Pullip Merl Nostalgia: Review

I got the adorable Pullip Merl Nostalgia back in April of this year, and she is by far one of the cutest dolls I've ever seen! This darling little sailor was released back in 2013, just a year after the original and very popular Merl. Although both versions of Merl have the same style outfit and hairstyle ( with the only difference being the color for both), that's about where the similarities between the two end. Merl Nostalgia is very much her own doll, and not just a carbon copy of the Merl that came before her!

Pullip Merl Nostalgia Comes With:

- Two hair bows (One large and one small) attached to a barrette

- Red Choker with miniature key pendant

- Sash with key charm

- Red coat with button detailing and pleated hem

-  Sleeveless cream colored dress

-Striped knee high socks

- Faux leather boots with ribbon laces

- White doll stand

- Pullip Merl Nostalgia's trading card

Pros:

- Great quality wig! It's styled very prettily in loose waves and is a beautiful sandy color! It's also very soft and manageable, and the wig cap does not show through! (May vary from doll to doll.)

-  She has a very nice faceup that consists mainly of pink colors with just a touch of shimmery white eye shadow near the inner part of her eyes, giving her a fresh and natural appearance! Her eyebrows are thin and somewhat short and match the color of her wig, and her lashes are simple and are painted a medium brown color. Soft pink blush and pink glossy lips finish off her look! 

-  Her eyes are a bright, vivid blue that really stand out, especially in pictures!

-  Most everything about her stock is beautifully made and is of good quality, despite being made of such light material! Her boots are especially well-made, and actually seem like they could be real shoes!

- Her shoes are very secure and fit her feet very well! There should be no issues with them falling off.

- She's very versatile and would look amazing in almost any clothing style and various different wigs!

- Type 4 body! 

Cons:

- The key charm on her sash can fall off, and it seems like it coming loose is a very common problem. 

Neutral:

- She doesn't come with any extra props, unfortunately. It would have been nice if she did, but most of the later Pullip releases tend not to come with much anyway.

The Final Verdict:

Pullip Merl Nostalgia is without a doubt, absolutely worth getting, whether you've got the original Merl or not! There's nothing really negative to say about her at all, and she's sweet looking and adorable. Also, as I had mentioned before, she would look good in just about anything! Currently, she is sold out on Pullip Style and on Groove's website, but she can still be easily obtained at a fair price on amazon and dollmarket! So, if you have her eye on her, I wouldn't hesitate to grab her while you still can!

Pictures of Marisol, my Pullip Merl Nostalgia:

Pullip Regeneration Paja: Makeover

I've always thought that Regeneration Paja was as cute as a button as is, but unfortunately, her wig left me a bit disappointed with it's poor quality. Because of that, I had planned to buy my Mikan a new one as soon as I had taken her out of her box and saw how bad it was, but I kept procrastinating and getting distracted with buying more dolls to add to my collection instead, but then I got Evangeline (my Raphia) and dove right into customizing her, and after I had finished her, I was inspired to finally start working on Mikan! I purchased an orange wig for her, and I also ended up buying her some beautiful green eyechips with some yellow and brown mixed in from KiraKiraMeansSparkle! (The exact ones I had bought were in the color Frog.) Then, I thought that since I was going to end up taking her apart to change out her eyechips, why not paint her eyelids? I always thought it would be nice if her eyelids were a fun color instead of just plain, and that it would add a nice personal touch!

I wanted her eyelids to match her faceup and her overall color scheme, so I decided to paint them yellow, and then I brushed on green pastel at the bottom of each lid to create a gradient effect! 

Brushed on some gloss varnish to finish off her eyelids after I had finished painting them!

After doing all of that, and after having given her new lashes, it was time to put her all back together again! I was amazed with what a difference the new wig and eyes had made in her appearance!

Before:

And after:

She's wearing Isul Nekoneko Maomao's glasses!

While the biggest part of her transformation was finished, I still really wanted to get her a whole new outfit. I really do love her pajamas and her dinosaur kigurumi, but I also felt limited when it came down to taking pictures of her with it on, so I began to shop for clothes for her right away!

