Roughly a month ago, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to buy Pullip Youtsuzu for the sole purpose of transforming her into CLAMP's Ichihara Yuuko! I picked Youtsuzu because I thought the accessories and even parts of her outfit would really come in handy, plus, I thought that the way her eye makeup was painted was pretty close to Yuuko's eye shape! I just felt I had to do it no matter what, and so I got started on her right away, and just a couple of days ago, I had completed her! For comparison purposes, here are some pictures of her before I got to work on her!
As you can see, she is a very beautiful and elaborate doll! She's absolutely perfect to keep on display. I was actually almost hesitant to start this project when she had arrived, but I'm glad that I decided to go through with it!
There actually weren't too many changes I did on her to achieve Ichihara Yuuko's look, but it was still a time consuming process. What I had to do was change her wig and style it a bit, replace her eyechips, give her thicker and longer lashes to help make her eyes appear more narrow, remove her blush, and of course, re-do her lips! (The lips were actually the most challenging part, as I used acrylic paint on them. It required a lot of going back and forth painting on multiple layers and then sanding it down to create a smooth, clean, and even appearance, and it was so hard to do all this while trying not to ruin the shape I had created for them!) Also, you guys may not be able to tell in her current outfit, but she was also re-bodied with a large bust 27 cm Obitsu body! I felt it was necessary, considering that Yuuko is fairly busty, but still really slender.
If you are familiar with Yuuko, then you can see how close this body is to her body type! The only thing it's missing are those long, willowy limbs that CLAMP characters are so well-known for!
I'm actually really happy with the outcome! I personally feel that she quite accurately portrays Yuuko's character! She's already become one of my most favorite customized dolls so far!
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!
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!
I haven't updated this blog in a little while, so I thought I'd post about my newest Project, Project MIO! I've bought my very first Pullip Make It Own Face & Body Kit, and it'll be the first time I will be doing a faceup of any sort! So far, I haven't actually started working on the faceup itself. I'm still in the process of gathering materials, but here are the things I've got so far for her!
Face and Body Kit - I got mine in Fair and bought it off of Pullipstyle.com! You can also buy these kits at Junkyspot.com! The kit comes with a face, head, body, an eye mechanism, eye lids, eye lashes, a pair of clear eye chips, and a total of six screws.
This wig is one I found off of ebay! Surprisingly, there's a lot of very cute wigs for sale there in the size 8-9!
And here are some very cute shoes and accessories I've found just from browsing through ebay, etsy, and other various sites! I'm going for a pastel goth look for my doll, so these were perfect! You'd be surprised at the things you can find if you just look around. Shoes are from mimiwoo's ebay shop, necklace is from blacktulipshop, and the bow is from Minty Minty's Store Envy Shop!
Other materials I have and plan to use are Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils, Mungyo Pastels, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, makeup brushes, and elmer's glue! There's still a few more things I'll need, but I'm almost there!
Also, reviews for Pullip Classical Alice, Pullip Super Stella, and Dal Vendettina will be on their way soon!
Pullip dolls are beautiful collectible fashion dolls that are great for displaying and for photographing! They're highly detailed and elaborate dolls, and with that comes a steep price. With a doll that costs such a pretty penny, of course you would want to keep them in the best, most pristine as possible condition, right? Technically, the best method to keep them safe would be to leave them in their box, but it's a bit hard to admire them fully like that. (In my opinion, that is.) So, for those of you who are like me and like to display their dolls out of their boxes and to those who are just beginning their own Pullip collection, I decided to compile a list of some very easy and simple ways to help keep your dolls in good condition!
1. Keep your dolls out of direct sunlight!
Too much sun exposure can cause damage to your dolls over time. It can ruin the plastic and cause yellowing. This damage is can be difficult to reverse depending on where the staining is at and may require you to sand off the stain. Unfortunately, this method can also land up removing the doll's faceup if the stain is on the face. This does not mean you can't take your dolls outside once in awhile for an outdoor photo shoot, though! Just be sure they aren't frequently being subjected to direct sunlight!
2. Display your dolls in a room that is of a comfortable temperature!
When finding a place to put your dolls on display, make sure you choose a room that isn't too hot! The heat can melt the plastic, particularly the plastic on the body.
3. Have some glue handy!
Sometimes, no matter how carefully you handle your doll, something WILL fall off. Whether it's a rhinestone, bead, bow, rose, or whatever else, a dab of super glue can easily fix it right back into place! It's also useful for preventing ribbon from fraying! Just be careful with how much you use and what color the ribbon is, otherwise it could leave behind an unsightly mark when it dries!
4. A needle and thread may be necessary!
If you are deft with a needle in thread, it may come in good use! Sometimes certain details on stock outfits are not stitched on so well, and sometimes accidental tears occur. Most of the time, these things can be fixed by sewing them back together, though it may not work on lace or net material.
5. Snip it away with a pair of scissors!
Be it a loose thread, too-long bangs, or an uneven wig, a pair of scissors will be of great help! A snip here and there can even help reduce frizz on dolls with curly wigs! Just be careful you don't cut off too much, as doll hair doesn't grow back!
6. Keep a bottle of anti-frizz serum nearby!
(Not my video!)
If you aren't confident with boiling your doll's hair or don't want to rewig your doll, just a little anti-frizz serum can go a long way when it comes to taming your Pullip's messy locks! It really does make a dramatic improvement and it's such an easy way to keep wigs looking nice! It can even help tame any random hairs that happen to be sticking up out of place! Alternatively, you can also use wig spray. Remember to try to keep the products away from their face!
7. Safely store any extra accessories, clothes, and props in a sealed container!
Some dolls come with extra clothes, accessories, miniature plush dolls, and more! It is just as important to take care of these things as it is to take care of the dolls themselves! During the times that you aren't using certain pieces, it would be wise to keep them all together in a safe place that's sealed away. This way, you won't be able to lose them (and they ARE easy to lose, being so small and all) and there will be no way for them to become dirty, broken, or get eaten away at by moths and will be perfectly good for future use!
8. Color Fast!
A lot of dolls with dark clothing can stain your doll's body. Color fasting your doll's clothes can help a great deal to prevent dye stains! Here's a nice, easy tutorial on how to do it using just a few things that you can find in your kitchen cabinet! This site also has many guides on how to repair your dolls and more that would be good to check out!
9. Magic Erase it!
Sometimes, color fasting doesn't always work. Do not fret though, as you can greatly reduce or completely remove the staining with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! You can also buff away shiny spots with a DRY Magic Eraser on the doll's face, just be very careful and precise when doing this, so you don't accidentally ruin the faceup!
10. Lastly, while we're still on the subject of staining....
Keep anything that can stain your doll's body away from their face, whether it be their clothes or even certain accessories! Try to also prevent a doll wearing clothing and accessories that can stain from ruining your other dolls by making sure that they aren't being displayed too closely together and are not touching!
That concludes basic care for Pullip dolls! Hopefully those of you reading this have found this to be helpful!
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!
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