New York Comic Con

And now for something completely different...

Han Solo is my boo

On Saturday, I went to New York Comic Con. IT WAS AWESOME!! I'd never been to a comic con before even though I had wanted to go for a few years now. Having always loved Halloween, I became interested in cosplay a few years ago. Last Halloween I wanted to dress up as Chun-Li from Street Fighter. I scored a custom-made  hand me down that my co-worker's aunt (who used to be a professional wedding dress maker) had made for her sister. All I had to do was get it taken in and get a few accessories (stockings, sneakers and bracelets). It's an excellent quality costume and I loved it so much that I wore it again at this year's comic con.




NYCC was great! I was completely unprepared and I missed most of the stuff that I wanted to do but I had a blast! The booths are cool, there are sooo many panels, the art was amazing, the costumes were fabulous and the people were all really nice.  I tried to plan which panels I'd see but the signal was spotty so I couldn't access the online show planner. Also, the lines were all longer than I expected. Being a caffeine addict, my energy levels dipped due to lack of access to energy drinks :( . Anywho, I learned a lot so for any first timers going in 2013, I have a few tips:

Street Fighter gang mostly

1. Research and plan. buy your tickets early!! they do sell out! check the NYCC site for updates frequently and plan what you want to see most. Make a plan that you can reference without using the internet, signal is bad in the Javits center. Make a note of any panels, screenings, and booths you want to see. Include times and location info

2. Prioritize. Pick what is most important to you and think about how much time you're willing to devote to it. Do you want to spend most of your day at the artist booths or shopping? Do you want to see a certain screening or panel? Is it a full movie screening? If so, you'll be using 3 hours of your time at the con to see it. Is it a popular panel? factor in L-O-N-G wait times for the most popular panels. weigh your options, if you only bought a 1 day ticket and you plan to spend 10 hours at the convention do you really want to spend 3 hours waiting for an hour long panel? I missed the panel I wanted to see most because it would have effectively cut my day in half.

Darth Vader and Storm Troopers

3. Be flexible. Events may fill up faster than you think. You're probably going to miss some cool give-aways and activities. It happens. Don't let it ruin your day.

4. Plan breaks in to your day. visit panels and plan meals strategically to give yourself a rest. Even if you're not terribly interested in the panels, spending half an hour at one will give your feet a much needed rest. dressing comfortably is also a good idea.

Amazing Darth Vader costume!!

5. Bring stuff with you. The one and only thing that's reasonably priced, is the coat check. USE IT! Bring a back pack to carry swag and purchases. Make sure that its a bag you don't mind tossing on the ground for photo ops.  bring snacks, bring drinks and if you can, bring lunch. If it's too much to carry, check a bag in coat check.

it's SHE RA!!!! I LOVE SHE RA!!!

6. Figure out how to get there. I suggest a cab but you can use public transportation if you're prepared to walk from the train station. Don't drive if you don't have to. You'll get stuck putting it in an expensive lot and you'll be stuck driving home tired.
 

Wearing Geo Bella Blue lenses

I wore Geo Bella Blue Lenses to comic con since they're the darkest lenses I have. They were comfortable for 12 hours (I know, I shouldn't wear them so long). I only needed drops on the way home from the convention. I'll post a full review of these soon :)

Super Pinky grey - honeycolor.com

I ordered two pairs of lenses and a case from honey color recently when they were having a free shipping promotion. I ordered my lenses on a Wednesday and they didn't ship out until the Monday after. I think they had a lot of orders due to the promotion. Once the order shipped, transit time was standard. They did get stuck in customs for a few days so I got nervous since I recently had some lenses get stuck for almost 2 weeks but that didn't happen again.

The items were well packaged in a a bubble wrap envelope. The lens vials came in honey color boxes with instructions for putting lenses on. My case was wrapped in extra bubble wrap and it was in a box. Everything arrived in perfect condition. All in all, I think Honeycolor has a great selection, great prices and their standard shipping is fine. 

