Byul Rhiannon: Review

I'm not the biggest fan of Byul and there are very few that I find to be cute. Most pictures of her that I have seen don't seem to quite paint her in the most flattering of ways, but I have heard people say that she just doesn't have a face that photographs well, so when my husband had won Byul Rhiannon (who, by the way, is a limited edition of 2,000) in an auction, I was a bit curious as to what she would look like in person. When she had finally arrived, I still didn't know quite what to make of her. It wasn't until my husband had unbound her from her packaging that I began to see her charm! She really does have a sort of endearing and babyish look to her!

Byul Rhiannon Comes With:

- Lace hat with feather and ball chain embellishments

- Steampunk mask that straps around her ears and ties at the back of her head

- Dog tags

- Fake black leather top with two golden belts and sleeves lined with organza

-  Striped arm warmers

- Sheer, ruffled pants made from organza (?)

- A golden bag with studs and functioning zipper

- Umbrella

-  Gold painted platform shoes

- Byul Rhiannon's trading card

- Doll stand

- Limited Edition Certificate

Pros:

- Cute, subtle orange faceup and uniquely painted lashes!

- Very affordable price!

- She has beautiful bright orange eye chips that really stand out!

- She comes with a lot of accessories that you can use to change up her look a bit!

- Her parasol is functional and can open and close easily! The rod is also sturdy and made of metal!

- Shoes have a strap across the ankle that help keep her shoes on her feet and prevent them from falling off!

- Eye mechs work well! No stiffness when moving them from left to right! (May vary from doll to doll.)

Cons:

- There are lots of loose threads that are hanging off of her stock outfit and it kind of gives it a sloppy appearance, in my opinion. This also may make the material prone to unraveling, so it would be best to be careful with that.

- Her dog tags are a pain to put on, being so tiny. You may land up spending a lot of time trying to pick up and string her tags back onto the chain before you manage to actually put it on her.

- Her body is very loose and floppy. (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Her wig is frizzy and gets frizzy easily and constantly needs fixing every time you try to pose her.

Neutral:

- While the zipper is functional on her bag, it's filled with stuffing and cannot be used to store things in unless you choose to remove it, but then it would loose it's plush appearance.

- It's a hassle trying to pose her with her parasol open.

The Verdict:

If you're a fan of Byul and steampunk fashion, I think she'd be worth getting. Despite her being limited edition, she's priced cheaply and you can find her on amazon for under $100, which is a pretty amazing deal considering all that she comes with too! However, her overall stock outfit can seem like a bit too much for some and can be overwhelming and even a bit frustrating to deal with, so keep that in mind before purchasing her.

Pictures of Tourmaline, my husband's Byul Rhiannon:

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:

Pullip Snow White: Review

It took me awhile to realize that I actually wanted Pullip Snow White. I have always seen her around while shopping for dolls, and I'd always glance and her and think to myself how cute she was, only to pass her up. Well, I finally came around to getting her, but not without any trouble. It's a bit of a long story, but I basically had originally bought her off of amazon.com, but the seller landed up messaging me saying that they had lost her, and gave me a full refund. After that, I tried looking elsewhere and found a listing on Ebay that I felt was reasonably priced enough, only to get a message from that seller telling me that they didn't ship to APO addresses despite them not specifying that in their listing, and I got my money back from them. Just when I thought getting her just wasn't going to happen, lo and behold, Pullip Style had brought her back in stock, and for much less than what I was originally going to spend on her! So I bought her from there and of course, being as reliable as they are, they shipped her out fast and she arrived within a week! While I went through a lot of hassle for her, I'm so glad I didn't give up on her, because she truly is a lovely doll!

