Salome, the golden girl

Last month when I was searching eBay and Etsy for clothes for Rael, I stumbled across this little looker.  I've chosen to name her "Salome," even though I've always pictured the biblical Salome as a brunette rather than a blonde.   

She's a bit shaggy at the moment, but I'll fix that.  How about some hair clips, chica?

That's better!  I'm very relieved to have Salome in my arms, because over the spring and summer two other dolls that I had coming disappeared into the ether.  One was to be a swashbuckling companion for Kyle, and the other was Kendall, one of the Wellie Wishers.  So ordering and waiting for this doll was both exciting and nerve-wracking, especially when the arrival date kept getting bumped back, but now she's here and I am very glad.  In truth I did feel a teensy bit silly buying Salome since she's so much like Rael.  They both have the Ariel face, and they're both straight Ariels according to Facebook's My Twinn group.  I was hoping Salome might be a Peanut Head variant, but if one looks closely at the width of her forehead it's easy to see that she's not (a Peanut Head has a slightly narrower forehead than a typical Ariel).

However, Salome's eyes are the prettiest shade of amber I've ever seen.  Indeed, I can't remember seeing another My Twinn with eyes like this.  I hope that doesn't mean they've faded with time!

Coincidentally, I've seen one other doll with breathtaking amber eyes this week, that one being one of Xanadu's new Ellowyne Wilde dolls, Right on White.  Her eyes seem to glow from within, just like real Baltic amber does.  Anywho, Salome's amber eyes are the main reason why I dragged home another Ariel instead of the Denika or Tasha that I've been wanting.  Well, that plus it seems that Tasha and Denika are tricky heads to find.  eBay has plenty of Ariel heads...either that or I'm just good at picking them out (Miss Emily seems to have the same problem, LOL).  Either way I've found more Ariels than either Tashas or Denikas, and that's a little disheartening, but it'll just be all the more rewarding when I do find one.  In addition to her lovely eyes Salome is wearing an outfit that I didn't have before, a cute little overalls set.

The ribbon on the right strap is my addition; it came attached to one of my new hair bows.  It says "THANK YOU!" on it, and since the colors are so bright and cheerful I just tied it on Salome's overalls.

Salome is poseable like Rael is, and she has the year "1999" on her tag, just like Rael does.

Salome and Rael are similar enough that I could (and probably will) identify them as fraternal twins.  Rael can be the girly girl, Salome can be the tomboy, and Xenia can be the goofy cousin who enjoys everything.  Regarding nitty-gritties, Salome is in relatively good condition with no snags on her body or gouges in her vinyl.  Her paint is intact and her eyes are clear, though her face is a little grubby and she has sparkly crud between her lips.  I see that a lot on secondhand My Twinn dolls, for some reason.  Some budding cosmetologist, practicing on her dolls, maybe?  I wiped the worst of the sparkly stuff away.

She has faint little freckles across her nose.  I don't know how well they'll photograph, but they're there.

Her wig is problematic, as it's mildly tangled and quite dry.

I've brushed it, but it's an old wig so it still looks tangled and dull.  The ends curl up and look becoming, but right in the middle of her forehead is this.  A small thin spot.

The thin spot isn't terribly visible, so I think a deep cleaning may be all this wig needs (it's starting to come loose anyway).  When Miss Emily flips her My Twinn dolls a thinning wig is usually grounds for a re-wigging (the wig was the least of Road-Kill Monika's concerns, LOL).  Emily also astutely notes that a thinning wig is a sign of a well-loved doll, one that had her hair combed and styled a lot during her life.  Salome's shaggy hair and sparkly lips attest to this, as does the sole of her left foot, which has writing on it.

Hmmm...looks a little like a price.  Did someone pick Salome up at a yard sale before I got her?

I've heard of mamas writing a kid's initials on the sole of a doll's foot, in the event that the doll gets lost or stolen during an outing.  However, I don't think that's the case here.  That definitely looks like a price rather than initials, and it didn't come off when I washed it.  Oh well, the mark doesn't show too terribly, and since it's on Salome's foot I can always hide it with shoes.  If I do want it completely gone I can use Remove Zit like Miss Emily does.

In other news, I decided to get Rael some new eyes just in case her current ones do decide to turn.  They are Secrist Real Eyes in golden hazel.

They're a little too green to be a perfect match for Rael's current eyes, but they do have that unusual pink rim around the pupil that Rael's current eyes have, and I like that.  They also look more brown from a distance like Rael's current eyes do, and I like that too.  Let's face it, Rael is an older doll, and when you're an older My Twinn an eye swap could possibly be just a matter of time anyway.  It's not a given like it is with dolls Xenia's size, but it's a possibility.  Oh, and guess what?  One of Miss Emily's dolls wore these eyes at one time too.  Her name was Henna, and Miss Emily decided that she didn't care for the eyes as much!  LOL, hopefully I won't get tired of them too!  Speaking of Miss Emily, her first member of the Ariel squad is up for viewing.  Her name is Cassiel, and she looks ah-mazing!

Since my last post of Rael included a group shot of her and Xenia together, here they are with Salome included.

Welcome home, Salome!

Much love,

RagingMoon1987