Grails!

I am beyond elated because my Pullip Chloi had just arrived today! I had decided to call her Esmeralda, because her eyes glitter and shine just like emeralds! She, along with Helena, my Pullip Bonita, are two of my grails that I thought I wouldn't ever be able to get! I feel so lucky to have gotten such a good deal on them, especially with Chloi, who I had won off of an auction, which, to my surprise, no one else had bid on! To have them both right now is like a dream! If I can just get my hands on Celsiy, my grail collection will be complete!

 To those who are reading this and are in pursuit of your own grail (or grails), I would like to lend you some encouragement. No matter how rare the doll you're looking for, or whether or not your doll is limited edition, do not lose hope! Keep on searching and remain patient, and sooner or later, you will find them for a great deal! Good luck!

Pullip Bonita: Review

Bonita certainly lives up to her name, because she is absolutely beautiful!  Everything about her is just gorgeous from head to toe! She was one of my grails, and having her in my collection is like a dream come true for me, since I thought I'd never be able to get her! Bonita is a limited edition doll that was released back in 2010 (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) and while she isn't listed in the sold out archives on PS, she has yet to show up for sale there and of course every other listing of her online has her outrageously priced! I was fortunate enough to find her on ebay for $210 (though without the style book) and even now I can't believe how lucky I was to get her! 

Pullip Bonita Comes With:

- Satin fascinator embellished with lace, netting, beading, and feathers. (Ties around her head with a satin ribbon.)

- multi-strand pearl necklace with lobster claw clasp

- Two purple satin gloves

- Purple and black satin and lace top 

- Purple and black satin and lace skirt

- Purple and black satin purse

- Black dotted tights

- Purple heels

- Mini book with a picture of Bonita on the cover (matches the actual style book)

- Pullip Bonita's trading card

- Doll stand

Pros:

- Gorgeous glittery violet eye chips!

- Glamorous faceup! Purple and brown eye shadow are placed along her crease, outer corners, and lower lash lines, berry colored cheeks, and dusty rose lips!

- Lids are painted a shimmery purple with black liner!

- Her wig is a lovely deep brunette! In certain lighting, it can look almost black with a bit of a wine colored tint to it!

- No wig netting showing through! (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Wig is fairly manageable and easy to take care of.

- Her accessories are so cute!

- Stock outfit is beautiful and adorned with lots of lace, bows, and roses!

- Type 4 body!

- Shoes stay on fairly well. (I kept on the plastic around her legs since it's hidden fairly well by her stockings to prevent them from staining her legs, so it's possible that it's helping her shoes stay on better.)

Cons:

- Satin material frays easily.

- Stock outfit can potentially stain her body. (Bonita comes wrapped in plastic to protect her body from staining.)

- The bow on her skirt is not sewn on well. Mine was coming undone and I had to stitch it back on. (May vary from doll to doll.)

-  Her purse opens and closes with velcro. This is a problem since her purse is made of satin, and the velcro can ruin the material if it snags onto it.

- Her necklace and hat can be a hassle to put on.

- Very costly doll. She's no longer being sold on the Groove website and is not currently listed on pullipstyle.com. She runs from $300-$600 on other sites.

Neutral:

- Bonita's eyes don't close all the way, but it seems that that's just the way she's made, based off of what I've seen in other owner photos.

- Her stock outfit is not one piece, her top and skirt are separate. It's not a huge issue, but in a way, I wish they did make it one piece because her skirt sometimes slips down a bit.

The Verdict:

If you really want her and have the means to buy her or have found her for a reasonable price, I would definitely urge you to get her. She's limited edition, so I would advise you to jump at any good deal that you can find if you're really looking in to buying her! I assure you that you will not be sorry if you happen to purchase her! I cannot stress how beautiful Bonita is and she is easily among my favorites out of all the dolls I have so far! She's an absolute treasure that would be a great addition to any doll collection! While she would look very pretty in other outfits, I would recommend not redressing her if you plan on putting her back in her stock again, since she has some pieces that may require a lot of patience to put back on as well as some very delicate pieces. I know I personally don't want to redress her myself and put up with the tedious work of putting her original stock outfit back on her, but it's really up to you on what you would like to do if you choose to get her. 

Pictures of Helena, my Pullip Bonita:

My New Doll Set-Up!

My collection continues to grow as my space for my dolls continues to dwindle! My husband and I just recently put up some shelves to help with what will most likely be a never ending battle of making room for them, especially since I have a few dolls on their way to me as of right now (Pullip Kirsche, Pullip Snow White, and Dal Huge Cinnamoroll for those who may be curious) and many more on my wishlist! I find it so hard to stop building up my collection even further. It's like once you start, you just can't get enough!  I felt it would be best to put all my Dals up on the shelves since they're a bit shorter than the Pullip dolls and were being hidden behind them. Heck, some of my Pullips block my other Pullip dolls from view! (Pullip Misako, I'm looking at you... blocking poor Hannah like that!) I may have to find more ways I can rearrange them so that way they can all shine on display without being overshadowed by another doll, but for now, this is an improvement!

My Doll Family

Here they are, my lovely girls! It was a bit difficult for me to get a picture of all of them together, as they all take up most of the space that I have on my large dresser! I'm going to need to find other ways to display them soon... ^^; It's too bad that some of them are being blocked from view, but starting from the back from left to right we have Little Pullip Sea Police Marilyn, Dal Heart Macaron (Parfait), Dal Maretti (Camille), Dal Dalcomi (Plum), Pullip Varele (Estelle), Pullip Alice Du Jardin Mint Version (Alice), Pullip Tiphona (Fiona), Pullip Sfoglia (Primrose), Pullip Hannah (Marron), Dal Milch (Aria), Dal Sakura (Himeko), Pullip Tokidoki Lunarosa (Dahlia), Pullip Akemi (Hanabi), and Pullip Bonita (Helena)! Soon I will have both Pullip Midori Fukuzawa and Pullip Misako Aoki too, and I also preordered Pullip Tokidoki x Hello Kitty Violetta! So I'm really excited for them!

As you may be able to tell, I'm a huge fan of both Dal and Pullip! I most certainly favor them over all of the others in the Pullip family, though are a couple of Taeyang and Isul dolls that interest me (such as Isul Nekoneko Maomao, Isul Milk Tea, Taeyang Lead, and Taeyang Mad Hatter Du Jardin). I don't know if I'll be getting them anytime soon as there are so many Pullips and Dals that I currently have on my wishlist, but maybe somewhere down the road they'll be included in my collection. I have a feeling Isul will be joining my doll family much sooner than Taeyang will, though,  as I think he's way more adorable (probably because he has such a feminine look to him and because he looks extremely cute in dresses too)! As far as Byul goes.... I'm not so sure about her yet. I haven't seen a Byul that just made me have to get her so far, same goes for Yeolume...  We'll see though. Who are your favorites out of the Pullip family, and what do you love most about them?