Store Review: Apple of Your Eyes (aka. Serenity Shop)

(Feeling lazy? Watch the video review at the end of this post instead of reading~) 

This is a review of Apple of Your Eyes (aka. Serenity Shop). Full disclosure: yes they sponsor me, but that does not mean I can't review their packaging, presentation, communication, and even shipping method(s).

No, they did not ask me to do a store review: I just think it would be nice to give some insight into their service level. Hopefully, this is helpful/informative.

Shipping Time

Apple of your Eyes is located in Malaysia (and is run by the lovely Allyson). On average, parcels coming from about any nation in Asia take 2 1/2 weeks or so to be delivered to me. (I live in the northeast of the USA.)  In terms of how quickly the store actually ships out the lenses once the order has been processed (which takes 3-5 business days), that is usually quick. :]

[[ And as always, I have to say:  it's very important that online shoppers realize something about the ordering process from any website: a shop does not control how quickly the post delivers a package.  That is, once a shop sends an item out, no matter what level of post it goes through (express or standard), the time it takes to get to you is out of their hands.]]

The Box/Package

The envelope my lenses come in is unlined (no padding), but there are a 2-3 layers of bubblewrap around the lenses.  (You can see the envelope below, as well as the separated layers of bubblewrap.)

(So much bubblewrap~. <3)

The video also shows exactly how much bubblewrap there is: I unwravel it and stretch it to its full length.

^ Last of all, here's a little picture of all the lenses together! ^

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Communication

Alright, so I've mentioned the shipping time and the packaging.  All that's left is to talk about the communication! Like many web-based businesses, they are closed on the weekends.  Therefore, there is a 2-day 'delay' if you contact (or order from) them during the weekend.  Otherwise, if you contact Apple of Your Eyes, you should receive a reply in a rather timely manner. If I remember properly, 2-3 days on average for me.

Overall, I've ordered from this shop several times, and been sponsored even more.  Each of these experiences were positive, and Ally was there to help (and answer questions) to the best of her ability. Her store also has an amazing, huge variety of lens series and brands.  The prices are also super reasonable, and there is usually a sale or clearance selection.

So why are you still here? Shoo! Head over to Apple of Your Eyes and shop around~!

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Video Review

 You can see the video review here on YouTube, or just watch it below.

 

♥ Giveaway Winner!! ♥

Well, this is slightly embarrassing. I fell asleep before I could post this on Sunday night. (It's now Monday morning for me.) Haha. I'm getting old, guys!

Right, so, first of all thank you so much to all the participants. (And, of course, many thanks to Lens Village, too, who is sponsoring the whole thing. If you've not checked out their revamped site yet, please do! It's why they had a giveaway. :])  The amount of entrants made for a pleasant day, whenever I checked.

Okay, I need you guys to do a drum roll, please~~.  The exceptionally lucky winner of 2 pairs of circle lenses from Lens Village is..... Plu (of My Candy Heaven)!!

Parabéns, Plu!

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[[Below are screenshots of the random number generator as well as the section of the document with the winner.]]

 

 

^ (via 'Random.org') ^

To all of you lovely people who didn't luck out this time, know that there is another giveaway down the line!  I'll update you with the details next week.

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Finally, again, thank you so, so much to Lens Village for sponsoring these items and letting me help out with promoting their blog (with some great reviews) and their revamped website.

-- Want even more free lenses? You can join one of the monthly photo contests at Lens Village's facebook for even more chances! --

The Giveaway is (Finally) Closed!!

(I meant to post this at midnight, last night, but my sister was over and then there were ~ video games ~.  Haha. So..... here it is now!)

In any case, the point of this post is to announce that THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. :]  Thanks and good luck to all participants~!

I'll be doing the random drawing later tonight! The winner will be announced on Sunday night (8 July)~.

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And because it's been a while since I've said it, go check out Lens Village's blog! It has reviews of some gorgeous series: new and old, popular and obscure! So shoo!

Review: i.Fairy Cara Red

Hi! What's up, friends? :]   Hope you had a good weekend! (I have two job interviews coming up. YES.)  In any case check out these super-sweet lenses that the Apple of Your Eyes sponsored me! <3

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((If you shop there, Use my VIP referral code: Noxin, for another 5% off your purchase at Apple of Your Eyes.  [You already get 5% off if you're a fan of them on FaceBook.  -- You could also become a VIP member and get 10% off to start with.] ))

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(My hair reminds me of Russell Brand back in '06/'07...)

Enlargement: 9/10 These are supposed to be 15 mm, as I remember, and they enlarge pretty well.

Colour/Design: 10/10 Firstly, these lenses are nearly more pink than red. (Which I am absolutely fine with. <3)  Secondly, the colour is exceedingly opaque, light, and vibrant. In about any lighting. (Huzzah!)  Ehm, this series is pretty interesting, design-wise. Each colour has yellow as a part of it (I believe they're 4 or 5 tone lenses).