I was thrilled to have found her such cute pieces that had the same color scheme as her stock outfit and went well with her faceup! My favorite piece definitely has to be her overalls, which I bought from anniedollz on etsy! It suits her perfectly and is just so cute and well-made! In case anyone was wondering about the rest of her outfit, too, I got her hair clips from MilkChocolateDream, the shirt and the legwarmers from Cool Cat, and her green converse shoes from Mimiwoo! 

I think she turned out really darling, and she looks so vibrant and full of life! Even though I had not made very many changes to her, she definitely has much more personality than she did before, and I couldn't be more happy with how she turned out! I'd say that this makeover turned out very well!

Dal Vendettina: Review

Like Super Stella, Dal Vendettina is a SDCC 2014 exclusive and part of the Tokidoki doll series, being the first Dal to be included within the series! Crazily enough, I fully intended to pass this little villain up, but I still kept looking at pictures of her, and the more I looked at her the more I started to adore her! Her stock photos don't do her justice at all, and seeing her in person made me even more happy!


Dal Vendettina Comes With:

- Candy-shaped hair clip with a scull printed on the center
- Sequinned mask
- Cape with skull and bone clasps and Tokidoki character designs printed on the inside and a skull and cross bones printed on the back
- Black faux leather one piece dress and clear plastic underlay
- Heart and cross bone faux leather belt held together by velcro
- Fishnet arm warmers
- Black and purple skull and cross bone cropped leggings
- Black faux leather boots with bones printed on them
-  Black staff with skull and bat wings
- Black doll stand


Pros:

- Her wig is in a cute shoulder length style and is a beautiful deep purple color with fuschia and yellow streaks!
- No wig cap showing through! (May vary from doll to doll.)
- Striking bright blue eyechips that really stand out!
- Amazing faceup! Vendettina has sharp purple eyebrows, giving her an angry expression suited for a villain. She also has amazing blue eye shadow as well as blue bottom lashes, which is very different as most doll releases don't have colored lashes like that! The inner rims of her eyes are painted black, and she has glossy purple lips that are just gorgeous!
- Her stock outfit has some really fun details and prints that scream Tokidoki!
- Type 4 Body!
- Boots stay on her feet very well!

Cons:

- The material that her one piece and boots are made of are not my favorite. The vinyl material is kind of cheap looking and it tends to wrinkle and crease, and it's not very sturdy.
- Her belt is very flimsy and the emblem on it can fall off of it very easily.
-  Unlike Pullip Super Stella, Vendettina is unable to hold the staff that she comes with.
- Her body is pretty floppy and she has some loose joints. (May vary from doll to doll.)


Neutral:

- Vendettina's cape is not posable like Super Stella's is. It would have been neat to have that feature so that you could see the design on the inside of her cape a bit better.
- She's a little on the expensive side on Pullip Style. (She's priced at $120 USD) She is a limited edition doll though, and part of a collaboration at that, so it's somewhat justified. I suggest looking around though to see if you can find an even better deal just in case. On ebay, you can actually find a listing priced at $99 USD right now! Here's the link for anyone who is looking to buy her!

The Verdict:

Dal Vendettina is a pretty unique release and is perfect for those who are Tokidoki fans! Even if you aren't a fan of Tokidoki, I say that she's still worth getting because of her very original faceup! She would look very good redressed in other styles too, especially in punk or gothic fashions!


Pictures of My Dal Vendettina:

Pullip Galene: Review

Pullip Galene is the newest addition to my Pullip family, and I couldn't be more happy to welcome her to it! I've had my eye on her for a little while now, and to finally have her is like a dream! Galene is a Creator's Label doll that was released in 2012. She's quite a gorgeous doll with an elegant style, and it's a mystery to me as to why she so often gets overlooked! I don't know if people are put off by all the grey she's wearing, but I think that it really is unfortunate, because she's a real beauty, and this is coming from someone who usually gravitates to the more brightly colored dolls with crazy colored hair!

