October 22, 2020

Lens review: I-Codi Colors of the Wind Moonlight

Hi there peeps!

It's been a long time since I did my first I-Codi's Colors of the Wind series review but I have more of them coming up soon and yes, today is one such day! I'll show you the I-Codi Colors of the Wind Moonlight today and yes, it's a yellow lens.

Let's cut right to it!




Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm
Water content: 38%
Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)





I originally got these as backups for my Hotaru cosplay from Samurai Deeper Kyo. I ended up using the Lemon Tea lenses during the Närcon debut some years back and well, after that I forgot that I had these lenses. I had put them away in a little box and when I found it again they had sadly expired; I had remembered the dates wrong. I thought I had more time. :'( So now best I can do is just review this pair and the other I-Codi Colors of the Wind lenses that I'll get around to do later...

It should be noted though that even with today's circle lens market yellow lenses still aren't that common. Finding natural-looking yellow lenses is even rarer, as in that they have a natural design and the color isn't crazy bright.
Also, unlike most circle lenses these I-Codi lenses come packaged in a stylish cardboard box that is color coded for each lens (Moonlight is number 13).

One lens in.
Not gonna lie, I thought I had the lenses on wrong-way-out at first. xD I had to double check but no, they are supposed to look like that! I'm so used to lenses having a black rim that this kind of pale rim seemed weird haha. But actually, it's not bad at all?
There's not a big difference when you compare these to the Lemon Tea – the main shade of yellow is almost the same, these are maybe a tad darker but I'm honestly not even sure anymore. The biggest difference is how these have more, err, "blended out" edges where the Lemon Tea has a distinct black rim. It's honestly just a preference question at this point on which lens you'd like more of the two as they are so equal otherwise.

My natural eye color is a light gray-blue and thankfully these don't blend into a mustard poop color on my eyes, they keep that deliciously semi-realistic yellow shade as hoped. This is a rather realistic lens for being yellow, the design is simple and somewhat mimics a real iris. It doesn't do any gradual blending or some such but it still somehow managed to not do the 'clash' look on my eyes, which is good. I actually really like these lenses, they balance on that delicious thin line between natural and unnatural.
Oh and yeah, in terms of enlargement effect there is a slight increase but due to the, err, somewhat modest design, it's not all that noticeable.

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

Indoors, natural room light.
Indoors, yellow room light.
Bathroom light.
In a corridor, weak distant natural light only.
Flash photo.
Facing a window, not sun side.
Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)
Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under the roof's shadow.
Outdoors, facing the sun.
So if you read above you already know the sad fate of these lenses. I can not grade comfort but what I can say is that based on my first impression (and yes, my only impression in this case) these lenses were thin, invisible to wear to the point that I did not feel them at all and just overall comfortable. I did not notice any yellow corners at the edges of my vision either. My eyes are naturally very dry but my guess is that I could probably wear these for 4-5 hours if they hadn't been expired. Anything past 3 hours is good in my book nowadays.

It's not like the brightest, clearest, most pure yellow lens out there but it does a dang good job at being a yellow lens and not looking creepy at all. This is the kind of color that if yellow was a naturally occuring eye color then it would probably look something like this? A great lens for live-action roleplays, theater, cosplay, fashion and pretty much anything. You could even use these for some less scary werewolves or vampires at a themed party where there's young kids or something. This is such a widely usable lens! I would recommend these.

Distance photo!


Short summary:

Color: 8/10
A medium to darkish yellow, natural in coloration for being an unnatural color. Great.

Design: 8/10
Mimics a real iris and thus versatility is achieved! There's only a vague limbal ring.
Opacity: 7/10 
Much better coverage than one might initially expect from a non-crazy, realistic yellow lens.
Enlargement: 4/10
No notable enlargement but still a lil' something.
Comfort: 8/10 
Appears to be very good. Thin, I don't feel them at all and really comfy.
Naturalness: 5/10
Surprisingly passable considering these are yellow after all.

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

October 8, 2020

Lens review: I.Fairy Moonlite Green

Yayaya!

I'm continuing once more with circle lens reviews. Yep, the corona pandemic screwed up the whole con season so I've had very little inspiration to work on cosplays and that of course translates to no progress posts. So to fill up the void I'm continuing to push out circle lens reviews so that, one day, I will get rid of my huge backlog. xD So today it's the I.Fairy Moonlite Green on the house, let's go!



Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 16.2 mm
Water content: 55%
Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)


Look at how bright and amazing these are! There's a thin black limbal ring, a dotted center and a single, solid mint green color – that's some serious pastel vibes eyy~ 8D Yes, these lenses are also positively huge just like one should expect from I.Fairy. I'm honestly in love with them already, this is such a rare color to find and I love everything that stands out from the crowd.