Pullip Snow White Comes With:

- Adjustable bow headband

- An apple shaped purse with beading and embroidery and a beaded handle

- Red and white dress complete with puffed sleeves, frills, lace, beading, ribbon threading and bows

- White tights

- Red pumps with and ankle strap

- Pullp Snow White's trading card

- Doll stand

Pros:

- Her faceup is much more unique than I thought it would be! She has red, brown, and green eye shadow, with lots of brown lashes and subtle streaks of silver lashes painted along the bottom half  her eyes. I never would have thought of using all of those colors together, but it works and looks nice. She also has rosy cheeks and  red lips that have just the right amount of color to them, not too sheer or too overwhelming.

- Her lids are painted a nice reddish-brown color that matches her red eye shadow!

- Her eye chips have a lot going lots of detail. They appear to be blue with lots of gray streaks surrounding the pupil and have yellow and white dots and lines painted on them to simulate the look of shine. It gives her a lively look!

- Her wig is such a pretty ebony and her curls are so cute! It's also very soft!

-  Her stock outfit and accessories have so many intricate details on them and are very opulent! They're definitely suited for a princess!

- Her shoes fit pretty well and don't slip or fall off!

- Type 4 body!

- Perfect working eye mechs that don't get stuck and aren't stiff! (May vary from doll to doll.)

Cons:

- Her stock has a lot of little pieces that can possibly fall off and get lost, so it would be a good idea to handle her stock as gently as possible.

Neutral:

-  Her wig has some frizz, but nowhere near as bad as most people tend to say. I was expecting it to be full-on frizz fest, like with Pullip Hannah's wig. I may have gotten lucky with that.

- There is some wig netting showing through, which is normally a bad thing, but you have to look really hard to see it, since it blends in very well with her wig. 

The Verdict:

Pullip Snow White is definitely a winner in my eyes! Though she does not look exactly like the Snow White most of us are familiar with, she is just as fair and beautiful! She has a very sweet and kind look that's perfect for the character she represents! Whether or not you are a fan of the story of Snow White, there is no denying how stunning she is! If you're planning on getting her, I highly recommend going through PullipStyle to buy her, because she's much more affordable there compared to the listings you might find on amazon and ebay.

Pictures of Scarlette, my Pullip Snow White:

Dal Heiwa: Review

With big brown doe-like eyes and pretty pink hair, Heiwa is the epitome of all that is cute! After spending so much time admiring her, I finally had made her part of my collection! The insanely talented Poison Girl had truly created a treasure when she designed her! Though I cannot stop gushing over how adorable Heiwa is, what makes me love her the most  is her amazing back story! If you haven't read it, I suggest reading this article  (which is also linked on Poison Girl's website) that gives a little insight on how Heiwa came to be! I truly think that it makes her all the more special!

Dal Heiwa Comes With:

- White wooden antlers

- Pink knit sweater

- Long sleeved beige dress with pintucks, lace, bead buttons, and a layered skirt with a beautiful lace bow and pink rose for decoration

- White mesh tights

- A pair of fuzzy legwarmers

- A pair of cute pink platform shoes

- Dal Heiwa's trading card

- Doll stand

Pros:

- Really unique faceup! She has delicate light brown eyebrows that are ever so slightly angled upward, teal eyeshadow with little teal speckles dotted along her temples and cheekbones, pink shadow along the inner corners of her eyes, triangular shaped lashes, rosy blush on her cheeks, and pink heart-shaped lips!  These small touches really stand out as Poison Girl's work!

- Her brown eye chips are very pretty and are complimented by her wig!

- Wig is a nice blend of light pink and hot pink!

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

- Her hair is very soft and smooth and is styled in a way that makes it very easy to manage! She also has parted bangs that are a nice change to the usual straight-across bangs that most Pullip and Dal wigs have!

- Her antlers stay in place quite well despite the headband not being adjustable or having anything to keep it in place!

- Her sweater is so cute and versatile! It would look nice paired with other outfits!

- Her entire stock is pretty well made and of good quality!

- Absolutely no issues with her eye mechs or her body! No stiffness, no wobbly torso, and no cracks! (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Her shoes stay on her feet well! I have not had a problem with her feet slipping out of them, despite them being a bit loose.

