New doll: Barbie Fashionista 185 (curly hair and freckles)

 April has just arrived, and Easter break is about to start, which means I won't have school for a few days. And honestly, it was about time. I had a few relaxed days after the exams, but then we got a whole load of work to do before the break. But finally, here we are, about to unbox a new doll.

This is Barbie Fashionistas #185, that came out probably last year. Mr. Monster bought her for me a while back and she's been sitting in her box waiting to be unboxed, and her time has finally come. This is not going to be a very in-depth review, as this doll has been on the market for a while now, but I still want to take the chance to take some pics of her and let you know what I like and don't like about her. 

A quick mention about the box. For a couple of years now, Mattel has been doing this plastic "pencil case like" boxes for the Barbie Fashionistas. I guess the idea behind it is to waste less plastic, as this can be reused. It looks like a good way to transport dolls while travelling. However, if a kid has quite a few of these dolls, I wonder how many of these cases are going to be reused and how many are going to be thrown away.

I'm not really in the market to buy more stiff Fashionistas, but when I saw this one, I found her very cute with those freckles and her beautiful textured hair. On top of that, I found that her outfit looked nice for what some Fashionistas wear. So, I put her on my list and got her when Mr. Monster found her on sale.

While I do think she has a beautiful face, her face paint is pixelated, which sadly something you can find on some Mattel dolls. Also, the face paint feels a bit glossier than usual, which made her a bit harder to photograph. Besides that, she is as cute as a button. 

I'm not sure about what sculpt she uses. At first, I thought she used the Dreamhouse Nikki sculpt, but the back of her head says 2011, which could mean she uses the playline Mbili sculpt.

I like the overall design of her dress and this bleached denim print they've used. However, you can tell it's not very well made and those silicone straps are probably going to break in a couple of years. But I do feel this could an easy dress to recreate, so let's add it to my ever-growing list of "things I want to sew". 

What I do not like at all are her shoes. She's wearing these white boots that look like they're too big for her. And, to add wound to the injury, her heels are bent. 

Since I didn't like the boots, I decided to change them for these silver sandals that came with Fashionista "Pretty in paisley". I'm not completely sold on them, but at least I like them better than those boots. 

Overall, I'm quite happy with her. It's a pity that her face is pixelated, but I do understand that these dolls are designed for a kid to play with, not for me, an adult, to photograph. She is still cute. Really, I don't have anything else to say about her besides that she's adorable, but quality-wise there are a couple of things that could be improved. 

Thanks to everyone that took the time to leave a comment on my last post. Some of you really went above and beyond to leave such detailed tips. I think I'm going to focus first on making a basic dress, even if it's not the exact same design as the one on Barbie Style; and the ribbed jacket once I find the right materials (since I decided to make it, colorful ribbed socks are nowhere to be found). As for the dress, while I was taking photos, I kept wondering if it would fit original Barbies, as this would be a wonderful guide to make basic dresses. Turns out it does.

(Update 10th April: turns out this doll is not a petite Barbie, but an original body Barbie. I don't know why I thought she was a petite, and sorry if my review mislead you). 

Since I've been busy, I haven't finished the swimwear I was working on, so I will finish that first and then try to work on a basic dress pattern. I do have some content planned for the next month or so, but I'll make sure to share it over here once it's finished.

I hope you're all doing well. I will drop by your blogs these next couple of days to see what you're up to. Take care.

Monster Crafts

This post was first published on themonstercrafts.blogspot.com. If you see it published elsewhere, it's been plagiarized without my consent.