Pullip Karen: Review

Pullip Karen is a vision of loveliness with her rich, chocolate brown curls, luxurious wine colored stock outfit, and her remarkably done faceup! Her entire look has a somewhat mature and elegant air to it, but it also is fun and interesting, and her expression makes her seem so sweet and innocent! All of these traits have been blended together beautifully and in such a way to where nothing about her seems odd or out of place! It's apparent that there was a lot of hard work and detail put into her design! She is truly an artistic masterpiece! 

  

Pullip Karen is a collaboration doll between Mitsukazu Mihara x Juliette et Justine and Groove. Her design was based off of the cover illustration of Vol. 45 of the Gothic & Lolita Bible from back in August 2012! The doll is very well done! She resembles the cover art perfectly!

Pullip Karen Comes With:

- Red and gold bow headband

- Satin top hat

- Two clip on hair extensions (similar to Pullip Varele and Pullip Canele's)

- Long sleeved white blouse with ruffles, lace, and a bow placed at the neck

- Satin burgundy dress with tassels, a strand of pearls placed across the chest, and bow detailing on the skirt, as well as a printed underskirt and black petticoat with lace underneath it for added volume.

-. Detachable ruched sash (I do not really know how else to describe it, but it is placed right around her waist and is held in place with velcro It could possibly be part of her skirt that they just decided not to sew onto the dress itself.)

- White stockings

- Burgundy heels with ribbon and organza flowers on the back of them.

- Pullip Karen's trading card

- Doll stand

Pros:

- The wig is a nice shade of brown and her curls are really pretty! 

- The wig cap does not show through! (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Her eye chips are a pretty bluish-grey! 

- As I've said already, her faceup is exquisite My personal favorite thing about it is the way her eye makeup and eyelashes were done It's so dramatic looking, and she has so many lashes that are done so perfectly and are placed so close together! I'm really impressed with how that was done! Her lids are painted beige, and the rest of her faceup is simple, consisting of light pink blush and glossy pink lips with painted teeth to balance everything out! Her brown eyebrows match her wig and are slightly lifted upward to emphasize her happy and friendly appearance!

-She comes with a lot of head accessories that are fun to mix and match and change out They're all very cute and very easy to put on her There was no struggle tying on her hat at all!

-The bows on her skirt and the strand of pearls are pinned on, allowing them to be removed completely or placed elsewhere on her outfit if you choose Her sash is also detachable, making it easy to modify her look a bit!

- The underskirt has a beautiful and eye-catching print that adds visual interest to her outfit!

- Her shoes are adorable I love the little ribbons placed on the back of her heels I thought it was a nice touch. 

- Type 4 body!

Cons:

- Her wig is really frizzy, though that's kind of to be expected with curly wigs Also, while most of her curls are soft, there were a couple of odd, coarse patches that I had to snip off Her extensions have the same issue with frizz. (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Her dress stains I was a little sad to find that it had left such noticeable red stains on the blouse she wears underneath it, so now it can not really be used separately on its own with other outfits. 

- Her headband (the one with the large bow) is pretty heavy and falls off of her head easily, even though the band is adjustable and it has a comb to help keep it in place, it does not help.

- The tassels can come undone easily if you touch them too much.

- Her shoes can fall off her feet easily.

-Her outfit is a bit hard to remove and put back on They do not come off very easily and you have to be very careful and patient Also, it is so annoying putting her outfit back together, especially trying to pull her dress over her blouse sleeves. My Pullip Karen's arm accidentally popped out of her socket and I only partially removed her clothes so I could put it back, and it was a nightmare to deal with. 

Neutral:

- Her price may be a little much for some on Pullip Style (she costs $ 127.95), but it needs to be taken into consideration that she is a collaboration doll, and that they always run for a bit more than non-collaboration dolls. Also ,she could be found for a slightly lower cost on amazon, so that would be a good place to look if you want a better deal on her. I got her for $ 99.93 on there with free shipping!

The Verdict:

Pullip Karen has a lot of character and is very unique! I personally think she's very pretty and I adore her! If you're a fan of Juliet et Justine and lolita fashion, this doll would be worth getting! Some may find her outfit overwhelming or even weird looking and unappealing, but that could be fixed with a simple change of clothing! She'd look really pretty in different outfits too, so do not be put off by her stock! It would be a shame to pass up such a beautiful doll just because of that.

Pictures of Amelie, my Pullip Karen:

Pullip Kiyomi: Review

After so long of not being available anywhere, listings of Pullip Kiyomi began popping up one by one like daisies on ebay and amazon! Even PullipStyle has her available for preorder right now! I've always liked Kiyomi and had wished to buy her but she was never available, and I figured I'd never get her with her being such a popular doll and that I would just have to forever admire her in pictures (a bit over-dramatic, considering she isn't even a sold out doll yet), but I suppose miracles do happen! Having her in person, I can see why she's the favorite of the Beary Fairy Series! 

Pullip Kiyomi Comes With:

- Plush bunny hood

- Pink bunny scarf

- Baby blue polka dotted top

- Multi-layered halter dress made from netted material

- Pink terry cloth scarf with purple bunnies

- Fleece polka dot hoodie with a functional zipper on the hood

- Pink terry cloth shorts

- Beige polka dot knee high socks

- A pair of plush slippers

- Pullip Kiyomi's Trading Card

- Doll Stand

Pros:

- Simple, versatile faceup! She has thick straight eyebrows that give her a sweet and friendly look, brown, pink,and white eye shadow, honey colored lashes, and soft pink blush and lips!

