As I sit here patiently removing the tape on the box that has just arrived, I wonder… will I be one of the lucky ones that receive a doll with no quality issues?

The Blythe Adores Anna release for January 2017 was licensed for sale only in Asia. Only 500 dolls were made available through an international lottery. The rest had to be purchased in store via lottery in Japan. I entered the lottery just for fun but when I got the invoice I knew I had to get her. Besides she matches the handbag I bought in Japan.

Junie Moon always packages their dolls very safely, a heavy outer cardboard box packed with paper, a shipping box and then the doll inside.

The first thing that struck me about this doll was her unique hair colouring. The only doll that comes close is Red Delicious with her dark hair that shines with red tones in the light. Her box, stock and eyes are beautifully toned with purple.

Upon opening I note that my doll does not appear to have any of the quality issues that have popped up this week such as crooked eyelashes, lip scuffs, smeared nail polish, black marks and very misshapen eye sockets. I am one of the lucky ones. Her eye sockets are not completely smooth like other dolls I have but I am happy with her face. Looking up close with my makeup artist’s eye I can see that her lipstick is slightly uneven but nothing I can’t live with.

Time to take her out of the packaging. Something different about how she is held in the box is that they are now using white ribbon to hold the feet in. There is also a piece of fishing line across the doll holding her in the box.

The Doll

I think the main reason I decided to get this doll is that she is wearing huge amounts of blush. Can’t go past a blushy babe like this. Her lipstick is slightly overpainted like the Miss Sally Rice lips and she has warm brown eyeshadow that compliments her eyes. Her stock chips are all special colours including purple (forward), apple green (left), pale blue (forward) and soft grey (right). She has special coloured eyelids also which give her a more decadent look than the standard stock girls. Another reason that she reminds me of Red Delicious. Her eyelashes are very long, they flare out on the outer corners like the more popular fake lashes people are using these days.

Her hair is in two big twists and will need some treatment with wig spray or a warm water wash as it is greasy. I would also suggest setting the ends in foam rollers to dry.

Her pull ring is also Anna Sui inspired and features a purple butterfly. This doll truely is a special release due to her unique colouring alone. She comes with pierced ears and two silver butterfly earrings.

Her left ankle is stained gold but I was able to remove it with a sponge. You can see the joint pins in her knees and ankles.  Her face appears to be slightly more matte than other regular releases. Did I mention the blush? Love it.

I think she is pretty versatile in terms of what colours she can wear. From yellows and golds to soft pastel colours. Her stock has a lot of red and blue in it and they suit her too. Was a little worried that she would only suit regal or designer looking outfits but she still looks adorable in a casual pyjama shot. I found that even with my poor night lighting I was able to get photos of her not looking washed out. Thank that blush.

Stock Clothing

Firstly I will say that the hat is absolutely divine! Soft plush fur in purple with a black plastic Anna Sui signature rose on it. I would wear this myself.

To remove the plastic protecting her body from staining I have to strip her down. Her underwear is cute purple stretch lace panties. Her dress has a lace top and floral printed skirt that are attached together. Both fit well and are of high quality. It is a mini replica of the “Anna Sui Lace and cotton-blend jacquard mini dress” from her Fall 2015 clothing line.

Her shoes are the same design as the boots that came with Red Delicious (black with gold soles) and Regina Irwin (gold). I do not like the colour or pattern on these shoes, it is like a grey cowhide. They are mini replicas of a collaboration Anna Sui did with Frye to create a line of Nordic style shoes. The real boots are much cooler. “Tall heeled boots from the Anna Sui x Frye collection”.

She comes with dark purple tights that are thick and slightly too long for her legs, they bunch a little in the crotch. The boots do fit well over the top though. I suspect these may stain the legs though so use them at your own risk.

Her sunglasses come in pieces like the glasses that came with Allie Gabrielle and Kiss Me True. They are big and blocky with purple shades. They do have the Anna Sui logo on the side. I couldn’t find any sunglasses that matched exactly in her collections.

The earrings are a little flimsy, silver butterflies attached to string that is beaded with purple glass look beads.

This doll would of course not be complete without a designer handbag. Her tiny black satchel closes with velcro and has soft fur along the top. The real thing was featured at New York Fashion Week as part of her “ready to wear” Fall 2015 collection.

 

Overall I am impressed with this doll. Her stock is high quality and mine was not affected by the issues that many people have discovered on their dolls. She is definitely a keeper in my collection.

Quality Issues

So far the known quality issues with this release are very crooked eyelashes, flawed eye sockets with misshapen edges, smeared nail polish, lip paint scuffs, black paint dots and more mildly frizzy hair. For the smeared nail polish, I would just remove it using isopropyl alcohol and re-paint it. Hair issues are frequent and can be treated by washing the hair or using a wig spray on it and setting it in rollers to calm down the unruly ends. It is a shame that a doll of this price comes with any issues at all. The process for returning them I believe includes sending them back to Takara (not Junie Moon) via their Fedex account and then they either send you a new doll or fix the issues. I believe this can take around 3 months.