Dal Heart Macaron: Review

Every time I look at Parfait, my Dal Heart Macaron, a feeling of nostalgia washes over me. She brings me back to when I was just first discovering the world of Pullip dolls and the rest of the Pullip family. It wasn't very long ago that I began collecting (just a few months back, actually) , but my doll family has grown exponentially since then, and it all started with the darling Heart Macaron. Because of that, she has a special place in my heart!

 Dal Heart Macaron was released back in 2012 as a collaboration doll with Mitsukazu Mihara and the ever popular lolita brand that caused a boom in the sweet lolita trend, Angelic Pretty. Needless to say, they really whipped up something sweet when they came up with her design! Her stock is based off of Angelic Pretty's Decoration Dream OP in yellow. A beautiful illustration of her wearing the dress was featured on the cover of the Gothic & Lolita Bible volume 42!

Dal Heart Macaron Comes With:

- Headband with ruffles, ribbon, buttons, and macaron ornaments

- Dress modeled after Angelic Pretty's Decoration Dream in yellow

- Light pink opaque knee high socks with whipped cream and strawberries printed up along the sides and ribbons printed on the knees

- A pair of white gloves with ribbons and pink heart-shaped buttons at the cuffs

- A pair of purple strapped shoes

- Mini Whip Bear

- Purse that's made to look like a multi-layered cake with cherries and beading

- Pink picnic blanket

- Dal Heart Macaron's trading card

- Doll stand

Pros:

- Cute simple faceup with pink painted lids! Painted teeth also makes her look like she's smiling!

- Her eye chips have small hearts painted on them!

-  She comes with quite a few accessories for a Dal and they're all very cute!

- Whip Bear is slightly poseable with movable arms and legs!

- Stock is quite well-made and not likely to fall apart or become damaged. Macaron charms are also sewn on well!

- Bendable band helps keep her headband in place!

- Wig is a pretty pink with blue streaks!

- Wig netting doesn't show through! (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Shoes stay on her feet quite well!

Cons:

- Her gloves are small and her hands can get caught in the cuffs when trying to put them on.

-  Shoe straps can be a little hard to buckle around her ankles.

- Although cute, her bag isn't very functional. The zipper works, but the inside is filled with stuffing to help keep it's shape, making it unusable.

- In my opinion, her hair is too long. It goes past her feet and if you have her standing on the mat she comes with, it kind of sticks to it.

Neutral:

- The front and back of her skirt are sewn together around her legs. It doesn't make it easy to dress  her in different outfits, but it's most likely that way to showcase the design of the dress better.

- Her wig isn't as wavy or as nicely styled as shown in her stock photo, but still cute regardless.

The Verdict:

Dal Heart Macaron is incredibly sweet looking and oh so adorable! While some may not be a fan of the painted on teeth, I personally think it gives her a nice and cheerful look! You will guaranteed love her if you are a fan of the sweet lolita look and Angelic Pretty's designs, or if you just love all things kawaii! She's a little pricey, but that's to be expected with a collaboration doll, and I say she's well worth the price since she does come with quite a few props and accessories! 

Pictures of Parfait, my Dal Heart Macaron:

Pullip Sfoglia: Review

Sfoglia's Stock Photo

To be extremely blunt (please don't kill me for this), I was never interested in Sfoglia from the very first moment I had laid eyes on her and thought I would never EVER buy her. Something about her stock photos just didn't wow me and I couldn't see why she was so beloved by many Pullip collectors. I wasn't sure if it was the bonnet I didn't like or if it was her faceup or if *gasp!* it was her overwhelmingly pink frilled and ruffled stock outfit (which is unusual for me to complain about, since I absolutely adore pink and frilly things). Well, somewhere down the road, that all changed when I had come across some owner photos of her. I couldn't put my finger on why, but somehow she just appealed to me so much more in the owner photos. In that instant, I rushed over to the trusted Pullip Style website and purchased her on the spot!

Upon seeing her in person when she had finally arrived to me, I instantly loved her! She was just so much prettier in person than I could have ever imagined. She has easily become one of my most favorite dolls that I have so far! I couldn't believe that I had ignored and overlooked her. I regret that very much, now.

Things Sfoglia Comes With:

- Bonnet

-Dress

-Hand bag

- Lace gloves

-Pink knee high socks

- Pink strapped shoes

- Pullip Sfoglia trading card

- Pink doll stand

Pros:

- Very sweet faceup! Her painted teeth give her a kind and cheerful look!

- Very lovely pink eye chips with white hearts painted on them

-Pink painted eyelids

- Ringlets are nowhere near as frizzy as I had expected them to be and wig is very neatly styled

(may vary from doll to doll)
- Wig netting isn't visible (may vary from doll to doll)

- She's a great price for a collaboration doll (she's an Angelic Pretty collab. Sfoglia is priced at $107 on pullipstyle.com currently, which is actually very reasonable compared to most other collaboration dolls)

- She has a unique hand that allows her to hold her purse

- Perfect working eye mechs (may vary from doll to doll)

- No issues with body (may vary from doll to doll)

-Shoes don't fall off of her feet

- Decent stock quality; it doesn't seem like it would tear too easily and all the details on it seem to be pretty well sewn on. (May vary from doll to doll)

- Type 4 body

Cons:

- Bonnet has a tendency to fall off her head if you move her head ( a pretty minor problem)

- Her purse doesn't seem like it's very durable. The material is flimsy, and the rhinestones on it could easily fall off and may have to be glued back on.

- Her wig, while very nicely styled, looks and feels a little bit dry, mainly on her bangs and the strands that frame her face. A little bit of anti-frizz serum was needed to fix that (may vary from doll to doll)

Neutral:

- The front and back of her skirt are sewn together around her legs, which could make it difficult to remove her dress or put it back on. It's not something I personally mind, as I plan on keeping her in her stock.

-Stock outfit had loose threads hanging from it, which is just a pet peeve of mine, whether it be on my own clothes or my doll's. It's a problem easily fixed with just a snip of some scissors, luckily. (May vary from doll to doll)

- Her stock outfit isn't as bright of a shade of pink as in her stock photos, but it's close and still quite pretty.

- Her ringlets could potentially become an absolute mess if you happen to play with her a lot or bring her outside often. (I don't have this issue with mine, as I don't play with her in a rough manner or bring her outside, but it's something to consider if you're one who enjoys playing with your dolls instead of keeping them on display)

The Verdict:

Overall, I'm very very pleased with Sfoglia! She's a very lovely doll and any issues with her are, as I've stated, very minor and easily fixable. I would recommend her to those looking for their first Pullip doll  and to those who are fans of Angelic Pretty or just pretty things in general! To those looking for a doll to re-wig or redress,  Sfoglia would be a great choice as she would look great in a variety of different wigs and outfits!

Pictures of My Sfoglia, Primrose (click to enlarge):