Lens review: ICK Animate Blue

Hi everyone!

It's time for another circle lens review and this time we'll go over the ICK Animate Blue lenses! This is probably gonna sound silly but there's something with ICK lenses that excite me, I just really like the designs and the color shades. And it says Optimus Prime on the vials, almost. xD

Let's do this!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 15.0 mm

Water content: 42%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

I'm not gonna lie, this was a lens that I bought because of the name. I've never seen a lens called Animate before and so it piqued my interest as something peculiar and worth trying. Not to mention that the name does hold rather true to the design of the lens itself, seeing how it has a cartoony feel to it with bold, harsh lines and a single, upbeat blue color.

One lens in. It was cloudy outside so this photo is pretty dark.

Of course the color was bound to darken a bit once worn, you can tell already by looking at the lenses in their vials that the color pixels are quite sparse and there's a whole bunch of transparency between. Thankfully the color doesn't get muddled in any way and it's still a lively shade – and cartoony indeed. It's actually cute in its boldness and I like how simple it is because, in this case, it makes the overall effect more striking.

The blue is a fresh color, a bit like aqua in tone and there's a lovely hint of a 'halo effect' where the lens overlaps the size of my natural iris. The limbal ring is a deep black and unmissable in it's chunkiness, it creates a dolly eye look and draws focus to the eyes. Also, when you look closer you will notice that the streaked lines are actually not fully drawn lines but dotted lines.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me around a June noon with a semi-clear sky, the sun trolled me though and it was super bright before but as soon as I was ready to take photos it went and hid under a veil of clouds and barely came out. 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 window. Not sun side. (notice halo effect!)

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing cloudy sky while standing under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing the sun while it's hidden behind clouds.

Outdoors, facing the sun.

I love this lens – it's fresh, exciting and makes me feel like a living cartoon haha. It's a really nice lens, has an appealing blue color and comes with a big enlargement effect. The color coverage is also solid and there's really nothing to dislike, except maybe a wish that the comfort was a bit better.

The comfort for these, based on my first impressions (again, lenses had expired by the time I got around to do this review, so I only wore them for the photos and thus can't grade comfort properly) was mediocre to good; I felt them in my eyes and they were otherwise tolerable but they felt almost scratchy when I moved my gaze around? It did settle and the discomfort did lessen noticeably after a while but I don't know, I can't really imagine them being super comfortable based on my quick run. I would estimate wearing time somewhere around 2-3 hours on my super dry eyes, which is really average. Friendly reminder though to take my comfort grade with a grain of salt because of aforementioned reason and also, I do have stupidly sensitive eyes.

Overall I would still recommend giving these a try if you like the aesthetic of these lenses. It would be suitable for cosplaying and any kind of funky fashion that you want to spice up. It's a fun lens with a great color and a striking halo effect in good light conditions.

Distance photo!

Wanna see another color?
I gotcha: Green

Short summary:

Color: 7/10 

A peppy, fresh aqua blue with a lot of personality.

Design: 8/10 

Chunky, cartoony design that's really bold and stylized. Really fun lens!

Opacity: 7/10

My eye color affects the outcome but it's very obviously still blue, so I don't doubt the coverage.

Enlargement: 7/10 

It's a big eyes lens, will provide a dolly look with that thick black rim.

Comfort: 5/10 

Seems average but still kinda okay; I felt them in my eyes as a bit scratchy until they eventually settled. Estimated 2-3 hours of wear on super dry eyes.

Naturalness: 3/10 

A bit too... animated.

Thanks for reading my blog! Would you wear 'anime' lenses like this?

Shiro Samurai out ~

Lens review: Flora Gerbera Green

Hello swagsters!

I will continue with the lens reviews (I haven't done any cosplay progress in a long time, more about that another day) and today it's time for the Flora Gerbera Green! It's a really lovely lens with a rather unique design and a slightly blueish green tone.

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)

I think this is a really beautiful design, it looks like a bursting flower or something like that. The overall look of the lenses seem anime-ish to me, although it's not a full-blown cartoony lens by any stretch. The color is a lovely fresh green, a bit blue in tint I'd say. It's gorgeous.

One lens in. (cloudy outside, so the light is pretty bad on this photo)

I feel like the lenses turn slightly darker once in your eyes (especially when viewed from a distance) and although it's still really pretty there was a miniscule disappointment, in my case, as I hoped they would be a tad brighter. I love green lenses a lot though and these are high on my list regardless.
The Gerbera Greens are pretty big in size and have a really thick black limbal ring, which of course provides big dolly eyes. Some like it, some don't. I generally like big lenses but I also like small lenses, so for me it's never really a dealbreaker either way.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me around a June noon with a semi-clear sky, the sun trolled me though and it was super bright before but as soon as I was ready to take photos it went and hid under a veil of clouds and didn't come out. 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 indoors room light.