One lens in.
BOOM-SHAKA-WAU-WAU! This shit's lit! :D Like my gosh I adore that color asdasdfadafd. It's so vibrant, so full of attitude and sure as heck to show up even from a distance! Of course you can tell that the pupil hole is huge on these and that the color is pretty much only on the outer edges but honestly, in this case it actually looks pretty damn cool. Like the style of the lens works with this kind of effect. Normally I'm not a fan of huge pupil openings combined with lenses that don't even try to blend but yeah, in this case the lenses are already so unapologetically intense that the whole 'clash' look actually looks good? I don't know how to explain, it's like the funkyness is already way over the roof so you stop caring about any attempts to bring it back to the ground lol.

Lens photos coming up!
All photos taken by me during an noon 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.

Indoors, natural room light.
Indoors, yellow room light.
Bathroom light.
In a corridor, poor distant natural light only.
Flash photo.
Facing a window, not sun side.
Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)
Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under a shadow.
Outdoors, facing the sun.
Just like with the other lens reviews I've been doing lately these awesome lenses were part of that doomed cardboard box I had put away and well, completely forgot about until literal years later when I randomly found it again. So yeah, sadly these babies had expired and I could only take these photos for the review and then I had to discard them. It stung.. but no can do. 
I can't really grade comfort because of that but I can say that based on my first (and only) impression these lenses were extremely comfortable – super thin, invisible to wear, overall comfortable and due to the huge pupil opening there is no risk of seeing green corners in my vision field. My guess is that I could easily wear these for 4-5 hours if they had been fresh and not expired, which is very good considering how annoyingly dry my eyes are naturally. But as I said, that's just a guess as I can't know due to me not wearing these lenses for more time than what was necessary to get the photos...

Overall I'd say highly recommended. These are so insanely green that it's all over your face, it literally does not matter where I stand as these lenses will show up. If you ever wanted like hyper noticeable lenses for a rave or punk outfit or anything then these will fit that deal! This is also a great lens for cosplaying, especially if you need the color to show up on photoshoots from a distance. Overall this is such a fun lens to have and I honestly kick myself for not rediscovering that goddamn box earlier so that I could have gotten more time with these. ;_; 

Distance photo!


Check out my other reviews on the Moonlite series: Blue, Yellow

Short summary:

Color: 10/10
Can I get a huge "FUCK YEAH"? :D Amazingly vibrant mint green.

Design: 7/10

Dotted inner circle and super intense color. Small black rim completes the simple but effective awesomeness.
Opacity: 10/10

Amazing coverage on the colored parts, even more when considering how light pastel the shade is.
Enlargement: 8/10

Definitely big and dolly, somewhat lessened impact by how thin the limbal ring is though.
Comfort: 8/10

Appears to be really good. Very thin, I literally don't feel them at all and overall comfortable.
Naturalness: 0/10

Get off my lawn, this is supposed to look unnatural.

 Thanks for reading and sorry for the lens review spam lmao. 

September 25, 2020

Lens review: Vassen Dolly Plus Violet

Hello in the house!

I'm continuing with my seemingly neverending backlog of circle lens reviews lol. I will be reviewing the Vassen Dolly Plus Violet today, sometimes also spelled as Vassen Dolly+ Violet.

Now let's do this!



Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 42% 
Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)


This is a pretty big lens that looks as dolly as the name implies. The violet color is on the lighter side of the spectrum and in fact quite pastel in style. The design itself is versatile while still having a clear 'anime' inspiration it looks cartoony and youthful. 
There's a black limbal ring to add to the dolly look and the pupil hole has these black streaks surrounding it for added effect. The design is rather simple and not the most original style out there but hey, that's what makes these so easy to just out on and go as they match pretty much whatever look you're going for. This is a great cosplay and j-fashion lens too.

One lens in.
As you can see on the photo above this lens is actually really pretty! I was surprised by how distinctly the color shows up, it looks a lot better on my eyes than the blue and green pairs did, despite violet being the unnatural shade. I definitely like these, they don't seem to have the same level of transparency as the other two? Seems a bit weird to me but I don't complain as the way the violet pair looks is honestly pretty much what I was expecting from the other two at first. The color coverage holds its own and the color itself seems solid enough to not create a 'halo effect' either.

Lens photos ahead!
All photos taken by me during a 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.

Indoors, natural room light.
Indoors, yellow room light.
Bathroom light.
In a corridor, distant poor natural light only.
Flash photo.
Facing a window. (not sun side)
Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing the wall)
Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under a slight shadow.
Outdoors, facing the sun. (hidden behind a thin veil of clouds)
This is such an adorably cute lens, it's so vivid and fresh with that light violet shade! This one definitely ups my hopes for the upcoming Dolly Plus lenses that I have yet to review, hehe...

Again, you've  heard it before but I'll say it again as a disclaimer – these lenses were part of that cardboard box I had yeeted away some years back, forgotten completely about and only recently found it again. Of course it came with the harsh realization that over half of the lenses in the box had expired and the Vassen Dolly Plus Violets were one of them. So needless to say I did not play much Russian roulette with these, I only took the photos needed and then immediately discarded these lenses. Just don't wear expired lenses even if they feel perfectly okay, which these did. 
I thus can't grade comfort very accurately at all but what I can say from my first (and only) impression of wearing these lenses was that they felt thin, overall comfortable and I barely felt that I was wearing lenses. They seemed perfectly good but I always discard expired lenses regardless of comfort. I am guessing that if these had been fresh I could likely have worn them between 3-5 hours, which is great on my dryass eyes.