- Her glittery gold eye chips are stunning!

- Her wig is very soft and wavy and is a beautiful mix of golden brown and blonde! Really easy to manage and very little frizz!

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

- Bunny hood is so soft and the bendable ears are fun to pose! It's also really easy to remove and put back onto her head, unlike with Dal Dalcomi's hood.

- Entire stock outfit is extremely cute! She can also wear it in different ways! For example, you can untie the ribbon that ties around her neck and tuck the top part of her dress under her skirt and keep her blue top on her, or you can remove the dress entirely and have her in her shorts and her top with her scarf tied around her hair, or have her wear her hoodie with it!

- No chance of stock outfit staining her!

- Perfect working eye mechs! (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Type 4 body!

Cons:

-  The material for the dress is very thin and can rip and tear.

Neutral: 

- Her joints squeak and creak when you bend them, but it's tolerable enough to deal with. (May vary from doll to doll.)

The Verdict:

I highly, highly recommend Kiyomi to both new collectors and veteran collectors that don't have her already! She's beautiful and is just about perfect with how easily manageable she is! Fans of the fairy kei style will adore her, and even if you aren't fond of fairy kei fashion, she's a very versatile doll that would look great in almost anything you put her in! If you decide to buy her, you won't be sorry!

Pictures of Lavender, my Pullip Kiyomi:

To Keep in Stock, or Not to Keep in Stock?

I do not own the rights to either of these photos, but am using them as an example that is relevant to this topic. Both of the dolls pictured above are both one in the same, only one is completely stock and the other is customized. Personally, I think they both look great! 

Earlier just today, while looking to See if There Were any new video uploads from any of my favorite Youtubers, I came across an unboxing video of Pullip IO by Thehollycopter. In the video,  IO is completely stock and then later near the end , she is shown re-wigged and redressed. I didn't think much of it, as there are many Pullip owners who customize their dolls to varying degrees, from changing out eye chips to doing a full custom faceup. When I scrolled down to read the comments, I was really shocked at some of the negative things people had said about the changes she had made ​​to her doll, some people going as far as saying that she had completely ruined the doll by giving her a different wig and not keeping her doll in its stock outfit! Stating your personal opinion is one thing, but being downright rude is another thing altogether.

I can totally understand why some people may not want to make any changes to their dolls and like them as they are; I myself have quite a few dolls in my own collection that I wouldn't even dream of touching. On the other hand, I also have a couple of dolls that I DO plan on making some slight customizations to eventually because * I * think they would be a big help in improving their overall look and make them more to my liking. It's nice to be allowed the option to customize dolls, and it's part of the fun of collecting Pullips, or any doll for that matter. It provides a creative outlet, and gives collectors a chance to express their own tastes and styles and create what in their eyes, is the perfect doll. It's also nice to appreciate a doll exactly the way it is without making any alterations to its appearance. Ultimately, it's all up to the doll owner's decision on what they do with their dolls, and it shouldn't matter to anyone else so long as that person is happy! It's best to just remember that everyone has different tastes and not put anyone down for something that they like.

Now that that's been said, what do you all think? Do you prefer to keep your dolls stock or do you like to customize? If you customize your dolls, do you only change a couple of things or do you make your dolls beyond recognition? What are your reasons for keeping your dolls stock / customizing? I'd love to know, so please feel free to comment and discuss!

Pullip Sailor Moon: Announcement Date and First Impression

The much anticipated Sailor Moon doll, which has already been released here in Japan, will have an official US announcement of her release is expected in just days! Some time around June 10th, a date will be given as to when she will be available for pre-order/purchase by JPGroove. Unfortunately, rumor has it that unlike with the Japanese release, Pullip Sailor moon will not be coming with a little plush version of her feline mentor and companion, Luna. it's a little bit disappointing in a way, as you can't have Sailor Moon without trusty Luna by her side to help give her confidence and guidance!

Personally, I'm on the fence about Pullip Sailor Moon. I've been a huge fan of the anime since the age of five, and I love the manga and am excited for the anime reboot. That part of me really really makes me want to like this doll, but much to my dismay, I find myself to be underwhelmed over this Pullip. No, it's not just because she doesn't come with a plush Luna, but I feel like that her design was poorly executed. I can't seem to get over her wig. The way it's styled seems sloppy, especially her buns. The bright yellow color of it doesn't look so nice to me, either. I think it would have looked better in a more natural blonde color. It just looks cheap and like it's bad quality, in my bluntly honest opinion. 

I also am not a fan of the material that they used for her skirt and the bow and brooch on the front of her sailor uniform, either, or of her boots. They look flimsy and like they wrinkle and crease easily. I do, however, really like her earrings. That's pretty uncommon for a Pullip to come with! She also has a very pretty and versatile faceup! Overall, I think that they could have really done better and I don't think I'm going to be adding her to my collection. We'll see though, maybe some owner photos will be able to change my mind. 

Sources: 

http://pullipsandjunk.com/2014/05/24/pullip-sailor-moon-is-not-a-bandai-exclusive/

http://www.pullipstyle.com/resource/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=38023