Saturday, January 29, 2022
Thursday, January 27, 2022
REVIEW: Glo-Up Girls Alex
Well, this has been a long time coming. When did I review the first batch of these? Ah, way back in August. I remember being annoyed that Alex wasn't available, despite being given to influencers. Here's a tip, Far Out Toys: don't give influencers toys we regular folk can't go out and buy. Kind of defeats the purpose of influencing, doesn't it?
Alex was one of the two of these I was most interested in when they showed all the promos, so I'm glad she's finally here. I'm not a big fan of this line. I do love my Erin, but I tend to forget where on my shelves the other two I have even are. So they didn't make a great impression. Alex though. I hate to say she was worth the wait but I kinda love her.
Alex has a mixed bag of pieces.
Forgettable sunglasses.
Crossbody fanny pack that will never be seen again.
Floppy compact hidden in a pink wristlet. I do love these makeup bags, but I don't like the pink here. I get that it goes with the shoes, but Alex is the only one I'm not displaying holding her bag.
Adorable camo top with mesh sleeves.
Surprisingly cute athletic pants.
Sneakers that look like they're just chunks of bubble gum.
Really cute gold lightning bolt earrings and a basic but acceptable watch.
PJs are pretty cute. She could actually wear this top with her athletic pants and it would go better than the green one. But we'll get to that.
Before washing gel out of hair and "glo-up" stuff off face.
After washing hair and removing stuff from face. She...barely looks different. They could easily skip all the gimmicks with this line and just produce dolls whose faces we can see in the damn package. (I'm still mad about my Sadie's messed up eyes.)
Hours later, dressed with hair now dried.
The hair on this line is not great. For as much as they talk themselves up, they need to improve the quality.
This outfit.
From the waist up, I love this. The top is adorable and I adore the earrings. They look great on her. The doll herself is gorgeous. I think she's even prettier than Erin.
From the waist down, it's like she's planned two completely separate outfits. Why would anyone look at bright blue and pink pants and think they went with green camo?
And then the shoes. Ugh.
But here's the thing.
She somehow pulls this shit off.
I thought for sure I'd be digging into my RH stash for some pants and shoes...but I didn't. I'm not changing her out of this. Not even the shoes which could seriously have benefitted from some painted detail. (Someone from Far Out please be reading this. Your shoes are BORING.)
This is some Alex magic here.
So here are my faves from the line. I'm not sure the redhead ever came out. I have no interest in her, so I'm not following up with it.
I have heard they're getting a second series. Please be more quality. Better hair. Way better shoes. Stop wasting money on gimmicks when your doll quality isn't up to par. And while I'm asking for thing we won't get: make a South Asian character!
PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
REVIEW: Whiffies (UPDATED)
Woo hoo! It's Whiffies time! I've been eagerly awaiting the release of these little scented skunks with bendable furry tails. I actually have some on order from Walmart that should be arriving tomorrow, but when I saw them in Target tonight, I took the opportunity to get the six different codes that were there.
Yep, codes. So happy about that.
These 2-packs cost $9.99 apiece.
The codes are printed onto the front of the package at the bottom. You focus on the separate 2 digits at the end.
I opened 6 packs and got 12 different Whiffies so these codes do appear to work. I have heard you get a double with the ultra rare one though, because there are 17 total in the 2-pack collection. The other 3 in Series 1 are packaged together. (I should have them tomorrow to review.)
If you peel off the front, there are two silver packs and a checklist inside.
Unlike other blind bag toys, these actually also have a code stamped into the top of the silver packet. It's not a big help once they're already opened, but they're there, so I kept track of them.
Here's the checklist.
The other side just has suggested scent combos, so I didn't take a pic.
Stra-Better Ice Cream
Outer packet code: 01
Inner packet code: 01
Scent: Sweet but not the best strawberry I've ever smelled.
Banana Bryne
(How are we pronouncing this? Like pickle brine? I've never heard this as a name.)
Outer packet code: 01
Inner packet code: 02
Scent: Very faint
I love her colors and design!
So these are the two in the set coded 01.
I'll have a full list at the bottom, too.
Callie Cookies
One of my favorites! I was so happy to open her.
Outer packet code: 05
Inner packet code: 05
Scent: Very nice. Chocolatey but not just chocolate. I get a hint of coconut, which doesn't make sense, considering she's got a chocolate chip cookie on her bow. I expected cookies and cream honestly. It's lovely whatever it is.
Luna Lemon
Outer packet code: 05
Inner packet code: 06
Scent: VERY strong. Like way too strong. She's got my least favorite scent and I'm tempted to keep her away from the others. I'm not sure if they can catch each other's scents or not.
She's cute, but she's got so many colors. She doesn't really make sense.
These two are code 05.
Definitely the weirdest pairing of the ones I got. Most of them make sense, but chocolate cookies with lemon?
Camilla Caramel
ADORABLE.
Outer packet code: 06
Inner packet code: 09
Scent: AMAZING. I think she's got the best scent of the ones I have.
Popcorn Penny
She might be my sleeper fave. I did not expect to love her like this.
Outer packet code: 06
Inner packet code: 10
Scent: Good. Definitely smells like popcorn.