There's a dark circle, bit it's thin-- not all too prominent/obvious.  ((Oh! Fun fact: the i.Fairy Cara series is an exact design match to the [Dueba] Otoo Eye/OT Star series.  The difference? Available colours, and that the Cara series is made by Vassen, while the OT Star is made by Dueba.))

(flash)

- MI E-Type Red vs. i.Fairy Cara Red -

- i.Fairy Dolly+ Red vs. i.Fairy Cara Red -

- i.Fairy Nova Red vs. i.Fairy Cara Red -

Comfort: 10/10  i.Fairy/Vassen lenses are generally rather comfortable for me. :]

Overall? THESE ARE FANTASTIC (Baby). They're light and bright, have a super-unique design/pattern, and are comfortable. They're a triple threat, and definitely making their way into some of my favourite lenses ever.  I really want to try a few other colours from this series now.

('cool' lighting)

And here are the extra pics, as usual: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten.

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You can watch the video review here on Youtube, or view it below.

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COMING SOON. . .

Review: (CTK) Cute Flower (aka. Sunshine) Violet

Hola amigos~! :D  I'm back with a bunch of new reviews. First, we have this review for a pair of lenses that were super-kindly sponsored by Kitty Eye Contacts. (They're a fantastic US-based shop which I reviewed here.)

(Awkward hat and hair are awkward)

Enlargement: 8/10  These are 14.5 mm, but enlarge more closely to 14.2 mm lenses on me.

Colour/Design: 8/10  So this violet confuses me.  It is generally rather vibrant, but at some times it looks crazy light/pale. Which I like.  I just wish I knew which lighting(s) or how much light let it look super light!  On camera/film, they generally do. In real life? Not always. (Actually, the colour reminds me of my beloved G&G BT02 Violets.)

As for design, this is certainly an interesting one: it is an exact design replica of the Dreamcon ('Dreamcolor') Sunshine series. There is a scalloped sort of edge-- almost like flower petals-- and many tiny dots and designs inside. Nothing is too noticeable from a significant distance away, though, except for those big 'star'-type glyphs near the ring.

(flash)

- Super/Hyper Pinky Violet vs. CTK Cute Flower Violet -

Comfort: 9/10  I've always wanted to try CTK lenses, and they turn out to be rather comfortable!

Overall? I have to admit, I ended up liking these way more than I thought I would. The violet is pleasantly vibrant, although not quite light enough for my high standards. Haha.  The design also grew on me a bit as I wore them.  I might actually keep these for a bit until I find another pair of lenses as fantastic as my soon-expiring Hyper Pinky Violets.

And here are the extra pics, as usual: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six.

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You can watch the video review here on Youtube, or view it below.

("I want YOU to watch my vid. review." - Uncle Sam Noxin)

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COMING SOON. . .

i.Fairy Cara Red 

Apple of Your Eyes (store review)

Kimchi Maki Grey

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Update + 3 OOTDs (and a HOTD)

Hey there! I feel like I'm always updating this blog to let you lovely folks know I'm still alive. xD  (* - Skip the wall of text if you just want to see the OOTDs - *)

Well, I am! Still alive, that is. Haha.  I'll try and stay away from too much detail, but I can tell you the main 3 reasons I've been gone:

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1.) I owed my university nearly $500-- which I did not have on hand.  Mind you, mes parents did not have the extra, and I am currently unemployed. Most of my time the past month was spent panicking and scrounging around for all that moolah. Ugh. (Less helpful was how they told me about this so late after the semester ended.)

2.) My mum got in another accident and somewhat re-injured her back (and neck), which were initially injured in a more serious car accident several months ago. Luckily, she's okay: this one was just a minor fender-bender: some assbutt rear-ended her in the middle of a traffic jam. (He said he was "distracted" and "didn't hit the brakes in time".  Right. I hope the text message is worth the money you're paying now.)

3.) My laptop charger decided to die. And nobody else had a compatible one.   And due to the university bill, I didn't have an extra $10 to spend on a charger until very recently. (This past weekend, actually.)  I could sneak on my mum's laptop and quickly queue stuff for my Tumblr, but I haven't checked my email or YouTube since early June. D:

___

So yeah-- I managed to get my school the money finally on Monday, have received a new laptop adapter, and I'm helping out my mother as much as I can. (All laundry, ironing, cleaning, cooking, etc. is up to me.) -- Sorry for whinging! On to more fun topics!

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OOTDs!

(Average temperature lately? 90° F/ 32° C)

27 May

And I actually tried styling my hair, too! o:  (Usually, I do not, since I never use any product when styling. Residue = gross.)

^ (HOTD?) ^

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1 June

Not sure I like this one. The proportions are off, maybe. Everything's length just looks... bad. Haha.

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24 June

What's that? What did my hair look like that day? Well....

OTL

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Lastly, I have 3 reviews all finished up and ready to be posted: the CTK Cute Flower Violet (for today),

the i.Fairy Cara Red (for Saturday),

and a store review for Apple of Your Eyes (for Monday).