Lady Serpentine's Lair

Friday, May 24, 2013

Review: Desio Mint Touch

This is kind of a review in progress- one of the lenses I got ended up being defective. But I thought I'd start the review anyways as the color is very pretty, and I though I ought to show the defect as this seems to be fairly common for Desio.

So as for the defect, you can see that the iris color is so off-center, it actually overlaps the limbal ring on one side. Unfortunately, these lenses are so light, it was really hard to see anything without removing them from their packaging. The limbal ring was pretty easy to spot, but since that was centered perfectly, it looked like the lens was perfect until I opened the blister.

Defective lens pictured on left

Anyways, moving on to the actual lens:

color

As you can see in the pictures, the color off the eye is a light minty blue. On the website it is advertised as light green. But plainly, it is not green. On my eyes, the color is baby blue with sea green undertones. Luckily, I found reviews of this color, and knew what I was getting, otherwise I might be pretty unhappy. On that note, I still hate false advertising. The models clearly have color photoshopped onto their eyes rather than actually wearing the lens in pictures. That's an excellent way to get me to dock points, regardless of how pretty the color is.

taken from www.desiolens.com

color: 8/10

Dueba Tony Gray on left, Desio Mint Touch on right

design:

Same design as the Dueba Barbie Tonies which I love. Only difference is that Desio has many more colors, and I do loves mah colors... This design is beautiful both up close and from a distance. It is vibrant, but natural and well-blended. My only criticisms iare that the printed diameter could stand to be a mm or two bigger, and the limbal ring could be darker.

design: 9/10

comfort:

These stung quite a bit. Even after an 8hr soak in solution. I rinsed and rubbed and soaked again and again, but for whatever reason, these have an initial sting that none of my circle lenses seem to have. It goes away after a few minutes, so they are still wearable. As for how long, I cannot tell you because I have only one lens atm.

comfort: ... so/so?

overall:

I guess I should wait until I have a complete pair to really give these an overall judgment, but I have a strong feeling I am going to like these lenses :)

Dueba Tony Gray on left, Desio Mint Touch on right

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Review: Venus Leaf Green

So I have branched out and tried a new(and more expensive :/) brand of color lenses: Venus lenses. I purchased them from http://color-my-eyes.com/, which sells these lenses a bit less expensive than other places. I paid around $40 for these, but they are 3 month lenses instead of yearlies.

color:

The color is lovely turquoise-green on me- just the result I was hoping to get. I was a bit worried because I have seen these look rather blue on people, but as I have yellowish undertones, these do look legitimately green on me.

What's more is that the color is vibrant and noticeable. My eyes still appear dark, but they are very clearly and obviously green, which is what I was hoping for.

color: 10/10

design:

Well, the blending is superb, the iris design is lovely- comprised of fibrous-looking lines that fade towards the pupil, and it is pigmented enough to convey an obvious color change. The pupil hole might be a tad large for some, but I personally like the way green eyes look with a brown starburst, so I don't mind my natural iris showing around the pupil. I do find that the pupil hole is too round- I prefer a jagged pupil hole, like my Tiny Puffies have (comparison shots later). But the one thing that really does annoy me is the very solid, very black limbal ring. I took the liberty of editing a picture to fade the black limbal ring, and I personally like the result much better. Someone needs to create a lens like this.

edited with faded limbal ring

design: 8/10

comfort:

These lenses are not necessarily uncomfortable, but they do not hug my eyes like many of my circle lenses do. They slide if I blink while looking up. Especially on my left eye. Also, these feel a bit more suffocating than some of my other lenses if I wear them for more than 6 hours. They do not feel dry, so drops do not help. They just feel like my eyes cannot breathe. For whatever reason, circle lenses seem to be the most comfortable and best fitting lenses for me- even when the diameter, base curve, and material is exactly the same. Luckily, these lenses are far from intolerable.

comfort: 8/10

comparisons:

As I am constantly on a mission for the perfect green lens, I thought I would compare my three favorite green lenses: Dueba Tiny Puffy Green, Bella Green Envy, and these Venus Leaf Greens.

left to right: Bella Green Envy, Venus Leaf Green, Dueba Tiny Puffy

Bella vs. Venus

Bella Green Envy on left, Venus Leaf Green on right

with flash: Bella Green Envy on left, Venus Leaf Green on right

conclusion:

Well these are two very different greens. The Bellas are a very natural-looking gray-green whereas the Venuses are a vibrant blue-green not typically found in natural irises. The Bellas look very natural, even upon close inspection (or "kissing distance") while the Venus's solid limbal ring and round pupil hole (and yes, the neon-ish color) give them away as lenses. The Venuses are not fake-looking in an obvious or obnoxious way; they really only appear fake to those who are looking for it. They surpass my Bellas in color, but not in naturalness.