These two are code 06.
Caramel popcorn. Makes sense.
Vanilla Vanessa
Outer packet code: 07
Inner packet code: 08
Scent: Faint. I think it was sweeter when I first opened her. Some of them seem to vanish. Or maybe I was smelling too many at once!
Root Beer Bella
Possibly my fave of the 2 rares and 1 super rare. Love her curls.
Outer packet code: 07
Inner packet code: 07
Scent: Excellent. My second fave after caramel.
These two are in the packet marked 07 on the outside.
Root beer float. Another cute pair.
Charlie Cherry
My other main fave with Callie. I love the sculpt and colors on this girl so much.
Outer packet code: 08
Inner packet code: 03
Scent: Strong. I'm picky about cherry so I honestly don't really like it, but she's worth enduring it.
Charlie is the only one I took more than one solo pic of, but I had to show off her hair sculpt. So cute.
The sass level of this one. Love it.
Choco-Kate
Love her sculpt and colors, too!
Outer packet code: 08
Inner packet code: 04
Scent: Quite good. Possibly third place after caramel and root beer. It's a bit much when you get too close, but the checklist I wrote on came out of her packet and it smells great.
Outer packet code 08
So glad these two come together. I adore them.
Minty Mindy
I said Penny was my sleeper, but so is Mindy. I can have two. I really love her.
Outer packet code: 09
Inner packet code: 11
Scent: Good but faint. You have to work for it.
Whipped Cream Willow
Outer packet code: 09
Inner packet code: 15
Scent: Also faint. I don't get much from her at all, but she was also the last one I smelled. I'll have to revisit this.
Okay, so here are my new ones that I'm adding.
Minty Mindy again.
Outer packet code: 02
Inner packet code: 11
Scent: Still faint like my first one.
Frankie Frappuccino
She's the other regular rare.
Outer packet code: 02
Inner packet code: 12
Scent: I initially called it "good" on my scribbled list of smells and then changed it to "great."
These two are code 02.
Cinna-Monica
Aha, my other destined to be favorite. I'm such a sucker for red, even diluted shades of red like this. And I love seeing brown in food-themed toy lines because they're so often overwhelmingly pastel.
Outer packet code: 03
Inner packet code: 13
Scent: Good so it's annoying that it's quite faint. I wish it was stronger.
Waffle Cone Whitney
Outer packet code: 03
Inner packet code: 16
Scent: Good. Sort of like the caramel one but not as good.
These two are code 03.
Piper Pickle!
Aaaaa! I love this one so much! I adore dill pickle anything and she's both adorable and she smells amazing.
Outer packet code: 04
Inner packet code: 14
Scent: AMAZING. My favorite of the entire line.
Whipped Cream Willow again.
Outer packet code: 04
Inner packet code: 15
Scent: Same as my first one. Very faint.
Stra-Better Ice Cream again.
Outer packet code: 10
Inner packet code: 01
Scent: Same as before. Good.
Vanilla Vanessa again. I did not take a photo of these two together. They're outer packet code 10. Skip it. If you're trying for a full set, you do not need code 10.
Outer packet code: 10
Inner packet code: 08
Scent: Faint like the first time.
May as well put the 3-pack in here. It doesn't come with any special accessories or anything. it's just 3 Whiffies. The one is in the visible tray and the other 2 are in the silver packets.
Gabby Graham
She's in silver packet #18. Not that it matters because all 3 are in the box together. No real blind aspect here unless the quality control screwed up.
Her scent is okay, not great.
Marni Mallow
So cute!
By process of elimination, she's #19.
Scent is nice but too faint.
Cocoa Carly
She's #20.
She has a great chocolate scent. It actually manages to be slightly different than Choco-Kate's. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but I get a little difference from each.
The S'Mores trio.
And here's my updated scribbled-on checklist.
I just need to hunt down that super rare!
PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.
CODES:
01: Stra-Better Ice Cream, Banana Bryne
02: Frankie Frappuccino (RARE), Minty Mindy
03: Cinna-Monica, Waffle Cone Whitney
04: Piper Pickle, Whipped Cream Willow
05: Callie Cookies, Luna Lemon
06: Camilla Caramel, Popcorn Penny
07: Root Beer Bella (RARE), Vanilla Vanessa
08: Charlie Cherry, Choco-Kate
09: Minty Mindy, Whipped Cream Willow
10: Stra-Better Ice Cream, Vanilla Vanessa
12: Callie Cookies, Vanilla Vanessa
So your options for full set are:
-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13. Double of Piper.
-1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13. Double of Mindy.
You can skip 4 or 9 but not both. Definitely skip 10.
REVIEW: Dollar General VIP Pets
I always meant to get one of the newer VIP Pets, but I never could commit to the $12.99 for a blind set. I was in Dollar General last week and saw four packaged like this, so you can see exactly who you're getting.
The downside is you don't get many accessories. Nyla doesn't have her cute antennae headband, just a purple comb. But for $10 and being able to skip the blind aspect, I'm happy to have her.
These are the art versions of the four available.
And she's adorable.
I kind of like the Spring Vibes series, so I may try out one blind one of these days.
PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.