Yellow indoors room light.

Unlit corridor, poor natural light in the distance.

Flash photo.

Facing window, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the sun. (facing wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun. Cloudy.

Outdoors, facing the sun while it's hidden behind a thin cloud veil.

When I look at these lenses I think of fantasy creatures like nymphs and forest beings in general. I think it would be a great lens for costuming and roleplaying if you are looking to portray a figure that is often seen as beautiful. Of course it's a great lens for fashion as well, particularly alternate and j-fashion. I think these lenses are perhaps a bit too flashy for daily looks imo but seriously, if you'd like to use these for casual styles then rock it! 

Regarding comfort I was positively surprised. Sadly I can't grade these properly as they had expired by the time I got to do this review (I have such a massive backlog) but for the quick moment I wore them (for the purpose of taking photos for this review) I felt that they were really thin and invisible to wear – I did not feel them anywhere and once I put them on it actually felt like they moistened my eyes? :D What can I say, these lenses are really comfortable based on my first impressions and I'd estimate wearing time to be a respectable 4-5 hours on ultra dry eyes.

Distance photo!

Interested in more Gerbera reviews?

Check these out: Red, Pink, Blue

Short summary:

Color: 7/10 
An interesting blue-green that's really pretty. I just personally wish that the color was a tiny bit lighter.

Design: 8/10

Cool 'burst' pattern with streaks running towards the center, looks surreal in a pleasant way.

Opacity: 6/10

My eye color seems to affect the color outcome a bit, but the color coverage is still solid.

Enlargement: 7/10

These are really big in size, great for dolly looks.

Comfort: 8/10

I don't feel them at all, super invisible and really thin! It even felt like they moistened my eyes upon insertion and just overall really pleasant. Estimated 4-5 hours on super dry eyes.

Naturalness: 4/10

Too big and flashy to really cut it for anyone seeking a natural approach.

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

Lens review: Beaucon Shimmer Gray

Hello peeps!

Another Beaucon circle lens review ahead, this time the Beaucon Shimmer Gray. Honestly I bought these ages ago and completely forgot that I even had them, lol. 

Let's go!

Base curve: 8.6 mm

Diameter: 14.0 mm

Water content: 45%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

This is a lens with a natural approach, nice to have for daily looks or western/movie character costuming or what-have-you. It's a nice light gray and looks really pleasant and realistic. Gray is honestly never really my first choice for lenses (too close to my real eye color I guess xD) but sometimes you just want to pick different colors from what you usually go with.

One lens in.

The enlargement effect is small but it's still there, providing a slight difference in size. These blend really well with my natural blue-gray eyes and works as a fabulous enhancer – it's actually really hard to tell where the lens meets my real iris because the fading and the colors go so well together that the transition seam is invisible!

Comfort is okay, these lenses are thin but I do slightly feel that I have them on. It's nothing uncomfortable though, just the usual "lens in my eye" feeling. These are generally comfortable I'd say, perhaps there's a tendency to become dryish but it's hard to tell as it could just as well be my naturally super dry eyes having a bad day. Really can't tell if it's the lenses or my eyes.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me around a May noon with a completely cloudy, heavy sky and it's literally raining. 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.

Flash photo.

Unlit corridor, really poor distant natural light.

Facing a window, not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the direction of the sunlight.

Outdoors, facing upwards towards the sky. (standing under a roof to not get wet)

Okay, these are maybe not as fun as the green and blue pairs that I reviewed before but it's a super nice natural lens either way and a lovely gray lens in particular. If you love natural lenses you will enjoy these!
They are worthwhile to invest in if you like small pairs. There's something with the design that makes my eyes look lively and youthful, almost sparkly in some sort of way. I sadly didn't have the weather on my side (no direct sun photo) but these lenses are beautiful even in bad weather, haha.

It's overall a super cute and easy-to-like lens, maybe not the best for cosplay (unless you aim for a realistic approach or do western or video game characters) but it's otherwise really easy to make part of almost any outfit, fancy or casual. From a distance it's not really obvious that you're wearing lenses but you can tell that there's something special and extra alluring about the eyes.

Distance photo ahoy!

Want to see Beaucon Shimmer lenses in other colors?