I have been wanting some nice grey lenses for a while and I was very excited about these lenses since the color comes very close to the pupil and I've they give a good, complete color change because they're opaque. Unfortunately, the result on me was unnatural. They look o.k. in photos but in person they read as fake immediately. I might just be wasting time trying to change my yellow brown eyes to grey. I ordered some Gothic 3 tones in Grey, hopefully those will work out better...=\

Color/design 5/10
     I feel bad giving such a low rating because in the case the design looks nice and I love that the grey isn't too dark. They don't have enough clear pixels to blend and even though the color comes close to the pupil, my natural color shows a bit in bright light anyway.Since the inside ring is such a harsh circle and the lens is so different from my eye color, these read as fake right away
Enlargement: 7/10
     These are moderately enlarging but still have a natural-looking size. the limbal ring is noticeable but natural.
Comfort: 8/10
      These are fairly comfortable. I stop feeling them once I've had them in for a half hour or so and i have no issues with clarity of vision. they're comfy enough for an 8 hour work or school day.
Naturalness: 3/10
      again, I feel bad giving such a low rating but for me these are VERY unnatural looking on me. Even in very dim lighting it's apparent that they're fake. The brightness of the design make them look reptilian or something. I've read reviews describe it as a "3D" look.

I don't have pictures of myself wearing these yet but I figured the pics of the lenses alone could be helpful.

I'm left unsure about the super pinky lenses. The other colors may work better since they seem less bright but I'm too afraid to try them. I may get the wine red to dress up as a vampire /test out a darker color. These lenses don't look good on me and i doubt they'd look good on anyone with light-medium brown or green eyes. Blue or grey eyes would probably blend better so perhaps they won't look as fake. They're not as unnatural on dark brown eyes but they're still kind of obvious because they're bright.

Beaucon Shimmer Blue- honeycolor.com

I reviewed Honeycolor.com in my super pinky grey post. They have a good lens selection, NICE cases, good prices and frequently have free shipping.

I was nervous about ordering the beaucon (a.k.a Neovision) shimmer lenses in blue. They had great reviews but i thought there would be no way for this to blend with my eye color and I thought they would look fake. I was also concerned about their size since they're only 14mm. but my concerns were unnecessary. I LOVE THESE LENSES!! The color doesn't darken my eye at all. They're bright but they blend and look unique but natural. they don't enlarge my eye but they're so nice that I don't care.

Color/design: 10/10
     These lenses are tri-tone and as you'd expect, they have 3 parts: a dark outer ring, the main color (in this case, a turquoise-blue) and an inner star burst or blending ring (an olive-yellow). The outer ring on the shimmer series are dark and defined but not thick (which is good on such a small lens). The blue is more of a turquoise and it's fairly opaque. the yellow ring seems more sheer and it's not very thick.strangely, from a distance these seem blue-grey in certain light.
Enlargement: 2/10
    The darkness of the limbal ring is a bit more intense than mine so that makes my eyes seem a tiny bit bigger but these are small lenses.
Comfort:7/10
    They're small (normal-sized) lenses so i hold them to a higher standard in terms of comfort.  It takes a bit of eye-rolling to get these in to a comfortable position sometimes but generally they're fine. They're comfortable enough for a full day.
Naturalness: 9/10
     In full bright sunlight you can see them at certain angles. My friends also know I don't have blue eyes so they notice them. I also feel like such a drastic color change from bright blue to olive brown doesn't exist in nature so they're kinda fake looking even thought they blend REALLY well.  If I get these in green I think they'd be a 10 out 10 for me.

These lenses are perfect for those looking for a fairly natural color change but don't care about enlargement. they look nice on hazel and light brown eyes. The blending ring probably would look bad on grey or blue eyes. they are visible but not as bright on darker eyes. the color is lovely and I'll definitely be trying more from the series.

Breeze Hazel Green - CircleLens2u.com

CircleLens2u.com was the third site i ordered from. I was interested in the site because they had a unique selection and what looked like a promising rewards program. The site is not easy to navigate and their rewards program is very confusing. They don't give or sell cases which is something I prefer from a site. No serious complaints though. They take PayPal and shipped my lenses securely. They arrived fairly quickly.

