REVIEW: LOL OMG Swim Basics Coastal QT and Paradise VIP

I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the OMG swim line. I liked all three designs, but the $15 price tag for dolls without arm articulation or even shoes seemed pretty high. 

I saw Coral Waves (the 3rd in the line) at Walgreens for a decent Buy 1, Get 1 Half Off deal, but they only had her. I was just on vacation to my usual spot in Florida and I spotted the trio at Family Dollar. As you can see, they're $15. I thought about it for a few days, but ended up with Coastal and Paradise, because I knew Coral was likely not going to leave my Walgreens anytime soon. 

While I don't think they're worth $15, we are dealing with a time of higher pricing on all items. I don't know if these dolls actually come in 2 variants: one with articulated arms and one without. I saw pictures from one person that had those, but when I've looked at ones for sale online, I only see the unarticulated versions. So the fact that they're only being sold in stores I don't get to a lot, as opposed to readily available from the big names, combined with my liking their designs and the appropriateness of me buying swim dolls on my beach vacation all came together. 

As soon as I opened Coastal yesterday, I knew I'd chosen wisely. Her hair is fantastic! There's something about her that's really gorgeous. I think it's that OMGs are so often really over the top, whereas Coastal has natural coloring, a simple yet classic swimsuit, and adorable freckles. 

Maybe the $15 is for the sheer amount of hair. While Coastal only needed a quick brushing, Paradise had to hit the salon. The pink part of her hair is not gelled, but the three long black curls are. I rinsed those out, then ran conditioner through her hair with my fingers to tame some of its extreme volume. Once rinsed out, she dried overnight and now her hair is still enormous, but the curls tightened nicely. 

I do have to note that these girls are not thickly-rooted. I see a lot of people in the Rainbow High group I'm in complaining about sparse rooting. Trust me, these two dolls have sparse rooting, but you would never know it. With a little work, even a doll that looks bald in spots should have plenty of hair coverage. Sometimes it's a conditioning, sometimes it's a simple brushing, but none of these dolls should show bald spots after a little hair work. 

I added these two to my mermaid/swim display and I don't regret buying them at all. In fact, now I'm really excited to go find Coral Waves! Maybe I'll swing in Walgreens on the way home from work. Ooh, or check Target for the new Tweens. Or both!

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.