Fun and Flirty

 Backtracking a bit and sharing what has turned out to be one of my favorite outfits from the La Vacanza collection, Look 5.  I passed on this outfit initially during the preorder period. Why? I don't know, but I was lucky enough to pick it up in the leftover sale. Modeled here by Bonjour Paris Sabina, it is perfect for hot summer days.

The off center bow on the back is fun and different.

You have to add shades for summer time, right? Sabina is rocking them and the hair bow.

I thought the ponytail wig from Moments of Joy worked really well for this look as well.

Rococo and Cake!

 I haven't felt inspired to blog much lately, as sometimes it feels like I'm in a bubble and there really aren't that many people that actually read blogs anymore. I got such a nice message from a fellow collector this past week regarding the blog and my photos though, which inspired me to make a bit more of an effort to try and share my dolly love through this format more. So thank you to all of you that take the time to leave a comment or express your appreciation on a photo etc. It really does provide more encouragement that you will know!!

 I also got the new dolls from Jamieshow/Owensu's Versailles collections (Rococo and Let Them Eat Cake) in, so have some new things to share.  There were 4 dolls total between the two Versailles offerings, and I preordered 3 of the 4. I felt that I could do without Sabina, as to me, her makeup was similar enough to her Bonjour Paris release (with the exception of the jewels by her eyes, which I wasn't sure about anyway). Below is one of the Jamieshow promotional photos featuring elements from both Rococo and Let Them Eat Cake collections.

The first release, Rococo, featured 2 new dolls, Sabina and Astrid, 4 short dresses (as pictured on the left above, and the three couture gowns). There were also several couture wigs and one rooted wig cap style offering in 4 colors. The second release in February, Let Them Eat Cake,  featured 2 more dolls, Eileen and Camille, as well as 4 different resin dresses (on the right in the photo above), 4 accessory packs, more couture wigs and 4 different chairs. I chose 3 of the 4 dolls, all 4 colors of the rooted wig cap option and all 4 of the short dresses. I was able to pick up all 4 accessory packs in the leftover sale this past weekend.  Camille was the first doll I deboxed and I chose to put her in the short blue dress, as it matches her eye makeup so well. From the promotional photos, I though her eye makeup would be a little more teal, but once I got her in hand I realized it is a blue that matches the blue dress perfectly. She chose the brunette rooted wig cap. Each outfit comes with hair accessories to put in the updo wigs.

A closeup of Camille's gorgeous face. When I preordered the dolls, I thought out of the 3 I chose that Camille would probably be my least favorite, although I really loved all 3. In reality, she's probably my favorite in hand.

One more of her, just because I like the angle.

Next out of the box was Let Them Eat Cake Eileen. Eileen was the one I gasped over in the promos and added to my cart first. She is so different than her Bonjour Paris predecessor. She truly almost looks like a different sculpt. I chose to put her in the purple short dress with the purple rooted wig cap. This dress has a corset style underneath that was a bit of a surprise to me. The bodice then snaps at the side over the corset.  I love the details on this dress. All of the dresses I purchased have amazing details.

This dress also comes with a mask (that you can see in her hand above). Close up of Eileen's beautiful face.

I realized I didn't really take full length shots of the girls above where you could see their boots. The picture below shows the boots for Look 1. The Purple outfit has the same boots, and the blue outfit has blue boots in the same style. The pink outfit has pink boots. I chose Dangerous Love Ginnie to model Look 1 below, as I just thought it would suit her well. She's wearing the black rooted wig cap from the collection.

Three of the 4 short outfits have "Cage" petticoats. I don't know the correct name for them, but they are a separate piece that goes under the skirt and they are very structured. 

Close up of Ginnie

I decided to photograph the fourth outfit without the "cage" petticoat underneath as there were several folks on the Muses FB group asking if you could use the dresses without the "cage". The pink dress is the least structured and I felt it would lend itself the best to this look. Please note, the back and front are both shorter than the sides, to allow the drape over the petticoat. I think the look is fun and flirty on it's own, with no jacket or petticoat, and can look very contemporary. Moments of Joy Grace is modeling here.

Grace also decided to replace her boots with mules in a slightly different shade of pink for this look.

Lastly, Astrid decided she didn't want to wear Rococo, so she chose something sparkly from the Bonjour Paris collection. I love the freckles on this version of Astrid, they are very natural looking, very well done. She is the first one of the Muses to have freckles. She is also the first Muse to have an open mouth sculpt.

More of these girls to come in a later post, but a parting shot of Astrid in the mean time.