Click for larger image

The breeze hazel lenses are awesome because they match my eyes so perfectly! They're very sheer making them ideal for those with light eyes and those who want a subtle color change. They're big and they have a noticeable limbal ring that isn't harsh.

 Color/design 10/10
     They match my eyes so well! They're really natural. They're ideal for hazel Brown eyes
Enlargement: 7/10
     These don't have a large, thick ring but they have enough to make them pop. But they're pretty big!
Comfort: 5/10
      Alas, these are not very comfortable. I can only wear them for a few hours before my eyes get itchy and irritated. These lenses slip off center some times.
Naturalness: 9/10
      In spite of their size, these look very natural! They're very sheer and happen to be a close match to my natural color. I think these would look best on hazel or green eyes. They'd make blue or grey eyes look pretty brown and they are very sheer so they wouldn't change darker eyes much (they would probably still be nice, just subtle)

Due to discomfort, I can only wear these lenses for a date with my boyfriend or something so I can't say that I would buy them again =\

*update: these recently became painfully uncomfortable! All of a sudden i can't stand wearing leaving them in my eyes for a second! I suppose they're just expiring but I got them at the same time as my bonair brown lenses which i can still wear. I think lenses were a nice design but of poor quality overall.*

Geo Bonaire Brown - circlelens2u

click for bigger photos

The Geo Bonaire (WT-A64)lenses are part of their flower series. They have a distinct limbal ring design and a bit of color. I bought these at the same time as the breeze hazel green. For my review of the seller, see here
These are my second most comfortable lenses. They have an interesting, dramatic look. They make my eyes pop and I get tons of compliments from strangers. My friends, mom and boyfriend don't like them so much and think they make me look "possessed" or evil because they have a thick, solid black limbal ring.

bad quality full face photo

geo bonaire brown indifferent lighting

Color/ design: 7/10
    The design of the ring is interesting but there's not much color on the lens. Inside of the rim, the color is sheer so it blends well.
Enlargement: 8/10
    These are moderate in size but the dark ring gives an intense affect
Comfort: 9/10
    These are almost as comfortable as the vivi eye contacts I own. If they weren't so intense, I would wear them to work
Naturalness:6/10?
    People who know me can't miss them but strangers who compliment me do a double take but seem to conclude that they're natural. The center of these would blend well light Brown eyes but I don't think this color would flatter green, grey or blue eyes. The fringing helps but ring is somewhat harsh on light eyes. I think they'd give dark eyes a very subtle wash of color with the pop of the intense dark ring.

These make me want to experiment more with geo lenses though I probably wouldn't buy this exact lens again. They're not really my style.

Vivi Eye-Natural green prettypeeps.com

These were the second pair of lenses I received but they were the first pair that I ordered. I wasn't very knowledgeable about circle lenses when I bought them so I made a few mistakes. First off, I didn't look for seller reviews. I got lucky that pretty peeps was great but in general buying from a seller without reviews is a gamble. The next mistake I made was buying lenses made by a manufacturer that I never heard of. Again, I got lucky (these lenses are the most comfortable ones I own) but I would recommend looking for reviews. The next noob mistake I made was believing that they were 18mm in diameter. Anything over 15mm is referring to the "effect" unless you're buying a full eye or sclera lens, it won't be over 15mm.

I had a good experience with prettypeeps.com, they are a reliable seller and take payment via PayPal which gives you some security. They have a large variety of very unique lenses!! It took a while for my lenses to arrive because they had been back ordered but she let me know right away and she gave me a travel case and cell phone charm to apologize for the wait. :) My items came well bubble wrapped and the vials came in their original boxes. I regret not taking photos. She also wrote a nice little thank you message on the
envelope :)

little message on the envelope

I love these lenses!! The green is a bit dark but it's definitely noticeable. I think these would suit medium to dark brown eyes best. If you have green, grey or blue eyes they would probably darken them too much. They are opaque with a fairly normal sized pupil hole so they will cover most of your natural eye color.  They have a relatively thick limbal ring but it's etched instead of solid so it's not harsh. They have an 8.6 mm base curve and 56% water content.

lens closeup

Color/Design: 8/10
   The green is noticeable but a tad dark. The limbal ring is enough to emphasize the eyes but not too harsh
Comfort: 10/10
    I can wear these for 10 hours (even though you shouldn't). I've traveled in them, napped in them and they're great!!
Enlargement: 8/10
   That's actually perfect for me. I feel like they're enough to make your eyes pop but not so much that they're too unnatural. for some reason, I find they seem more enlarging in dim lighting.
Naturalness: 8/10
   They're not obvious from a conversational distance. The color has enough yellow/olive tones so they're close to my hazel eyes. Even people who know me don't notice them right away.

I would recommend these lenses for people with light brown eyes like mine. For those with naturally green eyes, they will enlarge your eyes and blend fairly well but they'll probably diminish your color. Similarly, i think they'd look natural on darker blue eyes but they will also diminish color. I wouldn't recommend these for light blue or grey eyes. i think the color transition around the pupil will look too harsh. For dark eyes these would be a subtle but noticeable color change.
All in all, these are my favorite lenses!! I recommend these!

General advice for beginners

I thought it would be nice to make a post for people looking to buy their first pair of circle lenses. There are a few things one should know before buying. Don't know what circle lenses are? Click here: lmgtfy

First, I'll talk about picking a seller. There are a LOT of sellers out there. Spend some time shopping around. It's fun and helpful. There are two main types of sellers, those who do batch orders and those who have all their merchandise on hand/ in stock. Batch order sites are generally cheaper but take a lot longer. You place an order, send payment and wait for the seller to have enough orders or for a predetermined cut-off date. Then, your order will be submitted to a distributor. When the reseller (owner of the site) receives it, it will get shipped to you. This requires a lot of patience but may be the only way to get hard to find lenses in your prescription. These stores often post "ready-stock" or "on hand" lens lists. These are generally only Plano (lenses without corrective power). There are many sites that are have lenses in stock so you can place an order and it will be shipped right away. From my experience, shipping from southeast Asia to New York takes 10-12 days on average.

When picking a seller you should try to find reviews. They can't guarantee you'll have a good experience but it will help you weed out some unreliable sites. Next, you'll need to consider selection, lens price and shipping. Do not ignore shipping costs!! It can be expensive! Some websites are located in Canada or the US so their shipping is cheaper and faster. I can actually only think of one from each country... Find out which site sells the lenses you like best and who has the best perks. most sites offer free shipping over a certain amount or during a certain time; brands, series or colors will be on sale; some sites offer free cases or gifts... SHOP AROUND!

Picking lenses also requires research. Again, finding reviews is a good place to start. Consider the look you're going for. Are you going for all-out huge, dolly eyes or something more subtle? do you want contacts that will just brighten your eyes or do you want a drastic color change? These are things you have to consider when choosing a lens.

Lenses range in size from around 14mm-15mm. No lens is much bigger; anything advertised as 16mm,17mm or 18mm is referring to the diameter of the "effect." A true 17mm or 18mm lens would be a full eye sclera lens that would completely cover the whites of your eyes.  Check reviews and photos of the lens also. Some lenses are printed right to the edge while others are smaller because there's a large clear rim.

Don't trust the stock photos to be an accurate representation of color.  They'll be heavily edited or really brightly lit to make the lenses seem lighter than they are. Try to find customer reviews for more realistic photos. You'll want to see photos of the lens alone and on different color eyes to get an idea of the true color. Opaque lenses will look alike on most eye colors and allow you to change your eye color more dramatically. Sheer lenses blend better and generally look more natural. Since they blend with your natural eye color, they will look VERY different on different eye colors. For light eyes, sheer lenses are often a good choice since they usually don't have the dark pigments for blending which look unnatural on light eyes.


This is really long but hopefully it helps someone looking to buy their first pair of circle lenses