Cosplay Contact Lens Reviews: Pinky Paradise
I bought 5 pairs of fantasy and anime cosplay contacts from Pinky Paradise! Here’s my try-on and review of each.
NOTES ON CONTACT LENS SAFETY:
Contact lenses are considered medical devices by the FDA. In the US you must obtain a prescription from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist to order cosplay contacts.
Never use expired or damaged lenses. Never re-use daily contact lenses. For longer term lenses, never reuse contact lens fluid to store your lenses and always use fresh fluid. Always store your right contact in the right side of the case and left contact in the left side of the case to prevent cross-contamination. Always wash your hands with soap and water before putting on the lenses.
Pinky Paradise is easily the leading and most recommended vendor for cosplay contacts among US cosplayers. I think what sets them apart most is their wide variety of unique anime, sci-fi, and fantasy themed designs. For that reason, I chose mostly non-natural colors and designs to try. All of them are yearly disposal lenses, meaning they can be stored in contact lens fluid for up to a year and do not need to be disposed of after one use. They also all have prescription power as I am near-sighted.
Disclaimer: I purchased all of these lenses with my own money and this post is not sponsored in any way. These are my personal opinions only, based on my own preferences, and I am not an expert!
I have very dark, South Asian eyes so I hope this review is helpful for those of you that have difficulty with colors showing up on your eyes. Here are my bare natural eyes, for reference:
G&G gbt Violet
Rating: 10/10
Diameter: 14.0 mm
Starting off strong, these were my favorite from this order and perfect for a character like Yennefer from The Witcher or a book-accurate Targaryen. They were also the most affordable pair in my haul, coming in at under $10 on sale. The diameter and color were perfect for my eyes and they looked very natural. They were quite comfortable and it looked almost like I was born with real purple eyes. A customer at Joann even thought they were my real eye color! My only criticism is that the inner pupil edge could blend out a bit more to transition between my natural eye color and the purple.
EOS Dunia Violet
Rating: 9/10
Diameter: 14.2 mm
These were really fun and unique! Definitely not for subtle or natural looks. They have a realistic diameter and the galaxy design is very pretty. However, the inner pupil diameter is a bit too big, creating a stark contrast between the contacts and my natural eyes.
Princess Pinky Lunar Earth Grey
Rating: 8/10
Diameter: 14.5
These Lunar Earth lenses were super cute and perfect for a cartoonish cosplay! They were designed with anime in mind, but I actually also think they would suit a sci-fi or robotic character like EDI from Mass Effect. They came out a bit more white than gray, though, and you do have to adjust the rotation of them to line up. I would not recommend these to people that have difficulty touching their eyes or folks new to contact lenses. The design also disrupts the peripheral vision a little. Regardless, I definitely plan on re-purchasing, maybe in other colors!
Edit: As of September 2024, Princess Pinky released a similar design called the Obsidian series, if you want to compare the two, but they are less realistic and more contrasting and vibrant.
Princess Pinky Foxy Green
Rating: 7.5/10
Diameter: 14.2 mm
These were a lot less natural in real life than in the product photos. They definitely fit the “foxy” in their name and would be great for more animalistic or supernatural cosplays. The color is extremely vibrant, as expected, but they look a bit too “3D” and can be jarring to look at. I personally prefer more realistic and smaller diameter lenses, and these seemed large despite being a similar diameter to the other lenses in this haul. But, if that’s what you’re looking for and you like larger-looking pupils, definitely go for them!
Uris Arctic Blue
Rating: 5/10
Diameter: 14.2 mm
These were my least favorite. The color and print are pretty, but they are not nearly as vibrant as advertised on my dark eyes. The pupils are very small and affect my vision quite a bit, which they did warn about in the product listing, but the lack of realism doesn’t warrant it. The lenses were marketed as both vibrant and realistic, but ended up being neither, in my opinion. The packaging was very cute, though.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was very happy with my first purchase from Pinky Paradise! International shipping was faster than I expected. Other than the Uris Arctic, I can recommend all these lenses and am especially pleased with how well they show up on dark eyes! Hope my reviews help you make your decisions on buying cosplay contacts!
