Year of Cosplay 2020

Hello folks!

Well, this year didn't really go as planned. I'm pretty sure that when 2020 began many of us were hopeful and looking forward to a great year and new aspirations yada yada. But most of humanity ended up getting kicked in the nuts... with a tomahawk missile. :D So we all know that corona virus happened, it came from nowhere and messed shit up. Big time. It's still far from over and there's just so much uncertainty and anxiety about the current situation and what the future will bring. I remember thinking 2019 was a shitty year but 2020 was like "hold my beer" lol.

I was hoping to get my cosplaying back on track but with quite literally the whole con season cancelled the inspiration just dwindled to nothing. I think many people can relate, haha.
I haven't been to a single convention this whole year and that's a new record low. And somehow it doesn't even feel as bad as one might initially think (even though I had some cravings)? At least I've had time to focus on other important stuff.

Conventions attended: 0

It would have been nice to go to a convention or two, but no can do. No one saw this coming. 

I'm glad Närcon and the rest cancelled their big events, it would have been very irresponsible of them to go on after all that backlash on social media earlier this spring; I mean, they were still posting international guests when the corona was in full swing and it rightfully angered some people. Maybe next year the situation will be better.

Okay so, in terms of cosplay there hasn't been much going on. I started my Edward Kenway costume back in February but it's on ice now as I'm having a break from studies. I still definitely want to do that costume and I'm excited about it – Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is one of my favorite games to date! Aside from that my only other cosplay post has been the Kashuu Kiyomitsu cosplay review and the photoshoot and well, a ton of circle lens reviews. Yes, I still have a lot more lens reviews to do so expect to see lots of that kind of content next year as well.

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And just like previous years there's still no cosplay compilation photo. So you get a dumb meme instead. :D  

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I was lowkey hoping for 2020 to be a good year and, outside of cosplay, at least one really nice thing did happen (I'll probably do a blog post about it later) but in terms of cosplay there's barely been any progress. Well, there is a cosplay secret going on but it will remain a secret for a while longer. ^^"

Oh and yeah, most of us active bloggers probably noticed that Blogger did change this year and I'm still struggling to learn how to use this new version. Adapt, overcome, conquer. Or something like that.

And before we leave this year behind I want to thank all my readers, sponsors and friends who are still here – I hope you all have a great new year ahead! After all, it's gonna be hard to beat 2020 in terms of shittiness. :D Thank you so much for everything, cheers!

Bye bye & Happy New Year 2021!

Lens review: Bella Lunar Red

Hello and happy Remembrance Day!

It's me again scribbling up a new circle lens review to share! Yep, I still have a lot left to do. This time I'm trying out the Bella brand for the second time – it's time for the Bella Lunar Red! I grabbed these pretties from a limited flash sale over at Momoko Lens some few years back, I am not affiliated with their site but figured I'd mention where I got these lenses in case anyone wants to know. Sadly I've not been able to find this pair on their site since then so yeah, it's possible that this lens is unavailable for good. *sniff*

Chin up! I will still treat y'all to a review~

Notice the sticker is holofoil! :D

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm
Water content: 40% 
Life span: 1 year

Here we go with the blisters again. I'm such a pro at opening glass vials after years of experience but I'm having such a hard time opening blisters it's real awkward, lmao. I'm horrified of accidentally using so much force to rip up the backing so that the lens flies into Narnia or some shit. :D

Okay so, I have actually worn these lenses already a couple months back but due to light conditions I was unable to do the review back then. You see, these are the same lenses that I used for the Kashuu Kiyomitsu photoshoot in the middle of the night. Click on the link to see additional photos of these lenses when worn with an actual cosplay.

One lens in.

The color payoff is still impressive as all hell. All my yes, that's some intense as fuck red! This is a 10/10 cosplay lens every day of the week. Not to mention that the design is really unique with those cute lil' triangle trims and that red color is just absolutely amazing. I have no words for it, it's so bright and vibrant that it's gonna be hard to beat. If you look closer you'll notice that the base that the red color is on has this kind of "burst" style that draws the viewer's gaze towards the center – it looks really fierce and full of energy!
There is a moderate enlargement effect but that's not the main draw of the lenses, just a nice bonus.

Lens photos ahead!

All photos taken by me during a noon with a mostly 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, weak distant natural light only.

Flash photo.

