I came across Desio recently and as a contact lens wearer for a number of years , I was curious to find out what they had to offer.
Desio is an Italian company who offer a wide variety of coloured contact lenses, including their new coffee collection (which is ah-mazing) and makes even dark eyes look naturally light. I selected the ‘smoky grey’ shade from their ‘sensual beauty lenses’ range and as I had to get prescription lenses, I got a copy of mine from my optometrist and uploaded it to my profile. It was simple and quick to register on their website and then I checked out with my new, tested lenses.
The price starts from €39.00 for a pair of lenses (delivery is free) and how great that they actually ship to South Africa! I cannot tell you the number of times I have wanted to buy products from international brands but they never ship to us (I discovered Aramex to rectify these problems – but that’s another post altogether :P)
I have dark brown eyes and have never been able to find a brand that offers a shade that makes the lighter colours look natural on me. I was impressed with the effect the Desio ones had and after the number of compliments I got, I will definitely repurchase. The lenses have a 3 month use period as opposed to most of the ones here that only last a month and can cost R350 per set. I paid about R650 for my pair due to the currency being in Euros , a tip is to use the current exchange rate and convert it in order to get an idea of how much will be deducted from your credit card.
It took just over 4 weeks to arrive in SA and when it did, I got a notification that I needed to go to the SARS office to collect with my original invoice. I never needed to do that with other parcels I ordered from overseas retailers but nevertheless , I went to their offices and produced my invoice (which I printed from their website). They advised that they would send it to my local post office to collect as their department who handles customs was not open on a Saturday and they couldn’t process anything. Gah!
A few days later ,I went to collect it from the post office and was required to pay a customs fee of R120 in order for them to release it to me.
All in all, I paid close to R800 which still worked out cheaper than buying 3 1-month disposable lenses here in SA.
As someone who has tried other lenses and have been wearing them for a long time, I can honestly say that I love these. They are absolutely comfortable and fit my eyes perfectly. I have also never been able to tell when they are upside down but with these , it is so simple to tell. If you insert them and they are not on the correct side, the lens will continue to slip off and not remain firm. You can just remove them, turn them around and put them back on.
The colour is light and looks really natural on me and despite the lengthy period you have to wait to receive them – they are absolutely worth it.
Next on my list is innocent white and desert dream. Go here to check out their different types of lenses (they cater for almost everyone) from toric lenses to plano lenses and even special prescription lenses.
*Remember, that you should have the go-ahead from your optometrist before using any type of contact lens and do not wear them for long periods of time, or swim or sleep in them. When I first started wearing coloured lenses many years ago, I was adamant I could wear them everyday but boy, was I wrong. After a few months of doing this, my eyes became sore and irritated and I soon found out that I had developed little pimples on the inside of my eyes from using them so often and for so long. Now, I only use my lenses on the weekends and my glasses are my best friends during the week. 🙂
xoxo
Nazneen
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