Doll review: Barbie Looks model 12 (curvy)

Hello again my dear dolly-friends! It's been an eventful start to 2023. Ms. Rona finally got us and I had to miss the first week of class. This led to me having a lot of catching up, and then we had a week packed with exams. Also, I had to re-glue my ring light that broke last year, but due to circumstances, I never found time for it. My plan was to prepare some content in advance for the blog, but clearly I haven't been able to. Luckily, this week is a quiet one, so I'm trying to find some time here and there to write a new post.

While I don't do doll reviews as often as I used to, from time to time I get a doll that I think it's worth talking about in a dedicated post. And that is exactly the case with this Barbie Looks Model #12. While this doll has been out in the market for a few months now, I still want to share my thoughts with you. Plus, it will give me an opportunity to talk about the upcoming wave from this series. But, without any further ado, let's start the review.

This is model number 12 from the Barbie Looks line. This doll seems to be inspired by the old Barbie Basics line, and all the dolls wear simple outfits following a color theme. They also have Made To Move bodies and feature new head sculpts. She came out last year as part of the "third" wave. I actually think these dolls were meant to be part of the second wave that also featured dolls in black and silver outfits, but due to the pandemic, they were delayed. So, I would say this wave was 2.5.

The doll comes in this clear white and clear box, which is seems to be a pretty standard design for Barbie Signature dolls /collector dolls. I do like the fact that it looks so clean and simple. 

On the back of the box, there's an image of the other dolls in this wave. The quality of printing is pretty poor, and you can't really appreciate the beauty of the other two dolls. From all the Looks waves they've made, this is the one in which I loved all the dolls in the line. I might get one of the other two if I find a good deal. 

This is the first decent photo I managed to get of her right out of the box. 

She uses a new sculpt named Fryda and has very dramatic makeup in shades of green and purple. I do like that her face looks a bit more serious and mature than other Barbie dolls. Her hair has a beautiful color to it, but I don't love the hairstyle. I would love to restyle it but, as we all know, I'm not great with doll hair, and it will take me forever to do it. It also feels quite thinly rooted, which might be an issue when re-styling.

She has a curvy body, which I love. She wears a short black dress with some silver accents. The dress is ruched on the sides and the back. I like the overall design of the dress because it's simple, and I think I could use it as a guide to make my own. However, the fabric looks quite cheap and you can see through it. 

To avoid her dress from lifting, they put these sticky tapes on her legs. Luckily, it came out easy, but be careful if you are planning to keep her in her box for a while.

She's wearing silver sandals. I do like the overall design, and I think they could work well with lots of outfits. However, I do not love the fact that one of her sandals is bent on the top because of the way she was packaged. I think I could fix this by putting the shoe on hot water and bending it until it gets back to its original shape.

Overall, and despite the little flaws, I'm quite happy with this doll. Her face is quite different from my other dolls, so I believe she's an interesting addition to my collection. And I do love the curvy body. Price-wise, I think that the price they have in the US of 20$ is quite fair. However, the 30 € price tag over here (or I have even seen them at 40 € on some sites) is a tad too much for what they are. I think 20-25 € would be a fair price for them over here, but prices for everything are going through the roof, so I'm not sure if my frame of reference for prices still works. However, I must say that this doll was a gift from Mr. Monster, so I'm not entirely sure how much he paid for her or if he bought her on sale. 

Now, let's talk a bit about the upcoming wave. A while back, images of the third wave started popping online. First a curvy girl leaked, and then the rest followed suit. The theme seems to be "color block" or something like that, because they are wearing some bold color combinations. Here's the first curvy gal (photos courtesy of Papusile Mele's Instagram).

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First, I was a bit disappointed the next theme wasn't denim (as they had on the original Barbie Basics line), but also because they look like a downgrade in quality. People have been roasting them online because they say the clothes look too "basic" in a negative way. I like the idea behind having dolls wearing basic clothes in the sense of "wardrobe staples", such as jeans, plain t-shirts, little black dresses..., but this is not it. There are other ways I wish they had approached the "colorful" theme, such as "pastels" or a palette of 3-4 colors. 

Barb mentioned to me that this kind of look like Deluxe Fashionistas, and I do agree. Also, the fabric on the clothes looks extremely cheap, and they just don't scream "collector" to me. 

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Being this said, I do like the fact that one of the Ken dolls (the one with the yellow t-shirt) has a bigger body type, so I'm intrigued about him. I also do think that the curvy girl looks very cute and, while I don't love the general outfit, the pieces could work fine separately. Being this said, I'll wait to make my final judgement once fellow collectors start posting photos of them. 

As a bottom line, I do like the idea behind this line of paying homage to the Barbie Basics, while introducing new sculpts and giving us made to move bodies in different skin tones and body shapes. The two first waves have been solid and there are some gorgeous dolls to pick from. However, with this upcoming wave, I have a feeling that Mattel is about to drop the ball on this line, as they often do with successful lines. I hope I'm wrong though.

Picked this background because it
matches her eyeshadow

That's pretty much all I have to share today. Let me know what you think of this doll or other dolls in this Looks line. Which ones do you have?

This school trimester is going to be a busy one because it's shorter, so I'll end up having lots of exams and projects back to back. This means I probably won't be able to post for a while, but will try to keep up with your posts as much as I can. Good news is that our Easter break starts on the 6th of April, so I won't be long gone. In the meantime, if I have some spare time here and there, I want to start sewing again. A couple of days ago I felt the spark to sew again and have some ideas in mind, so I better start now than wait and do it when I don't feel like it. 

I hope you're all doing well, staying warm and healthy. I'll be back as soon as possible. 

Monster Crafts

More Barbie Looks reviews: Barbie Looks Model #2 (curvy)