Showing posts with label online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online. Show all posts

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Circle Lens Review - PinkyParadise

Like everyone else with brown eyes, I've long dreamed of having blue, green, even gray eyes. Currently, I wear glasses but I try not to depend on them too much; they are mainly for night driving. The idea of going to the optometrist and purchasing contacts which I don't need to wear (unless at night) seemed  a bit daunting, not to mention expensive. Also, with regular colored prescription lenses you can hardly see the color! So I gave up.

Recently though I stumbled onto the concept of Circle Lenses which are a cosmetic colored contact lens that is used to enhance the size of and change the color of your iris. For reference the iris is the colored portion of your eye and the pupil is the black dot in the center. I was quite intrigued/curious and wanted desprately to order a pair. Then it came down to: Who is certified to sell them?, Do they have fast shipping (I'm impatient), Are they recommended by people who've purchased from them before? and finally, Do they have the lenses that I am/was looking for?

After much thought, consideration, and research, I found Pinky Paradise. They specialize in selling a huge variety of circle lenses at an incredible price. I was only able to find 2 reviews on Youtube (which is my go-to review place now) so after watching both I decided to go for it. I placed my order on November 20th and received my order on the 23rd! (Shipping is from Malyasia and I chose the FedEx Express option which was $18--told you I was impatient!) I ordered 3 pairs of lenses, each of which came with a cute animal case (it was a nice extra but remember to change cases from time to time). You can purchase lenses with prescription but I chose to order Plano (non-prescription). Circle Lenses should not be worn for more than 6 hours!

Here are the lenses I purchased and pics of how they look on my eye:

First, I'll show you my eye alone (All pics were taken without eye makeup so you can really see the color minus any distractions!)


I say that I have a medium brown eye (my friends say my eyes look like root beer in the sun)


The first lens that I'll show you is the E.O.S. "Adult Grey" [E-203] (E.O.S. is the manufacturer)









The Adult Grey was actually the lens I was most excited about and one of the harder to find. It photographs very blue and I'd say it is a blue/purple toned gray. The pattern fades pretty nicely into my actually iris color and they compliment each other fairly well. This shade really opens my eye even though there is not really any enlargment shown. The enlargement effect comes from having a darker (limbic) ring around the outer edge of the lens. Since the limbic ring is absent from this lens the color change is the greatest effect. These look wonderful on and they are very comfortable. For reference these are 14mm, 8.6 base curve (price: $22.90)

The next lens I purchased was the Tri-Color Green (World Series) [CM-903] Manufactured by Geo Medical. Geo is probably the easist brand of lens to find here in the US and is also probably the most common. Many sites sell Geo not many sell such a large variety as Pinky Paradise.





The color of these lenses are absolutely beautiful. Very natural gradiation pattern and the center can blend well with the natural brown iris color. Even though I love the color this pair isn't my favorite. I love it, but not my fav! This lens like the Adult Grey is not really for enlargement also there is slight enlargment due to the gradiation. For reference: 14mm, 8.6 base curve (price: $20.90)

The finally pair I have to show you is my favorite. They are called Hana SPC Natural Grey (Hana SPC is the Manufacturer)



To show the enlargement I'll show my regular eye next to the eye with the lens.


To truly see the difference look at the amount of "white" on my eyes! Also, note the dark ring around the edge of the lens which is called the limbic ring. This dark ring gives your eye depth hence providing the appearance of enlargment!


The pattern and color of these lenses is very natural. I absolutely love this pair! They are the most comfortable out of the three I purchased. For reference: 14.5mm, 8.6 base curve (price: $25.90)

Customer Service

The customer service with Pinky Paradise was amazing. I emailed with them back and forth a few times before making my purchase. As I mentioned previously their current promotion is for 1 free animal lens case with the purchase of 1 pair of lenes (2 pairs=2cases, 3pairs=3cases, etc). As I mentioned I used the FedEx Express Shipping option which is delivered within 3-5 days. For my purchase of 3 pairs, the cost was $18, however the cost varies by weight so purchasing more lenses will cost more to ship. There is also the registered mail option which arrives within 7-21 working days (again, cost varies by weight). My package was shipped the same day that I placed my order and everything came wrapped in layers and layers of bubble wrap, then everything was placed in a bubble mailing envelope which was then placed into the FedEx bubble mailer. Very safe!