Pullip Galene Comes With:

- Floral headdress that ties around the back of her head

- Lavender coat with silver button detailing

-  Choker neck dress embellished with beads at the front and sheer netted skirt with multiple layers

- Gray ruffled shorts

- Detachable ruffled train skirt that snaps on

- Lace arm warmers

- Beaded bracelet that ties around her wrist with ribbons

- White thigh high stockings with lace lining the tops

- Beaded snap-on ankle cuffs with tasseled bottoms

- Brown heeled Mary Jane shoes

- White chair

- Pullip Galene's Trading Card

- Black doll stand

Pros:

- Her wig is an unusual dark gray color that isn't a common color found on most Pullip dolls and is styled into thick, full ringlets!

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

- Pretty faceup! Her eyebrows are straight and fairly light, and are a bit on the thin side. Her eye makeup is simple and not overdone. She has smokey grey and brown eye shadow, and has a bunch of faint, thin lines painted right above her crease line, which is kind of an interesting detail. She also has brown eyeliner around the top of her eyes and lots of thin brown lashes bordering the bottom of her eyes. The inner rims of her eyes are also painted pink! Finishing off her look, she has light pink blush and beautifully painted lips that are nude and coral pink in color and are shaped in a way that make them look very full and pillowy!

- Amazing black eyelids with shiny black eyeliner!

- Her eyechips don't have any sparkle or painted designs in her pupils, but they're a very interesting greenish-gray color and are somewhat transparent looking!

- Her stock outfit is extremely well made and so detailed! There's ribbon, ruffles, and beading everywhere, and it's all so lovely! Her coat is versatile and can be used with other outfits, and the detachable skirt is a fun way to change her look up a bit.

- Her nails are actually painted! It's a really neat touch! There definitely aren't very many Pullip dolls released that have painted nails, and actually Galene is the first out of all my dolls to have that detail!

- The chair she comes with is really nice looking and also very well-made! It is made from plastic but it has been painted to look like wood, and the seat of it is actually somewhat soft and lightly cushioned! It needs to be assembled and the pieces snap together, but it is also still quite sturdy. It really is a fun prop to use in pictures, too!

- Shoes stay well on her feet!

- Type 4 body!

Cons:

- Like most curly haired dolls, her wig is quite frizzy, and the shorter curls near the top of her head are a bit strange looking.

- Her shoes are a really soft plastic, which unfortunately means that the heels of her shoes are prone to bending under her weight. It's a pain to deal with when placing her on her stand, especially.

- Her headdress has a tendency to fall off her head.

- Her stock outfit has a lot of thin, delicate materials on it that can easily tear if you aren't careful.

Neutral:

- She's slightly pricier than some of the other Pullip releases, but it isn't too steep. Pullip Style currently has her for a bit less than normal at $120.

The Verdict:

If you are considering getting Galene but are a bit hesitant about whether or not you should buy her, I will have to encourage you to take the plunge and  do it, because she is worth it! I cannot stress enough how unbelievably stunning she is! She is really one of a kind and definitely not one anyone should pass up on! I understand how some may feel that her stock is too busy, but if you look past that, you will see just how lovely she is and that she can actually look great in different clothing styles and wigs! 

Pictures of Fiore, My Pullip Galene:

Needle Felting: Mokona

With the completion of my custom Yuuko doll, I thought it would be really cute to make some little props for her, too! I decided that the first thing I'd make for her would be something needle felted, as I really wanted to improve my skills at needle felting, and I figured that Mokona would be perfect! I actually ended up making the White Mokona, as I had lots of white wool on hand and I wanted to use it as a test to even see if it was possible for a beginner like me to make something that wasn't from a needle felting kit before going out and buying all the colored wool that I would need to make Black Mokona!

To my surprise, it was actually a very easy project. Mokona's body is essentially egg-shaped, and his hands, feet, tail, jewel, and ears are all very simple shapes to make! I actually feel that the most difficult part was getting the face right, to be honest. Despite that, I feel very confident to start working on Black Mokona now! He's already in the works, and the base of his body is just about done! I'm considering posing him a bit differently from White Mokona just so he doesn't seem like an exact copy. Yuuko will have her little companion with her, soon!