All in all I would actually recommend these, even more if you like violet lenses. It's not the most common color but violet has started to become available a lot more lately, which is a treat for us who like unnaturally colored lenses. It's not quite as mainstream as brown, blue and green lenses are so a violet option is not always available on all lens series but when it is I like to try it. xD This is overall a good choice for j-fashion and most likely a decent choice for cosplay as well, depending a bit on what intensity and style you're after. 

Distance photo ~


Looking for reviews of Dolly Plus lenses in other colors?
I got you covered: Green, Blue, Brown, Gray, Red

Short summary:

Color: 7/10
A nice, pastel-ish light violet shade.
Innocent and positively magical.
Design: 8/10 

Simple cutesy style lens that works for most looks. It's quite 'manga' inspired.
Opacity: 7/10 
Color coverage does its job. Makes my eyes clearly violet.
Enlargement: 8/10
Very much dolly just like the name already tells you, lol.
Comfort: 7/10 
Thin and comfortable, I can barely tell that I'm wearing lenses.
Naturalness: 2/10
Many sizes too big and on top of that they're violet. That's a nope.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more!

September 11, 2020

Lens review: Vassen Sweet Bliss Blue

Henlo!

It is time for the last review of the Vassen Sweet Bliss series and it's none less than the Vassen Sweet Bliss Blue! Sometimes you'll find these lenses under the name Vassen Cloud Nine Blue but it's the same lens.

Without further ado, let's go!

 
Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

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



I've said it so many times before already but yeah, in case this is your first time seeing my reviews of the Vassen Sweet Bliss lenses I'll let it be known that these are spectacular lenses for cosplaying. It's a very 'anime' style of design with a bold, intense black rim coupled with tiny little black lines running along it that creates a cartoony feel. The color is in these "teary eye" shaped blocks with varying transparency and in all honesty the effect it gives off is delicious. It's very unique and super cute! It should be noted that, due to the varying transparency, there are some parts of the color that are more see-through than others due to the gaps between the blocks allowing your real eye color to peek through. In all honesty this is a great effect as it softens the look of the lens and gives a magical outlook.

One lens in.
These lenses are absolutely gorgeous! The blue color is a very beautiful shade and it goes well with my natural eye color that is a light gray-blue. The Sweet Bliss series look very dolly and youthful and the design has a great color payoff, despite what one might think from looking at the lenses in their vials.
So there's definitely an enlargement effect but it's not super insane or anything, it's pretty much what you'd expect if you're an avid circle lens user. These lenses are just so nice, there's something mesmerizing and really eye-catching with these! I really like them, I mean no shit Sherlock there's a reason I've reviewed all the colors now. xD

Lens photos ahead ~
All photos taken by me during noon 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.

Indoors, natural room light.
Indoors, yellow room light.
Bathroom light.
Flash photo.
Standing in a corridor, poor distant natural light only.
Facing a window. (not sun side)
Outdoors, back against sun. (facing the wall)
Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under a shadow.
Outdoors, facing the sun.
I can't grade comfort properly as these lenses had expired by the time I reviewed them, meaning all my words on comfort are based solely on the about 15 minutes it took for me to take these review photos. I discarded the lenses immediately after I got all photos that I needed do not wear expired lenses to anime convention etc even if they feel alright! So uhh, what I can say from my short time wearing these was that they were thin and easy to insert. I felt them slightly in my eyes but not in an uncomfortable way. They might have been a bit dryish but that's hard to tell as my eyes are naturally very dry so it's really hard to say if it was the lens or just my eyes. ^^" I am guessing that I could have worn these for 3-4 hours if they had not been expired, which is pretty decent in my book. Anything past 3 hours is good as my eyes are honestly really dry and sensitive and yes, it sucks as I have to spam eyedrops on some days lol. And I don't even wear lenses daily, I actually have glasses.

But all in all this is an amazing lens. The design is super cute and cartoony, it has enough color to stand out and look vivid. It's a brilliant choice for cosplay and any kind of fashion that has that little extra to it. These lenses give me fantasy vibes big time, there's something really captivating and alluring with how the color pops and still somehow blends like waves into my eyes. I'm a fan of blue lenses in general but these are high on the list that I'd recommend if you need or like this look!

Distance photo!


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

Short summary:

Color: 10/10
Gorgeous, absolutely breath-taking blue shade. Full of energy, depth and intrigue!

Design: 9/10 

Mesmerizing "teary eye" style lens, really unique and eye-catching. Fantasy vibes.
Opacity: 8/10 
Great coverage despite the "blocky" design with transparent seams.
Enlargement: 8/10
Big and gives a dolly effect. Looks very youthful.
Comfort: 7/10 
Appears to be nice, these are thin and I don't feel them much at all. Easy to insert.
Naturalness: 2/10
This type of design is not meant to be natural even if the blending is surprisingly good in a semi-realistic way.

Thanks for reading this review, there's more to come!