Saturday, May 15, 2010

Small update on lenses

I received my green Dollyeye lenses (V-209 LB) from Tokioshine and also just ordered a pair of blue Dollyeye lenses today from the same site (I decided I wanted to cosplay a character with blue eyes rather than green eyes). I also received my Geo Nudy brown lenses from Honeycolor.

Tokioshine's shipping was really fast & they're located in CA; I got an email that they shipped later that day and then received it the next afternoon. Honeycolor's was fairly slow as they left my order on processing for about 5 days (I ordered on a Friday and they shipped it on Wednesday) and took around 2 weeks to get here.

Note: Unfortunately, Tokioshine is now defunct, probably due to the US seizing their company due to not requiring prescriptions for circle lenses. Thus, the best option would be PinkyParadise. They are consistently good, ship relatively quickly from overseas (average time is about 2 weeks), and don't charge me customs duties like Honeycolor does.

Reviews/pics/videos will come maybe around after the 20th since it's finals week for me.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Ange's Guide to Circle Lenses

Materials Needed:
Contacts
Lens Case
Contact solution
Clean hands
Eyedrops
Mirror

What to do when you first get them
-Look carefully at the glass vial. Note if there is any damage done to the vial and that the lenses inside have no damage on them (rips/tears/weird substances inside, etc).
-Wash hands with warm water and soap (avoid moisterizing soaps).
-Open the vial and empty the contents with the lenses into your hand.
-Take your contact case and fill it with solution.
-Soak contacts for 6 hours before wear

How to put them in your eye
-Take 1 lens out and put it on your forefinger. Make sure it is facing the correct way out, not inside out. If it flares out, it's inside out.
-Drop some solution onto the lens.
-Gently hold your eye open with your other hand
-Slip the contact onto your open eye. Don't blink during this time. Please don't jab yourself in the eye. Do it gently.
-Keep your eye open for a few seconds to let the contact settle on your eye.
-Blink.

If your eye stings after putting in the contact, take it out and try again later after cleaning the contacts.

General Tips
-Always see an optometrist before purchasing circle lenses. Get your eyes measured if you don't regularly wear contacts. Try trial pairs on. Talk to your optometrist about possible risks and all that. Do your research.
-Always wash your hands before putting in and taking out contacts.
-Never use tap water to rinse your contacts or store them.
-Keep the sink plug closed while putting on your contacts in case they fall down the drain.
-Put your contacts in before applying makeup.
-Remove your contacts before taking off makeup.
-Put some drops of solution into your eyes before taking out your contacts.
-Carry around eyedrops for contact lens in case your eyes dry out.
-Always try your contacts on at home before wearing them for extended trips outside your home (in case something goes wrong).
-Carry around a spare case and a small bottle of solution (and if you need glasses, your glasses case) in case you need to take out your contacts.

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Taking care of circle lenses is basically like taking care of your soft contacts. However, while you can wear your soft contacts for up to 12 hours per day, you aren't recommended to wear your circle lenses for more than 6-8 hours per day. If you do, make sure you carry around eyedrops.

Useful links for circle lenses

All links open in new windows.

General Sites for Circle Lenses & Pictures
Cosplay.com Contact Lenses FAQ
Stealthos Search by Color (Also includes large list of where to buy)


Sites I have personally ordered, pre-ordered, or plan to order from:
Pinky Paradise - Would recommend to a friend. See Dollyeye review.

Tokioshine - Would recommend to a friend, but now defunct. No longer available.

Honeycolor - Would not recommend to a friend; have to pay custom duty tax for US, known for unreliable customer service.

De Moi, Pour Vous - DO NOT ORDER FROM HER. Would not recommend to a friend. Preordered i.Fairy Lens from her 24 July and still have not gotten any answer from her since 15 September; had to file paypal claim to get back money since I don't think she is going to send out any goods any time soon.

Geo Lens House - Would recommend to a friend. See i.Fairy Review.

FOTDLooks - Would recommend to a friend; currently planning preorder for Puffy Lenses.*

*Plan to order from them or their preorder has not closed yet

NOTE: These are not the ONLY places you can order from; these are simply from my own experience. There are a lot of places out there you can order from, but just do your research on them before. Google "(site name) reviews" or search them up on the cosplay.com, soompi forums, or whatnot. Ask people who have ordered from them!

Sites I know of, but never ordered from:


Lens care links: