REVIEW - Vanilla Eyes Contact Lens Maple Aqua Blue

Hey guys! So I found another brand of contact lenses which I absolutely came to love every time I use it for my cosplays.

Introducing...

VANILLA EYES MAPLE AQUA BLUE

DIA: 15.0
Manufactured: 2013/02
Shelf Life: 2018/02

Before we begin...
This is a non-sponsored review. I bought this contact lenses with my own money.

Anyway, I had a favorite pair of blue contact lenses which was Spectrum Angel Blue. By the time my pair expired, my supplier related was out of stock when I wanted to purchase so I opted to try a new brand which was in promo that time. (Buy 2 for a low price plus free shipping!)

(READ: REVIEW: SPECTRUM Angel Blue Circle Lens)

I love the packaging of Vanilla Eyes. It came with a box that securely fits the vials which is actually good when the lenses are in transit. The design was very eye-catchy and the vials were well labeled. It came with a user manual which contains the dos and dont's when handling circle lenses.

The Maple series has this two-tone design that gives you the effect of having real colored eyes.

The lenses are actually in 15mm size but the design is only at actual iris size so no enlargement effect is seen when it is worn.

Still, the total two-tone effect is really what makes me like about this pair. Even with my natural dark brown eyes, the color is still vivid when worn.

The lenses are light on the eyes and discomfort after long-time use is minimal. 

Comparison photo posted below:

In conlcusion...

Positive points:

Two-tone design makes it look like the color of lenses is your natural eye color.

Color still vivid even when worn on dark-colored eyes.

Minimal discomfort when worn for a few hours.

Visible even on low light conditions.

Negative points:

No enlargement visible when worn.

Difficult to put on.

Positive points on the seller:

Great packaging, sent with manual and awesome promo!

Will I purchase another one soon?

DEFINITELY! I would like to try the Maple grey. And if they will host another promo, there's a chance that I might buy more than 2 pairs of lenses! 

Thank you for reading and good night!

Previous post:

Random Thoughts: Fearing Monday

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Fabric Flowers by Cee

The Geisha Project - More Photos

I found more photos of our Shironuri shoot last time and post-processed it for this site.

Compared to last time, this set has more vibrant colors maybe because we used a different camera and different editing software.

Maybe I'll turn a photo into sepia and make a postcard out of it? :)

These are Sheed's shots and I am liking his style. Simple yet nicely captured.

For my original post, click on the link below:

Geisha in Zamboanga: 

Harusuika Shironuri Shoot

Thank you so much for reading and see you on my next post!


Previous post:

Zamboanga's KPop Gathering III - The KCosplay

Zamboanga's KPop Gathering III - The KCosplay

Yours truly was one of the judges for this competition. I really enjoyed watching KPop enthusiasts dressed up as their KPop idols. Can't help but fangirl together with the community.

Anyway, Congratulations to the winner, Siwon of SuJu! His overall performance and appeal just took my breath away. LOL!

Anyway, photos of the event will be posted soon. Stay tuned ^_^

Zamboanga KPOP Gathering III KCosplay April 9, 2015

Posted by Cee on Thursday, May 14, 2015

Geisha in Zamboanga: Harusuika Shironuri Shoot

L-R: Gin, Xxiba, Cee & Gairu

We call ourselves HaruSuika and we organize Japanese Fashion shoots for fun.

Because of our love of traditional Japanese fashion and makeup, we were able to come up with  another photo shoot concept with a modern twist:

HaruSuika

presents

Shironuri

~~

Shironuri literally means 'painted in white'. It is so called because people who dress in the shironuri style wear white makeup. This is the only rule of shironuri, although traditional Japanese fashion elements (kimonos, hakama, etc.) are common, as well as elements of gothic lolita style. Minori is a well-known shironuri artist who has been interviewed by Tokyofashion.com.

(en.wikipedia.org)

We got the concept when we stumbled upon the photos of the popular Shironuri artist Minori online. Unlike the common Sweet Lolita, Gothic Lolita, etc... only a few people try shironuri because of it's complicated makeup style. To wear shironuri, one must paint his or her face white like the Geiko and Maiko.

Acquiring the proper face paint was a challenge. We can't use common face paint because we planned on applying regular makeup on top of it. We were afraid that the makeup won't work well with regular face paint so we browsed some options available locally and luckily Xxiba was able to find and acquire a tub of Snazaroo white face paint, the recommended brand for cosplayers.

Gin

During the preparation time, Xxiba was the one who applied the white base and I helped in applying the rest of the makeup.

Gin & Gairu

We didn't really had four complete sets of kimono but we made-do of what we had that time. :)

It turned out pretty okay and we were satisfied with the results.

Xxiba

Problem was, we had too much fun during the shoot! After reviewing most of the photos after the session, we only have these to present to you guys. LOL This is our weakness when we organize a photo shoot: we tend to have too much fun! :D

Must improve next time!

Yours truly, Cee

I used several Oiran elements on my coord. The oiran are elegant courtesans during ancient Japan and I love their style more than the Geiko. Of course I can't really replicate the complicated Oiran style but I did my best with what I had during the shoot.

We picked the perfect place for our Shironuri shoot. The Woodland Resort located in Zambowood, Zamboanga City reminded us of the Hanamachi where Chiyo, the lead of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, lived. The resort had nice trees and a bridge, just like in the movie

I wished the resort had cherry blossoms too. It would have been perfect ^_^

Gairu

Xxiba

Gin

Gairu

Cee

I would love to remake this concept because I still have a lot of ideas to throw in. I hope we can get together again and make a better output in the future~


Photography by Sheedow Photography
Post Processing by Cee
Kimono and Kimono accessories provided by Xxiba, Cee and Miru
White face makeup by Xxiba
Location: Woodland Resort Zambowood, Zamboanga City

Shironuri Teaser

Remember my post about an oiran fashion shoot?

Well, it is here! After battling with errands, shop orders and such, I am finally going to edit the photos from that shoot slowly.

To compensate my delay, here's a teaser for that shoot: a group selca photo. :D

TOP L-R: Cee, Sheed
BOTTOM L-R: Aly, Gin and Gail

See? We went all out shironuri that day! We painted our face white and imitated the fashion and style of the Geisha of Japan.

It was our first try on painting our entire face white (except for Aly) so we had a few problems along the way but at least we got through it all. I helped with everybody's makeup especially the eye detailing. We ran out of time to do a full kabuki-inspired makeup so we opted for the exaggerated geisha makeup.

We all wore kimono outfits in our own style instead of following the traditional way of wearing a kimono/yukata. We wanted to add a little 'us' on our outfit to make it more personal. I think each of our getup reflects each of our personality.

It was a fun afternoon to have a photoshoot and it was held in a resort far away from our town.

I will be posting a lot more of this shoot soon. So please do wait for it!

The Kyoto Chronicles - Kimono Shoot with NECo Group

"I long ago developed a very practical smile, which I call my 'Noh Smile' because it resembles a Noh mask whose face features are frozen. Its advantage is that men can interpret it however they want..."

- Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden 

A few of my close friends know that I am a big geisha junkie. I love the novel by Golden and I can't count how many times I have watched the movie. >_<
I already watched a lot of Geisha documentary videos online in order to study their makeup, clothing, movements and accessories. I learned how to wear a kimono, tie an obi and do their makeup by watching these videos. I am not an expert on this though! I still feel like a novice when it comes to Geisha knowledge.

The entire set I wore that day was pieced together by yours truly. It was not bought as one from a store.

The first piece I acquired is the obi. My mom and I found this in a thrift shop and we did not know at first that it was an obi. My mom intended to chop it and turn it into a table runner! Luckily, I was reviewing kimono photos before that time and when I got a closer look on the piece, I recognized its size and length and identified it as an obi.

Because my friends planned to do a Harajuku shironuri shoot, I learned how to make the Kanzashi (Japanese hair ornaments for kimono and yukata outfit) and eventually I opened a shop selling my creations.
Designing these hair ornaments is the hard part for me. Sometimes I lack ideas on making an ornament pleasing to the eyes! That's why I view a lot of kanzashi photos online to get inspiration.
My kanzashi set that day was inspired by one of my client's  previous orders. I used the color combination of maroon and cream and made a complete set of kanzashi for a Maiko (apprentice geisha).
The set consist of a hana kazashi, kanzashi with bira-bira and kanzashi comb.

The purse that I used during the shoot was bought by my mom. She was shopping one afternoon when she saw it, and knowing that I have an upcoming Kimono shoot, she bought it for me to use as a prop. ^_^

This is not an authentic geisha look for I have incorporated Maiko and Geiko/Geisha elements in my entire getup. My makeup and kimono are similar those of a Geiko's but I wore a Kanzashi set, just like a Maiko.
My obi belt was tied in a simple bow tie type. (I forgot the name of this type of tie >_<)

I wore blue lenses to copy Satsu's 'eyes like rain'. I don't have grey lenses so I chose the color closest to it.

The geisha facial expression is really mysterious. Viewing a lot of Geisha and Maiko photos online helped me achieve a look closer to the real thing.

They give out looks that make you want to know more about them. That is the kind of feeling that I get whenever I see candid photos of Geisha and Maiko online.

I tried it out during the photo shoot and the result is for you to judge.

I still have a lot of improvements to do in this dress up. I will do better next time, if given the chance. Maybe throw in some Oiran elements to it. I love their elegance and magnificent style as well!

"Without its mysteries, it cannot survive..."

One cannot really imitate a Geisha for their world is one big mystery only a few can uncover.

But for some of us who are interested in their flower world, we can only but appreciate it in our own way. As a cosplayer, I show my appreciation to this mysterious profession by dressing up like them and throwing in some ideas to make it my own.

So this is not a geisha cosplay or dress up. Rather, this is my way of showing gratitude to the blooming flowers that beautifies the modern world. 

CREDITS

Kimono: Richal Tamayo Shop

Slippers: Zick

Purse: My mother

Make up and hair styling by yours truly.

Shoot organize by yours truly.
More photos here.
The entire shoot was handled by HaruSuika.
Photographers: Gin and Sheed
Assistants: Emina and Miro

Special thanks to PJ and Queen for showing their support that day.

Date: February 25, 2014
Location: Butterfly Garden, Pasonanca Zamboanga City

EVENT: ZAMBOANGA'S 1ST KPOP GATHERING: SUMMER INVASION - Cosplay Judge

KPop!! I know this is a bit off-topic to my blog (I mainly write about Japanese Cosplay) but the thing is, I was the judge on the event's KPop Cosplay competition so I had to write something about it.

Well, judging a cosplay competition is one of my biggest cosplay dreams and the organizers of the KGathering made it happen! I was contacted by one of the organizers, asking me to judge the KPop/Korean cosplay competition and I gladly obliged. It was a small contest but I was still very happy that they chose me to pick the winner.

Anyway, the KGathering was organized by a group of KPop lovers namely KMonerx (I hope I got the name right). The party happened on April 22, 2013 at the GRAND ASTORIA HOTEL Crystal Ballroom. Together with my friends, Reg and Gail, we joined in the fun of loving Korean Pop Music and the Korean Pop Superstars! Each of us belonged to a fandom. I am (or belong to) VIP (of BIGBANG).

Source

Anyway, I wore a Hanbok that day. It is the traditional costume in South Korea. My mom bought the set for me when she was in Cagayan de Oro. Wearing the costume made me feel like I was a part of a Korean Joseon drama. LOL.

I watched a lot of videos about Korean culture, the Hanbok, and proper hair and makeup suitable for my look.
^_^ 

My girlfriends were stylish that day. :)

Thank you Sheed for showing up even just for a few minutes. :)
Anyway, here are the photos taken during the party.

With my friends Gail and Reg. More like sisters! 

Met new friends during the event!

With Atheena and Amber.

With our table mates. I forgot her name. D: I have a poor memory. 

With KMONERX, the organizers. 

And friends from the neighboring table. :D

GAMES!
Reg joined an eating contest since she said she will join any contest that involves food. 

Well, she did not win. According to her, the ramen was too spicy! 

But she did win that Q&A KPOP and the 'pass-the-card-using-your-mouth' contest. with Gail. :) 

Reg is the ultimate KPOP Brainiac! 

Prizes from the card game. Good job, girls! 

There were also dance numbers and KPop dance covers. ^_^

While watching them dance, tried eating the korean cup noodles. :D

It was really really spicy! 

We looked like we were endorsing the noodles. :D

Then FINALLY! The KPop cosplay competition!! I was not able to take photos of each of them. D:

I was the only judge during the contest so the pressure is all on me. 

The contest went smoothly and after their short performances, I was able to pick the three winners. :)

The 2nd and 1st runners up

Then I was the one who announced the winner. They let me say a few things about what is cosplaying. 

And the winner of KPOP Gathering's First KPop Cosplay competition is Atheena for her awesome performance and costume! 

Photos with the cosplayers. Everybody did their best! 

Photos with some contestants. ^_ ^

Photos with other party-goers. :)

With Fads!! Another cosplayer.

I was given another cup of Korean noodles. :D

Thank you, KMONERX for organizing a wonderful event! Can't wait for the next party!! How about combining KPOP and JPOP? :)