Facing a window, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing sun while standing under a shadow. (cloudy)

Outdoors, facing the sun. (sun is hidden by clouds)

I easily wore these lenses for the Kashuu photoshoot at least 1 hour in the middle of the night, with tired dry eyes and assaulted by millions of mosquitos. These are very thin, I barely even feel that I have lenses on when I wear them and they are overall pleasant to wear. I did notice a few times in poor light conditions that the edges of my vision had slight red corners, this is honestly no big deal though – one can easily ignore it. I have no doubts that I could easily wear these lenses for at least 3 hours, possibly up to 5 hours.

I'd easily recommend these to any cosplayers, goths, dark fashion fans and anyone who fancies screaming red eyes for any occasion! Not only is the color very impressive, the design is beautiful and really eye-catching too with its subtle unique features. Red lenses are generally speaking often vibrant and great but I feel like these are a notch brighter than average and thus even better. This is such a fun lens, full of intensity and fighting spirit!

Distance photo~

 Check out this other Bella Luna review I did: Yellow

 

Short summary:

Color: 10/10
Amazing, hyper bright and impactful red. Let loose the demons!
Design: 8/10 
Unique cute "triangle edge trim" combined with a burst patterning for intensity.
Opacity: 10/10 

Immense color coverage. Clearly red in any light conditions and when viewed from a distance too.
Enlargement: 5/10
Quite average enlargement, works well for most people I'd say.

Comfort: 8/10 

Thin and sometimes I don't feel them at all. Very solid comfort.
Naturalness: 0/10

Not a chance bro. Not even trying.

Thanks for reading this review, more will come!

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: I.Fairy Moonlite Yellow

Yo-hi-ho!

Oh shit, two yellow lens reviews in a row?! Yes it's true! :D This does not happen often but I am doing it and this time it's the I.Fairy Moonlite Yellow, a super bright yellow lens with all the sass in the world, let's go!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 16.2 mm

Water content: 55%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

Just like with the blue and green pair these are huge and with very solid color coverage. The design basically consists of a cute dotted inner circle, a black rim and then just a boatload of vibrant yellow that will cover even your deepest, darkest soul. Okay, almost.

One lens in.

This is such a bright, fresh and vibrant yellow color and it has all the charm and attitude to back it up! They are pretty damn big as well and do provide a somewhat dolly look, depending on how you dress up of course. I get some lowkey 'anime' vibes from these as well and I feel like it's a worthwhile lens for cosplaying, especially if you need lenses that will show up from any distance.

The thing with the design of these lenses is how flippin' large the pupil hole is! Like almost literally my complete iris is visible through the center and the yellow begins almost where my real iris ends. You can in some lights see a slight 'halo effect' where the overlap of iris and lens occurs.
Some people don't like this look and most times I'm not a fan of huge pupil holes either... except for this particular design on which it works in a cool way. I think it's the huge contrast in color, the unapologetic vibrancy of the lens that just throws any attempts at normalcy through the window. :D These lenses are over the top and they won't step down from that throne!

Lens photos below!
All photos taken by me during a 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, 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 under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing the sun.

Just like with the other lens reviews I've done these past months (and the ones I will be doing for a while longer) these lenses were sadly in the cardboard box I had forgotten about. They were expired  by the time I found them again so I can't grade comfort properly and will base the grade solely on the few minutes I wore these lenses for the sake of taking these review photos. My first (and only) impression was that these lenses were thin, I didnt feel them at all and they appeared to be comfortable overall. If anything there might have been a very slight drying sensation although that could easily just as well be my naturally dry eyes acting up, as they always do. My guess is that these lenses I could likely wear for 4-5 hours if they had not been expired. I of course immediately discarded these lenses after I was done taking the photos, do not wear expired lenses to events etc.

I would honestly recommend these if you like lenses that turn heads or if you just have an affinity for unnatural lenses. These are beautiful and slightly crazy at the same time, I love that thrilling combo haha. This is such an simple yet unique design and combined with yellow, which is a rare lens color in itself, it becomes such a treat! This is great for cosplay, j-fashion, pastel goth, cyberpunk and whatnot. The sky's the limit!

Distance photo~

Want to see more Moonlite colors reviewed? 

I got you covered: Blue, Green

Short summary:

Color: 10/10
Amazingly true yellow lens, for the thrill-seekers who want to stand out. 
Design: 7/10
A cute dotted inner circle coupled with a thin black rim and opaque yellow. Simple but effectful.
Opacity: 10/10
Extremely covering and all over your faces.
Enlargement: 8/10
Belongs in the big eye club.
Comfort: 7/10
Thin, I don't feel them in my eyes at all and overall comfy. Perhaps a tiny bit drying?
Naturalness: 0/10
Biggest nope in history.

Thanks for reading!

Shiro Samurai out ~

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! 

Shiro Samurai out.