Russian Velvet, one of OLENS’ bestselling color contact lenses, recently got a new flanker: Russian Smoky. As a new addition to the Russian collection, what are the similarities and differences compared to the original?
As a disclaimer, OLENS Global did send me these as PR. I have not been paid to write a review on these, and all opinions, as always, are my own. They sent me both the new Russian Smoky collection as well as the ViVi Ring lens in beige and some goodies from the OLENS x Kirsh Blending collaboration. I will just be focusing on the Russian Smoky collection in this post, but I do plan on doing a review on the other lenses soon. I am hoping to use them for an upcoming trip I am planning, so expect to see a review sometime then!
As always, OLENS really does a great job when it comes to packaging. The packaging of the Russian Smoky collection reminds of me the Scandi collection packaging with the all-around metallic packaging. The lettering of the word “smoky” is stylized using a brushstroke/graffiti font that I think nicely portrays the edgy and cool effect of these lenses.
Aside from the aesthetics of the packaging, I also appreciate the amount of detail and care that shows through the text both on the outer box and each individual lens packet. As someone who has had her eyes poked and prodded by eye doctors since birth due to retina problems, eye health is very important to me. I want to make sure anything I’m putting on my eyes is safe and will not cause further damage to my eyes. OLENS makes this really easy for me because each lens is labeled with the lot number, the manufacture and expiration dates, prescription, and recommended usage time. Each packet also indicates the base curve and diameter of the lenses, and the back of the box shows the materials used.
It is also easy to see from both the front of the box as well as the clear packet container what the lens looks like. The peel off packaging is strongly adhered, and I have no worries about saline solution leaking out.
The Russian Smoky collection comes with three color options: gray (left), brown (top right), and olive (bottom right). The colors in this collection lean cool-toned to give the eyes that strong, edgy look.
Immediately, the visual differences I noticed from the Russian Velvet collection are that the Russian Velvet collection has a soft, diffused circumference whereas the Russian Smoky has a more defined outer ring. Due to this difference, the Russian Velvet lenses provide brightness and color to the eyes, but the Russian Smoky amplifies that and makes the eyes stand out more. Both the Russian Velvet and Russian Smoky collections feature a beautiful, multi-colored, diffused and softly striated pattern.
The Russian Smoky lenses have a 0.6mm bigger graphic size than its Russian Velvet counterpart. The lenses are recommended for one-day wear and made from a Puscon material, which I’ve worn before and found comfortable. The graphic diameter of these lenses is 13.3mm with the overall diameter being 14.2mm, and the base curve is 8.7mm. They feature UV blocking technology as well. Each pack comes with 10 lenses (5 pairs) for a total of $21 per pack.
OLENS describes Russian Smoky in gray as giving off a “chic boss lady look with a soft gray edge line and blue ice gray.” This “natural blended shade with soft edge line enhances extra dimension eye styling.”
As you can see from the photo, there is a darker gray ring on the outside with a softer gray in the middle that transitions to a yellow-brown color that add more dimension to the eyes.
Close-up eye photos are available below. You can use the slider bar to see the before and after effect of the lens.
When I put on these lenses, some of the blue ice gray shows up. I’m not too sure of the color theory behind this, but it does provide a very cool and edgy look.
OLENS describes Russian Smoky in Brown as having a “natural blended shade with… soft brown edge line and ash hazel shade” that also “enhances extra dimension eye styling.”
Just looking at these lenses themselves, it looks like a soft peach shade with a ring of darker brown. However, once on the eyes, they appear cooler in tone.
It adds a bit of cool-toned coloring to the eyes that make them shine next to my warm complexion. Before I tried out colored contacts, I never thought cool-toned colors could work for me, but every time I try one on, I’m blown away by how it looks.
Last but not least, OLENS also describes this as a “natural blended shade” that “enhances extra dimension eye styling.” OLENS says this color makes eyes “doe-eyed” using the “soft gray edge line with dep shade of olive color.”
This color reminds me a lot of the Russian Velvet lens in green. It has the beautiful yellow center with the light green outer color that I love from the original Velvet line. The Russian Smoky version includes a soft gray edge line to really make the eyes shine.
As you can see from the photos above, these lenses will work for dark eyes. I have very dark brown, almost black irises and these still show up well on me. They add a lot of light and dimension to my eyes that I just don’t have with my natural eye color.
Pictured on the right, I am wearing OLENS Russian Smoky in Olive.
Other than feeling safe and comfortable while using these colored contacts, I think OLENS is a great brand to check out for budget friendly lenses. The website is almost always running some type of promotion and offers fast worldwide shipping with DHL (company claims 3-5 business days). Standard shipping is free over $100, and express shipping is free over $150 (company claims it take 3 days to deliver). I’ve seen other brands online such as Solotica that offer colored contacts for a much higher markup, and I think OLENS is much cheaper in comparison, especially if you can snag a promotion such as their buy one get one free deals on all monthly lenses. You also get a welcome kit with three free pairs of 1 days lenses to try out with your first order. I got the original Russian Velvet in mine last time!
If you’re interested in these lenses, you can check them out here. The link is not an affiliate or referral link; I do not make any money off of it. It is purely for your own reference.