Cons:

- Heiwa is a little expensive, especially for not coming with too much. She is currently priced at $127.95 on pullipstyle.com

Neutral:

- Though I don't see this as an issue, what may bother some people is that her wig is a bit on the thin side. 

- While she doesn't have a pouty expression, she sort of has a somewhat sad look to her face, which some may not be overly fond of. Personally, I think it adds to her dainty appearance.

The Verdict:

While Dal Heiwa isn't so budget friendly, I feel she is worth every penny. She's adorable, feminine, unique, and overall, a very good quality doll! I really can't find anything about her that I can really complain about! She would make an excellent first doll for those beginning a collection and I'm sure that fans of Dal would just love her! So don't pass her up!

Pictures of Fawn, my Dal Heiwa:

Pullip Chloi: Review

Words cannot describe how excited I am over Chloi! She arrived just yesterday and I can't help but glance over at her and giggle like a little girl! She is my second grail, and having her in my collection makes me feel like I'm over the moon! Originally though, I had wanted Clara, but I had changed my mind and decided I liked Chloi a little more as I thought her headband looked better and that the green would be a nice change from all my pink and purple covered dolls. Needless to say, I do not regret choosing Chloi one little bit! She's gorgeous, and I feel so fortunate to have her!

Pullip Chloi Comes With:

- Headband with bendable bunny ears and a ribbon that ties around her head

- Embellished tulle choker with studs, feathers, rose, and ribbon

- Two removable lace sleeves

- Strapless green and black tiered dress complete with lace, tulle, and bows

- Matching purse with gold ball chain handle

- Sheer dotted knee high stockings

 - Plastic green heels with straps

- Sheer black netted underwear

- Pullip Chloi's trading card

- Doll stand

Pros:

- Beautiful emerald green glitter eyechips!

- Pretty faceup with subtle green eyes hadow in the crease, peach blush, and peachy pink lip gloss! Her lashes are painted brown, with added white lashes at the top of her eyes.

- Her lids are painted shimmery green with no eyeliner! Most dolls have a strip of eyeliner near their lash line, but Chloi doesn't have that.

- Gorgeous brown wig! It's soft, and has absolutely no wig netting showing through! Overall, very nice quality wig! (May vary from doll to doll.)

- Extremely detailed stock and accessories!

- Bendable ears are fun to pose and can be used to convey different emotions when posing her for pictures!

- Great working eye mechs! Opens and shuts with no issue and eyes move from side to side with ease! (May vary from doll to doll.)

-Type 4 body!

Cons:

- Headpiece is a hassle to put on her. It slides around easily making it not only an annoyance to position it on her head just right, but the process can mess up her hair a bit.

- Her choker is fastened in place by a ribbon and can become untied easily.

- Her stock has the potential to stain her body.

-  Her dress sometimes slides down and has to be pulled up back into place.

- She is very costly and hard to find. Part of this is because she is a limited edition doll from 2010 and has been long sold out.

- Some parts of her stock are pretty delicate and can tear if you handle them too roughly.

Neutral:

- Her hair doesn't have as much curl to it as her stock photo shows. In person, it looks more like the bottom half of her hair is styled in very loose waves. It still looks very nice though.

- Her shoes are very similar to Bonita's, only green. They are a little loose on her feet but generally seem  to stay in place, partly in thanks to the ankle strap.

The Verdict:

Chloi is stunning and gorgeous! Anyone would be lucky to have her! If not for the price, I would say she is a must-have doll. (Most listings I found have her priced from $350-$470 and above.) However, if you really are set on getting her, my advice to you is to keep looking and shopping around for her until you find a good deal. I found mine on ebay by chance and I bid on her, and to my surprise, no one else placed any bids and I ended up winning her for $200. You never know when you're going to get lucky and stumble across on an amazing bargain!

Pictures of Esmeralda, my Pullip Chloi:

Still in box

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!