Pullip Raphia: Pullip Makeover

After all this time, I finally took the plunge and have started to customize my stock dolls! At first I had been worried about customizing my dolls, but after having done a full faceup and putting together a MIO kit, I've become much more confident and brave in my abilities to modify my dolls! The first girl I had attempted to makeover was my Pullip Raphia, whom I had named Evangeline. Evangeline was a Christmas gift, but I found that I could not really connect with her as I had with my other dolls, and I really felt terrible about that, so I thought maybe changing her look would help!

She underwent quite a dramatic change. The first thing I did was sand off her original lip color. (I used 1200 grit sandpaper to ensure it wouldn't leave scratches or damage her.)  I wasn't very fond of the orange and white colored lips she came with, as they seemed to really clash with her whole look, and I wanted to make her lips more natural. I also felt she needed more color on her cheeks and eyes, so I added more blush and a splash of yellow pastels to the inner corners of her eyes! Using a dark brown watercolor pencil, I also drew on a couple of droopy lashes on her eyes, and with a lighter brown pencil, I placed a beauty mark right below her left eye!

Once finished with her faceup, I replaced her eyechips with some new ones from kirakirameanssparkle (in the color Sidhe)! The new eyes really are so vibrant in color and gave Evangeline a more lively look!  

Next, I gave her a curly light blonde wig with pigtails that I had found on ebay!  Her stock wig really needed to go, as it was really frizzy and coarse. It was very poor quality and it didn't do much for her. I think her new wig is much more flattering and its softer and doesn't get tangled like her old one did. Plus, the style of it is just too cute! Lastly, I changed  her out of her stock dress and into a dress that I had bought on ebay!  I found it while looking for dresses for my Dal Heiwa, but since the dress was originally meant to fit a Blythe, it ended up being too baggy on her. Luckily, the dress fit like a glove on Evangeline and actually looks really good on her!

I'm actually really pleased with how she turned out, and I do love her so much more than I had before! I was really amazed with what a difference such small and easy changes have made in her look! I feel like I have bonded with her more through the whole process, and she is now one of my most favorite dolls in my collection, so I declare her makeover to be a huge success!

Handmade Doll Props

Ever since I had become a part of the doll hobby, I've been wanting to craft some of my own little props for my dolls. Once New Years had rolled around, I made it one of my dolly New Years resolutions to take action and actually do it! For now, I'm sticking with making food items out of both paper and air dry clay, and shading my pieces with pastels and coloring them with  acrylic paint, but I do plan to start working with polymer clay and resin soon! I'm really excited to see how many different materials I can use and seeing what else I can create!

Here are some of the things I have made so far:

Cupcake

From left to right: pink macaron, maple bar doughnut, chocolate doughnut, fried egg, bear shaped doughnut, pepperoni pizza, and cheese burger

These three little cookies are some of my favorite pieces! Each of them is about a third of an inch!

Plate of spaghetti

Hot dog

Cinnamon roll

Ice cream with whipped cream and cherry on top! <3

Presenting Amethyst, My Very Own Make It Own Pullip!

I've completed my very first Make It Own Pullip doll a few months ago, and I can't believe I forgot to post about it here! I have named her Amethyst, and before I had started working on her, I had already decided that my first custom doll would be a cute pastel goth girl! I wanted her to have a sweet look, but with some edginess mixed in. She actually turned out just how I had envisioned her, so I'm really happy! She's my pride and joy!

Here's a shot of her right after I had finished working on her faceup. I actually have made her eye shadow a darker purple since then, and added more pink to the inner corners of her eyes, but the shape of the eyebrows and the color of the blush and her lips are the same. :3

I chose to do some really bold eyemakeup on her to emphasize her eyes, and made her cheeks and lips a soft pink to add some balance.

I painted her eyelids mint green to help tie in all of the colors together. ^_^

My most recent picture of Amethyst! You can see how much I've darkened her eye makeup in this picture!