Tiny Puffy vs. Venus

*please excuse that my Tiny Puffy did not feel like centering itself for this set of photos

Dueba Tiny Puffy on left, Venus Leaf Green on right

conclusion:

Now here are two lenses that are nearly identical in color, and essentially serve the same purpose. The Venus may be a bluer-green, and the color is definitely more vibrant and noticeable. Unfortunately so is that black limbal ring. The Puffies have a much more natural and blended ring which I prefer. Also, the pupil hole on my Puffies is jagged, making the effect much less lens-like. I can't say I prefer one over the other. I definitely prefer the design of the Tiny puffy, but I adore the vibrancy and lightness of the Venus. Alas, if I could only combine the two...

And now just some camera-whoring:

Friday, April 19, 2013

The eye colors that I want:

Simple post today. I made this image on my computer illustrating all the eye colors that I really want.

The first one, "Turquoise Green," I pretty much already have in my Dueba Tiny Puffy Greens, although on me, the color is a bit darker than the illustration.

Also, the "Ocean Blue" is similar to my Bella Blue Rains, but the Bella color is definitely a lot darker.

Anyways, if you know of any lenses that would give me these eye colors, do let me know of them. Otherwise, enjoy:

flash:

daylight:

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Review: Bella Blue Rain

This is the second lens I purchased from the Bella series. Why would I purchase a second color from this series when the first ones (green envy) were so disappointing? Well, because I am stupid, and much like with the Bella Green Envys, I saw a review for these blue ones and thought they looked so brilliant and blue and I had to have a pair, so I purchased them and hoped for the best. Like I said: stupid.

Anyways, this was one of those ever-so-rare Dueba Tiny Puffy moments where the lens turned out dark and nothing like I expected, but oh-so-much better! On me, these lenses are dark blue-violet! It's soooo pretty! I never would have expected them to take on this subtle, mysterious color- not from the stock-pics, not from the review, not from my experience with the Green Envy color from this line.

And this is why I can't seem to stop ordering these somewhat obscure lenses that are rarely seen and reviewed online. Most of the time, it ends in disappointment, but for that once-in-a-blue-moon amazing, totally unique color, all the searching and sifting through dull, crap-lenses is suddenly worth it.

crappy stock photo A

crappy stock photo B

color:

the elusive violet tone- this is what they look like in most lighting

On my rating scale, a 10/10 means the lens is exactly the same color that I optimistically hoped for- what I have come to expect from the lens given the stock photos, what I have seen from reviews online, and my subconscious ideal of what a blue lens should look like. This lens is not a 10/10. It is nothing like what I expected from my research. The color is the absolute loveliest, subtle blue-violet that is way prettier than anything I ever could have concocted in my mind. It is better than a 10/10.

color: 12/10

design:

The pupil hole on this color is a little on the blunt side. Unlike my Green Envys, the brown sunburst on this lens does completely encapsulate the pupil. Up close (I might say "kissing distance"), you can very clearly see that this is a colored lens, but only if you are looking for it. The sunburst color is so dark and sheer that I do not feel too self-conscious that the lens looks fake. Still, I think Bella could have staggered and feathered the pupil outline a bit more. From a distance, they look completely natural. The limbal ring is perfect- it is dark and defining, but well blended and shadow-y.

design: 9/10

comfort:

When I first put them in, they felt loose- like the base curve was way wider (flatter) than my corneas. I could feel the sides scratching. The second time I put them in, I left them in for a while, closed my eyes several times, and that problem seems to have subsided. Not sure if they just molded to my eyeballs or what... In any case, they are comfortable. They do feel a bit suffocating after about 6 hrs, even with drops, but never unbearable.

comfort: 8/10

overall:

This is the newest lens to join my permanent collection- meaning I will continue to reorder these. While not a perfect lens, this is a color I would never have sought out on my own, and I am so glad I stupidly ordered these and made this accidental discovery. I think for now, I can cease the search for a blue lens. Eventually I think, I will want a really noticeable sapphire blue, but at the moment I am completely satisfied with this Bella Blue Rain color.

overall: 9.5/10

Comparison shots with different lighting:

These lenses were *extremely* difficult to capture on camera. In person, they are dark, but noticeably violet-blue. This color proved to be extremely elusive, so I apologize that it might be difficult to see any noticeable color in the following pictures.

this color actually makes my iris darker

bright light

bathroom light

with flash

dim light

My cellphone was able to capture the exact color of these lenses on me. Here are some crappy-quality pictures:

this is exactly what they look like in real life

Compared to my Sparkling Venus Blue

The pattern of these lenses is very similar to my Sparkling Blue Venus lenses, so I took some comparison shots. The Sparkling Venus has a much bolder limbal ring, and more brown color around the starburst area. The color is very much gray with virtually no hint of blue. The Bella Blue Rain has more color, so it actually conveys a blue color, albeit a very dark gray-blue-violet color. Also, as the Bella lens appears darker in general, the brown starburst actually blends more with my natural eye color:

Bella Blue Rain

Sparkling Venus Blue

Sparkling Venus on left, Bella Blue on right

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Review: Bella Green Envy

I saw these lenses on a couple of other people's reviews, and I thought they looked awesome. Light, definitely green, and completely natural looking.