 

La Vacanza

 In February the 2023 Summer Muses collection, La Vacanza, made it's way into collector hands. The collection was made up of 6 dolls, 2 new male sculpts and 4 female sculpts, 2 of which were new sculpts. I, of course, had to order the 2 new males, Gabriel and Dusan. On the female side I only preordered Ginnie. Ginnie is my favorite female muse sculpt, so anytime she makes an appearance she gets preordered. A quick shot of my three preordered dolls. upon arrival. From left to right, Dusan, Ginnie and Gabriel.

I was very excited by Gabriel's promos as he had a new wig cap style. Below is the promo pic.

In reality, the wig isn't styled quite as nicely as it is in the promos, but Gabriel is certainly a handsome new sculpt in the line and I'm glad I added him to my collection, even with the fuller wig cap. I am a bit hair challenged, but I might have to purchase some product and see if I can tame it a bit. I am happy that a new hair style was introduced for the men. I just wish it was executed a bit closer to the promo. 

Ginnie was the first of the three LV dolls that I redressed. Here she is modeling one of my favorite outfits in the collection, Look 7. There are a lot of fabulous mix and match pieces with this set.

I was pleasantly surprised by Ginnie's eye color. She has gorgeous blue eyes, which makes her different than the other two versions of the sculpt that already reside here.

The earrings for this outfit are little bird perches, tying in with the pattern of the coat.

The lace sheath dress underneath the coat will be a very versatile piece to add to the Muse girls wardrobe.

Under that gorgeous hat, Ginnie is wearing my favorite wig from La Vacanza, style 3, which I later went back and picked up the remaining colors I didn't preorder. It's a wonderful, versatile new hair style for the girls with a side swept long bang and a braided chignon in the back.

I wish they had offered some type of red option as well. Below are the color choices offered for the above mentioned wig. I guess the whimsical pink offering this time around took the place of a shade of red, typically offered in most Muse lines. I do like the pink, so I can't complain too much! 

A deeper dive into more of the outfits I received from the La Vacanza collection coming in a future post!

The Daniels

 As I noted yesterday, I've been a bit remiss on my doll blogging. I can't believe it has been almost a year since I had last blogged prior to yesterday. Life has a way of getting away from you sometimes. I'm hoping to do better this year. I thought today I would take a look at my two Daniels from the Jamieshow Muses line. I really didn't have plans to add a second Daniel to the mix, as I was very happy with my Dangerous Love version, but when I saw Moments of Joy Daniel, he called to me loudly. He looked very different than his predecessor, to my eye, so I ended up caving on him in preorders and I'm very glad I did. Here is a shot of Moments of Joy as soon as he was out of the box, in the clothing he came with.

I like that MOJ has a straight gaze, instead of side glancing like Dangerous Love. I thought from the promos that MOJ would appear older, but in reality I think DL may be the elder of the two.

Here they are both dressed in black. Dangerous Love Daniel wearing Look 5 from the DL collection and MOJ Daniel in Look 13 from his collection.

I have always loved the lips on DL Daniel. They are just a bit fuller than his brother from the MOJ collection, I believe.

As my shelves become fuller, I need to be choosier with my selections from upcoming lines and try not to duplicate sculpts, but I have a real soft spot for the men, and I can't say that I'm sorry that I picked up a second version of the Daniel sculpt. I think with one forward glancing and one side glancing I should be satisfied from here on out, but I've learned never to say never where my doll collecting is concerned. Who is your favorite?

The Dragon

 I have been quite remiss with my blogging, something I hope to remedy a bit as we move forward this year. The Muses continue to remain the focus of my collecting. I have quite a bit to catch up on with them on the blogging front, but today I decided to get Moments of Joy Daniel out and put him in the Dragon Robe I purchased from the Go East collection.

Daniel is wearing a wig cap from the newest LaVacanza collection. Every collection, I hope for more wig styles/colors for the men. We finally got a new style with the latest collection, although the blonde version of this style was pulled due to an error in execution from the factory. My version needs a little restyling at the top, but in the end I was very glad to see something different. 

The robe suits Daniel well. The embroidery is very well done, although it does not extend around to the back of the robe, it is just on the front portion of the sleeves.

There was a white version of this robe as well, which I passed on during the preorder period, and there were none of that version in the leftover sale, so I missed out on it. I am however happy to have picked up the black version. I should state, his boxer briefs did not come with the robe, they came on the men from the Bonjour Paris collection.

They Wore Yellow

 When I saw these outfits in the Jamieshow Bonjour Paris collection, I knew I had to have both of them. Dangerous Love Ginnie and Alejandro model Looks 8 and 14 from the Bonjour Paris collection.

Everybody Wants You

 Aiden is no stranger to attention. He seems to get a lot of it here, but I don't think he minds.

The price of being beautiful.