Pinky Paradise also offers a wide range of brands to choose from including Hana SPC, G&G, Dueba, Geo Medical, E.O.S., T.Top, Barbie and numerous others. Besides selling lenses and lens paraphanalia Pinky Paradise also sells Asian products including Makeup, Hair Dye, Lashes, Masks and other fun items including Animation Lenses and Cosplay items.

The only downside to my purchase was that there was no instruction card as to how to open the lenses. Now, I had done plenty of research and watched plenty of videos so I knew how to do it but, I am thinking about other people who may not be so well informed. :)



(what the animal cases look like)


As a side note and why I am loving Pinky Paradise:
I ordered lenses from another popular lens company that is actually based here is the US (I will not name names but if you've watched many youtube videos on Circle Lenses it is pretty easy to guess). The prices were comparable and the shipping was cheaper. I placed that order on October 30 and still have not received it. Not to mention that they still do not have one item I ordered in stock! I ordered from Pinky Paradise with low expectations and truly couldn't be happier with everything.


If you are interested in trying out Circle Lenses I'd highly recommend PinkyParadise.com


Last bit of info--For the 3 pairs of lenses shown above, 3 cases, and shipping my order total was: $87.70 (way cheaper than some companies who are advertsing via youtube right now!)




Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Buying things that I shouldn't--at least not right now!

Please read the EDIT/UPDATE at the bottom of this post!
So, I don't know who to thank for my latest Etsy obsession.

  1. It could be xsparkage for talking about Calypso Minerals or it could be...
  2. CourtCosmetics talking about Moon's Harvest or even...
  3. LePooke for the Anderson Soap Company
But, I am addicted. I think that there needs to be an Etsy Anonymous meeting, preferably in my living room. I can tell my obsession is bad when I add a button to my Yahoo! toolbar so that it is easier to get to. (like typing in Etsy.com is difficult anyway!)
On top of Etsy, Everyday Minerals has really caught my eye. Since the first time I heard about the sample kit I wanted to give it a shot. I have NEVER worn mineral foundation/concealer/corrector ever but the concept has always seemed like a good one to m e. I ordered a sample kit 6 weeks ago and never received it. Now that did leave me a little peeved to say the least, and the fact that the company isn't helpful at all with regards to my problem doesn't help. After giving up on the sample kit I dove straight in and order the Super Custom Kit in which you get 12 full size items for $50 and that includes everything on the website. Now, since I didn't know what color to order for foundation I chose only one face color then ordered a sample kit (again) to try and figure out my color. The full size color I chose seemed like it would match but could also be mixed to match my skin.
All in all I ordered:
Super Custom Kit
  • Angled Blush Brush
  • Flat Top Brush
  • Long Handled Kabuki
  • Warm Medium Beige Summer (semi matte)
  • New Car Smell Blush
  • Sprung! Blush
  • Apple Blush
  • Salon Fun Blush
  • All Smiles Blush
  • Walkee Talkee Blush
  • Peach color Corrector
  • Kaolin Powder in sunlight
Sample Kit (the details which I will not bore you with)
and:
2 large mixing jars
A small blush in Deep Wine
and Cosmetic Wipes
I have also order quite a few shadows from Calypso Minerals coming and not to mention a shopping cart full of Luxe Minerals and Moons harvest bubble bars. As soon as I get my goodies in hand I will put up some swatches and reviews!
In the mean time here is what I have coming from Calypso Minerals:
  • Sequin (white to red duochrome)
  • Eye cycle (white to green duochrome)
  • Twilight (white to violet duochrome)
  • Velvet (red)
  • Rhubarb (purple/red)
  • Lolita (bright pink)
  • Pop star (blue)
  • Mez Mer Eyes (blue)
  • Sapphire (blue)
  • Tramp (purple)
  • Ambitious (pink)
That was my first order... my second order was for:
  • Lime Light (bright lime)
  • Khaki (olive green)
  • Fool's Gold (green/gold)
  • What Ever (pinky purple)
  • Tango (orange)
  • Red Red Whine (burgandy wine)
  • Laffy Taffy (pink)
  • Curfew (pinky red)
  • Trouble (pink)
  • Mango (orangey pink)
  • Bandana (yellow)
  • Plum Crazy (plum)
I will post swatches as they come!


EDIT/UPDATE: There is a reason swatches and what no were never posted--I received only half of my order and lost about $90. I've totally been forgetting to update this post and a comment today made me remember so thanks to you! Please shop at your own risk--I am NOT endorsing this company at all!