Review on Deconovo Beige 84 Inch Long Curtains For Bedroom And Living Room - 2 Panels Of Light Beige Rod Pocket Drapes For Spring Decoration, Measuring 42W X 84L Inches by William Santos

I love these curtains. Got a pair in grey an a pair in navy. The material is shiny and looks a lot like satin to my untrained eyes. So if you are looking for more of a standard sheen on the material, maybe these aren't right for you.The pictures I have included show 3 images taken about 1 minute apart, that show the navy curtains by themselves, the grey + the navy curtains both closed (grey is room-side of the 2), and no curtains. All shots were taken with the blinds up, but not put up. I used no flash, turned off the bedroom lights, and stood in the same spot. These were taken around 2 pm in Minnesota, of a window that faces east. At 2 pm, the sun in the sky over MN would be a bit behind me and off my right shoulder when I took these pictures. This room does get full morning sun, but I like my neighbors and won't start drilling walls until 9 am.The "blackoutness" of these curtains. They are exactly what they advertise to be. In this instance, there is a lot of people who don't know what "blackout" actually means in the curtain industry. This is unfortunate and maybe someday will be resolved. But let's talk about going "full blackout", shall we?Let me preface this with the following:Almost everyone I know who purchases blackout curtains for the first time ends up doing the same things:1) They put them up, realize that no, their room is not in fact 100% blackness, then2) Complain about itThings those people generally do wrong:)! Fail to realize there are different levels of "blackout".2) Do not know or care about the optics of the human eye or how the brain perceives things in the dark The shortish version is: if your blackout curtains let in any light, because the rest of the room is so dark, it makes the amount of light stand out and it seems infinitely brighter than your brain thinks it should. Example? After you pop out of the shower, you stand in a fully lit bathroom to get ready no problem. Walk into the same bathroom in the middle of the night when the house is totally dark to pee, those lights will feel like tiny suns!3) Fail to order curtains 2 x the actual width of your window. Good curtain sites tell you this, and good articles say the same things. Even the absolute best blackout curtains are going to struggle mightily if your window is 40 inches wide and you hang 2 20 inch panels to cover it.4) If you have the room, and you can make it work, I always buy a rod that is at least 12" (I prefer 24 or more)" wider than the window, and curtains that are at least 18 inches taller than the window. The reason you do this is often, the majority of the light that is getting into your room is coming around your blackout curtains. Check out my picture where the curtains look red (they're actually navy blue). Those curtains hang over 18" below the window, yet a good amount of light still comes under.Now, before my actual review, some tips from a person who has had migraines for 35 years and who has spent countless years either working nights, or being a night owl. If you want to know how to darken a room, I'm your guy!Step 1: Spend a tremendous amount of money on the top end blackout curtains that black 100% of the light. Notice that said curtains let light around the sides and bottom anyways. Swear and enjoy your very expensive rook darkening curtains. OR buy yourself a double rod. Get 2 sets of identical quality, yet inexpensive, blackout curtains. I purchased the 52 x 63 in navy blue and grey for $22 each. After you add in the curtain rods, I have about $90 into this. A price well worth it when my head is trying to explode from the inside out.Step 2: If you are at all able, pretend your window is at least 12" wider per side (24 inches) and at least 12" longer (I prefer 24" but I have a baseboard heat right under this window and those destroy curtains. If you have limited space - like if your window is quite near a corner - you can make the best of this situation by purchasing a curtain rod(s) that have removable ends. Run the curtain right to the wall and you will block most of what was going to get around it anyway. Once you have added 24" to the window width, then multiply that by 2. If your window is say 30 inches, you add 24 (54 total) then double it (108). This is how much curtain you will need. Remember, you have already added a bunch of extra to the sides so there is no need to go gangbusters and buy 160 inches of curtains for your 108" goal. In fact, in that situation, since 52" wide is so common, i'd use those, giving you 104" which is sufficient.Step 3: For the height - Do the best you can with what you have. When there's no baseboard heater under my windows I like to run them all of the way to the floor regardless of actual window height. This blocks more light.Ste 4: If you are really serious about blacking out your room, here are tips I currently use. I have black electrical tape over every LED in my bedroom - even the ones that aren't on all of the time. I have a box without a lid or a bottom that I drop over my amazon spot to block the screen. I have a simple piece of weather stripping (flat) that attaches to the inside of my door that is flexible and blocks the light from under the door. I have more flat weather stripping that is installed on the inside of the door stop (the wood that the door shuts against) that sticks out 1/2" and blocks light from the tops and sides of the door. I have a single super cheap lamp that has a great 3stone smart light bulb in it. When I tell my Echo Spot "headache lights" (she really struggled with migraine so I changed it to headache) that super cheap lamp turns on a very economical bulb as dim as possible with a very warm orange light.If you made it this far, I hope I helped!