Check these out: Blue, Green

Short summary:

Color: 7/10
Soft natural and light gray color that blends incredibly well into my eyes.
Design: 6/10
Realistic design with a thin dark limbal ring and youthful look.
Opacity: 6/10
Enhances the color of my eyes more than an actual color change. Super amazing fading effect.
Enlargement: 2/10
Really small, great if you prefer smaller lenses.
Comfort: 6/10 
Average to good. Thin, although I can slightly feel them. Comfy but maybe a bit drying? Estimated 3-4 hours of wear on super dry eyes.
Naturalness: 9/10
Extremely realistic yet lovable. Perfect lens for daily looks, parties or a fancy outing. Only the slight size increase might give you away and even that kinda assumes that the viewer knows about colored lenses. ;)

Thanks for reading my blog!
Shiro Samurai says bye~

Lens review: Beaucon Vibrant Match Brown

Good day folks!

Aaaaand back to the usual we go. Yes, I just re-realized how behind I am with these reviews still so I really oughta speed it up! I promise that 2019 will have a lot of lens reviews but after that it should calm down notably and my blog will return, hopefully, to have more cosplay content as well. 

Today's review is for the Beaucon Vibrant Match Brown because yes, I once again gave a try to the Vibrant Match series.

Let's roll!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.0 mm

Water content: 45%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

 

Honestly, I'm not sure if the lenses are supposed to be like this or if I somehow got screwed, storaged them wrong or whatnot but yeah, I was really surprised when I pulled them out for photos and saw how... colorless they looked? Like it looks like the color is really washed out, not a vibrant match at all, lol. Maybe the brown ones just are like this, I don't know? I tried to google for other reviews but found none that made me any wiser.

One lens in.

So these lenses are small in terms of enlargement, just like all Beaucon lenses seem to be. I have no idea why I originally bought these but I guess they were on sale and I wanted to review them as there's a big lack of Beaucon circle lens reviews in general.

The color barely shows up and it's a really muddled brown and just disappointing, frankly. You can still see a slight color change, a brown tint, but it's far from the vibrant it's advertised to be. It looks more like something between a brown and gray? I guess it's good if you want really discreet and muted, natural lenses but I swear I have a tingling in my butt screaming saying that these lenses aren't supposed to be like this and that I somehow have an error pair, just like with the green ones. There is a chance that these two pairs were along those that I stored next to a window for a longer time as I had literally no space in my previous apartment; could be that they got sunfaded but that seems highly unlikely as the bottom of the vials never faced the sun/window and were bottom down of course and also, no other lenses that were stored in the same plastic box changed in any way (not even the labels) – I really don't know if it affected anything or not. I am thinking of repurchasing these and the green ones just to compare and re-review them, if they turn out to be different or affected.

Lens photos below!

All photos taken by me around a May noon with a cloudy, heavy sky (soon to be rain). 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.

Flash photo.

Unlit corridor. Really poor natural light in the distance.

Facing a window, not sun side.

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

Outdoors, facing the direction of the sun. Standing under the roof's shadow.

Outdoors, facing upwards towards the sky.

Comfort seems mediocre to me. I can't grade comfort fairly as I did this review past these lenses expiry date (I know I shouldn't but I don't wanna throw them away without doing at least a review quickly) but from my short time snapping the photos I had enough time to notice that I did always slightly feel them in my eyes, despite them being thin and they also felt a tiny bit scratchy at times. Nothing horrible but I can't call these comfortable really. Also seemed to dry kinda fast but my eyes are naturally really dry so it's hard to tell when it's the lenses and when it's just my eyes having a bad day.

Again, I feel like this is a potentially misleading review but I will post it anyway and whenever I get around to repurchasing the Beaucon Vibrant Match Brown and Green lenses I will, just to compare and get some clarity on the question I have – if lenses can, in fact, get sunfaded or not. I still have a hard time to believe it.

Distance photo~

Psst, you interested in seeing other colors of the Vibrant Match series?

Check out these reviews: Blue, Green, Violet

Short summary:

Color: 2/10 

Really diluted, bland and washed out brown. Looks a bit gray even. Not vibrant at all.

Design: 7/10 

I like the dotted design and the realistic approach of this series.

Opacity: 3/10

Not really covering, more of a color enhancement or toning lens than a straight-up color change.

Enlargement: 2/10 

Really small, good if you don't like big lenses for whatever reason.

Comfort: 4/10 

I feel them in my eyes slightly, despite them being thin. Seems a bit dryish and occasionally a lil' bit scratchy. Mediocre comfort, wearing time estimated 2-3 hours on sensitive eyes. Maybe.

Naturalness: 8/10 

Well, ironically this is the department where these lenses shine. Really natural, should be "Beaucon Natural Match Brown" instead, lmao.

Thanks for reading, what do you think about these lenses?

Shiro Samurai out ~