Well, apparently my eyes just like to absorb color, so they pretty much look dark brownish-green on me. To be honest, I think I'm pretty underwhelmed by the color, but I have to admit I am amazed by how natural these look. I actually have a teeny bit of green (very very dark) in my eyes, so these lenses totally look like eyes that I could easily have been born with.

Since these are my first non-circle lens, I had to branch out and try a new site other than my beloved solution-lens. This site, called http://www.designereyelenses.com, has these Bella lenses for only $20. That's still more expensive than solution-lens's buy-2-get-1-free deal, but really not bad at all. Actually, this site was rather pleasant to do business with. No huge selection, and the stock photos are crap, and they do not feature reviews. But the prices are right, the owner is helpful and nice, and the shipping was very fast (not to mention free).
Incidentally, Dueba makes this same design in what they call the Lolita 3-tone series, so I may have to try some of those eventually.

Anyways onto my review:

color:

Like I said, a bit disappointing, mostly because it is so dark. I tend to favor colors that are a lot more vibrant, such as the turquoise-green of my Dueba Tiny Puffies. These are a much more natural-looking olive green color, which I certainly do not hate. I just find them.. underwhelming.

indoor light-no flash

indoor light with flash

color: 6/10

design:

The design on these is beautiful! I haven't gone for a lens with a colored sunburst for quite a long time, because they usually give me a fake wall-eyed look. Well these have completely restored my faith in 3-tone designs. I think it's because the sunburst doesn't completely encircle the pupil hole. The color is added sparingly to mix better with the green, rather than overpower it. The effect is incredibly natural, even up close. Also, I love the natural looking limbal ring, and the teeny tiny pixellation.

design: 10/10

comfort:

The right lens= perfectly comfy. Feels like I'm wearing nothing!

Left lens= also perfectly comfy, except for this very annoying tendency to slide whenever I blink while looking up or to the sides. Grrr....

comfort: 8/10

Well here's some more pics. I'm a little sad they don't look obviously green, but see for yourself:

under normal light, my eyes still really dark

window light- if they looked like this all the time, I'd be one happy lens-addict

Review: Geo Color Nine Wine Red

I have always been attracted to red lenses, but I feel like the bright red ones are well, a bit too overstated. And maybe too "twighlight-y." But then I saw that these Geo Color Nine lenses come in this gorgeous, subtle, wine red color, and I simply had to have a pair.

I ordered from solution-lens.com, which is an awesome website. They are super helpful, have a great selection, and they have this awesome buy-2-get-1-free deal. Plus, they sent me the most adorable freaking pen ever!

Well anyways, I guess you are probably more concerned about the lenses. Even though the pen freaking has ears... and a nose.... and each ear clicks for either blue or black ink... Right, moving along here...

Alright, so here is the stock photo and description from solution-lens.com:

Diameter 14.2 mm

Water content 38-42%

Base curve 8.6

1 year disposable (recommended use for 4-6 months)

Packaged in sterile buffered saline

FDA and EU approved contact lenses

Ophthalmologists and optical shops certified

Buy without prescription

Perfect for both dark and light colored eyes

They don't look that dark in real life (luckily). Go figure that the one time Geo actually advertises a lens that looks very very dark, the lenses actually turn out vibrant. And they look exactly the way it's advertised on the lower picture (the one where it's just showing an eye, which I assume is how the lenses are supposed to look on light eyes)

Anyways, I only got these lenses after seeing how awesome and vibrant the aqua color looked on another review (thanks ♥ Noxin ♥).

color:

Beautiful color. It is just the deep, sexy, wine red I was hoping for. Understated and not over-the-top. I am still contemplating if these are subtle enough to wear to work/school. I would wear them out at night, but they are pretty dark and hard to see at night. In any case, the color is exactly as I was hoping.

color: 10/10

design:

Simple design- nothing too exotic. The limbal ring is perfect on these- thick and dark enough to be noticeable and make the color stand out, but not so thick and solid that it looks completely fake. It also has a little black around the pupil hole which makes the color blend into my pupils so I don't get that annoying bulbous/wall-eyed look.

design: 10/10

comfort:

They are actually very comfortable. I actually forgot I had these in at one point. Because the pupil hole is pretty tight, my vision is slightly outlined in red. This doesn't bother me in the least. I actually find the effect pretty cool. Still, I feel like I should deduct a point for that...

comfort: 9/10

yeahhhh cliche vampire makeup!!!!

enlargement:

I typically find Geo lenses to be bigger than other brands. Their pigments usually extend closer to the edge of the lens verses other brands, which is rather annoying to me. These lenses however, are 14.2mm and they actually look it. They do not particularly enlarge. Oh well. I will not be shedding any tears over that.

enlargement: 4/10

my thoughts overall:

Ohhhhhhhh my gosh, this is my first Geo lens that I actually love and am not even remotely in the least bit disappointed with. In fact, this is my first Geo ever to make it out of the 8/10 overall range. Hoorah! Maybe I won't have to ban Geo from my lens collection!

Anyways, aside from my slight conundrum of whether or not I can wear these out, and where/when, I have really no issues with these lenses. Color is ridonkulously sexy, comfort is great, design looks natural. Yeah, these are pretty much awesome!