#10 vs. #12

Yet another severe weather threat is in the books, and this one was BAD.  Delta, Missouri (to our north) and Lake City, Arkansas (south) took it the worst, Murray, Kentucky very nearly shared Mayfield's fate, and Cape Girardeau took a glancing blow.  You could SEE the tornado that hit Delta on Cape's tower camera, and it was a giant!  The whole KFVS crew had to take cover...and for that matter, KAIT had to too.  A fire chief died between Delta and Advance (MEGA-sad face), and a state trooper was injured when his home got hit.  This outbreak was very draining mentally and emotionally, and I'm praying for a reprieve.  This has been a scary spring, and it's not over yet. 

Now that the update is out of the way, I'm talking Barbie again, two dolls in particular.  This post is based on a Reddit thread I found while I was waiting for my adrenaline rush to go away last night.  The post concerns these two Barbie dolls, Signature Looks #10 and #12.

Both dolls are from the same Signature Looks wave, one that incorporated black and silver ensembles.  I think I've said in the past that #10 was my favorite of these dolls, mostly because of her strong face and streamlined outfit.  #12...I liked her enuff to consider bringing her home, but I never did, and I admit that she doesn't set my heart aflame'a like #10 does.  Apparently at least some Redditors feel the same, thus the thread.  Some Redditors didn't love #12's dress, labelling it "dated," and I admit that I'm not a fan either.  It cuts her in half at the chest and makes her top half look too small...or her bottom half too big, one or the other.  I mean, I get that Mattel is probably trying to accentuate her curves, but they overdid it just a bit.

The overall consensus on Reddit is that the dress killed #12; I found images elsewhere of Redditors who redressed their #12 and loved her that way.  I also have had negative things to say about Signature Looks clothes; remember that the first thing I did with my #16 was redress her.  I don't like her stock outfit much.  I'm not a big fan of ANY of the curvy Signature Looks' outfits, in fact; I thought #2's jumpsuit made her rear and thighs look huge.  Being curvy myself, I've never wanted to accentuate my rear and thighs.

As for the dress worn by #16, I flat-out hate it.  Love her face, love her hair, hate-hate-HATE that dress.

Getting back to #12, a handful of Redditors also critiqued her makeup.  Indeed, her paint is garish, but I'll go against the grain here because I like it.  Her eyeshadow reminds me of peacock feathers.

This doll also loans herself well to repaints if you've got that skill (I don't), or to a simple restyle of her hair (which I can do).

This post started by comparing #10 to #12, right?  Well let's face it:  #10 is drop-dead gorgeous.  I've been smitten with her ever since she made her debut, and #11 and #12 just kinda faded into the background, even though #11 has red hair and #12 has bold makeup, both of which I like on a doll.  But...gosh, I don't know what all it is about #10 that I like.  As I said above, she has a strong face with sleek hair and a streamlined outfit, and I just like her a lot.  I haven't ruled out one day adding this one to my collection.

But it's nice to see that not everyone is against #12 like I originally thought.  In the right clothes she too can be striking.

And as I type, the thunder returns.  I'm so over these storms I could scream.

Stormy love,
RagingMoon1987

A no-no

As usual, I've been a little bad this pay period.  I bought a Living Dead Doll and a LUV doll (spoilers!), and I also fell in love with the doll Miss Emily is using as her new...well, now that Lina is getting married Emily needed a new nude model, one that could do body comparisons without worrying about upsetting a significant other.  The new model, Petra, is a Barbie Signature Looks #20 with straight red hair and a lovely, moody face.  I wanted that head, but I didn't want to rip Miss Emily off yet again, so I picked Barbie Looks #16 from the color block wave.

My first Signature Looks doll!  These Signature Looks are fun because their faces are serious, but they're not out-and-out nasty like those of some Integrity dolls.  Seriously, I'd like to slap Eugenia Perrin-Frost, and I wouldn't mind taking a swing at Agnes Von Weiss either.  Admittedly Andra (named after her head mold) doesn't look the happiest either; she wears an expression that looks a little like I felt the day I bought her, January 30th.

Without going into too much detail, I'd had an altercation with a patron at the library that day and I was just...oh, not even mad, just OVER IT.  In certain lights Andra also looks OVER IT.  I wouldn't want to mess with this little doll if she were human...but I'd still pitch her out of the library if she got a 'tude with me, LOL.

Despite being thick Andra can do everything that Cassandra and Isolde can.  I don't do much with Isolde because I don't want to mess her lolita dress up, but she can move with the best of 'em.  Andra can too.  Her elbows were extremely stiff fresh out of the box, but she's loosening up.

Shucks, I wish I could move like that!  Being big is no excuse anymore.  But then again Andra has no sciatic nerves to get injured or inflamed...AND I'VE GOT TWO!!!  Only one is inflamed, but still...sigh, I know I'm not the only one, and I couldn't do some of these moves even at my most limber period in life.

Sciatica or no, the grace with which these curvy dolls "move" makes me feel like a hippopotamus, and not a curvaceous, well-dressed hippopotamus like Ms. Heavenly Hippo is.  Mind y'all, I like hippos, but I don't wanna feel like one.  That said, I love Made to Move Barbies, especially these curvy ones because they don't feel as fragile.  It bums me a little that the Fashionistas don't have those bodies, but then the Fashionistas wouldn't cost what they do if they did have Made to Move bodies.  The Fashionistas WERE jointed at one time, far back before some modern-day Barbie fans were alive (2011, LOL), but they're not jointed anymore and...WELL THAT'S ALRIGHT, THEN!!!  Now...just between y'all, me, and the cocoanut tree, I don't like Andra's outfit much, largely because of those shorts.  I'm not a big fan of shorts unless I'm sleeping in them.  Indeed, of all the color block ensembles, I think Andra's is the weakest...well, maybe it ties with that one Ken's pink and purple getup.  That's kinda...ewwww.  Kinda like Calvin in orange sunglasses.

No time like the present to hop on Etsy...no, no, NO, BAD MOON!!!  I see a bad moon rising...heck, I AM a bad moon rising!  But no, I said that I need to behave myself with my money, and behave myself I shall!  Andra will have to rock those homely shorts for awhile, but she's Barbie so she can.  Besides, I do have a couple'a things that I bought before stepping back from Etsy, things that are specifically for curvy Barbie, but y'all will have to wait awhile to see them.

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987