally don't care much for a "moe" effect I feel like these lenses stay within a sorta natural realm and thus don't look very anime at all and instead feel versatile.

Comfort appeared to be great based on my short time with these lenses (they had expired, I took these photos and threw them away after ;_; *sniff*) as I literally didn't feel them in my eyes at all and they were super thin too! I would estimate wearing time at least around the 4-5 hours on super dry eyes, and yes, that is more than average for me as my eyes really are insanely dry.

All in all I would recommend these lenses if you like this kind of, umm what should I call it, "everyday fantasy" look. It's a lovely lens, really alluring and I can't help but think of beautiful beings like elves and fairies when I saw how these lenses glistened in the sun. Great for fashion, live-action roleplaying and possibly also cosplay. I would repurchase these lenses just for fun because they are that pretty!

Distance photo~

Want to see Xtra Lotus lenses in other colors?
I have reviewed a few: Gray, Violet, Brown

 

Short summary:

Color: 8/10
Beautiful, alluring and fantasy-like forest green.

Design: 8/10

Detailed and artistic lotus inspired print that looks like crystals. It's mesmerizing!

Opacity: 5/10

Makes my eyes look clearly green but in a semi-natural way. Extremely smooth blending effect.

Enlargement: 7/10

On the bigger side but they lack a distinct artificially dolly look, in my opinion.

Comfort: 7/10

Invisible to wear, thin and super comfy. Estimated wearing time 4-5 hours on mega dry eyes.

Naturalness: 5/10

Ignore the size and these look far more natural than what one might initially expect.

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

Lens review: Vassen Sweet Bliss Pink

Hello folks~

Today's review will be about the Vassen Sweet Bliss Pink, sometimes also known as Vassen Cloud Nine Pink. This is a very anime looking lens, in my opinion, and thus I feel like it works best for j-fashion and cosplay. I'm falling behind again with reviews, I really need to pick up speed before polar night kicks in and makes reviewing a lot harder.

Let's do this!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 42% 

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

I remember being super curious about these lenses when I bought them a long-ass time ago, but because I've had a really rough time the past years I completely forgot to do reviews, while I still had plenty of time, and so I am now rushing to review lenses that have, in fact, already expired. :( I immediately threw these away after taking the photos for this review; I do not recommend wearing expired lenses.

One lens in.

This is a lens with a quite unique design! There's this thick, striking black rim with black lines running along it that creates a very cartoony effect. The color is within these "teary eye" styled blocks with different levels of transparency, which in turn makes it so that the lenses don't look as crazy and over-the-top as they might otherwise have looked. Also, because of the transparent lines separating the, well, color blocks, your real eye color will show through between the lines but this actually creates a nice effect! And if anyone wonders my natural eye color is a light grayish blue.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me during a September noon 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.

Facing a window. (not sun side)

Poor distant natural light, aka unlit corridor.

Flash photo indoors.

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

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Outdoors, on the backyard. (shadow side)

This is a big, bold and colorful lens – just like Vassen lenses usually are. There's a distinct dolly eye effect and the color is really vibrant and shows up from quite afar, which is always a good thing when posing for photographs. The Sweet Bliss series are definitely cute and look really youthful and almost innocent in a way, it's a fun lens and I must admit that one thing that surprised me was how different the color appeared depending on the lights!

My first mpressions of comfort were good, better than average. Again, do note that my comfort grade is based solely on the time I spent taking the review photos (10-30 minutes) and thus it's not necessarily very accurate nor fair (as the lenses had expired) and thus I remind you all to take comfort grades with a grain of salt. But from what I could tell these lenses are on the thinner side and felt comfortable and I didn't feel them much at all in my eyes. I would estimate wearing time to be around the 4-5 hour mark on my super dry eyes, which is generous.

If you want a pink lens that really pops and looks super adorable then you might want to consider getting the Vassen Sweet Bliss Pinks! It's not a lens for everyone but if you prefer fancy and colorful over natural and discreet then you're in for a treat with these. These lenses sport a great color coverage and will work really well for any bishoujo and bishounen characters in particular – for some reason series like Sailor Moon comes to mind!

Distance photo below~

Want to see Sweet Bliss lenses in other colors?
Check these out: Gray, Brown, Green, Red, Violet, Blue

 

Short summary:

Color: 8/10
Really sweet, intense and cute pink shade!
Design: 9/10
Cartoony "teary eye" look that reminds me of mahou shoujo (magical girl) anime series.
Opacity: 7/10 

Good coverage, my eyes look clearly pink. Real eye color does peek through in some parts though, due to the transparency in the design.
Enlargement: 8/10
Very dolly and adorable! Big size.

Comfort: 7/10 

Better than average. Thin, comfy and quite invisible to wear. Estimated wearing time 4-5 hours on ultra dry eyes.
Naturalness: 2/10

These surely won't fly if you're trying to convince someone it's your actual eyes...

Thanks for reading my blog!

Shiro Samurai out.